eScubaMagazine.com - March 2011

March 2011 eScubaMagazine.com 1

eScubaMagazine.com

march 2011 · issue 1

Wendy Hoevenaars 2 Introducing Underwater photographer

Philippines Diving: Boracay 3 Calypso Diving Resort

Underwater Museum - Cancun 9 Aquaworld

Going Pro – What’s it all about? 13 Andy Phillips

Komodo – “Lalunia” Diving Base 20 Nomad Diver

Muck, wall or reef? 27 Robert Burgers

Diving in Aqaba 34 Seastar Watersports

Liveaboard Diving 38 Woldwide Dive & Sail

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Hi, my name is Wendy Hoevenaars. I live in the

Netherlands. My passion has become part of my

job. In my daily life I‟m happy to work on my two

biggest hobbies: photography and diving. Luckily, I

can often combine the two. Nature and wildlife

offer me great inspiration. I am an active outdoors

person and this is reflected in my work as a nature

photographer. Both above and under water I spent

much time observing and photographing. I

regularly follow courses and workshops in nature

and marine biology. There is so much beauty to

discover!

Every month I am going to share one picture with you.

The picture can be taken in the warm waters of our

globe. Yet I also like to dive into the cold waters of the

North Sea, „Grevelingenmeer‟ or freshwater lakes in

the neighbourhood. Because you never know who or

what is under the water, every dive is worth the effort,

with or without a camera in my hand.

I started with underwater

photography in 2001. Then I

made pictures with an analog

camera, the Motor Marine II

from Sea & Sea. Nowadays I

shoot with a Canon 50D in an

aluminium under water housing

from UK-Germany. By the picture

of the month I will tell you

exactly which settings I used for

making that picture. Hope you

enjoy my column.

Till next month.

The picture of this month is the pygmee

seahorse, which is taken in Lembeh

Street, Indonesia. The bottom in Lembeh

is covered with only black sand, diving

there is called muck diving.

We were going to make a wreck dive on

one of the wrecks in Lembeh street. But I

took my macro lens with me.

Underwater I recognised the fans in

which the guide found before these very

little fellows. When I was at the back of

the wreck my eye felt on a fan again,

and YES, I found a pygmee seahorse

myself. And this one was pregnant also!

I took this photo with the 100mm macro

lens and diopter +4. The settings were

1/100 sec and F29. I used ISO 250.

Wendy

www.fotowendy.nl

Wendy Hoevenaars

Introducing Underwater photographer

http://www.fotowendy.nl/


Calypso Diving Resort is located at the center of the

world-famous White Beach on Boracay Island in the

heart of the Philippines archipelago. Boracay is

famous for both its natural beauty and the

incredible lifestyle. This little island really does have

it all: relaxation, cuisine, night life, nature,

shopping, activities to suit all tastes, and much

more!

Perfectly situated, Calypso Resort has stunning

turquoise ocean and sunset views, with 7 rooms and 2

suites right by the soft white sand beach. Additionally,

there are 20 rooms at Pinjalo Resort, set in tranquil

tropical gardens for a private atmosphere, which is

just a 2 minute walk from Calypso and the beach.

Each of the resorts has a swimming pool, and all the

rooms are beautifully styled, bright and spacious,

each with its own balcony. All of our guests can enjoy

the Lounge with pool-side bar and restaurant, beach

beds right by the ocean, and diving for those wanting

to explore underwater.

Calypso Diving is Boracay's only National

Geographic and PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center.

Our dive facility includes an on-site training

pool overlooking the beach, well-maintained

equipment available in a wide variety of

sizes, and an enriched air membrane

compressor with alpha analyzing station for

easy and accurate analysis of nitrox. We offer

PADI courses from novice to dive

professional. Our experienced and friendly

staff will help you find the right course or course

combination from a wide range of options.

One of Asia's most modern and well equipped dive

resorts, Calypso offers five-star service in a friendly

and spacious environment. The dive sites on Boracay

can be reached by a short boat ride and dives are

guided in small groups for your maximum enjoyment.

With 30 dive sites surrounding Boracay and

neighboring islands there is definitely something for

every diver: walls, wrecks, healthy corals, macro

marine life, strange critters and even sharks.

Underwater fun and relaxation awaits you! So join us

at Calypso Diving Resort on this wonderful tropical

island.

Info:

Airport: 4km

Air temperature: 25 – 35 C

Water temperature: 24 – 30 C

Visibility: 15 – 30+ meters

Nitrox: Yes

Philippines Diving: Boracay

Calypso Diving Resort



Boracay Go Diving

Dive in Boracay to experience the incredible

biodiversity and warm blue waters of the Philippines.

And it doesn‟t stop there: this little island has much

more to offer in addition to great dive sites. The

lifestyle on Boracay is many different things to different

people with so many options: a myriad of active

pursuits, many ways to relax, a huge choice of

cuisine, exciting nightlife, friendly locals, and stunning

scenery!

