So you know that Gili Trawangan is known for partying and diving. You also know that you want to dive, but there are so many dive operators to choose from: who to pick? You can’t choose based on price: all Gili Trawangan shops stick to a fixed price agreement for all courses and fun dives. Well, to make it slightly easier for you, we’re here to tell you what you can expect when diving with Compass Divers. Then you can make your mind up as to whether you want to trawl through Tripadvisor! We can tell you right now – we may not be number one on TripAdvisor’s list, but we haven’t got anything below a four star! ;) When you dive with Compass Divers, the following is what you can expect.
Staff who want to show you how to become the best diver and take you to the best dive spots but also will become a friend for life.
Here at Compass Divers, we pride ourselves on making all our customers feel super welcome to the dive shop. Our small groups mean that no one gets left behind, and every guest receives equal attention. It’s not just the squeaky wheel that gets the oil here! Our friendly staff wants what’s best for our customers. Whether it be finding a specially requested animal (It’s the ocean, so nothing is guaranteed, but we know where to look!) or troubleshooting nerves before a dive, we strive to make sure that each guest has a positive experience. With our chilled-out, but professional vibe, you’ll find that everyone gets along at Compass Divers. It’s not uncommon to have guests continue to book more and more dives because that first one just didn’t seem like enough time spent. We have a diverse selection of instructors and dive guides who are all fluent in English and their native tongue, ranging from French to Chinese to Indonesian. Whatever it is you need, we have it here, along with smiles on our faces. Fun. It’s what we do.
Brand spanking new everything: from New Zealand made dive gear, to the freshly painted and newly named boat Catty Mc Fatty.
From the moment you walk into the shop, you can tell everything is new. Big fluffy bean bags greet you on the porch leading up to our beautiful mosaic stairway. Climb the stairs to our brand new boutique dorm and hotel rooms. We’ve paid attention to the smallest details whether it be a smile on the receptionist’s face or the murals depicting beautifully coloured marine life and a big map of all three islands and the dive sites. The shiny new blue mosaic pool is perfect for dive training, offering both a shallow area as well as a 3-metre deep end. Before you decide on any dive centre, you should always ask to check out the rental equipment. We invite you to look at our new dive gear that is meticulously stored with a range of sizes to fit anyone. If that’s not enough, then take a look at our boat. Fashioned in the Compass Divers  blue and white along with the logo freshly hand painted on the front, you can tell she can get over any wave or storm (not like we get much of that on the Gilis!)
Epic dives: Turtle Heaven and  Shark Point to name a couple.
Turtle Heaven: just ‘wow’. Imagine the grandest of underwater pinnacles surrounded by vibrantly colourful corals and a vast diversity of fish, mantis shrimp, octopus, nudibranch and shells. At the two top of the pinnacle lazes Bobby, a huge Green Turtle who is a permanent resident. Alongside him sits at least 5 or 6 more Green and Hawksbill turtles visiting the local cleaning stations, snoozing under rocks that were placed to help grow new coral, swimming around or starting a bit of a fight over the female turtles. (Turtles, they’re just like us!) The diversity of corals and fish also continues towards the top of the pinnacle along with the cutest of clownfish families.
Shark Point. If you are looking to get a bit deeper than 18-metres, Shark Point is one of the deeper dive sites that will blow your mind. Sink down to around 30 metres of crystal clear waters and immerse yourself in the stunning view.  Shark Point is mostly flat with a gradual slope up to the shallower waters; here you can see Black and White Tip Reef sharks swimming around, dodging the big sea fans and hiding under rocks full of coral. Blue Spotted stingray have been known to bury in the sand and eat around Shark Point, so there’s a high chance seeing them, too. And of course, if you’re into beautiful colours and camouflage displays, the cuttlefish are sure to please. Just one for the books: this past winter we were treated to a sighting of a young Whale shark at the surface of Shark Point, so I’d watch out for that happening again! So cool!
4.Courses- OW/AOW/RESCUE/DMT/SPECIALITIES- A combination of patience, fun and all eyes on you.
Alllll the courses! Yes, we can start your diving from the very beginning! A try dive allows you to give diving a try and find out that it may not be as scary as you thought! Who knows, you might not ever want to go a day without diving again! But on a serious note, this course consists of a 30-minute video to show you what to expect when diving and answer some of those questions you’ve been thinking about for a while now wondering about for a while. Once the video is over, your instructor will brief you about the equipment, what it’s called and the basics of how each part works. Then jump into the pool where you will learn five essential diving skills, like defogging your mask and diving without tearing the bottom of the seabed up. Hop on our boat and dive into the sea! A try dive usually lasts a maximum of 45 minutes and every second of it you’ll be thinking, “Wow, wow, wow, why didn’t I do this sooner and when will I get to do it again!?” Well, you can do it again as soon as you want! You can even get certified from the first level Open Water Scuba Diver all the way up to Divemaster. You’ll soon be the best diver you ever thought you could be and more. Our speciality courses are also something to think about if you want to dive wrecks or learn the names of all the fish in the Indo Pacific Ocean. The world is your oyster! And, yes, all of our courses include a maximum of four people per dive instructor. This way we can ensure we tend to each driver’s needs and can provide extra instruction if needed.
Some of the best memories of your travels and the diving bug!
So, just know you’ll get the diving bug – whether you just came to try it out or got sucked into exploring more of the Gilis’ biodiversity. Perhaps you’re already certified, and the fun dives were terrific, but you want to go deeper now. Perhaps you want to dive at night. These will be the memories to last a lifetime, but the diving bug won’t let you be. You’ll feel the need to dive as much as and book holiday locations based on their reputation as dive spots. Or you may find yourself taking your first step into the professional career of diving and sign up to become a divemaster. The first dive may change your life forever. In fact, diving with Compass Divers may be the best decision you’ve ever made.
So now that we’ve got your attention, it’s time for some due diligence on your part. Take a closer look at our shop by checking us out on TripAdvisor (Compass Divers Gili), Instagram (@compassdiversgili) and Facebook (Compass Divers). And if you are thinking about booking that first or maybe 100th dive with us, just send an email to [email protected] or book online at compassdivers.com. We hope to see you soon!
