Frequently Asked Questions

Our expeditions are designed for people with different backgrounds, qualifications and goals.

• Eco-Venture (EV) is for travellers, divers and ocean enthusiasts who want to experience hands-on marine conservation. No academic background in marine science is required.
• Conservation Research Assistant (CRA) is for university students studying Marine Biology, Biology, Conservation, Ecology, Zoology, Oceanography or a related discipline who want to build practical scientific field experience.
• Research Thesis Placement (RTP) is for undergraduate or postgraduate students completing a dissertation, thesis or independent research project with their university.
• Scientific Field Placement (SFP) is our most advanced scientific placement, designed for graduates, postgraduate students and early-career professionals looking to develop higher-level field, project and leadership experience.
• Marine Science A-Level (MSAL) is an intensive 16-week Cambridge International Marine Science A-Level course.
• Conservation Divemaster (CDM) combines PADI Divemaster training with immersive marine conservation experience, and runs in dedicated cohorts four times each year.

You can compare all expeditions on our Expeditions page, or contact us if you are unsure which is the best fit.

This depends on the expedition you choose. Most of our expeditions are booked in weekly increments and can be extended beyond their minimum duration, allowing you to choose a stay that suits your goals and available time.

As a general guide:

• Eco-Venture: from 2 weeks
• Conservation Research Assistant: minimum duration applies, see the expedition page
• Research Thesis Placement: minimum 6 weeks, with 6 to 8+ weeks normally recommended for meaningful project data collection
• Scientific Field Placement: minimum 12 weeks
• Conservation Divemaster: minimum 8 weeks
• Marine Science A-Level: fixed 16-week course

Longer stays give you more time to build diving experience, complete training, work across different projects and develop greater confidence in the field.

Maximum stays may be affected by Indonesian immigration rules, so please contact us if you are considering a particularly long placement.

Our Eco-Venture, CRA, RTP and SFP expeditions normally begin on Mondays throughout the year, subject to availability and any expedition-specific requirements.

The Marine Science A-Level has two fixed annual intakes, currently in January and July.

The Conservation Divemaster has four intakes a year, starting every 10 weeks from the first Monday of March.

Participants who need further dive training before beginning the Conservation Divemaster may need to arrive one or more weeks before their cohort starts.

Our flexible expeditions are normally arranged in full-week blocks running Monday to Monday.

Your exact arrival and departure arrangements will be confirmed with you before travel.

We recommend booking as early as possible, particularly if your dates are fixed, you need university approval, you are joining one of our limited-capacity expeditions, or you require additional PADI training.

Some periods of the year fill considerably earlier than others.

RTP students should contact us particularly early, because your research project needs to be discussed, assessed for feasibility and planned before you arrive.

Visit the expedition page for the expedition you would like to join and select Book Now or Apply Now. You will be directed to the appropriate booking or application form.

Some expeditions have academic or experience requirements, and SFP applicants are also required to submit a CV.

Once your place has been accepted, our team will guide you through the next stages of preparing for your trip.

Yes. All SORCE expeditions require a scuba diving certification, with PADI Open Water or a recognised equivalent being the minimum requirement.

You don't have to arrive certified, though. If you aren't yet a diver, our own PADI instructors can teach your Open Water course as an add-on in the first few days of your stay. You don't need to come early for it: we fit the course around the start of your expedition, so your conservation theory slots in between your PADI sessions, and you can complete the PADI theory online before you travel.

The Open Water course is charged in addition to the expedition fee. As a brand new diver you'll naturally need a little time to become comfortable and confident underwater before the conservation work feels easy, so we recommend adding an extra week to the length of stay you had in mind.

Some expeditions have higher diving requirements. These are clearly listed on the relevant expedition page.

Yes. Depending on availability and your existing qualifications, training available through SORCE can include:

• PADI Open Water Diver
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
• PADI Rescue Diver
• Emergency First Response
• PADI Divemaster
• PADI AWARE courses
• PADI Dive Against Debris

We also offer Reef Check Eco-Diver training.

If you want to add a diving qualification to your expedition, please tell us when booking so that we can allow enough time within your stay.

SORCE is an active field site and diving forms a major part of our expeditions. For health and safety reasons, however, we dive a maximum of six days per week, ensuring that everyone has a regular dry day away from diving.

On diving days, two to three dives per day is typical, depending on the expedition, current projects, tides, weather, participant training and operational requirements. Some days may involve fewer dives, while on occasions when a night dive is scheduled there may be as many as four dives in a day.

The Marine Science A-Level follows an academic timetable, so it usually has one to two dives on lecture days and two to three on days without lectures.

No specific number of dives can be guaranteed, as all diving remains dependent on safety, environmental conditions and expedition requirements.

