Aw, thanks! I miss those sunrises and sunsets…

Thanks a lot!

Hey Beckie, unfortunately I’ve never been in Indonesia around that time (only in the summer) so no tips there! Check this post for accommodation and transport tips. Hope that helps. Enjoy!

Thinking of Gili T over Xmas/New year this year. Do you have any tips on this i.e. best places to be for festivities (not too hectic) and good accommodation? Also how best to get here from Bali….

TIA!

Thanks Kerry! Gili holds a really special place in my heart. Miss it dearly!

Is it possible that you can stay with the same company but ask to be switched to a different instructor, one for whom English is a first language? I think it is very important that you be able to communicate with both your instructor and your students and it doesn’t sound like that is what you are getting. However you mention other English speaking DMs and customers on the boat — can you work with them instead? It sounds like it is time for an honest conversation with your dive company. They won’t want to sign off on an uphappy DM who feels unqualified… hopefully they will work with you to find a solution!

Hi Alex. Just to give you some background… I am a 26 year old guy from South Africa. After graduating and working 4 years i decided i need to travel and see te world before I get ‘caged in’. So Desember 2014 I sold my car etc. and came to Thailand, with a plan of course. I love diving so after my research thailand was the place I thought would be best for by budget, diving, relaxed life etc. I became an open water diver back in 2007 and my advanced just before I came to Thailand Desember 2014. So since January, I did my rescue and EFR in Phuket, and currently I am in my last stretch of my DMT. But I made a bad choice… I am doing my DMT with a Korean, lady instructor. She is a very good instructor and I chose her to be my instructor for her methods and the initial feeling i got after talking to her etc. But now, after a month of training, I am not feeling that I am getting what I need, mostly because of bad communication. Also the dive company caters mostly for koreans so even though i join the dive trips as assistant etc. Most of the time the students or clients don’t even speak english. So I am not happy and not feeling that vibe of being a divemaster is fun etc. I look at english speaking DMs and instructors on the boat, listen to their briwfings etc. and i get excited about their situation. But not mine, siting there not being able to chat to ‘my clients/students’ and giving breifings to them even though they dont understand. No questions and answers going on… So obviously I know I made my choice, but now realize it was a wrong choice but I am so close to finishing the DMT requirements. So my actual question… Do you have any advice for me. Should I just quit and lose the +- 30000 THB I paid in full already and find myself a new instructor/company after doing a lot of reasearch and chatting to loads of other divers, dmts and instructors, or finish my DMT getting the padi dm certification which wouldnt make me feel as a good DM at all… The only thing keeping me with this current instructor is the fact that I paid in full. But I i really need to, I can save and start the DMT all over again with a new company, paying another 30000 THB. any advice would be very much appreciated

I don’t know of any specifically, Charlie — I’d just check the usual sites like AirBnB, Flipkey, and VRBO. I will warn you that wifi is very rare on Gili Trawangan and will likely only be in the more high end rentals. Good luck!