PADI IDC Gili Islands, PADI Career Development Dive Resort

Yesterday Oceans 5 dive resort organized another reef clean up. Instructor Phil, Divemaster Yvonne and Divemaster Trainee Budi took care of 7 other divers who wanted to help. The clean up started at 16.00. At that time the preparation started with preparing the bags, the gloves and all the equipment. At 16.30 Divemaster Yvonne gave a dive briefing about how everyone should take the rubbish away, the bottom time, the max depth and buddy teams. The first divers came after 44 minutes out of th water. They had 3 bags full of rubbish. After this each buddy team and the result was shocking...... After we had last time 15 bags of rubbish now the divers collected another 12 bags of rubbish! It looks a little bit better in the front of Oceans 5 dive resort, but still a lot of work has to be done. For further information about the reef clean ups: info@oceans5dive.com

It was time for their release. After being at Oceans 5 for 8 months these Hawksbill sea turtles were ready to return to their home, The Ocean. The people who were taking care of them, Nun, Uding and Bahry, helped to get the turtles to the beach. There they were released! Some of them were shy and didnt know what to do with their freedom, other enjoyed the first minute and run into the ocean as it was not new for them. A new adventure has started for them, they have to swimm and catch their own food. Hopefully we see them in the future underwater! Enjoy your stay turtles, see you soon.

Description All twenty-five species of trevally have elongated, compressed bodies and deeply forked caudal fins, with long, sickle shaped pectoral fins. The Giant Trevally (also known as the ulua, ronin jack and “GT”) is the most prized of the species by anglers and is identifiable by an ovoid patch of small scales located on the breast ahead of the ventral fins. Coloration for the Giant Trevally can range from silvery-white to almost jet-black. The Giant Trevally uses its superior swimming abilities and power to hunt and smash baitfish. The Giant Treavally is known for stunning prey with its first strike and then circling back to engulf the wounded and/or disoriented baitfish. They will usually devour the prey quickly with one bite, as competition can be fierce from other members of the pack. As they grow, larger specimens move to deeper water and congregate over coral reefs and other underwater structure. Giant Trevally also venture onto flats, headlands and shallow water...

Porcelain crab Neopetrolisthes maculatus These delicately spotted crabs live in a symbiotic relationship with anemones. They keep the anemone clean while benefiting from its protection. Porcelain crabs have modified mouthparts which open out like fans into the oncoming current in order to trap tiny particles of plankton . Life span They live for around 2-3 years. Statistics They are less than 24mm in width. Distribution They are found in the Indo-Pacific. You see them when you are diving around the Gili Islands Indonesia . Habitat They are also known as anemone crabs, due to their close association with anemones. Porcelain crabs may be found singly or in pairs, hidden between the stinging tentacles, or near the mouth, of anemones. They are found in reef habitats, to depths of around 10m. Diet They are mainly plankton feeders, sieving tiny particles from the water column using their fan-like mouthparts. They also eat mucus from the anemone. Behaviour Por...

Why Nitrox? Nitrox exposes you to less nitogen. This has the advantages of longer allowable bottom times, less need to push the air no decompression limits and less overall nitogen load when making multiple dives. Oceans 5 dive resort offers Nitrox course. They start every day. If you are 12 year old and older and you have an Open Water Certification you can begin. Enjoy the tast of Nitrox!

TRUMPETFISH (Aulostomus chinensis) Also known as Trumpet, Atlantic Trumpetfish, Caribbean Trumpetfish, Trumpeter and Painted Flutemouth. You can find them everywhere around the Gili Islands when you are snorkeling or divinvg. The Trumpetfish can be recognised by its long body, tubular snout with minute teeth, its chin barbel and the series of short dorsal spines.Their bodies are inflexible, supported by interwoven struts of bone. The colouration of this species is variable. It is often brown or green with pale stripes and bars, and white spots posteriorly. A yellow colour variety is common in some areas. Individual fish have the ability to change their colours very quickly. Trumpetfish have the capability to rapidly expand their jaws into a circular gaping hole almost the diameter of their body when feeding. The trumpetfish is the true master-hunter on the coral reef. Yes, this fish looks rather benign and yes it is a relative of the passive sea horses, but it is truly a fish-ki...