Our expedition packages generally include:

• BCD
• Regulator
• Tanks
• Weight belt
• Weights

We strongly recommend that participants bring their own:

• Mask
• Fins
• Snorkel
• Wetsuit, rashsuit or other suitable exposure protection

A dive computer must be worn when diving. If you do not own one, you can rent one from SORCE for IDR 300,000 a week, subject to availability.

Masks, fins and wetsuits can also be rented from SORCE for IDR 100,000 each a week. Our stock and range of sizes are limited, though, so we can't guarantee a good or comfortable fit. When you are diving most days, a mask that leaks, fins that rub or a wetsuit that doesn't fit can really take away from your enjoyment underwater, so we strongly recommend bringing your own.

Not everyone needs to obtain a medical examination from a doctor before travelling to SORCE, but all participants must be fit, healthy and safe to dive. Before you arrive, you'll complete our own medical form, confirming that you are fit to dive and telling us about anything relevant, and sign our liability waiver. You are responsible for making sure you are medically able to take part in the activities you undertake, and you are welcome to have this checked by a doctor if you would like to. All participants must also hold appropriate travel and diving insurance.

If you are completing a PADI course, you will be required to complete the relevant PADI medical questionnaire. Depending on your answers, medical clearance from a physician may be required before you can begin training. If necessary, it is possible to arrange an appointment with a doctor in Lombok after arrival, although you may prefer to obtain clearance before travelling to avoid delays to your course.

Conservation Divemaster participants are an exception and must arrive with medical clearance from a physician completed within the previous 12 months. This should be arranged before travelling to Indonesia.

If you have an existing medical condition, take regular medication, have previously experienced a diving-related medical issue, or are unsure whether anything may affect your ability to dive safely, we strongly recommend discussing this with an appropriately qualified medical professional before booking or travelling.

Potentially, yes.

We want SORCE to be accessible wherever we can reasonably and safely accommodate someone. The practical nature of fieldwork, boats, diving, tropical conditions and our relatively remote location can, however, make some activities unsuitable for certain medical conditions or accessibility requirements.

Diving also has specific medical standards that we cannot override.

Please contact us before booking if you have a medical condition, disability or accessibility requirement that could affect your participation. We can discuss the expedition honestly with you and determine what reasonable adjustments may be possible.

Activities vary according to expedition, length of stay, season, current research priorities and your level of training. Depending on your expedition, opportunities may include:

• Coral restoration, nursery maintenance and outplanting
• Coral reef monitoring
• Fish, coral, invertebrate and priority species identification
• Underwater Photo Transects: photographs taken at fixed points along a surveyed line, so reef cover can be measured
• BRUV surveys: baited underwater cameras left on the seabed, filming the fish and other animals that pass without a diver present
• Diver-operated video surveys
• Turtle and manta photographic identification
• Mangrove monitoring and restoration
• Seagrass monitoring and restoration
• Artificial reef construction
• Marine Protected Area monitoring
• Water quality and pollution-related research
• Community education and outreach
• Data processing and analysis
• GIS and scientific image-analysis techniques
• Scientific lectures and workshops

Our projects are active conservation and research initiatives rather than demonstrations created solely for visitors, so the work taking place during any particular week reflects genuine project needs.

Not necessarily.

Our expedition pages show the range of training, projects and activities that can be available, but your exact experience depends on the length of your stay, your expedition, level of training, environmental conditions, seasonality and the projects being undertaken at the time.

Some activities also require training before you can take part.

The longer you stay, the greater the range and depth of experience we can usually provide.

There is flexibility, and we actively encourage you to tell us about your interests and goals.

However, SORCE is a working research and conservation field site rather than an activity centre. Schedules are built around tides, weather, safety, training requirements and the needs of our active projects.

Our science team reviews the schedule carefully and will always try to balance expedition requirements with individual interests wherever possible.

We understand that intensive diving and fieldwork can be physically tiring, and it is fine to sit out an occasional optional activity or dive.

Please let the team know as early as possible, because changes can affect dive teams, buddy allocation, boats and other logistics.

Some training sessions must be completed before later activities. Choosing not to complete them may therefore mean that you cannot participate in activities that depend on that training.

Participants on structured expeditions such as the Marine Science A-Level, Conservation Divemaster and certain academic placements will also have required components of their expedition.

Participants live on site at our field centre in Sekotong, southwest Lombok, close to the ocean and the ecosystems in which we work.

Accommodation is simple, comfortable and designed around field-station life rather than resort-style tourism.

Our traditional bamboo lodges provide private or shared accommodation depending on availability and booking arrangements.

Full details and photographs are on our About and Field Sites pages.

Yes. Our accommodation is flexible and we can normally arrange a double room for couples where requested in advance and subject to availability.

Please let us know when booking.

