PADI IDC Indonesia in the Gili Islands | Community Projects Komodo National Park

Although the PADI IDC Indonesia is run every month at Trawangan Dive in the Gili Islands, there is always time for our Platinum PADI Course Director and IDC Staff Instructors to take part in other community based projects.

Recently the PADI IDC Gili Islands team were given the opportunity to take part in a fantastic community based project involving some of the Labuan Bajo dive community and the local educational facilities.

Two of the major attractions within the Komodo National Park area are of course the Komodo Dragons and the diving. People who live on Komodo are the last to benefit from these attractions, so what better way to empower and embrace the local community than to provide training, education and employment?

The team was given the opportunity to play a minor role in a fantastic new training program offered by conservationist Jo Marlow in conjunction with the Komodo Kita. The program revolves around training local Komodo residents about the dive industry. Some will go on to become dive professionals and others will just gain more of an appreciation for their immediate environment, whilst also being able to actually see, connect and understand the environment directly on their doorstep and underneath the surface. Although Jo and her team has already conducted most of the dive training and conservation awareness programs with her trainees, our Platinum PADI Course Director and IDC Staff were able to help out with some of the First Aid, Rescue and Oxygen provision components of their training.

Of course being an integral part of the dive industry within Indonesia, it is always nice to be able to help directly influence the future of both the diving industry and the local community within these remote areas of the country.

The major income for residents on Komodo Islands has traditionally been based around the fishing industry and more recently based around the influx of tourism visiting the park to see the Komodo Dragon. These are generally low paid incomes and therefore a person from Komodo may find that by developing a career in the diving industry may provide a larger income for them and their family and an overall improved quality of life.

The training is taken very seriously, but is also designed to be fun and ensures that all participants are given the very best of tools available to learn about the industry and excel within it. The Gili IDC team are very grateful and proud to have been part of the program and would love to be involved in any future projects concerning marine conservation and local community projects.

The PADI IDCIndonesia is based at Trawangan Dive in the Gili Islands and offers the full range of PADI Instructor level training programs. The PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) in the Gili Islands runs every month by award winning Platinum PADI Course Director Holly Macleod who has a reputation for both excellence and success. Trawangan Dive is currently the only PADI 5 Star IDC Career Development Center (CDC) in Gili Trawangan.

To find out more about what’s happening on the program out on our PADI IDC Indonesia Fan Page.