Built for Greatness: The Story Behind Oceans 5 Gili Air’s Vision as a PADI Career Development Centre

The Story Behind Oceans 5 Gili Air’s Vision

PADI IDC Gili Islands | Oceans 5 Gili Air

Not every dive center is created equal. Some begin humbly—perhaps as a fun diving outpost, a snorkeling hub, or a casual training facility—and then grow into something bigger. But at Oceans 5 Gili Air, the vision was clear from day one. When its doors opened in 2010, it wasn’t just another dive shop hoping to succeed in Indonesia’s booming dive industry. It was the foundation of a dream: to become the first and only PADI Career Development Centre (CDC) on Gili Air.

This wasn’t a plan developed after success. It wasn’t a milestone reached halfway through the journey. It was the starting point.

A Vision with Purpose

Sander, the founder and owner of Oceans 5 Gili Air, was no stranger to the diving industry when he arrived on the shores of Gili Air. With years of experience behind him, he had a clear understanding of what made a dive center not just successful, but truly impactful. And more importantly, he understood what the future of dive education required.

While other dive shops on the island were focused on fun dives and entry-level courses, Sander was laying the groundwork for a professional-level training facility. His dream was to build a center that could train the next generation of dive professionals—not just to pass an exam, but to become confident, responsible, and environmentally conscious instructors.

It was an ambitious goal. Some called him unrealistic. Others laughed and asked, “Who is this crazy Dutch man building all of this on quiet Gili Air?”

Built for the Future, Not for Convenience

But while others doubted, Sander built.

Instead of making small adjustments over time—like most dive centers who gradually “add” professional courses once they grow—Oceans 5 was designed from the ground up to meet and exceed the requirements of a PADI Career Development Centre.

This included:

• Two massive 25-meter training pools, each designed for group sessions and skill practice at a professional level.

• A large, fully equipped classroom to accommodate PADI IDC presentations, dry workshops, and instructor development materials.

• A dedicated boat specifically used for PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) training dives, allowing instructor candidates to have consistent access to open water during their training.

All of these were in place before Oceans 5 was ever considered for CDC status. There was no need to renovate later. The dive center was already a PADI IDC-ready facility before the first IDC course was taught.

And the results speak for themselves.

Oceans 5: Gili Air’s Only PADI Career Development Centre

Fifteen years later, Oceans 5 Gili Air remains the only PADI Career Development Centre on Gili Air. Despite the island’s growing popularity, no other dive center has followed the same path of focused professional development from the start. Others may offer IDC programs now, but they had to retrofit their facilities, adjust their schedules, and adapt to a vision they never initially had.

At Oceans 5, the vision was always there.

And more importantly, it never changed.

Because of this, Oceans 5 has become synonymous with high standards. It's a place where quality is valued over quantity, where rules are respected, and where each candidate is trained to be not only a dive instructor but also a steward of the ocean.

More Than Just a Certification

Becoming a PADI Instructor at Oceans 5 is not about ticking off a checklist or passing a two-day evaluation. It’s about transformation. And that transformation begins the moment you step into a facility that was built with your success in mind.

Everything—from the pool layouts to the classroom design, from the choice of instructors to the structure of each IDC—is focused on developing capable, confident, and ethical dive professionals. The kind of instructors who can go anywhere in the world and teach safely, effectively, and with passion.

At Oceans 5, the PADI standards are not a guideline—they are a commitment. And that commitment started in 2010, long before the first student arrived, and long before the first PADI IDC was even conducted.

Still Leading After 15 Years

Today, Oceans 5 continues to lead the way—not because it adapted to trends, but because it anticipated them. The diving world has changed. There’s more focus now on environmental awareness, proper skill development, and producing instructors who see diving not as a job, but as a lifelong calling.

And all of this was foreseen in the design and philosophy of Oceans 5 Gili Air.

So the next time someone asks what makes Oceans 5 different, the answer is simple:

We didn’t change to become a Career Development Centre. We were built to be one.

And 15 years later, that original vision still defines everything we do.