There are a few different kinds of decompression stops/ pauses in ascent, which a scuba diver needs to make to allow for the expelling of inert gasses to minimize the possibility of the gasses forming micro-bubbles which in turn can cause Decompression Sickness or DCS. In this article we take a closer look at the Safety Stops. Safety Stop Every recreational scuba diver has been taught to perform safety stops while learning how to dive. A safety stop which is a 3 minute halt, assists the body in rapidly eliminating nitrogen. Even a diver that has remained within Decompression Limits is susceptible to bubbling on ascent and the safety stop helps mitigate the chances of this happening by speeding up the off-gassing process. A diver that performs a 3 minute safety stop after a dive will have less nitrogen in their body immediately upon surfacing as compared to a diver that did not perform a safety stop, but has been on the surface “off-gassing” for 3 minutes. Therefore, no matter w...

What is coral bleaching? A coral colony is made up of numerous individual coral polyps. Corals use their tentacles to feed on zooplankton, but depend primarily on microscopic, algae known as zooxanthellae located inside their tissues to provide them with food. Corals are very dependent on this symbiotic relationship, receiving up to 90% of their energy from the zooxanthellae. Healthy corals usually appear tan, brown or green from the presence of the algae within their tissues. Some types of corals have additional pigments so may appear more blue or purple. Coral bleaching is a stress response that occurs when the coral-algae symbiotic relationship breaks down. The term “bleaching’ describes the loss of color that results when zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral polyps or when chlorophyll within the algae are degraded. When the zooxanthellae leave the coral, the white of the coral skeleton is then clearly visible through the transparent coral tissue, making the coral...

When you are diving around the Gili Island you will spot them on every dive site . Some people loves them other one say this one of the most ugly fish in the sea. We are talking about the Parrotfish. This herbivorous fish uses its strong beak-like mouthparts to scrape algae and other plant matter from the surface of the coral. This maintains the health of the reef by keeping algae in check, which could otherwise overwhelm the delicate reef ecosystem. An unusual feature of parrotfishes is that they are able to change sex, with females becoming fully functional males. In a population, parrotfish start off as either females or males (known as primary males). Females may at some point in their life become male (secondary males). Populations that have these two types of males are called ‘diandrous’, meaning ‘two-males'. A terminal phase male defends a territory and a harem of females. If the male should die, the most dominant female will become the dominant male, her ovaries beco...

Porcupinefishes are on every dive site around the Gili Islands . You will find the for example when you are diving North Gili Air, on Hans reef. But is the Porcupinefish the same fish as a Puffer fish? Porcupinefishes are similar to puffer with regards to their ability to inflate by drawing water into the addomen. They have additional protection in the form of sharp spines on the head and body. These are either three rooted or non movable as seen in the burrfishes or two rooted and erectile in Diodon. In the genus Lophodiodon both types of spines are evident on the same individual. Typically the spines of Diodon lie flat against the body with their tips directed posteriously, but if theatened the body is expanded and the spines are erected approximately perpendicular to the body surface, forming an obvious deterrent to potential predators. Porcupinefishes and burrfishes further differ from puffers in having broader pectoral fins, in lacking a median suture on their dental plates a...

A lot of times you see them around when you are diving Sharkpoint , Gili Trawangan or Bounty Wreck, Gili Meno. Its the Batfish. They are so common when and we see then so many times around the Gili Islands, but what do we know about them? Batfishes are recognisable on the basis of their distinctive shape, particulary juveniles, which have greatly elevated dorsal and anal fins. Other characteristics include a small, terminally located mouth, brush like jaw teeth (often with tricuspid lips), a continuous dorsal fin with 5-9 spines and 19-40 soft rays, anal fin with 3 spines and 17-29 rays, and typically a silvery adult colour pattern often with dark bars on the head and body. Members of the genus Platax are extremely tame and curious, often approaching divers at close range. Young fish are found close to the bottom, often around boat moorings, docks, jetties, and floating objects. Adults may form midwater feeding aggregation, frequently adjacent to steep outer reef slopes. The di...

