Gaia One Freedive

Gaia One Freedive sits right on the water's edge in Bira, at the southern-most tip of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the Celebes and Flores seas meet. It's a PADI Freediver Center with 1 PADI instructor, surrounded by several renowned dive sites and fronted by a house reef that's restored and maintained by the GaiaOne Restoration Project.

Freediving in a quiet corner of paradise

This is a freediving-focused escape, with PADI freediving instruction, freediving equipment rental and conservation activities all on offer. The waterfront base keeps things simple: an onsite classroom, free Wi-Fi, a retail shop, dive boat, onsite accommodation, food and drinks, and parking. Staff speak English, Dutch, Chinese and Indonesian.

The surrounding waters are rich with marine life, from sharks, whales and turtles to ocean fish, corals, anemones, eels, molluscs and crustaceans. With white sandy beaches, crystal turquoise water and breathtaking sunsets, it suits freedivers after a peaceful, largely undiscovered slice of Indonesia rather than a busy resort scene.