Mango Dive & Bungalow

I did my Open Water certification with Mango Dive and loved every part of it. Carmen was such a kind, patient, and professional instructor. She explained everything clearly and let me repeat the exercises until I felt comfortable and confident. I learned a lot and enjoyed every dive. The sites were beautiful, with so many fish and turtles, and even a shark. The whole Mango Dive team was warm, welcoming, caring, and always smiling. Special thanks to Apri, who joined a dive just to film me so I’d have lovely memories. I really appreciated that thoughtful gesture. Highly recommend this center if you’re visiting the Gili Islands. Thanks again for everything! 🤿🐢🌊

We were really happy from the warm welcome when we asked about diving right through to the goodbye after our last dive. The rental gear seemed well maintained, the boat crew were helpful, the boat had lots of room for diving, and all the staff were friendly during surface intervals. We chose Mango Dive because it was next door to our hotel. They offer discounts for multiple dives, and since it was low season, we had a DM just for the two of us. We asked to focus on macro photography, and Adhet was amazing. He was modest when we met him and played down his ability to spot little nudibranchs, but he’s actually great at it. We went slowly to look for tiny critters, and he kept pace and found so many things we’d have missed, including a pontoh's pygmy seahorse. We also saw white tip sharks, cuttlefish, several nudibranchs, stonefish, turtles, frog fish, ribbon eel, moray eels, lionfish, and several reef fish. The dives were much better than we expected. Please buy Adhet a large Bintang for being such a great DM! 🍺

I didn’t stay in the bungalow, but the pirates hostel was lovely, with clean rooms, great local staff, and a good price. Since it’s the same company, I got 10% off my dives. I started with a fun dive, got hooked, and went on to do my Open Water and then Advanced certification because there are so many dive spots around. I thought about changing locations, but felt so safe diving and learning with Sandra that I stayed to do all my certifications with her. It was a great time, with amazing dives and encounters. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to dive with a guide or get certified. The gear was fine, and the SSI learning materials were easy to use and available in lots of languages. Before each dive we took extra time to go over and repeat the theory.

The hotel has a lovely garden outside and direct beach access, and the staff were super friendly. I hadn’t planned to dive, but tried a discover scuba and then Carmen helped me get certified in Open Water. She was a great instructor, supportive on shore and in the water, and focused on helping me become a better diver. She’s highly professional and very friendly. Everything was explained in a way I could understand. On the Open Water dives I saw lots of cool fish, octopuses, a shark, and turtles, among other things. This is a top diving center for beginners and experienced divers alike. Book with Carmen for a wonderful time under the surface. She’s a five-star instructor!