Diving around the Gili Islands gives you the oppurtunity to see unusual fish, like the Razor fish. You will find the in the harbor of Gili Air, in the front of Oceans 5 dive resort . These are small, unusually shaped fish that are related to pipefish and seahorses. They are characterised by an extremely thin or flattenend and nearly transparent body, which is encased in an integument of thin, sutured plates. The unusual appearance is further enhanced by their peculiar vertical orientation with the snout pointing downwards. However they are capable of rapid bursts of horizontal swimming when chased by a diver or preditor. Razor fish often occur in large synchronised groups, sometimes containing more than 50 individuals. The family is restricted to the tropical Indo Pacific region and contains two genera and four species, 3 of which occur in the East Indian region. The fish's diet consists of a variety of zoo-plankton and minute crustaceans. When in captivity, it is fed bait shr...

Sea snakes are venomous reptiles that live most or all of their lives in the sea. They're so adapted to life in the ocean that few species can crawl on land. They swim like eels with their paddle-like tail and laterally compressed body. Like marine mammals, they lack gills and must come to the surface to breathe. Sea-snakes are cold-blooded reptiles, so they live mostly in warm tropical waters, like the Gili Islands . During the diving around the Gilis you will meet some Sea snakes. Sea snakes are fully adapted to breathe, feed, breed and grow in the sea. For air-breathing animals, sea-snakes are remarkable divers. Some species can dive to 100 metres or more, and remain submerged for up to 80 minutes. This may be partly due to the remarkable ability of some species to absorb part of the oxygen they need through their skins. Their nostrils have valves that close when they are under the water. Sea snakes inject venom with their bites to subdue and kill prey, which is then grabbe...

Sharkpoint, West Gili Trawangan, Indonesia is one of the most exciting divesites around the Gili Islands . It takes 30 minutes by boat from Oceans 5 dive res ort to get there. The main attraction are the White Tip Reef Sharks. You will find them between the 20 and 30 meters in the sandy patches between the reefs, mostly sleeping. Description and Behavior Whitetip reef sharks, Trianodon obesus, are a slender species with a short, blunt snout. They are brown-gray on their dorsal (top) sides, white on their ventral (lower) sides. They have scattered dark gray spots along the sides of their bodies. The tips of their first dorsal fin and upper caudal (tail) fin lobe are brilliant white. The tip of their second dorsal fin and lower caudal fin lobe are also white in some animals. Spiracles usually present, teeth are tricuspidate (three-pronged, with a smaller secondary cusp on either side of the central blade) numbering 47-50 upper/44-46 lower jaw, in at least 2 functional rows. T...

The moray eel is a large species of eel found in warm and temperate waters all around the world. They are also around the Gili Islands . Despite their snake-like appearance, moray eels (along with other eel species) are in fact fish and not reptiles. Moray eels are found in both deep and shallow waters in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Although moray eels can be find in cooler waters occasionally, they tend to remain in the crevices deep in the ocean rather than venturing into shore. The largest populations of moray eels are found around tropical coral reefs where they are numerous different marine species found in large numbers. Specially when you are diving the dive sites around the Gili Islands named Halik, Hans and Bounty wreck you will see them. There are around 200 different species of moray eel than can range in size from just 10cm long to nearly 2 meters in length. Despite their varying size and colour all moray eels are fairly similar in appearance with an elongated bo...

Today day 2 starts of the Padi instructor examination (IE) starts at Gili Air. Today it is only the confined water presentations. Oceans 5 candidates are making themselves ready for the final presentation. In a few hours we know more about the candidates. Hopefully we can tell you they all passed! For more information to become an instructor: http://www.indonesia-idc.com

After a successfull Instructor development course (IDC) at Oceans 5 Gili Air , the IDC candidates Paden, Dan, Florence and David have to show today and tomorrow what they have learned during the IDC. The Instructor Examination (IE) is over 2 days. Today the orientation, exames, classroom presentation and open water takes place. Tomorrow the final day there is only confined open water presentations. If all the candidates pass there will be a biug party in the Zipp Bar, Gili Air. This will start at 8 o'clock in the evening. But at this moment dont look at this, we have to start and pass firts. For further information: http://wwww.oceans5dive.com

