Dreaming of a career in marine conservation? Are you our next Ecology & Conservation Trainee?
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Make an impact: become a Marine Ecology Trainee and learn how to protect our oceans.
Age: 18+ | Duration: 1–4 weeks | Max dive depth: 30m
Price: from IDR 9.100.000
Dreaming of a career in marine conservation? Are you our next Ecology & Conservation Trainee?
Dreaming of a career in marine conservation or passionate about the ocean? Manta Dive Marine Conservation Programs are designed to give you the best kick-start to your conservation journey, and empower you to make an impact while having fun learning and living on a tropical island.
Our team maintains a balance between teaching exciting knowledge courses and showing you hands-on reef work on the Gili reefs. We are committed to protecting our oceans, and invite you to join us!
Choose one week, combine any two or join us for all three. Each program week has its own focus - from reef surveys and marine species to hands-on reef restoration.
6 Days | 9 Dives | 2 Certifications
The perfect start to your marine conservation journey! Learn to identify fish, invertebrates, corals and reef substrates, and record reef health data on real surveys of the Gili reefs.
Your bootcamp to learn about fish, invertebrates and substrate - so you can name the fish you see and tell apart a soft coral from a sponge and a coral from an anemone! You learn all about recording reef health data based on indicator species.
By the end of the course you will complete multiple surveys on the Gili reefs, which are uploaded to a global database to track reef health. This certification is globally renowned and will allow you to participate in reef surveys worldwide. More about the Reef Check Eco Diver course
Corals are the overlooked superstars of the reef, with their own names and types, for you to discover in this 1-day specialty. The perfect basis for your coral conservation journey! More about the SSI Ecology Specialties
5 Days | 8 Dives | 4 Certifications
Learn about our favorite marine species and make an impact! Four SSI Ecology Specialties, a hands-on Impact Day with the Manta team and 2 fun dives included.
Learn about the basics of marine ecology and understand how the ocean really works.
Expand your knowledge beyond indicator species - learn about the fish that live on the reefs of the Indo-Pacific region.
Learn all about sharks and why we love them in the lecture, and identify them on your dive.
Learn all about our favorite ocean friends: turtles! Get to know the 3 sea turtle species on the Gilis, help us record and ID them, and learn how local heroes on the island protect them.
Go diving to remove ocean trash, help affected areas or learn something new - a flexible 2-dive day with the Manta team, including an introduction to coral gardening. Plus 2 additional fun dives!
5 Days | 8 Dives | 1 Certification
Become a citizen scientist and learn reef work hands-on! Restore broken corals, help us 3D map the Gili reefs, garden impacted reefs and monitor coral bleaching.
Give broken coral fragments a fighting chance! We find broken corals on the ocean floor and fragment them further in our beach or boat lab to start their growth phase. The coral “babies” are planted on our coral nurseries or back on the reef they come from (random propagation). More about Ocean Quest Coral Propagation
3D Mapping: become part of documenting our Gili reefs! Using two underwater cameras, we take footage of our reefs and convert it into 3D reef maps to analyze substrate coverage and reef health.
Coral Gardening: join our research on what we can do to help reefs impacted by humans, including quadrat surveys and hands-on gardening of impacted reefs. This course can be extended up to 5 days. More about 3D Mapping & Coral Gardening
Record coral colors and help build a global database on coral bleaching. More about the Coral Watch course
Flexible length | Reduced rates
Want to stay longer than 3 weeks? We offer custom extensions at reduced rates for your further training and conservation projects with the Manta team.
Get in touch with our team and we’ll put together an extension that fits your interests and the time you have available.
Choose any or all training weeks!
Based on your interests and the time you have available, you can join for 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or even longer. Short on time? You can also book any of the courses within the programs individually.
Book a program directly, or send us your questions and we will be happy to help you create the perfect training schedule.
Want to stay longer than 3 weeks? Ask us about custom extension packages.
All courses within the programs can also be booked separately or combined into a custom training package. Contact us for pricing and scheduling.
We’re happy to help you arrange anything you need!
No previous marine biology or conservation experience is needed - our instructors guide you every step of the way.
Not Advanced certified yet or missing dives?
No problem! Let us know and we will arrange a custom training package for you before your program starts.
Our Marine Conservation Programs offer one-, two- and three-week options, with the flexibility to stay longer. Choose from three programs, each lasting one week:
Book one week, combine any two or join us for all three. Individual courses can also be booked separately, and our team can help you plan a schedule around your interests and available time.
Our Marine Conservation Program prices are:
Your program includes your conservation courses, equipment rental (excluding dive computer) and instructor fees. Dive computers, surface marker buoys (SMBs), diving insurance, accommodation, travel and personal expenses are not included.
Want to stay longer? We offer flexible extensions and additional conservation training at reduced rates beyond the three-week program. Get in touch with our team to plan your stay and receive a price for your chosen training.
To join our Marine Conservation Programs, you’ll need to:
No previous marine biology or conservation experience is required. Our instructors will guide you through marine identification, reef monitoring and practical conservation activities throughout your program.
If you still need your Advanced certification or more logged dives, we can arrange additional courses and fun dives before your program begins. Let us know when enquiring, and we’ll help you plan the extra training time you’ll need.
The minimum age for our Marine Conservation Programs is 18 years old.
Some of our individual ecology and conservation courses are available from age 15, with diving requirements depending on the course. If you’re aged 15–17, contact our team and we’ll help you find suitable courses for your age, diving experience and interests.
Office hours 08:00 - 20:00 GMT+7