The diving itself offers just as much variety. You can

wreck dive, hang out on walls literally covered with

soft and hard corals, deep drift dive with sharks, or get

up close with our weird and wonderful macro critters.

We offer convenient one-tank dive trips for those

wanting to spend only part of the day diving, but we

also offer daytrips and safaris to sites further afield. At

Calypso, the dives are guided in small groups by

experienced and knowledgeable PADI Professionals

for your maximum enjoyment.

The Calypso Diving Resort team is looking forward to

warmly welcoming you and making your trip extra

special.




Boracay Learn to Dive

Learning to dive in Boracay is exciting, fun and

convenient. The water is warm and clear with fabulous

marine life to meet on your dives.

The Calypso Diving Resort is a PADI 5-Star IDC and

National Geographic Dive Center - the only one on

Boracay – and operates to the highest professional

standards. We teach every level of PADI course from

discovery dives to instructor training. The dedicated

dive team is very enthusiastic, and your experienced

instructor will be with you every step of the way. The

facilities at the spacious beach-front center are world-

class, with a purpose-built training pool, air-

conditioned classrooms and restaurant.

The reefs are only a 10 minute boat ride from the

Calypso Diving Resort. You will be excited by the

bright marine life and bio diversity. You‟ll be diving with

butterflyfish, snappers, frogfish, lionfish, rays, morays

and much more! Take the plunge and open up the

door to a thrilling new underwater world.

Calypso Diving Resort and Pinjalo Resort

Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan 5608, Philippines

[email protected]

http://calypso-boracay.com/diving/


http://calypso-boracay.com/diving/


This unique project began in 2008 when three

people got together in a bid to help the natural

habitat of the surrounding waters of Cancun and

Isla Mujeres. Over the years hurricanes and human

kind have caused damage to the great reefs in the

area, so it was time to step in and help these

beautiful gardens replenish and flourish once more.

The museum can be seen through scuba diving or

Snorkeling with Aquaworld Cancun

(www.aquaworld.com.mx)

Dr. Jaime Gonzalez Cano is the director of the

National Park Costa Occidental Isla Mujeres, Punta

Cancun and Punta Nizuc. He searched the internet

for ideas and came across the work of Jason

DeCaires Taylor, a British underwater artist. The first

seed of an underwater sculpture project for Cancun

was planted. The next step was to contact Roberto

Diaz, president of the Nautical Association - as a

ceramic artist and sculptor he loved the idea.

Jason left his life in London and dedicated 2 long

years in the creation of 403 life sized concrete

sculptures. The sculptures are made from neutral clay

and positioned on the ocean beds in order to

promote marine life and the growth of coral reef.

The first three figures to be submerged were the

'Dream Collector', Man on Fire and 'Garden of Hope' -

each of which depicts it's own message. The Dream

Collector for example collected messages of hope

from all around the world and placed them in bottles

that he found in the ocean - now he stands to guard

them and project that hope.

Underwater Museum

Cancun




Dream Collector

In October 2010, 400 sculptures were submerged

creating the 'Silent Evolution'. These are made from

blocks of 10 figures and these life sized models were

moulded around real people, from local children, a

mother to be and a British news reporter.

The most fantastic thing about this part of the

museum so far is the return of the Angel Fish. This

species of fish had previously left the area for some

unknown reason - well little by little they are now back,

104 at the last count!

Silent Evolution

In February 2011, 12 more sculptures will be added to

Punta Nizuc. This room will include a volkswagon with

special seats designed for lobsters to set up their

home.

Aquaworld Cancun

[email protected]

www.aquaworld.com.mx


http://www.aquaworld.com.mx/


Pick up any diving magazine, or surf the internet for

dive related websites, and images of the tropics

and exotic destinations, combined with interactions

of aquatic life often stimulates the dream of

working full time as a scuba diving dive

professional. There‟s few professions in the world

where you can spend a Monday morning

commuting to work on a boat, enjoying beautiful

weather, and clients who admire and appreciate

you for the job you do, but is becoming a scuba

diving professional everything that we imagine it to

be? For those of us that do decide to „GoPro‟ and

become either a PADI Divemaster or Instructor, and

ditch a stable career, or embark on a life changing

journey, how do you achieve the goal and what

can you expect to encounter working encounter in

the dive industry?

In this article, I aim to overview the benefits of working

in the scuba diving industry as a PADI professional,

and also some of the downsides, and discuss the

path to becoming a PADI Divemaster and Instructor,

and the career opportunities, both short and long

term for PADI professionals. Whilst it would be

impossible to cover every possible work scenario and

environment, remember PADI dive centres and resorts

operate in over 180 countries, this article does

provide a generalised overview to help guide you in

the decision making process.

For most divers they‟ll never forget their first breath

underwater, whether in a local swimming pool, or at a

tropical beach, as part of their initial

confined water training. Even those divers,

who have initial anxiety issues breathing

underwater, always remember the

experience, and whilst for the majority of

scuba participants the entry level

certification opens a whole new world and

environment, for others it creates the

dream and goal of becoming a scuba

diving professional.

