ABOUT
The Project
Project Laut was founded in 2020 by Joma Dix, a Canadian-born marine biologist & SSI Divemaster Instructor, in order to help increase awareness & improve the informational space for the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtles.
Conservation is a difficult field. Industry & development are pushing forward worldwide, and these advances are often coming at the expense of the environment. Oil drilling, climate change, ocean acidification, increasing severity of storms, plastic pollution, agricultural run-off, & many other anthropogenic drivers are threatening global diversity & biological abundance.
The issue conservationists face is there are so many species & habitats of importance to protect, and it can be a challenge to know where to focus efforts in order to have the largest impact.
This is where Project Laut comes in.
At Project Laut, we are working to shed light on the movement of the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle population throughout Indonesia & the Coral Triangle. By doing so, the ultimate goal is to identify critical areas of high biodiversity, and to establish movement corridors throughout the island chain. By doing so, we would then be able to target, organize, & direct conservation efforts towards these critical areas.
This is where you come in.
Our project relies on our divemaster interns, passionate & dedicated individuals, who want to make a difference and leave the environment a better place than when they found it. We operate in small teams, usually ranging from 3-6 interns at a time. Our divemaster conservation interns usually stay an average of 3 months, and this allows us to create & foster a strong family atmosphere.
We work closely together, and only through this collaboration can we move forwards to our lofty aims. It goes without saying, every single intern that has passed through Project Laut has made their own unique contribution & left their distinctive mark on us as people & as a project.
If you are interested in joining with us at Project Laut, we would be happy to have you. You don’t need to have experience in marine biology, you just need to have a positive outlook, be willing to learn, and above all be motivated about making a difference.
Conservation is a difficult field. Industry & development are pushing forward worldwide, and these advances are often coming at the expense of the environment. Oil drilling, climate change, ocean acidification, increasing severity of storms, plastic pollution, agricultural run-off, & many other anthropogenic drivers are threatening global diversity & biological abundance.
The issue conservationists face is there are so many species & habitats of importance to protect, and it can be a challenge to know where to focus efforts in order to have the largest impact.
This is where Project Laut comes in.
At Project Laut, we are working to shed light on the movement of the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle population throughout Indonesia & the Coral Triangle. By doing so, the ultimate goal is to identify critical areas of high biodiversity, and to establish movement corridors throughout the island chain. By doing so, we would then be able to target, organize, & direct conservation efforts towards these critical areas.
This is where you come in.
Our project relies on our divemaster interns, passionate & dedicated individuals, who want to make a difference and leave the environment a better place than when they found it. We operate in small teams, usually ranging from 3-6 interns at a time. Our divemaster conservation interns usually stay an average of 3 months, and this allows us to create & foster a strong family atmosphere.
We work closely together, and only through this collaboration can we move forwards to our lofty aims. It goes without saying, every single intern that has passed through Project Laut has made their own unique contribution & left their distinctive mark on us as people & as a project.
If you are interested in joining with us at Project Laut, we would be happy to have you. You don’t need to have experience in marine biology, you just need to have a positive outlook, be willing to learn, and above all be motivated about making a difference.
Our Impact
Project Laut is proud to announce our findings & the achievements we have made in our opening year of operation. As with most achievements, there were many hands & brains that have devoted time & energy towards moving the project along, and we at Project Laut could not be more grateful for the support of our interns, our graduates, our patreons, and all of our trusted advisors. Without the overwhelming support of a wide community of individuals we would not be able to pursue our goals of transforming Hawksbill sea turtle conservation in the Indo-Pacific area.
TURTLES
- 200 turtles fully identified
- Local movement patterns & behaviours identified
- Established over 40 full-time resident turtles
- Demonstrated the importance of Nusa Penida coral reefs as important seasonal feeding grounds
- Identified several key biodiversity hot-spots
CORAL
- Planted over 1300 coral fragments
- Deployed over 80 MARRS Reef Star structures - 95+% survival rate
- Rehabilitated over 100m^2 of reef
- Stabilized coral rubble patches
- Restored ecosystem functions to degraded reef areas
Objectives
- Ecological monitoring of Hawksbill sea turtles
- Track movements & populations throughout Indonesia & the Coral Triangle
- Identify key areas of high ecological importance for targeted conservation
- Restore degraded turtle habitat through active coral restoration programs
- Identify migratory routes
Vision
Improve the conservation of endangered Hawksbill sea turtles & their habitats through research, monitoring & education in order to effectively implement conservation measures
Mission
Contribute to sea turtle conservation through ecological monitoring of critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtles & their habitats at our project sites in Indonesia
Facilities
Our project is hosted by Nomads Dive Centre, a beautiful beachfront dive centre located on Nusa Penida. Nomads is fortunate to have a large 3-tiered pool for all dive training activities, 2 large air-conditioned classrooms for theoretical & practical workshops, 2 large dive boats, and the largest gear room you will ever see!
Nusa Penida is a well-known Marine Protected Area (MPA) that has an extremely high abundance of marine biodiversity.
Manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, molas, and even whales have been spotted in the area! There are also plenty of small critters as well and the diving here offers the chance to encounter many nudibranchs, cephalopods, crabs, shrimp, and a variety of other macro life.
Meet The Team
Joma Dix
Project Founder & Director
Canadian-born Joma Dix is an environmental biologist & SSI Divemaster scuba instructor. Originally from the East Coast of Canada, Joma pursued his passion of marine & environmental biology at the University of Toronto, where he completed his studies in the year 2016.
