Advanced Open Water Diver on Gili T: from fun dive to the next certification

After our dives off Nusa Penida, we actually only wanted to spend a few relaxed days on Gili Trawangan. A few easy dives and, in between, simply relaxing on the beach or cycling around the car-free island, in just 40 minutes you can circle the roughly eight-kilometre island, because there are neither cars nor scooters here, only bicycles and little horse-drawn carriages. Perfect conditions, then, for a few fun dives.

After the impressive mantas off Nusa Penida, I had no intention of getting my next certification so soon. But sometimes things just turn out differently.

Honestly, the first dive on Gili, which we do with Gili Divers, doesn't quite win me over yet. Maybe my expectations were simply a bit too high after the mantas. But on the second dive, any skepticism is gone: several sharks are sleeping in their caves beneath a coral reef, and a little later we spot a huge turtle, sharing the same cave with a shark. That's the moment the decision is made: since I'm already here, I might as well go straight for the Advanced Open Water Diver. I do choose a different dive school than for the first dive, though, and with Blue Marlin Dive on Gili Trawangan I made absolutely the right call.

A day and a half at full throttle

Since we've actually only booked two nights, I have just a day and a half for the course. Study the theory and complete five adventure dives. Sporty. But well, you don't treat yourself otherwise.

Luckily, William from England guides me through the entire course with the calm you wish for as a dive student. I got really lucky with my dive instructor.

On the schedule are a deep dive and navigation, which are mandatory. I get to pick the three other adventure dives: a wreck dive, buoyancy and a night dive.

Deeper than before

I'm looking forward to the deep dive the most. For the first time it goes noticeably deeper than on my previous dives, and for me it's also the first time to a wreck. Fascinating how the underwater world changes with every metre. At the same time, I also notice how important it is to keep an eye on your own air consumption and stay calm. That's exactly what the course is there for, after all.

The navigation dive also quickly shows me that a compass underwater is far more useful than I still thought after my Open Water Diver. Admittedly, by then I'd already pretty much forgotten the basics again. And yet, with this varied backdrop, I forget that I'm actually in the middle of earning my certification.

Total darkness

My personal highlight, though, turns out to be the night dive.

Philipp gets to join me for this one, and after sunset we head to the Bounty Wreck off Gili Meno, the remains of a sunken pier. There's nothing but the light of our flashlights. All around, only darkness. Honestly, I feel a little like Tom Cruise or James Bond on a secret mission, especially as this dive also had the strongest current so far and was anything but easy.

During the day you trust your eyes underwater without a second thought. At night, by contrast, you only ever see the small area the lamp happens to light up. That's exactly what makes the atmosphere so special, but I'll also admit that, in the first moment, descending into the dark gave me a bit of the creeps.

But the most impressive moment only comes when our instructor signals us to switch off the lamps.

From one second to the next it's pitch black. Absolute silence. All you can hear is the divers' steady breathing in and out. I carefully move my hands through the water and suddenly it lights up blue. Bioluminescence.

It feels like something out of Avatar: with every movement, a small glowing swarm forms around my hands. I knew in theory that tiny marine organisms can produce their own light through a chemical reaction. But experiencing it yourself, in the middle of the night, underwater, is something else entirely.

For that moment alone, the night dive would already have been worth it.

Done it

The next morning, the last adventure dive is already waiting, at the Glenn Nusa wreck that sank off Gili T in 2016. As we resurface, it's official: I'm now an Advanced Open Water Diver.

There isn't much time to celebrate, though. After all, we want to make use of the new possibilities right away. Since we like Gili Trawangan so much, we spontaneously book the ferry a day later and extend our stay a little.

My takeaway

The underwater world in Indonesia is once again far more impressive than in Egypt. I'm very glad I did my AOWD there; on top of that, with the wrecks and currents, for instance, you have the option to pick all the adventure dives yourself, which isn't possible everywhere. You also only travel about 15 minutes to every dive site, and each dive actually feels like a fun dive. I love learning something new about the underwater world and the different dive sites on every dive. The theory is also done faster than for the OWD, and there's no final exam at the end.

I'm already thinking about the next specialty, wreck diving, and I'm adding the Rescue Diver to my bucket list.