Scuba Diving is a sport that builds self

esteem in individuals, improves physical

fitness, whilst educating individuals to the

physics and physiology of scuba diving,

and creates an environmental awareness

and respect and shows individuals how to

make a positive contribution to both

terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Unlike

many other sports, scuba diving is non-

contact, 3 dimensional, and multi sensory,

and the competition is with each

individual to better themselves as a diver,

not over others. Whilst many divers enjoy

the silence and serenity of the underwater

world, on the topside scuba diving is also

a very social activity and fosters

camaraderie amongst participants and

leads to lifelong friendships.

Going Pro

What’s it all about?




As a scuba diving professional you get to make a

positive difference to other people‟s lives and to the

environment. Whether an individual seeks scuba

instruction to learn about the environment, as a self

fulfillment goal, to explore our underwater heritage, or

to challenge themselves, you become a facilitator

and help them connect the motor skills and

intellectual knowledge they‟ll need to dive safely and

have fun, enjoyable experiences.

The PADI system of diver education has some of the

most comprehensive educational products and a

system that takes the burden of teaching form the

Instructor and allow them to work more on

individualised instruction, as most students are free to

learn at their own time and pace with the

independent study manuals, DVD‟s, e-learning and

now e-book versions. This allows for you as the

Instructor to focus on individual needs, remediation

and delivering the course in a fun and effective

manner, which is what, makes PADI programs so

popular with student divers. These materials can be

used anywhere in the world to teach a standardised

course though you as the Instructor will need to adapt

each course to the local environment and culture,

which is an area you will be taught during the PADI

Instructor Development Course (PADI IDC).

PADI Instructor‟s can choose to work part or full time in

tropical resorts, or local dive centers, on a vocational

basis when taking sabbaticals from their full time

employment, or in conjunction with other seasonal

work such as in winter sports, or outdoor Summer work.

Many of the candidates we train as Instructors also

have their own full time jobs and work on the

weekends either as freelance Instructors, or more

commonly through a local PADI dive centre. In the

resort environment many Instructors enjoy teaching on

tropical islands in calm, clear, warm waters, on

beautiful coral reefs with an abundance of fish and

other aquatic life. It‟s this dream lifestyle that

motivates many individuals to switch careers and

„GoPro‟.


So that brings us to the question, how exactly do you

qualify as a PADI Instructor or a Divemaster?

Well from the date of being certified a diver can

progress through the PADI system of diver education,

from the Open Water course to the Advanced Open

Water course, then to the Rescue course with CPR/1st

aid certification (EFR course), before enrolling in the

Divemaster program. These courses can be done

back to back and upon completing all components

of the PADI Divemaster course and reaching a

minimum of 60 logged dives; a diver can be certified

as a PADI Divemaster. There are different methods of

completing the Divemaster course; it can be done

through a local dive center, on a part time basis,

either interning on classes or via practical simulated

training components. Many candidates choose to

take time out and intern on a program over several

weeks in the tropics, and get real world hands on

exposure whilst training. This is the favoured option at

our resort destination on Utila in Honduras, and

Thailand and the Red sea are also popular choices

for internship Divemaster courses due to the great

diving and affordable and quality lifestyle they offer.

What can PADI Divemasters do?

Work at local dive centers, on live-aboard

dive boats, yachts and at exotic resort

locations.

Assist PADI Instructors with students, and at

Utila Dive Centre we have classes starting on

a daily basis with plenty of opportunity for you

to gain experience

Lead PADI Scuba Divers on guided dive tours,

and we have several boat trips per day, with

full service, taking you to the best dive sites in

comfort

Teach and certify PADI Skin Divers

Teach PADI Discover Snorkelling programs

Conduct PADI Scuba Review programs for

certified divers

Lead certified divers on Discover Local Diving

experiences

Teach Emergency First Response programs

after successful completion of an Emergency

First Response Instructor course.

The next step after the PADI Divemaster course is to

enrol in either the PADI Assistant Instructor course, or

the complete PADI Instructor Development Course,

however a diver needs to have been certified for at

least 6 months prior to enrolling in the PADI AI/IDC

programs.

To have the best chances of employment within the

dive industry, and to make a reasonable pay, then

the Instructor rating is a logical progression after the

Divemaster course, as most Divemasters work in

exchange for experience, dives or a minimal pay to

offset expenses.

The PADI Instructor Development course is normally

preferred to the Assistant Instructor course for

professionals who want to work full time as Instructors

in resort areas, on live aboards and enjoy teaching,

whereas the Assistant Instructor course is more of a

comfortable midway step for Divemasters who will

continue to work part time, assist Instructors or aren‟t

sure about teaching scuba. The Assistant Instructor

course is a minimum of 3 days and the full PADI IDC a

minimum of 7 days though this can be shortened if

the e-learning option is taken prior to the courses.