When you are diving around the Gili Islands you have a chance to see at the divesites Sharkpoint, Hans or Halik the Barracuda. Also in the evenings when you pass all the BBQ places for dinner, the barracuda is one of the most seen dishes. But how does it looks like? Description The great barracuda has a slender, streamlined body that is round in the mid-section. The top of the head between the eyes is nearly flat and the mouth is large, containing many large sharp teeth and a projecting lower jaw. The pectoral fin tips extend to the origin of the pelvic fins. The spinous and soft dorsal fins are widely separated and the double emarginate tail fin exhibits pale tips on each lobe. Body coloration of the great barracuda is brownish or bluish gray on the dorsum and upper side, with a greenish cast shading to silvery on the sides and a white belly. The upper side may have 18-23 dark bars most often observable when the fish is resting or over a variegated substrate. The black spots on...

Today it is the last day of the Padi Instructor development course (IDC) at Oceans 5 dive resort . After 10 days the candidates are glad they will have tomorrow a day off before the Padi Instructor Examination (IE) starts. During the IDC the candidates were trained to do confined presentations, open water presentations and classroom presentations. Also they improved their diving and their dive theory skills. In the spare time they had, they did the MSDT preparation course with Platinum Padi Course Director Camille Lemmens. They became Padi specialty instructor in Deep, Enriched Air, Dugital Underwater Photography (DUP), Night and Oxygen provider. Florence, David, Paden and Dan have done a great job during these days. And they are looking forward when the IE is over. Then the Party will start....

A scorpion fish is a group of predatory, marine fish that are found amongst coral reefs and in shallow waters in the more temperate oceans. The scorpion fish is most closely related to the lionfish and is most commonly found in the Indian and South Pacific oceans. You can find them if you dive around the Gili Islands at the dive sites Hans reef, Halik and the Bounty. Oceans 5 dive resort finds almost every dive a scorpion fish. There are more than 200 recognised species of scorpion fish, hiding amongst the ocean reefs and in artificial aquariums around the world. Scorpion fish are kept in tanks by numerous people because of their interesting appearance and behaviour. The body of the scorpion fish is often cover in feathery fins that help the scorpion fish to camouflage itself into the surrounding coral. The colours and markings of the scorpion fish are also used to help the scorpion fish to hide. Scorpion fish are nocturnal predators, and spend the daylight hours resting in a hidd...

The Damselfish are quite lively and colorful and they are common in the tropical seas. They are found in the shallow water of tropical and semitropical seas, like diving around the Gili Islands and at the divesites Halik (North Gili Trawangan), Hans reef (North Gili Air) and Bounty Wreck (South West Gili Meno). They are small and aggressive. They love the coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass. They feed on zooplankton and algae. When they are in courtship, they make purring and clicking noises. The juveniles are different in color than the mature adults. Some juveniles may be red with blue spots. The mature ones are orange-yellow. They can display a ferocious behavior when they feel threatened. Some like to live in open water and swim in schools. These fish are beautiful as the display their bright colors. Many of the Damselfish grow to a length of 7 cm. They become mature in two to five years. Some species may take much longer to mature. Their spawning season begins in spring and ...

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The Padi instructor development course (IDC) at Oceans 5 dive resort has started. The 4 candidates arrived the 17th of October and started straight away with their IDC preparation course. The IDC preparation course will brush your diving and dive theory skills till instructor level. Normally it takes 2-3 days. After the first days of the IDC there was a specialty instructor break. The candidates did 4 specialties Enriched Air, Digital Underwater Photography, Deep and Oxigen Provider. It took place over 3 days. Today its time for their first classroom presentation. Well David, Paden, Florence, and Dan have some fun.....

It was Wednesday yesterday. Time for our weekly reef and beach clean up! This time all the Padi instructor development (IDC) candidates, all our divemaster trainees, fundivers and staff were joining the clean up. The clean up started at 16.00. Everyone was prepareing his/her equipment and all went in the water in front of Oceans 5 dive resort . The clean up dives takes maximum 60 minutes. But after 10 minutes the first divers cam at shore with bags full of rubbish. The end result was 10 bags full of pklastic, can, ropes etc.... Oceans 5 likes to thank everyone who joined the clean up. Lets make the world a little bit better and dont forget fish dont like plastic!

