Diving Operator Reports & Trip Reports (assessed operators)

I hope this page will be VERY BENEFICIAL to travelling divers.  No pictures here - only facts as I observed them.  If you have visited these areas, let me know your thoughts and I'll update my listing.

Whether a dive site is good or bad is subjective.  Two divers will have different opinions even though they both dived the same profile.  What is not open to discussion, is whether a dive operator is good, bad or indifferent.  Most operators offer an excellent service with high levels of safety, however, as with all industries there are always "big sharks in small ponds" and "bottom dwellers", and those operators that really have no idea how to operate a diving business, and probably should enter politics!

I thought it pertinent that I mention some of the pros and cons of dive operators I have used.  A number of Internet sites provide information on dive sites (species seen and so on), but rarely do they provide any information on the dive operator.  The success of a dive and dive vacation rests heavily on the efficiency and reliability of the dive operator, as such, it is important that prospective divers are able to review the experiences from other divers.

Not all the reports are positive.  As such a little of my background should be known before reading them.  I was qualified to dive in 1977 and have completed over 3000 logged dives (I gave up logging dives in 1997).  In  1989 I became instructor qualified and operated my own diving business until 1996.  I was based out of Brisbane, Queensland and my clientele were mostly Japanese diving groups from colleges in Japan whose purpose was to learn to dive, learn basic English, and develop a knowledge of marine life.   I have dived in many areas in Asia and the South Pacific.  Therefore, I have a relatively sound working knowledge of dive operations and hospitality.

It should be noted that the below comments relate ONLY to events that occurred during my visit.  These are my comments only, and I am not inferring that the performance of the operator today is the same as it was during my visit.  Also remember that diving operators come and go, with all to often great regularity.  Before you take these comments on-board ensure that the operator has NOT changed since my report.  I will strive to keep this information up to date as changes occur.  If you wish to contact me regarding my experiences with the various operators,  please feel free to e-mail me by clicking on the mail box below.

I often receive e-mails from divers asking what the diving was like at such and such a place.  As mentioned above, whether a dive is enjoyable is very subjective and depends on weather conditions, marine life encountered, diver training level and experience.  To partly address this request I've added a table at the end of each operator critique.  These ratings are my opinion and relate to marine life I saw on my visit only - they may not accurately represent your opinions or marine life observations at the time of your visit. 

Note that some locations have a trip report in .pdf format.  The trip report is a brief synopsis of my visit.

ACCESSED DIVING OPERATORS (Diving Operator Reports)                     

Jais Aben; Madang, Badabag Island, Papua New Guinea
MV Somona Live-aboard, Madang, Papua New Guinea
MV Moonlighting Live-aboard; Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea
Rabaul Dive; Ropopo - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
Maravagi Diving; Maravagi; Solomon Islands
Walindi; Papua New Guinea
Kabaira Dive Rabaul and Lodge; Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea   (several trips 2004 & 2006)
Sea Explorers & El Estrella; Cabilao Island, Philippines
Peter's Dive; Southern Leyte, Philippines
Philippine Divers; Malapascua Island, Philippines
Serenade Live aboard (Murax), North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Froggies Diving, Bunaken, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Shakti Live-aboard; Raja Ampat, Sorong, West Papua (Irian Jaya)
Diving 4 Images (Graham Abbott); Bali based, Indonesia
Tuwali Resort; Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
MV Spirit of Nuigini Live-aboard, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

 

TRIP REPORTS (.PDF FORMAT)

Trip Report - PNG 2002
Trip Report - PNG 2004 (456 kb with images)
Trip Report - PNG 2005
Trip Report - Solomon Islands 2003
Trip Report - New Zealand North Island 2004
Trip Report - Philippines 2004/05
Trip Report - North Sulawesi, Indonesia 2005
Trip Report - Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia 2006
Trip Report - Tuwali, Milne Bay PNG 2007  (502 kb with images)

 

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JAIS ABEN:  Madang, Papua New Guinea - Sept / Oct 2002

Fast Boats and Live-Aboard - Madang Area

The dive operator uses 3 fast boats and 1 live-aboard.  The fast boats are all aluminium; 2 of the boats have large Johnson outboard engines and the remaining boat has a diesel inboard.  The live-aboard is called MV Somona and I was told this boat will probably be replaced (late in 2003).

Safety equipment is non existent on the fast boats, other than two way radios.  The live-aboard MV Somona does have a portable oxygen cylinder and resuscitation equipment, although I did not actually view the resuscitation equipment.

On my visit all the boats with the exception of the inboard diesel boat had problems.  Engines continually broke down either before leaving port or on the way to the dive site, subsequently dives were aborted and you were taken to other sites of less quality.  On one dive I had to actuality snorkel 700 meters to the boat as the engine was not working and was not able to collect the divers.  In addition to engine problems, battery problems occurred on all the boats as well as other electrical problems, such as two way radios not working properly or inoperable lights..  All the boats had had a very abused life!  Preventive maintenance was non existent and items when broken were repaired as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

MV Somona Live-aboard & Bagabag Island

The live-aboard (MV Somona) was amazing.  It seemed as if you had entered a time warp - backwards in time.  The electronics did not operate, lighting was inoperable, the toilet was broken as was the shower.  The toilet had not been cleaned for “millennia” and was full of urine.  Fresh water tanks had rust in them giving a lovely brown shade to the colour of the water. A glass of water was full of rusty sediment.  

