Conservation Diver

Blue Marlin Gili Air’s Conservation Diving Course

Threats to our ocean life With reef systems worldwide already suffering from the threats of climate change and ocean acidification, it is more important than ever to protect our precious and fragile underwater ecosystems. More and more people are becoming interested in more than just a run of the mill fun dive. People want the opportunity to experience the incredible underwater world, at the same time as doing their bit to protect this amazing and vulnerable environment.

Take part in protecting our oceans If you’re interested in supporting marine and coral reef conservation, you’ve come to the right place.

Blue Marlin Gili Air and Conservation Diver have teamed up to become Indonesia’s first Conservation Diver Training Center, with the full backing of the BKKPN Gili Matra local Marine Park Authority.

We are so excited to present The Blue Marlin Gili Air Conservation Diver Program! Conservation Diver gives you real, hands-on training in marine conservation and monitoring techniques used by scientists and professionals around the world. You will contribute to ongoing projects and research, like building artificial reefs and coral nurseries to provide marine environments for vulnerable species to repopulate, and to encourage reef systems recovery in areas of manmade damage.

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A friendly environment of like-minded people

Certification from a respected diving training provider

Support from expert divers with decades of experience

All dive gear

Lunch, water, tea and coffee

Daily idyllic sunsets guaranteed

What we offer:

1, 2 and 4 - week Conservation Diver Training

At Blue Marlin Dive Gili Air we teach a 1, 2 and 4 - week coral reef conservation courses every month. During this time you can earn Conservation Diver certifications in:

Coral Reef Ecology & Monitoring
Ecological Monitoring Program
Coral Restoration and Artificial Reef courses
Coral Taxonomy I & II
Coral Diseases & Compromised Health
Coral Predators
Seahorse Population & Monitoring
Shark Ecology & Population Studies
Sea Turtle Ecology & Monitoring
Sea Slug Ecology and Identification

One-week program: Reef Science Week

During the first week of the Conservation Diver course we focus on the Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP).

Every day will start with a lecture on the day’s topic, followed by a dive to put the theory into practice. You will learn the ins and outs of the tropical coral reef ecosystems, how to monitor invertebrate and fish species and how-to asses the health of corals. In addition to this we host a guest workshop by Belgian NGO, Save The Plastics, who will teach you how to monitor marine debris and microplastics in the environment.

Includes: Free T-shirt, EMP Manual and Conservation Diver Crew Kit

Two-week program: Artificial Reef Week

In the second week we take our new understanding of the reef and put it into action. After learning the theory and techniques you will design, build and deploy your very own coral nursery and artificial reef structures. Working underwater to restore coral reefs is one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding things you will ever do!

Divemaster candidates prepare to practice skills in the pool.

Smiling divemaster on the surface after a dive

Four-week program: Advanced Ecological Monitoring Program

During the third & fourth week of the program we dive deeper in to the world of ecological monitoring and learn how to make our data more complete. You will earn an extra 4 certifications in advanced ecological monitoring, which will make you qualify for the prestigious Advanced EMP certification.

The 4 courses to be completed in addition to Coral Taxonomy and ID are:

Coral disease and compromised health monitoring
Advanced Monitoring Techniques
Nudibranch Ecology and ID
Seahorse Ecology and ID

Lunch is included every day during the above courses at the Blue Marlin restaurant!

1-day Courses and Workshops

Discover Conservation Diving

Not enough time? This one-day course will introduce you to coral reef ecology and monitoring reef species along a permanent transect line. You will earn the Coral Reef Ecology and Monitoring Certification. You can choose to learn and practice on either Fish or invertebrate species.

Seahorse Survey

Join us to Seahorse Bay in Lombok and learn about the evolution, ecology, threats, survey techniques and identification of seahorses. In Seahorse Bay we can find 3 species of seahorse and many different pipefish closely related to seahorses. After a lecture the evening before we will conduct a roving diver survey to monitor the seahorse population in the bay. All data is shared to the global online database of NGO: ‘iseahorse’. By completing this course, you will earn the Seahorse ecology and Identification certification.

Coral Restoration Workshop*

Want to experience coral reef restoration, but don’t have enough time for the two-week course? During the coral restoration workshop, you will get a lecture introducing the tropical coral reef ecosystem, threats to coral and methods of reef restoration. After this lecture you will go on a dive with a Conservation Diver instructor to identify and carefully collect coral fragments to be attached to either coral nurseries or our artificial reef structures.

*Please note this is a workshop and does not qualify as a Conservation Diver certification course.

Adopt a Reef

As an add-on to the workshop you can purchase a ready-made bottle reef, deploy it and plant coral fragments on to the structure. You will receive bi-annual updates on the growth of your very own piece of reef.

Course prices

Activity	Price
1-day Specialty Course certification	IDR 1.8 Million
Week 1 program certification	IDR 13 Million
Week 1 & 2 program certification	IDR 19 Million
4-week internship certification	IDR 28 Million
Second extra internship month	IDR 14 Million
Third extra internship month	IDR 12 Million
Fourth extra internship month	IDR 9 Million

*All prices include dive equipment rental, boat movement and Materials and certifications.

reserve your spot

Internships

After completing all three weeks of the program you can apply for a 1, 2 or 3-month intern position with Conservation Diver Indonesia to gain more experience in day to day conservation activities, work on the development of existing monitoring and restoration work or focus on a research project/thesis for university.

Already a conservation diver?

If you are already conservation diver certified from another training center you can either jump in on courses you have not yet done but do have the prerequisites for or inform about tailored experiences, such as designing and building your own reef and nursery.

For who?

The Conservation Diver courses are designed for anybody who is interested in coral reefs and conservation. The courses are also for those looking to expand their knowledge/skill base. You do not need a background in biology or science to start the course as we start from the very basics. If you’re on a gap year this course is a perfect way to get a taste of marine science and what it means to work in hand-on conservation.

University students

Combining the three-week course together with an internship and your own research project can give you university credit for global placements or other scheduled internships abroad for students of (Marine) Biology, Oceanography, Conservation Biology, Zoology, Sustainability, Tourism, Coastal Zone Management and Environmental Sciences degrees.

Boost your professional dive resume!

Divemaster or Instructor? Diversify your CV, as a certified Conservation Diver you will stand out from the crowd with in depth knowledge and a clear dedication towards encouraging positive dive techniques in the fragile environment you work in every day.

Not SCUBA certified yet? No problem!

Blue Marlin Gili Air is a 5-star PADI career development center. We offer all dive certifications from Open-water Diver to Instructor level. A prerequisite to join the conservation program is being Advanced Open-water certified (through any organization).