When you are diving around the Gili Islands with Oceans 5 you will meet a lot of puffer fish in all kind of sizes. Normally the diver doesnt see that the puffer fish blows themselves up. Biologists think pufferfish, also known as blowfish, developed their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape, pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size. Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less palatable. A predator that manages to snag a puffer before it inflates won’t feel lucky for long. Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfis...

Mandarin fish The Mandarin fish is a beautiful colourful fish. Oceans 5 dive resort is lucky to have 20-30 pieces of them in front of their House reef. But what do we know about them? Design The mandarinfish produces a thick mucous that covers its body. This mucous smells bad and tastes bitter. Scientists believe that this secretion could ward off potential predators. The bright colors of this fish could also give warning of its toxicity. These features may not have served this purpose until after the Fall of man since before the Fall all animals were vegetarian. Features ■ The mandaranfish is distinguished by its bright colors and unusual shape. ■ Its body is primarily blue with orange, red, and yellow wavy lines. Fun Facts ■ The mandarinfish does not have scales; instead it produces a stinky mucous that covers its body. ■ This fish is also called the mandarin dragonet. ■ Mating between mandarinfish involves a ritualized dance. ■ This is a very popular aquarium fish expo...

The Ornate Ghostpipefish is an unually shaped species that occurs in tropical and warm termperate waters of the Indo-west Pacific. Identification The Ornate Ghostpipefish can be recognised by its distinctive body form with slender appendages on the body and fins. It has deeply incised membranes in the dorsal, caudal and ventral fins. Its colour varies from almost totally black to semi-transparent with red, yellow, and white scribbling, spots and blotches. Size range The species grows to 10 cm in length. Similar Species Ghostpipefishes are different to seahorses in several ways. A ghostpipefish’s head is held at an angle to the body, but not at such a large angle as that of the seahorse. Ghostpipefishes have two dorsal fins whereas a seahorse only has one. In addiction, ghostpipefishes do not have a pouch in which the young are reared, instead a female ghostpipefish (rather than the male seahorse) looks after the eggs in a pouch formed by her modified ventral fins. These fi...

Ribbon Eel, (Rhinomuraena quaesita) When you are diving with Oceans 5 Mentiggi Bay, Lombok, you will see in the shallows these smaller black/white or medium sized blue/yellow or large yellow eels sitting in holes and moving the head up and down with jerky movements. Are they 3 different species? Nope. All the same! How come? Well, the male ribbon eel does not only change colours when growing up, but it changes as well sex when turning into a large yellow female! This really funky and curious animal can be lured out of its whole by moving a stick in front of it. When leaving the hole, the diver can see where the name comes from - this fish looks like a long ribbon and grows up to 1.5 m long. Isnt it amazing?

Today the Padi business academy in Bali has started. It is the second time that Padi visit Bali with a business academy. The Padi business academy is a 2 days programme. During these days the participants will learn more about business positioning, marketing, e-marketing and social marketing. It is not only a programme where the participants have to listen but there are workshops where they can integrate the information they just have learned. Oceans 5 dive resort is joining the programme. Sander wants to upgrade his knowledge about e-marketing and websites.

Oceans 5 Gili Air has certified some of their staff as Emergency First Responder (EFR). After 4 days of theory and skills 3 staff member can call themselves Emergency First Responder. So my name is Hamdi, Habibi and Acok, i am an Emergency First Responder! May i help you. Well done guys!!!!

Oceans 5 dive resort is following the latest trends of diving. In the beginning of October 2012 Oceans 5 dive resort will be ready to teach sidemounting around the Gili Islands. They will be the first or one of the first who are cabable to teach sidemounting arounf the famous Gili Islands. Oceans 5 ordered just 2 Hollis sms50 sidemount systems. And if we like them more will follow. What is sidemount scuba diving..? Diving in sidemount configuration is the process of taking one or two cylinders and placing them on either side of your body, rather than mounting them on your back, (traditionally known as backmounted). But Sidemount diving is much more than just a change in equipment. In fact, with the right training, you will find it to be a vastly more rewarding and enlightening experience. If fact if trained correctly I doubt, you will ever see the need to return to a backmouted equipment configuration. Why use sidemount equipment configuration vs backmount..? * Enables a u...

