Sea Stars in Gili Air
If you have been diving or snorkeling in any of our planet’s oceans, chances are pretty good that you’ve seen a sea star before. However, there are more than 2,000 different species of sea star and some are more or less common in different regions. Imagine the surprise of one of our staff, Komang, who has spent years diving in North Bali among thousands of blue sea stars, discovering in the Gili Islands that the blue sea star is unusual. In fact, this started a friendly competition between the Two Fish Divers Gili Air staff to see who could find a blue sea star first! It took several dives, but Jenny was the winner!

A beautiful blue sea star on the reef
Although the blue sea star is less common than in other areas of Indonesia, we still have a multitude of different sea stars to dazzle us in the waters around the Gili Islands, such as the title photo above taken by student Ellie during her PADI Advanced Open Water Course in Gili Air. Sea stars come in a variety of colours and sizes, and not all of them have only five arms! Living up to 35 years in the wild, these fascinating creatures have no brains or blood and house their important organs in their arms. Perhaps one of the most fascinating facts about the sea star is its ability not only to regenerate its limbs but also its entire body from one severed limb. It seems like a superpower!
This week we welcomed divemaster trainees, Marcus from Sweden and Patric from Liechtenstein! Marcus and Patric completed their PADI Rescue Diver courses at Two Fish Divers Amed and Two Fish Divers South Lombok respectively, prior to joining us here at Two Fish Gili Air to really dive into their professional training. They have been working hard this week doing some training in the pool, in the ocean and doing some independent study in the evenings. It’s not all hard work, though, as they have had time to experience some of the island’s beaches and wonderful warungs!

Instructor Komang conducting a scuba refresh for Axel at Two Fish Divers Gili Air
Certified diver, Axel, joined from Sweden to do a refresher with us early in the week. Axel had completed his PADI Open Water Course a few years ago in the Philippines and is heading to Komodo next week to complete his PADI Advanced Open Water Course. He was smart to hop in our pool here with Instructor Komang for a refresher and then out with dive guide Jen for a couple of fun dives around the Gili Islands. Now when he arrives in Komodo he will be confident and enjoy his continuing education there!
The dive centre got the royal treatment this week with a fresh new coat of paint and everything cleaned and reorganized! Our crew worked very hard and it shows in the results – come and see for yourself!
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