The galley was a major mess with very limited crockery and what was available had not been cleaned  for a very long time.  Eating implements were scarce; there were forks, but we had to share two spoons with 6 people.  Linen (tea towels) for drying the few plastic dishes that were available were scarce; one tea towel was available and this doubled as a dish cloth, face towel and general use rag to wipe your hand on!.  The food was pitiful.  We lived on canned food and rice for 4 days. The canned food consisted of spaghetti and baked beans!  We also had cheese and biscuits between dives!  The plus side the bed linen was clean, although the below deck fans were inoperable.

During the trip to Bagabag Island on MV Somona the engine broke down three times, and the electronics refused to work.  This meant that we did not have a working depth sounder!  At one stage the engine broke down approaching a breaking reef and it was only though ingenuity on behalf of the national crew that managed to restart the engine averting disaster!

I would not classify this craft as being habitable.  The galley and bathroom facilities were disgusting and I was very concerned that I would contract a disease during my 4 days aboard. I think rats wouldn't live here as they are far more discerning in their taste!

Enough about the boats.  Suffice to say I was not impressed with this live-aboard and would recommend you stay away from it.  MV Somona is operated as a live-aboard option at Jais Aben in Madang.

Diving and Staff

The diving was good, however it was very difficult to dive the locations you wanted to.  The operator only wanted to dive the areas close to the resort.  His excuse to this was that fuel was expensive!  After arguing this point, he claimed the weather was not good or visibility was poor.  During the two week period I was in Madang, I dived many sites 4 times and failed to dive all the sites advertised.  It seemed the operator wanted to gain as much money as possible with minimal expenses in fuel and maintenance.  What sites you had dived or wanted to dive was not important. 

The diving staff were all nationals with the exception of a Japanese diving instructor.  The national dive staff  treated all divers as if they were novices!  You would be studying something on the reef – maybe a mantas shrimp, when one of the dive masters would grab your arm and drag you away to show you something else, such as a common anemone fish!  They would do this every dive no matter how many times you asked to be left alone.  Another dive master had the annoying habit of using his knife to continually hit his tank.  Throughout the dive you heard “clang clang clang”.  

The Japanese instructor was excellent in every respect.  If you find yourself in Madang and she is still there, I suggest you hook up with her on every dive.  She was courteous, friendly and very professional.

Every dive had a dive briefing of sorts, although on several occasions the dive master did not dive the profile he had explained during the briefing.  Reverse profiles occurred on a number of dives.  It was not possible to dive alone, or be totally responsible for your depth/time profile.  Although I did manage to “escape” a few times to enjoy some peace and solitude!  Upon surfacing I was ridiculed by the national dive master for not staying with the group!

Of particular importance was the issue of tank fills.  On several occasions my second tank of air was not full, despite the dive master saying that it was full when we left the dock.  Clearly the staff were confusing full and empty SCUBA tanks. 

Accommodation and Food

Accommodation was at Adrian's Lodge located 10 minutes walk or canoe ride from Jais Aben.  Adrian's Lodge has several well appointed bungalows with share facilities.  The bungalows are nestled within a number of coconut trees and other tropical plants.   The dining area is a large open sided long house near the water's edge.  There are also several friendly local dogs to amuse you; the leading dog is called Violet.  I was very impressed with this accommodation and recommend staying here.  Adrian can be contacted via Jais Aben dive centre - not Jais Aben accommodation.

Adrian can also arrange for meals and I found his meals to be well prepared, although I tired of his cooking after a three week stay.

Overall Opinion

Accommodation at Adrians' was excellent and I would recommend staying here.  Diving with Jais Aben was very mass-produced and you were one of several divers on the boat.  Dive masters were overly zealous with their sheep-dog herding routine.  Some of the dive sites were average, but other areas were spectacular.  If you dive with Jais Aben ensure you go where you want to go - and not where they want to take you!  On several occasions poor weather was sited as a reason for not going to a dive site,  only to find out later that another boat had dived that area!

Overall Opinion and ratings

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	8
Food	7
Operator (overall Opinion)	5
Coral Diversity	7
Fish (*)	7
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	4-5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	0
Dive Management & Attitude	3

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

Note that I dived with Jais Aben, however, my accommodation was at Adrians (now non existent as Adrian died in 2006.

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MV MOONLIGHTING live-aboard:  Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea - Sept / Oct 2002

Live-aboard, Diving and Staff

This operator is very professional and offers excellent service.  The boat is a delight to dive from and is very comfortable.  On surfacing there is always someone to assist you onto the transom and help you out of your dive gear, although I find this unnecessary.  Tanks are filled by the skipper immediately from a full bank.  After every dive there were snacks and drinks available.  The food was excellent and was very well prepared.