After the PADI IDC has been completed candidates

site a 2 day examination to earn their Instructor status.

As a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor you can

conduct introductory programs such as Discover

Snorkelling and Discover Scuba Diving, and

certification courses from the PADI Open Water Diver,

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, PADI Rescue Diver

and the PADI Divemaster course. It is also possible to

teach specialty classes such as „Enriched Air/Nitrox‟,

Digital Photography, Deep, Wreck or Fish ID upon

taking a specialty Instructor class or with sufficient

experience.


PADI Instructors seem to have the dream job, they get

to work in exotic locations, they dive for a living, they

interact with nature, and their clients and students look

up to them almost like Superheroes, plus they get

paid for all this! It can‟t all be good, otherwise why

wouldn‟t every diver become an Instructor? Well

teaching in itself requires a special set of skills, though

these can be developed in individuals, teaching

requires patience, adaptability, open mindedness

and basic business principles in customer service and

marketing. The job of a PADI Divemaster or Instructor

has long hours, requires the employee to wear and

juggle multiple hats in a day‟s work, and in resorts

being a seasonal based profession; there may be

significant periods without days off. Also in many

countries there is a lack of employment protection

laws for foreign workers, and unscrupulous employers

may take advantage of foreign workers and have

them working without official paperwork or permits,

with little recourse should they want to file claims.

However if you talk to an Instructor at the end of a

bad days work, the majority would not swap it for

anything else in the world. Whilst the job may not

have the highest pay scales and most Instructors do

not work solely for money, the pay can be enough to

allow good savings after a season, and to finance a

flight to the next exotic destination, purchase new

equipment and reinvest in additional training, or

simply to bank. However if wealth could be

measured in the people met, cultures discovered,

places traveled to, aquatic interactions, and in

rewards from the job, then PADI Instructors would

probably be the wealthiest professionals on the

planet, and with a life they could look back on with

the biggest of smiles. One of the toughest decisions I

always found when I was traveling as an Instructor

working seasons, and many of my colleagues would

agree with me, would be where next??? Too many

choices, too many beautiful places to discover.

From my experience working in the resort

environments in the Caribbean, Asia and the Red

Sea, most Instructors work for a period of a few years

teaching recreational classes then advance into

more senior positions. Over the years I have had

many friends who I have trained and work with. Who

now hold prominent positions in the scuba diving

industry, from working as PADI Regional Managers, to

Captains of Live Aboard boats or Cruise Directors, to

working as Videographers for the Super Rich, working

on Super Yachts or Cruise ships, to being Course

Directors themselves and working in Instructor

Development, others own their own dive centres and

resorts, and some specialise in technical diving and

exploration.

I personally specialised in training and technical

diving, and spend part of my year training dive

professionals as PADI Divemasters and Instructors, and

part of the year exploring and technical diving. When

I think back to the career path I had originally chosen,

in commercial insurance, and where I could be now,

I never for one day regret my choice, where it has

taken me, the people I have met, and the memories

I have, from both under and above the water.


About the author

Andy Phillips has been working full time in the dive

industry since 1996 and has traveled and worked

throughout the world as a dive professional in South

East Asia, South Africa, Australia, South America,

Central America, the Caribbean and the Red Sea.

He is a PADI Course Director, DSAT Trimix Instructor

Trainer, DAN Instructor Trainer and IANTD Instructor

Trainer. He has been awarded the PADI Platinum

status as Course Director for the last 5 consecutive

years, and has spoken at the DEMA dive convention

on several occasions, and recently graduated with a

Master‟s of Science degree in E-commerce. Andy is

the Director of professional training for the Utila Dive

Centre, a PADI Career Development Centre in the Bay

Islands of Honduras in the Western Caribbean.

Utila is one of the smallest and least developed of the

Bay Islands of Honduras and of the other islands in the

Caribbean and has avoided most of the commercial

upscale development seen elsewhere in the region.

The island has a relaxed atmosphere, great diving

affordable quality living, year round Whale shark

sightings and is predominantly English speaking. The

island is famous on the traveler and backpacker

circuit for PADI certification courses and has a

prestigious reputation for professional level training at

the Divemaster and Instructor levels.

Andy Phillips

Utila Dive Centre/Mango-Inn

Utila, Bay Islands 34.201 – Honduras

Phone: 00 504 24253326

[email protected]

www.utiladivecenter.com


http://www.utiladivecenter.com/


Komodo – the land discovered by western people

over 100 years ago, firstly for scientists than for

tourists - the biggest warans in the world, with their

natural habitat looking like the African savannah

having its start in the azure sea, primeval Bugi‟s (sea

gypsies) trials, fishermen‟s villages and fishermen‟s

rivals – huge eagles.

Komodo is a region at the world‟s end burnt by the

sun and lashed by monsoons – severe and wild.

