When you make the decision to get your Open Water Diving certification you have thousands of choices of where to take the course. In Indonesia alone there are hundreds of amazing places you can get PADI certified. North Sulawesi, and in particular Gangga Island, is an excellent choice for many reasons. Let’s have a look at some of those reasons.

The location

North Sulawesi is easily accessible from many places in Indonesia. Manado, the capital of the region, is a main hub for travelers and has a modern international airport. From Manado it is just over an hours’ drive to the very northernmost point of Sulwesi and some of the best diving in the world.

Gangga Island Resort and Spa will send a private car to pick you up at the airport and deliver you to the pier where you will hop on a boat to the island. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the jetty at Gangga Island but you might wish it was more because of the stunning landscapes on the way.

Gangga Island is perfectly poised for diving trips to Bangka and Talise Islands, as well as Lihaga Island just next door. There are also options to dive in Bunaken Marine Park around an hour away by boat.

The Open Water Diver Course

Gangga Island Resort & Spa has its own PADI 5* dive school. The Gangga Divers Dive Centre is where you will do all your classroom theory and prepare for your diving. You can also choose to complete the theory part of the course through e-learning before the course begins. Your skills practice will take place in the resort’s oceanfront pool and then you will be ready to get out into the water for 4 open water dives.

This diving course usually takes 4 days but this can be slightly shorter or longer depending on how the students learn. Because of this it is always best to book an extra night on the island to make sure you can complete the whole course. Believe us, it is no hardship spending an extra night on Gangga Island. In fact, most people don’t want to leave and often end up extending their stays.

At the end of the 4 days you will be able to dive up to 18 metres and you will have so many wonderful memories of your dives. This area of North Sulawesi has some of the most incredible marine life and pristine coral anywhere in the world so there really is no better place to get certified.

If you are already PADI Open Water certified, you can opt for the Advanced Open Water certification. This gives you more options to specialize your diving and dive deeper. You can choose from night diving, search and recovery, drift diving, wreck diving, and more.

Book with Gangga Island Resort & Spa

If you are ready to take this step and get PADI Open Water Certified all you need to do is get in touch with Gangga Island Resort & Spa to set the wheels in motion. They will do everything from sending you flight information to making sure you have all the gear you need for the course.

Getting your PADI certification is a huge deal. It sets you up for a lifetime of exploration and discovery and will open your horizons to a whole new world. If you can do it in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth, you should definitely make that happen!