Following this, Joma came to Indonesia to immerse himself in the rich marine ecosystems of Bali. After working for several years as a dive instructor, Joma made the decision to open Project Laut in order to improve the conservation efforts of critically endangered sea turtles in Indonesia & the coral triangle.
As a dive instructor, Joma wanted to do more to protect and rejuvenate the marine ecosystem where he now lives and works, the Indonesian island of Nusa Penida. He began researching coral restoration on the internet and adopted an approach which used readily accessible materials like metal re-bar for construction and began cutting, bending and welding them into reef stars that can be interlocked in honeycomb like structure on the seabed in which broken coral is re-attached and given a second chance to flourish.
Following this, Joma came to Indonesia to immerse himself in the rich marine ecosystems of Bali. After working for several years as a dive instructor, Joma made the decision to open Project Laut in order to improve the conservation efforts of critically endangered sea turtles in Indonesia & the coral triangle.
As a dive instructor, Joma wanted to do more to protect and rejuvenate the marine ecosystem where he now lives and works, the Indonesian island of Nusa Penida. He began researching coral restoration on the internet and adopted an approach which used readily accessible materials like metal re-bar for construction and began cutting, bending and welding them into reef stars that can be interlocked in honeycomb like structure on the seabed in which broken coral is re-attached and given a second chance to flourish.
Sita Angela
Assistant Director
Sita has been an integral part of the formation, implementation & development of Project Laut. Beginning her time with Project Laut in 2020, Sita has since gone on to become an Open Water Scuba Instructor with a passion for conservation, deep diving & advanced dive theory.
Sita loves to spend her time in the water & can often be found in hot pursuit of a Hawksbill Sea turtle to get a perfect ID shot or roaming around our house reef to find a perfect coral fragment to transplant.
Sita embraces her half-Indonesian, half-European heritage & is always happy to answer any questions you may have on Indonesian culture & history.
Margeaux Wayne
Onboarding Coordinator & Conservation Advisor
Margeaux began her time with Project Laut as an intern in the year 2022. Margeaux has extensive experience as a project lead during her time in Hawaii & Palmyra, where she worked with the government on implementing conservation programs in remote Pacific islands.
Now, having graduated from the internship program, Margeaux has kindly volunteered her time to oversee the onboarding of new interns & help with the scientific direction and implementation of the project’s initiatives. Whether you have a question of what to pack, what to expect on the island, or want to learn more about our conservation initiatives Margeaux is the person for you!
Now, having graduated from the internship program, Margeaux has kindly volunteered her time to oversee the onboarding of new interns & help with the scientific direction and implementation of the project’s initiatives. Whether you have a question of what to pack, what to expect on the island, or want to learn more about our conservation initiatives Margeaux is the person for you!
Jackie Bertrand-Jackson
Admissions Officer
Jackie is a retired X-Ray technologist now based in Lucan, Canada. Jackie has worked as a traveling X-Ray tech across Canada, working in remote locations such as Whitehorse, Grand Manan, & Newfoundland. Jackie has a passion for the wilderness and wants to see a future where wild ecosystems & habitats are healthy, thriving, & balanced.
Jackie enjoys cycling, spending time with her grandchildren, and playing guitar at her weekly music circles. Jackie is typically the first point of contact for interns when they reach out for information about the project & life here on Nusa Penida and will be extremely happy to assist you!
Jackie enjoys cycling, spending time with her grandchildren, and playing guitar at her weekly music circles. Jackie is typically the first point of contact for interns when they reach out for information about the project & life here on Nusa Penida and will be extremely happy to assist you!
Intan Defri
Admissions Outreach
Intan is a local Balinese lady who initially participated in our project in 2020. Having been born & raised in Bali, Intan had a fantastic time getting to know the underwater side of her home province. Intan has a strong passion for diving and thoroughly enjoyed participating in & learning about the conservation projects we have here at Project Laut.
Following the completion of her internship, Intan took up the responsibility of outreach postings and chances are it was her post that have directed you to this very website!
Following the completion of her internship, Intan took up the responsibility of outreach postings and chances are it was her post that have directed you to this very website!
Testimonials
As a long-time journalist and university professor nearing 60, I'm fairly certain I was Project Laut's oldest intern, but also an example of their open and welcoming nature. Project Laut accepted me and put me to work for the month of June in 2022. As a PADI certified Divemaster, I was less interested in gaining credentials and more concerned about helping out with conservation projects. That happened almost immediately as the . . .
Kevin
Jun 28, 2022
I had the most rewarding experience with Project Laut with some highlights being Turtle Identification dives and Coral Restauration on the house reef! Work is very interesting and diverse. Most importantly, I felt useful. It is a motivating environment seeing the turtle database grow from week to week and watching marine life come back to the Coral Spiders we planted. We are supervised by Joma (project leader and founder) and interns and/or staff who explain the work and . . .
Sita
Jul 9, 2022
After previous plans for a DM internship had fallen apart, I found Project Laut and thought this has what I’m looking for, so why not. It turned out to be better than I ever could’ve imagined, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I had been looking for a DMT with an ACTUAL conservation project, not just a dive shop that claimed to do more than they did. Project Laut is not only active in coral restoration, but they’re also . . .
Theo
Oct 6, 2022
I’ve been working in the conservation field for the past six years. I recently decided to pursue a more marine focused route. The Project Laut Divemaster and Conservation Internship was a perfect fit! It allowed me to further advance my dive and marine field skills. I started out the internship often nervous on drift dives, but left feeling confident guiding others in . . .
Margeaux