Travelers from non lizard world seek impressions

meeting the main hunter of this archipelago –

bloodthirsty Komodo dragon. It‟s one bite kills a huge

water buffalo. Tourists find here subtle colors during

sunrises and amazing views during sunsets. Apart from

the view they can find here beautiful beaches, not

covered by umbrellas, where the sand is red and the

sea throws big shells on the shore.

There are people who look for things which can‟t be

seen immediately from wooden deck of a schooner

or small local ship, for things that are worth to get to

know with before the voyage. Those people know well

what are they looking for – underwater Komodo – rare

and very special. Just under the surface of the water,

which surrounds islands of archipelago, you find one

of the most beautiful, diverse and amazing eco

systems in the world. It seems like it wouldn‟t be a one

reservoir but few various bodies of water connected

into one. This reach is Komodo with its flora and

fauna, with its diversification and variation in all places

where we usually dive. Many of them are constantly

being discovered. Everything is bigger and in larger

number there in Komodo.

Komodo

“Lalunia” Diving Base


This is the place where I‟ve found my second home

and where I spend the most of the year. This came to

such point because of series of circumstances which

caused that I know those islands as good as streets in

Cracow (Poland) and they will stay in my mind even if

I leave them forever.

Of course I am not able to know all kinds of fishes,

distinguish each species of gruppers, angelfish,

butterfly fish, to know all kinds of shrimps and gill

naked snails. Very important to me is the feeling of

total freedom and the beauty surrounding us on reefs,

as well as those unique underwater meetings which

stay in our memory forever and which take place on

Komodo very often.

When I meet something big, something bigger than

me or some macro creatures, the fact it exists on the

same world as we do and it might be endangered,

makes my heart grow and release the need of their

protection. It happens especially with all those

animals that I meet regularly. They often wait in the

same places. Seahorses, little crabs on anemones,

spiny lobsters in their caves, even mantas – huge and

free – seem to be familiar but such sentence may

sound like pride.

There are such dives I will remember forever as well as

dives I can repeat over and over again and I will

never become bored.

My favorite place is Castle Rock (northern Komodo) –

underwater mountain covered by corals, attracting

fish and sharks from the boundless sea.




They come here for feeding, organizing for us

spectacular show of nature‟s vitality. Sharks, atlantic

horses or tunas seem to ignore the strong stream.

Their bodies look like they are not being moved but

still they have to speed up in thick water to reach their

victim. They swim into shoals of smaller fish which start

the escape in panic running a-cross us – divers. For

the moment you can‟t see anything, you are in the

fish cloud covering the sun until hunters drive them far

away from us. After a minute break the show starts

once again.

I can keep observing mantas for many hours. I know

that for many divers such experience is metaphysical.

Many of them reach the surface with tears in eyes. It is

amazing advantage that there are so many places

on Komodo where mantas gather regularly,

sometimes even in very numerous groups. Many of

such places are shallow so we can amazingly extend

our dives. No one wants to reach the surface when he

is eye in eye with manta. They watch us and remain

inflexible, majestic, ignore the stream. We can‟t do

the same and that‟s why sooner or later we lose with

them. Mantas may make circles above our heads

feeling no fear, playing together, racing and running

away out from our sight. After few minutes there

come another ones, including my favorite one - Zorro

– black manta, real devil. There is no sense in racing

mantas, if they want our close company then it is only

their decision.

During the diving in Komodo we have to make sad

choices - to watch big fishes and admire their show or

to focus on the reef in search of small discovery. We

often may wish to see something specific, here during

this certain diving. After watching mantas we can visit

places with seahorses for a change. It is better to

know where do they live but we can also search for

new destinations and the things we find there may

surprise us. Seahorses, small tails rolled up on

gorgonians springs, make us laugh as well as dolphins

– they have pleasant muzzles. They seem to be stoic,

patiently waiting for the camera‟s flash.

The southern part of Komodo National Park surprises

us with completely different diving character. In less

transparent, greenish water, diving becomes more

mysterious and romantic apart from the fact that at

first it may seem to be less vital than our previous

ones. It is only an illusion because here we will find

spectacular show sliced in pieces, we have to swim

closer and then admire simultaneously big and small

world.



My favorite water apples cover quite wide part of the

reef, feeding by constant water filtering. It is worth to

make a stop and watch how precisely their

„tentacles” catch plankton and hide inside corals.

The most characteristic landscape of southern

Komodo is Cannibal Rock, best place for the night

dive. It is an underwater mountain covered by black

or green, long corals – cryiods. Among them

amazingly vide resources of many underwater

species – crabs, shrimps, gill naked snails or small

frogfishes. Moreover, there are always nice surprises.

Divers used to say that the dive is successful when you

find something new for you, something you‟ve never

seen for real before. Komodo rarely disappoints divers

in this respect.