Diving around the Gili Islands is fantastic. To make your dives more joyable and to make you more aware about what garbage, rubbish can do with the underwater world, Oceans 5 organise every week beach and reef clean ups. In the last few months we collected a lot of rubbish. And at his time we see more marinelife than before. A few days ago we spotted a white tip reef shark, a wonderpus and a few robust pipefish in the harbor. We are really happy that all our work and time results in a better reef and a broader awareness of reef conservation on the island. But we are not there, there are many things that we individually can do! We can as divers create a good dive behavior, not touching and taking things away. We can improve our bouyancy. But even as a non diver you can help us to take some batteries we have back to the western world where they recycle them. If you like to know more about Gili Air, eco projects or clean ups: info@oceans5dive.com

Last week 5 candidates finished their Emergency First Response Instructor (EFRI) course here at Oceans 5 dive resort on Gili Air, Gili Islands, Indonesia. The EFR Instructor courses at Oceans 5 dive resort are run throughout the year when demand dictates. Courses takes 1 or 2 days and includes all elements of primary and secondary care, use of the AED, the provision of Oxygen and Care for Children. This course is open to anyone who has the provider qualifications. There is no requirement to be a diving instructor to undertake this training course. Prerequisites: To enter the Emergency First Response Instructor course, you must be 18 years old and have completed adult, child and infant CPR and first aid training in the past 24 months or a be a practicing medical professional such as a physician, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic and Registered Nurse. If you like to have more information about EFR instructor courses, EFR courses, or EFR update programes please contact us:...

It were busy times the last few week at the Gili Islands. So didnt had time to write about the weekly beach and reef clean ups at Oceans 5 dive resort . But even during the high season there were beach and reef clean ups. The result is there! The reef in front of Oceans 5 dive resort has a lot of nice creatures. Yesterday we saw during a divemaster trainee workshop 2 times a wonderpus totally free. But if you like seahorses, pipefish, gurnets, all kind of lionfish, some nudis or flatworms, the Oceans 5 house reef is a great one to dive. Oceans 5 like to thank Peter and Daniel who organised all the clean up during high season. But we dont want to forget all the people who joined and helped us to get a better and cleaner reef! Thank You!!!!

The Padi instructor examination (IE) is over! All 9 candidates are Padi dive instructors! There will be 7 new dive instructors on Gili Air (Oceans 5 dive) and 2 new dive instructors on Gili Trawangan (Trawangan dive). After a Padi instructor development course (IDC) there is a Padi instructor Examination (IE). This time the Padi instructor examination took place at Oceans 5 dive resort on Gili Air, Gili Islands, Lombok. The Padi IE started the 28th of August in the afternoon. The candidates were tested on their theorical dive and standars and procedure knowledge. The following day was a wet, open water, confined water presentations and rescue. The last morning was the classroom presentation. After the classroom presentations all 9 candidates could call themselves PADI instructor. All passed the PADI IE. Oceans 5 is very proud! Well done Signe, Agnes, Mariusz, Lara, Matt, Max and Cindy and ofcourse the candidates of Trawangan dive. See you all underwater!!!!! And lets the party be...

Diving around the Gili islands is fantastic. There are always turtles around, the clownsfish always wants to play with you, and the water is cristal blue. Many people started diving there and become so addicted that they wanted to live the life style of a dive instructor. They like the athmosphere on the islands, being relax, no cars, no motorbikes and no dogs. And in the evening enough bars and restaurants to have a nice time. At this moment Oceans 5 dive resort has 7 people who are following their dream to become a Padi dive instructor and hopefully work on the Gili Islands. The instructor development course (IDC) at Oceans 5 dive resort is almost over. There are 3 days to go and after then there will be a Padi Instructor Examination (IE) over 3 days. For more information about the IDC: info@oceans5dive.com