Divemaster training and instructor training need separate plans
A Divemaster course in the Gili Islands is professional-level training for experienced divers who want to guide certified divers and assist instructors. It is not a beginner qualification or the same as an instructor course. Compare a multiweek Divemaster internship with a PADI IDC or SSI ITC only after checking which level you can enter.
Oceans 5 on Gili Air publishes a six-to-eight-week SSI internship. Gili Divers on Trawangan lists a minimum of four weeks, with longer internship wording elsewhere on the same page. For instructor training, Blue Marlin Trawangan publishes a PADI IDC and Gili Divers an SSI ITC. Their agencies, entry requirements, fees and examination arrangements are not interchangeable.
Divemaster internships: compare the actual commitments
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| Your decision | Oceans 5, Gili Air | Gili Divers, Trawangan |
|---|---|---|
| Published duration | 6–8 weeks | Minimum 4 weeks; FAQ describes 6–12 weeks or longer |
| Published course fee | IDR 24,000,000 | IDR 18,990,000 |
| Separately stated mandatory fee | IDR 2,000,000 to SSI for professional registration and initial membership | IDR 4,500,000 crewpack, stated to include theory, materials, certification and professional fees |
| Stated fee pair, excluding living and other extras | IDR 26,000,000 | IDR 23,490,000 |
| Agency clarity | Explicitly SSI | Page mentions SSI and PADI; obtain the exact agency and package in writing |
| Equipment boundary | Rental scuba equipment included; own computer, compass, SMB and reel required before completion | Personal accessories required; centre says it can provide BCD and regulators |
Oceans 5: a six-to-eight-week SSI base on Air
The internship combines guiding practice, instructor assisting, workshops and a named mentor within the centre’s daily operation. Its “unlimited” fun diving is subject to space, weather, certification and the training schedule. Equipment rental is included, but the required personal computer, compass, surface marker buoy and reel remain a real budget line.
Oceans 5 lists an entry age of 18, 40 logged open-water dives totalling at least 40 hours, Stress & Rescue or an accepted equivalent, recent first aid/CPR, and the required deep, navigation and night/limited-visibility qualifications or experience. A physician-signed diving medical is also required. Send the actual certifications and logbook for an entry review before committing to the stay.
Oceans 5: SSI internship, costs, equipment and prerequisitesGili Divers: distinguish its minimum from the internship you want
The Trawangan page publishes a four-week minimum, says there is no maximum course time, and elsewhere describes a six-to-twelve-week internship. Agree the intended start, weekly commitment and likely length rather than booking a four-week room from the headline alone. Its page allows splitting the course across visits and says the formal course begins once the required 40 dives are logged.
The IDR 18,990,000 headline excludes the mandatory IDR 4,500,000 crewpack. The operator explicitly says its internship is not a free course exchanged for work. Claims about staying afterwards or finding employment are not a guaranteed paid role. Its equipment FAQ also expects personal items, including a computer, mask, fins, torch, marker, reel and slate.
Gili Divers: Divemaster duration, mandatory crewpack and paid-internship FAQPADI Divemaster: 40 dives to start, 60 to certify
PADI’s own adult Divemaster guidance requires age 18, Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue qualifications or accepted equivalents, CPR and first-aid training within 24 months, and a physician’s medical clearance within 12 months. You need at least 40 logged dives to start and 60 for certification.
Do not assume the training itself necessarily supplies the missing 20 dives. Include any prerequisite courses, dive building and medical paperwork in the time and cost before the internship. These are PADI requirements; an SSI programme needs its own agency-specific assessment, including any underwater-hours requirement.
PADI: Divemaster entry and certification requirementsInstructor training: Blue Marlin’s PADI IDC
Blue Marlin Trawangan lists USD 1,600 for Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor training, plus USD 790 for the required crewpack. It separately lists AUD 1,792 paid to PADI for the examination and applications, and AUD 145 for the Enriched Air Instructor application. These are different currencies and payees; a USD-only tuition headline is not the full cost. Prices were checked on 25 October 2026.
The page advertises three preparation days and optional early arrival with two weeks of fun diving. Its next listed 2026 course after the current October intake runs 18 November–7 December, with the IE on 8–9 December. Those are published dates, not confirmed places. Include preparation, examination and travel days in the room booking rather than reserving only an assumed two-week IDC.
Blue Marlin Trawangan: PADI IDC fees and 2026 datesPADI IDC eligibility is not the Divemaster entry gate
PADI lists age 18, at least six months as a certified diver, Divemaster or a qualifying leadership certification, and 60 logged dives to begin the IDC. Its published pathway requires 100 dives for instructor-level certification, current first aid/CPR and an in-date diving medical. EFR Instructor certification is required before teaching.
Completing the IDC is followed by the Instructor Examination; paying tuition does not guarantee passing or teaching status. A beginner cannot remove the six-month certification requirement by buying a short “zero to hero” package. Existing SSI or other-agency professionals should obtain a specific entry assessment rather than assuming a crossover.
PADI: instructor pathway, experience and examinationGili Divers’ SSI ITC is a different instructor option
Gili Divers advertises an SSI Instructor Training Course of about two weeks, with a certified Divemaster and 75 dives listed as entry prerequisites. Its page describes 12 training days leading toward the examination and opportunities for team teaching afterwards. Do not substitute PADI’s 60-dive IDC gate for this published SSI programme condition.
The headline IDR 36,000,000 is qualified in the FAQ as a starting rate for former Gili Divers Divemaster trainees and Indonesian nationals; candidates from another centre or agency need their own quote. Accommodation is excluded, and the page requires a full equipment set for the course. Obtain the complete fee and examination list for your circumstances, not a comparison between that restricted starting rate and Blue Marlin’s tuition alone.
Gili Divers: SSI instructor course and price eligibilityBudget for the whole stay, without assuming a job at the end
The Divemaster fee pairs in the table are simple additions of each operator’s stated training and mandatory registration or materials charge. They are not complete trip budgets. Add accommodation for the agreed length, meals, transfers, prerequisite courses or dives, required personal gear, insurance and any renewal or examination costs that apply. No currency conversion or current room availability is implied.
Keep training, certification, employment and immigration permission separate. A centre’s job support or post-course experience offer is not proof of a salary, vacancy or legal right to work in Indonesia. Before accepting any work, obtain the relevant employer and immigration arrangements; this guide does not certify a visa route. For a short recreational holiday, an ordinary fun-dive programme is usually the relevant booking instead.