Currants which Komodo is famous for are the

guaranty of the adventure for divers. Sometimes I feel

like it isn‟t dangerous at all but sometimes it seems to

be scary. You can know a lot about currents but one

thing is sure you can‟t say you know them. The surprise

may always happen. Apart from moon phases, many

factors have an impact on it. A stream should be our

ally to make the diving easier and to give us all the

best from it. Thanks to the stream soft corals on

Tatawa Besar spread their dwarf rolls to show us their

magnifies. In the stream you can feel water trembling

and also that something stunning will happen. In the

stream fish hunt. In the stream the diving becomes

more dynamic. We connect with the nature, with sea,

we swim in its natural speed but when we stop to

admire something we fully feel its strength and

magnificence.

During the whole year islands in Komodo National Park

constantly change. In the rainy season dry savannah,

from the sea side, becomes green and it looks more

like Ireland than foreign land on the second half of

the world. Then islands get dry. The monsoon comes

from south-west, straight from Australia. The

landscape as well as the light changes. Only

underwater views remain constantly beautiful but

never the same.

Aleksandra Liana

[email protected]

[email protected] www.nomad-diver.com



http://www.nomad-diver.com/


For many divers a tough decision to make. Where

are we going on our next holiday? What do we want

to dive, what do we want to see?

“Muck” diving is becoming more and more popular

these days and of course everybody knows the

“Capital of Muck”, the Lembeh Strait in Sulawesi,

Indonesia. What most of them don‟t know is that just

around the corner there is an even more interesting

dive area where you can dive all you want, every

day. The Manado area offers all three possibilities at

once.

For “muck” diving you will stay close to the Sulawesi

coast where you find the same black lava sand as

you see in the Lembeh Strait with all the “critters” you

can imagine, Pigmy Seahorses, nudibranches, many

different shrimps and crabs and of course the

occasional Frog fish. An ideal environment for macro

photographers. During most of the dives you will find

a nice coral garden or a small “wall” in the second

part.

The boat trips to the dive sites are relatively short,

between 10 and 50 minutes. Another highlight on the

Manado coast is a beautiful shipwreck, although this

dive is, because of the depth, only for the more

experienced divers.

From the Manado coast it is only 50 minutes by boat

to Bunaken Island and Siladen Island. Around

Bunaken Island you find great walls and “drop-offs”

that start at 3 meter depth and go down until more

than 300 meter. These walls are completely covered

with life; huge sponges and beautiful hard and soft

corals where thousands of fish accompany you on

your dive. Also larger fish like Napoleon Wrasse,

Humphead Parrotfish and Reef Sharks are quite

common to see on these walls. On a few dive sites at

Bunaken Island you can find the largest Turtles you

have ever seen, some of them even longer than 1.7

meter! The dive sites around Siladen Island also offer

some great walls but also beautiful coral reefs with

large schools of fish. Around both islands there is

normally a mild current, so all the dives are “drift

dives” and the boat is always stand-by to pick you up

after surfacing at the end of the dive.

Muck, wall or reef?

by Robert Burgers



Where to go?

We recommend you to plan your holiday at Celebes

Divers Manado. Celebes Divers consists of two resorts

and a diving in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Celebes Divers is a PADI dive resort and offers the

complete PADI program and of course exquisite

diving in Bunaken Marine Park and along the Sulawesi

coast. NITROX is for free.

Mapia Resort:

Mapia resort is the “main” resort where also the offices

and diving center are situated.

The resort is located at Kalasey Beach, 30 car minutes

from Manado Airport. Mapia Resort has 11 traditional

built cottages in a beautiful tropical garden with a

fresh water swimming pool. From Mapia Resort you

can dive along the Sulawesi coast but they even

organize trips to Bunaken Island and Siladen Island a

few times per week. It is also possible to make some

great land-excursions from Mapia Resort. The trips that

are offered are a tour through the Minahasa province

with a visit to a volcano and the Tomahon Market, a

trekking trip to the Tangkoko Rainforest and even a trip

to the south of Sulawesi that takes 3-5 days.

Onong Resort:

Onong Resort is located on Siladen Island and is a

typical beach resort. The resort has 7 traditional built

cottages.

In Onong Resort you can experience the “Robinson

Crusoe” feeling. Siladen Island is a relatively small

island and Onong Resort fits in perfectly. From Onong

Resort it is only 15-20 minutes by boat to the dive sites

around Bunaken island and even shorter to the dive

sites around Siladen Island.




Interesting to know

Guests have the possibility to change between Mapia

Resort and Onong Resort during their stay without

surcharge (subject to availability)

Both resorts offer Standard and Superior cottages

which recently have been renovated and wireless

internet is available. The restaurants in the resorts offer

an exquisite Indonesian/International cuisine. All

cottages in both resorts have hot and cold running

FRESH water, 24/7 electrical power, ceiling ventilator,

mini bar, and air conditioning.

