What Every SSI ITC Candidate Wants to Know About Gili Air

Starting your SSI Instructor Training Course (ITC) is a major step in your diving career. For many candidates, it is not only the beginning of becoming a professional dive instructor, but also the start of a completely new lifestyle. Before arriving on Gili Air for the SSI ITC at Oceans 5 Gili Air, most candidates have the same questions:

What is Gili Air really like?
Can I live there comfortably for several weeks?
How is the diving?
Is it easy to find accommodation?
What should I bring?
And why do so many people choose Gili Air above other destinations?

This article answers the questions future SSI Instructor candidates ask most before starting their journey at Oceans 5 Gili Air.

What Is Gili Air Like?

Gili Air is one of the three famous Gili Islands located just off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia. Unlike Bali, there are no cars or motorbikes on the island. Transportation is done by bicycle, walking, electric bikes, or horse carts. This creates a peaceful atmosphere that many instructor candidates immediately fall in love with. 

Compared to nearby Gili Trawangan, Gili Air is much more relaxed. Gili Trawangan is known for nightlife and parties, while Gili Air offers a balance between social life and tranquility. That balance is exactly why many future instructors choose to spend their instructor course here. After long days of workshops, presentations, confined water sessions, and open water training, candidates appreciate coming back to a quieter island environment.

The island is small enough to walk around in roughly 90 minutes. Most places can be reached within 10–15 minutes by bicycle. The atmosphere is friendly, international, and very community-oriented. Many people arrive for a short holiday and end up staying much longer.

How Do You Reach Gili Air?

Most SSI ITC candidates arrive from Bali. Fast boats leave daily from Padang Bai, Serangan, Sanur, and sometimes Nusa Penida. The boat trip usually takes around 2 hours depending on sea conditions.

You can also fly into Lombok International Airport and continue by taxi to Bangsal Harbor before taking a local boat or fast boat to Gili Air.

One advantage of doing your instructor course at Oceans 5 is that the dive center is located directly in the harbor area of Gili Air. After arriving with your luggage and dive equipment, you only need a few minutes to reach the dive center or nearby accommodation.

Is It Easy to Find Accommodation?

Yes. Gili Air offers accommodation for every budget.

Some candidates choose to stay directly at Oceans 5 Dive Resort, while others rent monthly accommodation around the island. Monthly long-term rooms can usually be found between 4–10 million IDR depending on comfort, air conditioning, hot water, location, and season.

There are plenty of guesthouses, homestays, villas, and bungalows on the island. Many instructor candidates first book a few nights and then search locally once they arrive. Because Gili Air is small, it is easy to visit multiple places in one afternoon.

Accommodation around Oceans 5 is particularly convenient because you are close to the harbor, restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, laundries, and the dive center itself.

Are There ATMs and Shops on Gili Air?

Yes. There are ATMs on Gili Air, although it is always smart to bring backup cash because machines can occasionally run out of money during busy periods.

The island also has supermarkets, mini markets, pharmacies, fruit shops, local markets, and small western-style stores. Most restaurants and dive centers accept card payments, but cash is still widely used.

Laundry services are easy to find and usually inexpensive. Many ITC candidates simply drop their laundry off in the morning and collect it later the same day.

What Is the Food Like?

One of the biggest surprises for many instructor candidates is the quality and variety of food on Gili Air.

The island has everything from Indonesian warungs to healthy cafés, vegan restaurants, Italian pizza places, smoothie bars, fresh seafood restaurants, and western comfort food.

Because many instructor candidates stay for several weeks, food variety becomes important. On Gili Air, you can easily eat somewhere different every day.

The relaxed café culture also makes it easy to study theory after training sessions. Many candidates spend evenings reviewing standards, preparing presentations, or practicing theory exams while sitting in beach cafés with ocean views.

What Is the Diving Like Around Gili Air?

This is obviously one of the most important questions.

The diving around Gili Air is ideal for professional training because conditions are varied enough to build real experience while still remaining comfortable for learning. Water temperatures usually range around 28–30°C and visibility is often between 15–30 meters depending on the season.

Around the Gili Islands you can expect:

• Turtle encounters on many dives
• Reef sharks at sites like Shark Point
• Drift diving
• Wreck diving
• Macro life
• Coral gardens
• Deep diving opportunities
• Navigation dives
• Night dives

The diversity of dive sites is one of the reasons why Gili Air has become such a strong location for instructor development. Candidates are exposed to many different diving conditions during their training.

At SSI ITC Indonesia at Oceans 5 Gili Air, the training focuses heavily on realistic teaching scenarios, buoyancy control, problem solving, and student management rather than simply “teaching to pass an exam.” 

What Are the Facilities Like at Oceans 5?

For instructor candidates, facilities matter more than many initially expect.

Oceans 5 Gili Air has spacious classrooms, large training pools, professional equipment rooms, dedicated training areas, and purpose-built facilities for instructor-level training. 

The SSI ITC is conducted in small groups, usually with a maximum of six candidates. This allows the Instructor Trainers to focus on each candidate individually. 

One thing many candidates appreciate is that the Instructor Evaluation (IE) is conducted directly on Gili Air itself. This means candidates do not need to travel elsewhere for the examination. Being familiar with the classrooms, pools, dive sites, and logistics reduces stress significantly. 

What Should You Bring for the SSI ITC?

Most candidates bring:

• Their own dive equipment
• Dive computer
• Surface marker buoy
• Laptop or tablet
• Notebook and pens
• Rash guards and swimwear
• Reef-safe sunscreen
• Casual lightweight clothing
• USB drives or hard drives for videos and presentations

While equipment rental is possible, many professional candidates prefer using their own gear during the course because consistency helps when practicing demonstrations and presentations.

What Is Daily Life Like During the ITC?

The SSI ITC at Oceans 5 is intensive, but the island atmosphere helps balance the workload.

A normal day may include:

• Classroom workshops
• Pool skill circuits
• Open water presentations
• Rescue workshops
• Video analysis sessions
• Standards discussions
• Dive theory reviews
• Student control exercises

Evenings are usually relaxed. Candidates often study together, watch sunsets, have dinner with the team, or prepare presentations for the next day.

Because Gili Air is small and social, instructor candidates quickly build friendships. Many candidates describe the ITC not only as a course, but as a life experience and a strong community environment.

Why Do So Many Candidates Choose Oceans 5 Gili Air?

Many dive centers offer instructor courses. But candidates choosing Oceans 5 are usually looking for more than simply passing the Instructor Evaluation.

The focus at Oceans 5 is on becoming a confident and environmentally aware instructor. The SSI ITC emphasizes realistic teaching methods, buoyancy control, environmental awareness, student management, and real-world problem solving. 

Combined with the relaxed atmosphere of Gili Air, the modern facilities, small groups, and the growth of SSI dive centers around the Gili Islands, Oceans 5 has become one of the most talked-about instructor training destinations in Indonesia. 

For many candidates, arriving on Gili Air for their SSI Instructor Training Course feels like the start of a completely different chapter in life.