Marine training

IH005 PADI Open Water Dive Training (weeks 1 - 9)

This one-week course is a pre-requisite to any diving project. Open Water dive training is free to Operation Wallacea volunteers except for the costs of the PADI registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, which you need to buy and bring with you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally recognised diving qualification and enable you to join general diving projects accompanied by a Dive Master.

Additional Dive Training (weeks 1 - 10)

Additional dive training beyond Open Water level is available and can be fitted around your work on other projects so you don't need to specify the additional courses on your options list. Courses include Advanced Open Water Diver ($220), Emergency First Response ($150) or Rescue Diver ($400 - includes Emergency First Response). Note that these extra courses may not be available at all times, and enrolment may depend on the number of people wanting the training.

IH006 Dive Master Training (Weeks 1 - 10)

Dive Master training is available free to Operation Wallacea volunteers, with only PADI membership fees and liability insurance costs to pay. Participants will have to set aside four weeks for this course. Before booking this course you need to be a qualified rescue diver with up to date Emergency First Responder (EFR) training, have a minimum of 60 logged dives, and should contact Operation Wallacea for a detailed list of kit you will need to bring on expedition. Note Dive Masters trained with Opwall are offered the opportunity of being employed as a member of the dive staff team in future years. Unfortunately it is not possible to offer work placements in the same year you qualify because of the time passing the course and obtaining your full PADI Dive Master registration and insurance needed.

IH007 Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Ecology (Weeks 1 - 10)

The Hoga Marine Research Station is ideally situated in the centre of the Coral Triangle, the area with the most biologically diverse coral reefs on the planet. This intensive course involves a series of lectures and in-water practical sessions suited to both divers and snorkellers. The course aims to introduce the key topics of coral reef biology and ecology, and includes a large component that will introduce key species and taxonomic groups. The importance of coral reef ecosystems will also be discussed, along with threats to their continuing survival and management strategies as tools for conservation. Coral reefs cannot be considered in isolation and a healthy reef system is largely dependent on other connected systems. The course will therefore also introduce you to seagrass and mangrove systems. The Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Ecology course will provide you with the knowledge you will need to participate in further Operation Wallacea research activities whilst on Hoga, as well as being a fascinating insight into the functional ecology of coral reefs. Apart from the formal training component, a series of research seminars, lectures of general interest and classes and workshops on other ecological tools will be delivered to you throughout your stay to increase and widen your knowledge base.

IH008 Wakatobi Culture, Community and Environment (Weeks 1, 3 & 5)

This course gives a unique insight into rural Indonesian life on remote islands and the opportunity to experience what it's like to work in a local farm, how to fish in a dugout canoe, and how to prepare Indonesian food. Along with these activities there will be lectures covering topics that range from Indonesian language (you should be able to speak some Indonesian by the end of the course), Indonesian culture and history of the area, as well as introducing you to the marine conservation, development, resource management and eco-tourism issues that are considered significant to the Wakatobi. The course comprises lectures at the Hoga research base and day trips around the island of Kaledupa.