The facts

Rental equipment: 10 complete sets

Tanks: 150, aluminium, 12 liter (80 cuf)

Connection: INT (bring your own adapter when you

have a DIN regulator

Compressor: 3 Bauer and 1 Coltri Nitrox Membrane

Boats: 3x 14 meter and 1x 10 meter

Dive Groups: Maximal 4-5 persons per guide

Courses: All PADI courses from Open Water to Assistant

Instructor

Dive difficulty: Beginner to experienced

Dive depths: 12 – 40 meter

Current: Form no current to strong current

Diving without guide: On request, experienced divers

only

Photography: All levels from Macro to Wide angle

Visibility: Always over 15 meter, often 30 meter or

more

Water temperature: 28 – 30 degrees Celsius all year

FAQ‟s

Q.: What suit do I need to wear?

A.: For protection against the cold you don‟t need to

wear a suit at all. We recommend a 3mm long suit to

protect your body against stings. Some of the soft

corals have nasty venom that can irritate your skin if

you make accidental contact.

Q.: What is the best time to come?

A.: Manado is situated 150 km north of the equator.

Therefore the climate is almost the same all year

around with a bit more rain in December – March.

The temperatures are between 28 and 35 degrees is

the “dry” season and 26 – 32 in the “wet” season.

Q.: What is the difference between Standard Cottage

and Superior Cottage?

A.: Basically the Superior cottages are larger than the

Standard cottages and the interior is a bit more

luxurious. In Onong Resort all the Superior cottages are

situated sea-side. In Mapia Resort a few Superior are

situated sea-side and some are situated pool-side.

Both categories have air-conditioning and ventilator.

Q.: How to get a visa?

A.: for most nationalities it is possible to buy a Visa-on-

arrival. For more info please visit

http://www.indo.com/tplan/visa.html


Q.: What taxes do I have to pay extra?

A.: All prices presented by Celebes Divers are

included Government Taxes. For diving every person

have to pay the Bunaken National Park entrance fee

(around 15 Euro per year)

Q.: How to get there?

A.: When you want to organize your holiday yourself

you can book your stay and diving on

http://www.celebesdivers.com , the best way to fly to

Manado is with Silk Air.

When you want to book trough a travel agency you

can find Celebes Divers with SolPlan Buceo

Q.: I am a vegetarian. What about the food?

A.: The Indonesia Cuisine offers a large choice of

different dishes and lots of them are fish and

vegetables. The cooks in both Mapia Resort and

Onong Resort can provide alternatives if needed. For

people who are on a special diet or are allergic to

certain ingredients they make sure the food is safe for

them to eat.

Text and photos by Robert Burgers

www.robographer.com

http://www.celebesdivers.com/

http://www.robographer.com/

http://www.celebesdivers.com


Seastar Watersports is Aqaba‟s oldest established

PADI 5 Star IDC centre and is Jordan‟s only TDI Full

trimix facility. Based at “Club Murjan”, we provide

excellent shore diving opportunities and also boat

diving with our 19m purpose built dive boat. All

PADI courses up to instructor level and full TDI

courses up to Advanced Trimix are available as well

as guided recreational and technical dives.

We have full rental equipment on hand for both

recreational and technical divers as well as rental

equipment for snorkeling. Nitrox is readily available

and we do all custom blends of trimix for technical

diving.

We provide free hotel transfers for divers on a daily

basis from all hotel in Aqaba.

Our Dive Centre (Club Murjan) has all the facilities on

offer. Full change rooms, toilets, large swimming

pool, class rooms, wireless internet and restaurant.

We have a beautiful house reef (Cazar Reef) only

50m from our front gate which is rich in corals, marine

life and often has turtles seen. It is perfect for novice

divers and experienced divers

alike. Snorkelers and non divers

are also welcome at Club Murjan.

Aqaba lies at the northern End of

the Gulf of Aqaba and has

approximately 24 dives sites.

These include rich coral reefs,

wrecks, walls and canyons.

REEFS

Aqaba‟s reefs are in the Aqaba Marine Park and have

some of the richest in the Red Sea. Visibilty is rarely

less than 30m and water temperature ranges from 22

degress in winter, to 28 degrees in summer. The reef s

have large Gorgonia fan corals, hard and soft corals

from shallow depths to deep depths. The marine life

abounds with endemic fish, turtles and provide great

photo opportunities.

Diving in Aqaba

with Seastar Watersports!



WRECKS

Aqaba has several excellent wreck dives. The “Cedar

Pride” lies approximately 130m off the shore at the

“Japanese Gardens” dive site at a maximum depth

of 26m. She is covered in soft corals, fish and has

easy swim throughs. A superb wreck dive in her own

right. Fantastic for training, photography and any

type of wreck diving.

The famous “Tank” (an M-41) lies in 5m of water at

“Olivers Canyon” dive site. The tank was put there for

divers and snorkelers to enjoy. Covered in soft corals,

she is home to many lion fish and grey moray eels.

Also makes for a perfect safety stop!

