How To Choose The Right Dive School For You

So, chances are you’re here because you’ve got yourself a trip booked to the gorgeous Gili Islands. Good choice! If you haven’t yet, then what are you waiting for!? We are only a 2 hour fast boat from Bali and just 15 minute speedboat from neighbouring Lombok!

We can assist with your boat transfer too, whether you’re arriving from Bali or Lombok

With a plethora of nearby dive spots, good visibility, warm water, plenty of fish, corals, ship wrecks, turtles and sharks to lay your eyes on, its easy to see why it’s a favourite amongst divers far and wide. Are you looking to take advantage of the short boat journeys to the dive sites? Perhaps you’re already on Gili Trawangan and overheard someone bragging about their awesome diving experience? Maybe you’ve always been interested in diving and realised that the Gili Islands is the perfect tropical paradise to do something for the first time and try diving? Whatever you’re reason, congrats! You’re already thinking about exploring the 71% of the earth others rarely get to see, and we might be bias, but right here at the number one rated dive shop on the island is the best way to do it. But with so many dive schools on the island, how do you even begin to choose the right school for you? 

Do they speak your language? 

Surprisingly, it does help if the instructor can speak your language! However, we don’t just mean your mother tongue in this case.

Luckily, with so many nationalities visiting the Gili’s, many schools have multilingual staff so finding a school that speaks your language shouldn’t be too much of an issue. However, if they do speak your language, it might be worth checking that they also have the manuals and videos in your language too to make everyone’s life that little bit easier. Here at Dive Central Gili we’re fluent in English, Swedish, Dutch, French, Flemish, Spanish, Indonesian, German and Hindi!

Aside from the language practicalities, one of the most important things is that you like the school and more importantly your instructor. After all, if you’re getting certified you’ll be spending a lot of time together over the next few days, so if you’re getting bad vibes before you’ve even started, then it might be worth trekking a little further down the beach! Pop in for a chat with us at any point, even sit down at the end of the day and grab a cold one with us. We’d love to chat through your diving dreams and point you in the right direction!

Indonesian Atex is fluent in both Bahasa and English (left)

Our social side is as important to us as the dive day, so we like to sit down at the end of each day with a Bintang or three (right)

How qualified are they? 

Of course the instructors at each shop are qualified for their duties, but what other specialities do they have beyond that to help you achieve your dive aspirations while diving at the shop? Perhaps you are already certified and are looking to advance your skills? Perhaps you are interested in photography and would like some expert advice? Here at Dive Central Gili we have some very experienced instructors who all specialise in a particular area, such as Deris who offers photography courses, so whatever your diving aspirations beyond recreational diving, it’s always worth asking what interests and specialities the instructors have too. 

Learning side mount with Scuba Steve is a great speciality choice, we’re not sure about his choice of wetsuit though?

Whats the dive schedule? 

We know that your schedule on the Gili Islands is important. With so many activities, events and for those who are really making the most of the nightlife on their trip, it might be worth asking how the dive schedule works for the day of your dives. If you are doing a fun dive, what time do you leave in the morning and if you are getting certified, what can you expect from your training schedule? Here at Dive Central we have three dives a day; 9.00am, 11.30am and 2.30pm, with Friday as an exception excluding the 11.30am dive. We are also one of the only dive shops to publish our dives for the following day on Instagram the day before, so you can really plan ahead and make the most out of your trip to the Gili’s. 

Accommodation 

Here at Dive Central Gili we do the hard work for you when it comes to arranging your accommodation while you’re diving with us. We know that you’ve already got so much on your mind when learning to dive for the first time or when you’re diving a new location, so we offer tailor made dive & stay packages with our sister resort, Pesona Beach Resort & Spa. Combine your dive adventures with the little luxuries of a resort stay and allow yourself to focus on enjoying the experience. Wake up to breakfast in bed, enjoy surface intervals spent poolside and arrive back after the dive day to a cold Bintang and sip in the sunset with a sheesha amongst new dive friends and good company. 

& the big question on everyones lips… what is the cost? 

A popular diving myth is that diving is expensive. Gili Trawangan is a great place to choose a dive school as a fixed price agreement has been implemented across the island as part of GIDA (Gili Island Divers Association). Our very own manager Scuba Steve heads the GIDA initiative and explains that “its very easy to end up with price wars on a small island, so the fixed price agreement was set up for all for fairness”. Not only is this fair, but it is also great for guests who can base their preferred dive school on other factors other than price so their experience represents quality rather than the quantity for how much the shops are charging.

Beyond that, Scuba Steve explains “we decided to set up GIDA to help each other in the unlikely event of a dive rescue and that shops associated with GIDA would define clear responsibilities for each shop and present clear procedures for dealing with any issues. Gili Trawangan embraces the word unity, we are all friends and there’s never a moment you feel alone or unwelcome”.

We welcome guests from 8.00am until 9.00pm so whatever time of day suits you, we’re ready and waiting to chat through your dive dreams and plans and look forward to having you aboard!

Alternatively, drop us a message on one of our socials,

or…

email info@divecentral.com

WhatsApp us on +62 811-390-790