Our story · Since 2020
In nature we are
all connected as One.
GaiaOne is the manifestation of a deeply rooted love for nature, balance and conscious wellbeing — a social enterprise making sustainable living more accessible to all, through eco-tourism and conservation in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The founder
From Kota Kinabalu
to a Sulawesi reef
GaiaOne was founded in 2020 by Noortasha Devi Paramaswaran — affectionately known as Nori — with the opening of Tevana House Reef. An ocean lover and beach addict, Nori grew up by the coast in Kota Kinabalu.
Driven by her love for the oceans and scuba diving, she decided to give up her life as a practicing lawyer in Malaysia and found herself in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to build the first sustainable resort in Tanjung Bira.
It was always in the vision to add a conservation element to Tevana House Reef — which became reality in 2020 with the founding of the GaiaOne Restoration Project. What started out as a simple beach cleanup soon turned into a complete social enterprise focused on Earth restoration.
It is Nori's hope that anyone who comes to Bira or Kota Kinabalu experiences the GaiaOne lifestyle and becomes inspired to care and love the Planet more deeply. After all, it is in Nature that we are all connected as One.
Why we exist
Restore your connection
with nature.
GaiaOne Life Sdn Bhd is a social enterprise — every eco-experience we run funds the conservation beneath it. Our mission is to empower people to restore their connection with nature through reef restoration, education, wellness retreats and blue-economy models that make the living ocean worth more alive than gone.
"Rest is Revolution. Slowing down, breathing, and giving back to the sea is not a luxury — it is how we regenerate ourselves and the reef at once."
Our moral responsibility
The three pillars of GaiaOne
To leave a legacy of beauty and harmony for generations to come, everything we build stands on three commitments.
Net Zero Home
A model of business operations that reduces environmental impact and maximizes ethical resource management — revolutionizing our own processes first, then giving back through restoration.
Nature for the Future
Conserving coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, rivers and oceans to preserve the life and biodiversity we depend on — planning ahead through conservation and trash removal.
Generational Uplift
Transforming how people understand and relate to nature, with a focus on youth, through education and career opportunities. Change only happens once we remove the barriers to entry.
The proof, in numbers
What restoration adds up to
Not a report — a growing reef. These figures move because our ocean gardeners are in the water every week.
How coral restoration actually works
Nursery, outplanting, monitoring
Restoration isn't a metaphor. It's a repeatable, measurable process — and on a GaiaOne experience you learn to do every step of it yourself.
Nursery
Fragments of opportunity — corals broken by storms or boats — are rescued and lashed to underwater frames. Sheltered and monitored, they grow up to ten times faster than on the open reef.
Outplanting
Once strong, each colony is transplanted back onto degraded reef by hand, dive by dive. Our ocean gardeners choose sites where structure has collapsed and life needs a foothold to return.
Monitoring
Every planting is tracked for growth, survival and the fish and invertebrates that move back in. Data flows to Ocean Gardener so the science compounds across every reef in the network.
What you're supporting
We aim to do things differently
Seven commitments that shape every GaiaOne experience, on land and underwater.
Cultural awareness
Travel isn't complete until you immerse yourself in the local community — from diving to caving to cooking classes, every itinerary is built to be authentic.
Wake up in nature
A true nature immersion amplifies what's already there. You wake to birdsong, butterflies, waves and the wind through the mangroves.
Give back more than is taken
We clean up trash, plant corals, refuse single-use plastic, provide compostable toiletries, recycle water and run educational programs for local communities.
Focus on accessibility
The "green tax" that prices people out of sustainable living works against our mission. We keep accommodation for every budget, from luxury suites to dorms.
Safe space for wellness
A meditation shala, a rooftop under the stars and other quiet spaces are built for self-reflection, yoga, meditation and detachment from anything that doesn't serve you.
Highlight local talent
Each location is a platform for local vendors — small concerts with local artists, farmers markets, clothing swaps and community events year-round.
Clean eating
We are what we eat. Our restaurants serve mostly vegan and vegetarian food, sourced fresh from local markets and our own garden.
A formal collaboration
Built with Ocean Gardener
GaiaOne is an official partner of Ocean Gardener — the Bali-based coral-restoration NGO founded by marine biologist Vincent Chalias, with over two decades of reef science behind it. Our nurseries are built on Ocean Gardener's methods, and every GaiaOne course grants a recognised Ocean Gardener certification — qualifying you to teach the Intro Coral Diver course anywhere in the world.
Come and be part of the restoration.
Learn to plant coral, retreat by the reef, or fund the work from anywhere. The story continues with you in it.