The “Al Shorouk” wreck lies off the Canyon as well in

70m of water. A great technical dive using trimix.

Access to the wreck is by dive boat and has a

mooring attached to her stern.

The “Taiyong” wreck lies off the “Japanese Gardens” in

deeper water at a maximum depth of 57m. Scuttled

as not serviceable, now a great technical dive. Her A

Frame is covered in soft corals of all colours and her

hull also covered in black corals. An excellent dive.

AQABA

Aqaba is Jordan‟s only seaside city and is serviced by

many nice hotels, restaurants and bars.

Accommodation ranges from 35 USD a night up to

150 USD. Some hotels have private beaches.

Visas on entry to most nationalities are free of charge

in Aqaba on arrival. This is due to the “Aqaba Special

Economic Zone” (ASEZA) making Aqaba a duty free

zone to all travelers. Alcohol and licenced premises

are readily available as Jordan is a very relaxed

muslim country.

The currency of Jordan is the Jordanian Dinar. A very

stable currency and readily available. Other

currencies such as the US dolaar and euro are redily

accepted. Exchanges and banks are easily

accessed.

FLIGHTS

Jordan is serviced by most international airlines in

Europe and also has charter flights from the UK and

Belgium.

Jet Air Fly fly into Aqaba direct from Brussels three

times a week.

www.jetairfly.com

Easyjet are now commencing flights direct from

Gatwick airport in London to Amman three times a

week.

www.easyjet.com

http://www.jetairfly.com/

http://www.easyjet.com/


ACTIVITIES IN JORDAN

Jordan is home to the famous “Rose Red City” of

Petra. Now listed as one of the modern 7 wonders of

the world, it truly is an awesome spectacle. A city

carved in rock by the famous Nabateans and

features the famous “Treasury“ building. A site not to

be missed.

Wadi Rum, the beautiful desert wilderness made

famous by Lawrence of Arabia in World One one, is

also a site not to be missed. A jeep safari is a great

way to see the magic desert landscape while being

guided by the loal Bedouin. Camel rides are also

possible and camping in the desert.

So come and enjoy diving in Aqaba with us and the

highlights Jordan has to offer!

Seastar Watersports has its own travel office “Above

and Below Adventures” who can organize all your

accommodation, airport transfers, rental cars and

trips to Petra or Wadi Rum.

Seastar Watersport

www.aqabadivingseastar.com

http://www.aqabadivingseastar.com/


Worldwide Dive & Sail & the Siren Fleet offer luxury

liveaboard diving in Thailand, Indonesia,

Philippines, Maldives and India, with more than 15

different itineraries to choose from. Our friendly,

experienced local crew and guides have been

selected from the best and our cruise managers

host you throughout and give in-depth knowledge

into diving within Southeast Asia and beyond. The

reservation and office team completes the family

that remains personal and hands-on.

Woldwide Dive &Sail

Liveaboard Diving




Our cruises offer diving to the prime locations within

South East Asia at the best time of year – taking you to

remote areas, often unexplored, and away from the

crowds. Trips run for 6, 7, 10, 12 or 14 nights

dependent on destination.

A cruise with the Siren Fleet is not to be missed. Read

what one of our guests has said about us...

“We booked the Mandarin Siren for a private charter

to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary with our

kids and one friend. We were 5 in the boat for a 5

days trip in North Raja Ampat. We all fly from

Barcelona, Spain on Jan.1st, 2011. WWDS arranged

all domestic flights, hotels and transfers and all of it

went very smoothly. We had a wonderful experience

in the boat. The Mandarin Siren is beautiful and

comfortable. Every detail has been considered and

by the way: the expresso machine was a perfect

"plus"!!!!. The entire crew was genuinely nice and

helpful. André, the cook, is a magician; he made

every meal a real treat. Mike, Nita, Ari and the

Captain worked very hard to make this trip a happy,

enjoyable, hassle-free and relaxing experience.”

Carolina Armand, January 2010.

Each yacht features a/c cabins with ensuite facilities

and added touches for a little extra luxury such as

personal computers, bathrobes and hairdryers. We

focus on the details to ensure you cruise in style and

relax during your time onboard.

There is an expansive dive deck with personal storage

and individual set up stations, with our crew on hand

to carry your equipment and assist you in every way.

Nitrox and Equipment are offered free of charge and

you may also take a PADI speciality course with our

onboard instructor.

Meals are served outside buffet style with a choice of

International and Asian cuisine from our top class

chefs, choose from a selection of wines or cocktails

from our stocked bar. Local brand beer is free of

charge.

A massage service is available, as are additional

activities including kayaking and waterskiing. To

ensure you get the most out of your trip, we also offer

land excursions within the Komodo National Park to

visit the world famous dragons and in other

destinations upon request for bird watching and to

visit local markets.

Worldwide Dive & Sail

www.worldwidediveandsail.com

http://www.worldwidediveandsail.com/

Documents

eScubaMagazine.com - March 2011