PRE-DEPARTURE BRIEFING
Where is Les Village, Bali?
Les Village is in the northern coast of Bali, a poor area devastated by a massive volcano eruption in 1963. The north coast of Bali is untouched by the developed tourist industry in south Bali. Villages there still practice subsistence agriculture and fishing.
What is the Human Laboratory Project?
The Human Laboratory Project is an initiative sponsored by Sea Communities, an Indonesian social enterprise working to upgrade village livelihoods, and DiVo Dive Voluntourism, a Australian environmental charitable organisation. The aims of the Human Laboratory Project is to teach Les Villagers that sustainable resource management practices actually increases their income.
By moving the fishermen away from cyanide fishing to sustainable netting and self-policing of fishing catch, the fishermen have not only revived their fishing livelihoods but have also increased their income.
DiVo and Sea Communities are also taking the further step of introducing dive voluntourism to Les Village. This will train villagers in dive guiding, English and hospitality, therefore upgrading their way of making a living.
At the same time, rehabilitating the coral reef and underwater fish and coral monitoring gives dive tourists a chance to DO something different. LEARN something different. EMPOWER the local community. In a unique type of dive tourism aligned with a sustainable, green ethos.
Explain how the volunteers’ efforts help the local community.
First, you will help rebuild a coral reef reduced to rubble by cyanide fishing. You take a bit of coral from an existing coral farm and transplant it to underwater gardens that allow it to grow while being monitored and taken care of by the fishermen. The fishermen also get an enhanced sense of responsibility over coral that they are painstakingly growing from scratch, reinforcing their determination not to allow the present and future generations to destroy the reef again.
Now that the coral reef has started to rejuvenate, fishermen are seeing how slowly fish life takes to regenerate. They now practice self-policing of their fishing catch, making sure they allow baby fingerlings to escape. They regularly monitor fish numbers and size at various fishing sites top avoid overfishing and allow sites to lie fallow for regeneration.
You will help the local fisherman and marine biologist transplant the coral, be a coral gardener and learn fish surveying to help the fishermen in their self-policing monitoring program.
How does Les Village benefit from the voluntourists’ visit?
By staying and diving at Les Village, you help the villagers undertake dive hospitality and upgrade their livelihoods.
DiVo and Sea Communities are non-profit and any margin over the cost of covering the volunteers’ food, lodging, transport and diving is reinvested in Les Bali’s village infrastructure upgrading and coral rehabilitation. US$31 per person goes to Adopt a Coral, which pays for the coral rehabilitation program. US$22 per person goes to upgrading village infrastructure. On top of that, what you pay for food, lodging and diving goes directly to the local village supplier for diveguiding, porterage, food and lodging. Tank fills go to repaying microfinanciers that lent the villagers money to buy a compressor and scuba tanks.
What will the dive volunteers learn?
They will learn underwater coral gardening and fish monitoring protocols. They will learn about coral and fish. They will learn about what sustainability REALLY means in a holistic chain, it is not about stopping local communities from making a living, but how to do it in a sustainable way.
Do the volunteers need to do preparatory study?
The volunteers will receive a fish identification manual which will give more information on the fish monitoring in which they are participating. In addition, the volunteers will get classroom lessons on coral planting, fish survey, and practice runs in surveys where they are buddied by experienced fishermen “mentors”.
It would help if volunteers brought their own PCs for data entry.
What should the volunteers expect day-to-day?
The volunteers will be housed in comfortable seaside cottage accommodation on a twin-share en-suite basis. The seaside community is small enough to walk between the cottage, the beach jump-off point for the divesites and the local fisherman’s village.
Mornings will be spent on classroom sessions and/or dives, afternoons on dives and data entry. There will be ample time (including a no-dive day) to relax by the beach or explore the nearby village, waterfall and hills.
Steps from the pebble beach is the main cottage with a common area where classroom sessions are conducted and where you will do data entry, eat and relax. The common area has a kitchen.
Meals will be cooked by the fishermen and/or their wives and brought to the common eating area. Breakfast will be largely do-it-yourself, with fruit, bread, eggs and instant noodles provided. You will be expected to wash up your crockery and cutlery after each use.
The fishermen’s village by the sea is about one kilometre from the main village with the marketplace and village temples. The famous Les Waterfall is also located there. The villagers are friendly and will be happy to include you in their local ceremonies and temple visits. Treat them like a friend with respect, and they will also do the same.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Location and climate Les Village is about 3 hours drive north of Denpasar, Bali. Bali is tropical all year round, but waters are colder May to July. Water temperatures range 26-29°C (78-84°F). 3-5 mm wetsuit recommended. Dress will be casual beachwear.
ACCOMMODATION Twin share basis in seaside cottages, ensuite bathrooms, with shared common facilities. We will endeavour to place single travellers in twin shared accommodation with other travellers of the same sex. Single travellers may request a single room subject to availability and payment of single supplement.
Not included Dive gear other than tanks and weights, optional land tours and diving, insurance, visas, excess baggage charges; personal items such as phone calls, laundry, drinks etc; airport taxes.
What the voluntEER should have Dive computer, dive insurance (we will require sight of coverage, including emergency evacuation, hospitalisation and hyperbaric chamber), torch, reef shoes and dive certification cards (minimum open water diver).
Own computer for data entry will be helpful, otherwise you will have to wait for your turn on the shared computer.
Electricity outlets are available. Don’t forget an adaptor plug will be needed if you wish to charge phones, computers, cameras etc. The adaptor style is below.
You will also be expected to sign a medical questionnaire confirming good health and a liability release on arrival that your agent will provide. Any health issues will need to be cleared with a dive medical.
Non-production of certification cards, insurance and signed liability release/medical questionnaire to the dive operator will entitle the dive operator to refuse participation for which no refunds will be given.
PICKUP POINT You will advise your pickup point to your travel agent. Pickup areas are around the main southern resort areas, airport and Ubud.
CONTACT Pre-departure inquiries can be directed to or call Elaine Kwee at +61 422 563 739. On-ground contact point in Bali is Melissa Laik, tel +62 8979 122 940, and email .
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