No. Our accommodation uses fans rather than air conditioning. This helps us reduce unnecessary electricity use and the environmental footprint of operating the field site.

Lombok has a tropical climate and the site benefits from coastal airflow, although participants should expect warm conditions.

The bathrooms do not have heated water. However, Lombok is warm and the water warms naturally during the day.

Cool showers also tend to be very welcome after diving and fieldwork in tropical conditions.

Yes. Electricity is available at the field site and participants can charge phones, laptops, cameras and other normal personal devices.

As a conservation organisation, we ask everyone living at SORCE to be thoughtful about unnecessary electricity consumption.

Occasional local power interruptions can occur, as they can elsewhere in Indonesia.

We do not provide Wi-Fi, but getting online is easy with mobile data.

Buy a local Indonesian SIM card with a data package, and either use it in your phone or put it in a small portable internet box that several devices can connect to at once. Both are inexpensive, and our welcome pack explains how to get them.

Mobile signal at the field site is good. Messaging, browsing and video calls home all work well, and it is very rare to have no signal at all, although, as anywhere, speeds can occasionally dip.

If your university work or job needs you online at particular times, let us know before you travel and we can help you plan for it.

Laundry can be sent locally for washing, drying, folding and return for a small charge.

Using local laundry services also enables us to direct more everyday expenditure into the surrounding community.

Our team will explain the current laundry arrangements and prices during your induction.

Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive a detailed Welcome Pack and Equipment List covering clothing, dive equipment, toiletries, electronics, medication and other useful items.

You do not need a sleeping bag. Bedding is provided, and we also provide a towel for shower use. Many participants additionally bring a lightweight quick-dry towel for the beach, boats and diving.

Although Lombok is warm, a light jumper or other warm layer can be surprisingly useful after several dives in one day. Lightweight long trousers and long-sleeved tops are also useful in the evenings for mosquito protection.

Our expedition packages include breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, together with drinking water, tea and coffee.

Meals are communal and form an important part of field-site life. Our kitchen team aims to provide a varied and nutritious menu, combining local Indonesian dishes with a range of international cuisines throughout your stay.

Standard portion sizes are included within your expedition fee. If you have a larger appetite, or would simply prefer a little more food, additional portions can happily be arranged for a minimal additional charge. Just ask our team about this option.

Additional snacks, soft drinks and other items can be purchased separately.

Yes. We regularly cater for vegetarian and vegan diets and can also accommodate many food intolerances and allergies.

Please provide full details of any dietary requirements when booking so that our kitchen team can plan appropriately.

If you have a severe allergy or a particularly complex medical dietary requirement, contact us before booking so that we can confirm whether it can be safely accommodated in our field-site environment.

Filtered drinking water is provided at SORCE and is included in your expedition.

You should not drink untreated tap water in Indonesia.

Vaccination requirements and recommendations vary according to your medical history, country of origin, travel itinerary and current health guidance. We therefore cannot give individual medical advice.

We recommend arranging a travel-health consultation well in advance of departure and checking current guidance for Indonesia. Make sure your routine vaccinations are up to date and discuss any additional recommendations with an appropriate healthcare professional.

Entry and health requirements can change, so always check current official guidance before travelling.

We also provide vaccination and travel-health information within the Welcome Pack you receive once your booking has been confirmed.

Yes. Lombok is tropical, so mosquitoes are part of life here, particularly around dawn and dusk and during wetter periods of the year.

Mosquito nets are provided over beds, and we recommend bringing suitable insect repellent together with lightweight long trousers and long-sleeved clothing. Please choose a repellent without DEET if you can, as it is harmful to marine life and washes off into the sea when you swim or dive.

Mosquito-borne diseases occur in Indonesia, so bite prevention should be taken seriously.

Current UK travel-health guidance classifies Lombok as a low-risk malaria area, for which bite avoidance and awareness of risk are advised.

Individual recommendations can vary depending on your health and wider travel itinerary, so please discuss malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases with a travel-health professional before departure.

Lombok has a tropical climate and is warm throughout the year.

Broadly, the wetter season runs around November to April, while the drier season generally falls between May and October, although weather patterns vary from year to year.

Participants should be prepared for heat, strong sun, humidity and occasional heavy tropical rain.

The correct visa depends on factors including your nationality, length of stay and the activities you will be undertaking.

Indonesian immigration rules can change, so rather than publishing fixed visa instructions that may become outdated, SORCE provides current visa guidance to confirmed participants based on their planned stay.

You remain responsible for ensuring that you hold the correct visa and meet Indonesian entry requirements. Always check current information from the Indonesian immigration authorities before travelling.

Confirmed participants also receive visa guidance within their Welcome Pack, helping you understand the options relevant to your planned length of stay and travel arrangements.

