Divemaster Interns - anyone done Indo Ocean Project program?

[M DeM]

First - I'm not looking to pursue a career in diving -- but I do want to become a self-reliant diver and to be able to take new divers on dives knowing I'm competent enough to help them out should they freak out.

Being confident enough to do solo dives when shallow and safe enough would be great. I'm hoping to be able to go solo on the Blue Heron Bridge since my mom just retired nearby.

Just letting you know what my goals are.

And I really want to spend a lot of time using scuba to volunteer. Currently part of the NY Aquarium Dive Volunteer Team and this June I'm spending a month volunteering in Madagascar.

But I'm thinking of doing a bigger program in 2020. The 8 week program with the Indo Ocean Divemaster Internship. ▷ Research & Dive Master Internship | Volunteer in Indonesia 2018

There's 10 and 12 week courses, but I have most of the classes required for the 8 week program under my belt.

The problem is, I can't find any reviews online about the program. They certainly look professional, but lord knows that doesn't mean a hell of a lot.

So just posting this in the long shot hope that someone might have done this particular program. I searched the forum but haven't seen anything.

 

[BiznessFish]

@M DeM
Did you wind up joining the Indo Ocean Project? I am in the same predicament as you two years ago. i have applied and just recently been accepted to it, but it is extremely difficult to find any real information about them and i am worried about how legitimate they are. Did you wind up joining them or find any more information pertaining to them?

 

[M DeM]

I did not do it - I wound up doing a different program at the MRCI (Madagascar Research Conservation Institute) and I can tell you it is 100% ********.

I was warned about this from a Wildlife Conservation Society diver -- all he does in Marine Conservation. All he said was "Just be careful - some of these places are super-sketchy."

I'll never do one of these again. They're basically an unsupervised summer camp for European teenagers on a gap year. That's it. I couldn't find many reviews either -- except for "testimonials" on their own website -- and there was hardly any diving and absolutely ZERO conservation.

As far as becoming a master diver, you can become a master diver with only 60 dives under your belt. (Obviously you need to pass the classes).

It wasn't just me that had a wasteful experience -- every single person that wasn't just a partying leap-yearer -- talked about how they felt the whole thing was worthless. The teens that were doing it for actual marine conservation (there were a few that were concentrating in marine biology to help get into university) were devastated. They spent all this money getting there and it wasn't helping them at all.

A *lot* of the non-gap year people just left early. Two people contracted typhoid. I'm convinced almost all of these "you pay to volunteer" situations are money makers. After meeting the "founder" of the program, it's really, really, really obvious it's just a money maker.

However, that's just my experience with MRCI. (They begged me to write a review -- right in front of them -- and I just waved them off. There's no way I could recommend them.)

I do volunteer scuba dive though -- FIND AN AQUARIUM! And ask if they have a volunteer dive team. I have learned **so** much -- you take regular DAN classes on rescue (you have to be certified as a "scientific" diver.)

So all in all -- I had a horrible experience. Really bad. Sorry for the bad news!