2022 Divemaster Internship End of Programme

Posted on November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 by Annabel Thomas

2022 Divemaster Internship End of Programme

A Final ‘End of Month’ Report from Dhona, AMD-B’s 2022 Zero-to-Hero PADI DM Intern:

“Officially on my last month as a Divemaster intern in AMD-B. The thing on my mind now is just to make sure I maximize every opportunity that I have. These 7 months are just amazing experience for me, like a dream come true. From my first breath underwater, I knew that I want to do scuba diving everyday. And it was not an impulsive decision for sure. I had fun. In this internship, I work everyday but I also have fun and learn a lot of things everyday. I met hundreds people, heard stories from them, shared a lot of things, did 200 dives, laughed everyday, and smiled to thousands people.

The title of this program is Divemaster internship, but I learn way more than being a Divemaster. I tried to be active and take care of other people, not only myself. I learn how to be a good dive guide, which means good for the guests and good for the environment. This internship opened my eyes that even I, just one person, can do so much for the environment by consistent little steps.

After this, I’m planning to take a few days break to explore Bali and then work as a dive guide in dive company around Bali, because I feel confident guiding a dive around Bali at the moment. But, I’m not closing any possibilities to be a dive guide outside Bali. My long term plan is just to be able to promote and raise awareness towards our environment especially the ocean, whatever the way is. I can be a dive guide that’s always reminding my guests to take part to protect the environment, or be an environmentalist, or make a research and open people’s eyes about the importance to protect the environment.”

AquaMarine Diving – Bali Turns 23yo & Why YOU should learn to dive!

Posted on October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 by Annabel Thomas

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AquaMarine Diving - Bali Turns 23yo and Why YOU should learn to dive!

Growing up in the UK, learning to scuba dive never made it onto my To-Do list – too cold and not much to see, at least nothing that would interest me.

Then I did my career girl thing in London which was about as far removed from scuba diving as you could imagine 🙂

I spent several years backpacking, and also lived overseas (the USA 3 times, Australia for a year, Japan twice) but I never thought of learning to dive.

It wasn’t until March 1998 when I was living in Jakarta and someone I thought I knew pretty well told me that on her recent holiday in New Zealand, she’d dived the Rainbow Warrior shipwreck (the Greenpeace boat bombed by French intelligence operatives in Auckland harbour in 1985) that I had a “I want to do that!” moment!

So the next month I went up to Manado, North Sulawesi and got certified – it genuinely changed my life!

That May I spent two weeks diving in Bali, mainly around Menjangan Island in the NW, and Tulamben Bay, with a Day Trip to Nusa Penida to visit Manta Point.

I returned to Jakarta and resigned; moved to Bali in December, taking my PADI Divemaster in January, and becoming an Instructor in April. I received the licence for AquaMarine Diving – Bali on 18 September 1999, and I’ve never looked back!

No, it hasn’t been plain-sailing – but what in life ever is! – however I have an amazing team in AMD-B: Helpful, friendly, supportive. And some of the world’s greatest, and most diverse, diving right on my doorstep! I am ‘Living The Dream’.

Why am I writing this? Well partly because AMD-B turning 23yo has made me feel a bit introspective, a bit nostalgic 🙂

But mainly because I want to put this message in writing: Even if learning to scuba dive isn’t life-changing for you, it will benefit you in ways you’d never imagine –

– It improves your self-confidence and self-reliance.

– Scuba diving is The Most Relaxing pastime ever (very far from being an ‘Extreme Sport’!).

– As the saying goes: It’s a different kind of pressure underwater … no mobile phones, no social media, the incessant chatter is just the fish, the only sounds are your breathing. And we all need some respite from the 24/7 of the 21st century.

So, please, learn to dive – and then give the gift of scuba diving to your friends and loved-ones!

Blue Project (BP) by AquaMarine Diving – Bali

Posted on September 9, 2022September 9, 2022 by Annabel Thomas

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Blue Project (BP) by AquaMarine Diving - Bali

Since opening in September 1999, environmental responsibility has been a high priority for AquaMarine Diving – Bali.

To show our commitment to being an environmentally-friendly business, we established ‘Blue Project by AMD-B’. BP demonstrates AquaMarine’s on-going support for sustainable tourism development.

AMD-B was Indonesia’s first Project AWARE GO Eco Operator

Becoming the country’s first Project AWARE GO Eco Operator reinforced our commitment to conserve and protect our reefs and ocean. To be an ‘Eco-operator’ meant creating business initiatives to ensure we maintained and promoted sustainable dive practices.

What is BP by AMD-B?

BP consists of several environmental projects that aim to protect our blue ocean from its biggest threat: Marine Pollution.

Who is building BP by AMD-B, and how?

The involvement of all AMD-B staff is a key factor in the success of Blue Project by AMD-B. Sharing knowledge, organising environmental activities, and collaboration with related NGOs is part of AMD-B’s drive to promote a more ocean-friendly and sustainable dive industry.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14

SGD 14 (of 17) is about ‘Life below Water’: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

By collaborating with local NGOs, BP by AMD-B can participate in addressing environmental challenges by joining the global movement.

AMD-B was Bali’s first Green Fins Member

As their first Member in Bali, we annually invite Green Fins to conduct an environmental review of our entire business operations. When I last checked, AMD-B was the only dive company to do so (others have only done it once). The assessment includes on-site at the office, land and boat transport, diving, and a written evaluation.

Moreover, in day to day operations, AMD-B is implementing sustainable green office operations.

PADI AWARE, Dive Against Debris, and Adopt a Dive Site

AquaMarine Diving – Bali is a very long-time supporter of PADI AWARE (previously Project AWARE). We have spent over two decades educating, and encouraging students and divers to donate to PADI AWARE.

Through BP by AMD-B we regularly and routinely conduct PA underwater activities:

a. Beach and Underwater Clean-ups for ‘Dive Against Debris’

b. AMD-B has two (2) separate locations for ‘Adopt a Dive Site’:

– ‘The Jetty’ (outside Candidasa, east coast Bali)
In 2019, AMD-B dive staff and (four) Interns mapped the entire area of The Jetty including the surrounding patches of reef. BP by AMD-B then developed a systematic cleaning programme to make The Jetty safer for marinelife. In addition, BP has continued to routinely monitor and report on the site to PADI AWARE.

– A coral-restoration project in Padangbai, originally set up by LivingSeas.
On a monthly basis, BP by AMD-B cleans and maintains this project with the goals of creating an artificial reef and attracting more marinelife into a barren area.

Capacity Building for Interns

Starting in 2012, AMD-B has run an annual ‘Zero-to-Hero PADI Divemaster Internship for Young Indonesians’. As part of the internship, BP by AMD-B provides training and practice to increase interns’s knowledge of diving and ocean awareness. We include introductions to, and collaborations with, NGOs involved with turtle, mangrove, and coral conservation. This helps set AMD-B interns apart from other newly-certified dive professionals.

More information on AMD-B’s annual ‘11 Months Zero-to-Hero PADI Divemaster Internship for Young Indonesians’ can be found here.

AquaMarine Diving – Bali is committed to providing dive experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the local aquatic environment.

To participate in Blue Project by AMD-B, please contact Contact Us today.

Fins up for a healthier ocean.