Yes. All participants must have appropriate insurance covering the duration and activities of their stay.

If you will be scuba diving, your policy must specifically provide suitable diving cover for the depths and activities involved.

We also strongly recommend cover for medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, travel disruption, cancellation, and loss or damage to personal belongings.

You are responsible for checking that your chosen policy provides adequate cover.

International and domestic flights are not included in standard expedition fees.

Airport and other arrival transfers are not normally included unless explicitly stated for a particular expedition.

Once your booking is confirmed, we provide detailed arrival information and can help you organise appropriate onward transport to SORCE.

Your Welcome Pack includes an extensive Travel Advice document covering a broad range of routes and transport options for reaching us, together with details of the assistance SORCE can provide with your onward journey.

Most participants travel via Lombok International Airport, although routes through Bali and onward connections to Lombok may also be possible.

Your Welcome Pack will contain current travel and arrival guidance.

Please do not book complicated onward travel without checking your arrival plan if you are unsure.

Your accommodation, meals and core expedition activities are already included, so everyday spending can be relatively low.

The amount you need depends mainly on your personal choices, for example snacks, additional drinks, excursions, mobile data, laundry, dive-computer rental, souvenirs and transport during free time.

We provide current local-price guidance before arrival to help you budget.

There are no ATMs within easy reach of the field site, so it is best to arrive with enough Indonesian Rupiah for your personal expenses.

ATMs are available in larger towns and cities, but you should not rely on being able to withdraw cash immediately whenever you need it.

Our team can advise you on the most practical arrangements before arrival.

Yes. We maintain a small selection of snacks, drinks and basic everyday items for participants.

Availability varies because of our location, so you should still bring important personal items, medication and specialist toiletries with you.

SORCE merchandise and locally produced items may also be available.

Yes. Although SORCE expeditions are immersive, the weekly schedule includes time to rest, socialise and explore the surrounding area.

Sunday is our Sunday Funday. There are no scheduled expedition activities, but we organise a fun dive, and participants also have the opportunity to join additional shore dives with other guests at no additional charge. You are equally welcome to take the day away from diving and use Sunday to relax or explore the area.

Monday is our weekly dry day, with no diving scheduled. This makes Sunday and Monday particularly useful for participants who want to venture further afield, and some guests choose to spend a night away from the field site and explore another part of Lombok over the two days.

Ask our staff for recommendations before you head off. They know many of the best places to visit locally and further afield, and will be happy to help you plan your time.

Yes. Sekotong and southwest Lombok are beautiful areas to explore, and there are beaches, islands, restaurants and other destinations within reach of the field site.

Our team can recommend places to visit and help arrange local transport where appropriate.

Participants remain responsible for the cost of personal excursions and transport.

Sunday Funday is our weekly opportunity to step away from the normal research and training schedule and spend time together as a community.

Activities vary but can include a fun dive, social activities and a special shared dinner.

It is part of what makes life at SORCE feel less like simply attending an expedition and more like joining the SORCE family.

Yes. The Cambridge International A-Level in Marine Science is an internationally respected and recognised academic qualification.

Our course completes the full A-Level over an intensive 16-week period.

Unlike our flexible expeditions, the MSAL has fixed annual intake dates.

Students study both the academic syllabus and its real-world application while living at our marine research and conservation field centre in Lombok.

The qualification provides a strong academic foundation for further study in areas such as:

• Marine Biology
• Biology
• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Conservation
• Oceanography
• Fisheries
• Aquaculture and related disciplines

Students have also used the course to strengthen university applications, change academic direction, build confidence before higher education, or deepen their understanding of marine science for personal or professional development.

Because it is a formal Cambridge International qualification, its academic value is distinct from the practical experience gained through our expeditions.

The Conservation Divemaster runs in dedicated cohorts four times each year, starting every 10 weeks from the first Monday of March.

The standard expedition has a minimum duration of eight weeks.

If you still need dive qualifications or additional logged dives, you can arrive earlier to complete them before your cohort begins.

To begin the standard eight-week expedition you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Speak English
• Have a good level of physical fitness
• Be medically cleared for diving
• Hold Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications
• Hold a valid Emergency First Response (EFR) certification or recognised equivalent
• Have at least 40 logged dives

If you do not yet meet the diving requirements, you may still be able to join by arriving early enough to complete the necessary training.

Yes. Participants staying 10 weeks or longer can complete PADI Dive Against Debris and the relevant PADI AWARE certification at no additional course cost.

Participants staying 12 weeks or longer can also complete the Reef Check Eco-Diver course at no additional course cost.

Eligible participants with a relevant university-level scientific background can also choose our Advanced Conservation Science Add-On, which provides additional training in higher-level scientific survey and analytical techniques.