I did my Divemaster training at Trawangan Dive Centre (TDC) out on a small island called Gili Trawangan (Gili T), in Indonesia. This is an incredible place to do your training, as you’re literally living on an island paradise during your course. The Gilis have breathtaking diving on offer with: beautiful corals, vast schools of fish and turtles (it’s honestly weird if you don’t see a turtle on a dive!).

The team at TDC is second to none. Their passion for diving and looking after the marine life is immediately apparent; and they will pass this enthusiasm over to you too! You will make so many friends throughout the course with the instructors and other fellow DMTs (Divemaster trainees). By the end of my time on the Gilis, they honestly felt like family to me.

As for the island itself, it is easily accessible from Bali or Lombok, and even if you’re hopeless at travel send a quick email to TDC and they can advise you on getting there.

Gili T is very tiny island, which is great! There are no cars on the island meaning you’ll get around either on foot, bike or horsecart (cidomo). Big tip is to get a bike, you can buy one pretty cheap and resell it when you decide to leave.

Though Gili Trawangan is small it is bursting with life! There’s a wide variety of restaurants on the island and all have very affordable prices. If conscious of spending money, try the local warungs (small food place) slightly inward the island away from the main strip as they are the cheapest. They typically serve only Indonesian food (but not always) for that authentic experience.

There’s plenty of bars on the island as well that give you an option for your post-diving activities, (just be careful not to overdo it on the joss shots LOL). Being a topical island, you will have no shortage of luscious sandy beaches and beautiful weather (28+ degrees typically), one big recommendation is to get over to the west side of the island for gorgeous sunsets and if you can handle early starts, the sunrises are even better with the Lomboks Rinjani volcano being your view.

All in all, you’ll have one hell of an experience doing your Divemaster at TDC – I know I did! Just be warned you may never want to leave such a place!

Written by Tom Barnes