GTS events are one of our favourite things about this community. Getting to meet so many likeminded divers, making new friends and doing something for a better good. And our latest GTS event at Manta Dive in Gili Trawagan, Indonesia quite simply blew our minds! So if you missed it, here’s your chance to ‘dive’ in to what went on down over on the paradise island that is Gili T!
Gili Trawagan, Lombok Indonesia
The location of these events each year is one of our favourite scuba community islands; Gili T! GTS have spent years hopping over to this island while in Indonesia to catch up with diving friends and do new course. And our GTS days over there have become some what of a staple in our calendar, of which 2020 marked our 4th year hosting this event.
Find out more about diving in Gili T and who to dive with.
Cleanup efforts
We always start our events with a beach clean up with our friends over at Gili Eco Trust – an NGO based on Gili Trawangan founded in 2000 to protect the coral reefs around the Gili islands from destructive fishing.
This year we picked up 79kg in just one hour of cleaning – every piece of litter picked up makes a difference to our planet!
Charity auction
60 girls, all diving together, you can imagine how left out the boys around the dive centre feel. But, of course we weren’t going to let them join. Unless, that is, if we can use this advantage to raise money for charity!
Last year we launched our charity auction where the highest bidder wins a place in the all girls dive and 100% of his bid goes to Classroom of hope. This years (and actually last years too) lucky guy was Charlie Jeffery (an ex teacher) from the USA, beating the rest of the guys with a bid and generous donation of 10 million rupiah, which is around $700 dollars!
All-girls dive
This is what the weekend is all about! Gathering women from all over the world and fun diving together! 3 boats headed to Han’s reef and dropped off the girls for an hour of fun and bubbles!
Charity Raffle
After the days diving and fun everyone headed back to Manta Dive for a night of drinks and raffle prizes! Take a look at this amazing list of prizes on offer:
💦 2 fun dives in Komodo from iDIVE Komodo
💦 1 spot on Raja Ampat liveaboard from Kurabesi Liveaboard
💦 1 spot on Komodo liveaboard from Sinarpagi Liveaboard
💦 1 spot on Red Sea liveaboard – Blue o two with @divewithmer
📷 Underwater photoshoot – Manta Dive Gili Trawangan
🏡 1 night stay at Manta Dive Gili Trawangan
📷 Underwater photoshoot – Manta Dive Gili Air
🏡 1 night stay at Manta Dive Gili Air
🧜♀️ 2 DSDs or fun dives by Oceans5Dive, Gili Air
🧜♂️ Sidemount course – Trawangan Dive, Gili Trawangan
👙2 bikini from Seamorgens
🩱2 gift cards for 50% discount on SeaGods Wetsuit
🥽 20 Scubapro masks
🩱 20 Scubapro rashvests
🌮 Dinner for 2 at Tiki Grove- Gili Trawangan
🍉 500 000 IDR bar tab at Pesona Beach Resort & Spa
🥥 500 000 IDR at Pesona Ubud
🍍 300 000 IDR voucher for Bale Sampan Bungalows and Cafe
🍸 300 000 IDR bar tab at Gili Castle Hostel
🎁 2 x Refillable water bottles from Gili Eco Trust
🎁 2 x Sharky shopping bag keychains from Gili Eco Trust
🎁 2 X Pocket mesh clean up bags from Gili Eco Trust
🎁 4 X whiskey glasses from Gili Eco Trust
Again, with all money going to charity, many tickets were bought and prizes won!
Manta Dive Gili T
A huge thank you to our friends over at Manta Dive Gili T for hosting our Girls that Scuba weekend for the 3rd year in a row now! There support and encouragement to our community is unmatched elsewhere and we can’t thank them enough for their time, effort and donating their bar and dive profits to Classroom of hope too!
Also a big thank you to all the in house photographers at Manta who spent their day snapping and editing! When you head over to dive in Gili T please go over and say thanks to Manta Dive from us!
Classroom of hope
We’ve been talking about our donations to Classroom of hope, but who are they?
Did you know 121 million children of primary and lower secondary school age do not have access to education. Or that some countries lose more than $1 billion USD a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys.
Classroom of Hope know this, and have set up an NGO to give the gift of education to kids in South East Asia. You can find out more about how they educate children and how ours – and your – donations help. We are proud, and grateful for everyone who donated, that we could donate over $2600 directly to Classroom of Hope from this Girls that Scuba event.
Watch a video of the day!
This weekend was more than we could have ever expected. We raised a phenomenal $2600 USD for Classroom of Hope, extracted nearly 130kg of waste from the ocean and beach and welcomed over 60 females over the weekend. We have to say a huge thank you to our dear friends Manta Dive Gili Trawangan for all of their organisation, support and donations making this event happen. If you are ever in Gili Trawangan go over and say hi and a big thank you from us!
For all the photos of the day head over to our Facebook page where you will see albums full of happy scuba divers! We can’t wait for GTS weekend 2021! Who’s joining us next year?
Thanks to the photographers: Jenni Collier, Jared Herb, Charlotte Bailey, Audita Harsono, Dave Soprek, Kristoffer Trondsen and Matt Kardos
GTS membership holders get 10% off at Manta Dive