All dives were to different locations, unless you wanted to dive the same location again.  During the dive you were left alone and expected to look after yourself.  You were responsible for your profiles.  The skipper and crew were very open and friendly and would help you in anyway possible.

The food was excellent, abundant and well prepared and the cabins well appointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed by time with MV Moonlighting and would recommend this boat and crew.  I certainly will be diving with them again. 

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	9
Food	9
Operator (overall Opinion)	10
Coral Diversity	3
Fish (*)	7
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	4-5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	10
Dive Management & Attitude	10

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

 

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RABAUL DIVE CENTRE:  Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sept / Oct 2002   (UPDATE BELOW)

Fast Boat, Diving and Staff 

The centre is run by a new operator who has only been in the location for 6 months.  Previous to becoming a diving instructor he worked with a large bank in the country.  Based at Kaivuna (near the volcano Turvurvur) he operates one 17 foot (rough length) banana boat with a 55 horse Yamaha outboard engine.  The boat is equipped with safety and resuscitation equipment and has a two way radio.  Although the boat is suitable for diving, it can be cramped with more than 5 divers aboard.  I have been told that the operator now runs out of Ropopo Plantation Resort which is located on the other side of Simpson Harbour.

The standard of service is reasonable, although the operator does not like to travel to areas not listed on his dive itinerary.  Furthermore, a few of the listed dives were very ordinary.  Two of his standard dive locations are to wrecks sunk in the 1980’s.  These wrecks are on mud and have poor visibility.  Considering the cost of diving and the wreck potential of Simpson Harbour, diving these wrecks is pretty pathetic!  His knowledge on the location of coral reefs offering good diving is limited, as his knowledge is on the location of several Japanese ship wrecks. 

He does take divers to a number of the well known Japanese ship wrecks and aircraft, and to his credit he is slowly determining the location of other wrecks in the vicinity of the harbour.  

His dive briefings were well prepared. A dive guide is with you on all dives and stays in the background.  You are free to select your own depth and bottom times, however, depth and time is recorded on a dive sheet at the conclusion of each dive.  The style of diving was nowhere as confining as in Madang.

When I was there I wanted to dive several locations I had read about, however he was loath to take me to these locations as they were extended trips.  I offered to pay additional funds but he really does not like to go too far for an extended time.  I also wanted to dive a few areas more than once, but as he had other guests that were new to the area, they were given preference.  This resulted in me diving sites already dived, or worse, not diving at all as the site in my opinion was not that great.  Because of this, I missed out diving some sites highly recommended by other divers.

Although he attempts to do a double dive at the same time each day, this rarely occurs as the national dive staff are unpredictable and often do not turn up for work on time.  As such, you maybe waiting for an  hour or so until he is ready to depart for the 0800 dive.  A problem that arises from this late departure is that he always wants to be back at the hotel in time for a late lunch, resulting in a hurried second dive or a shortened surface interval.  On several occasions he revved the motor to speed me up during the later part of a dive.   The surface interval is always a minimum of 1 hour, and he is loath to increase this time as he wants to head back to the resort.  I asked him whether we could depart earlier than 0800, but he said this was not possible as the staff would not turn up for work at an earlier time.  Interestingly, when not diving, he was rarely seen in the morning.  In the afternoon he would always claim he was too busy to take you diving (unless there was a full boat), however, he always had some time spare for a few beers around the pool. 

After complaining about not going to decent sites, he begrudgingly decided to take us to the Pigeon Islands.  This area is excellent and I would highly recommend diving here.  The diving is mostly wall diving and visibility exceeds 40 meters.

If you wish to pay for your diving using a credit card, be aware that the operator charges an extra 10% to cover bank fees.  The other operators in this review did not charge a bank fee for using a credit card.

Accommodation and Food

Accommodation was at Kaivuna Motel and was the standard style motel rooms.  Rooms were air conditioned.  Food was motel style from the restaurant.  Accommodation was suitable and the food was average.  The plantation house accommodation at Ropopo was better than the Kaivuna Motel.  The plantation house accommodation is located within the grounds of a once thriving coconut plantation, in a scenic area beside the water.  The staff make excellent milk shakes!

Overall Opinion

The diving was quite good and several dives were excellent.  The accommodation and food was suitable, however, the lack of enthusiasm from the dive operator, shortened bottom times and surface intervals and general difficulty in arranging anything became painful very quickly.

Overall Opinion and ratings

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

I found the owner of this operation to be very "money hungry".  When information was sought, unless there was a financial gain to be received by the owner, information was not very forthcoming or accurate.  My advice is to stay a day or so at Ropopo if you want to (the bar is located in a fairly attractive setting), but use the diving services and/or accommodation at Kabaira Diving (see below).

Accommodation	5-6
Food	2
Operator (overall Opinion)	5
Coral Diversity	5
Fish (*)	7
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	4-5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	0
Dive Management & Attitude	0

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

UPDATES   

FEBRUARY 2004    I have learnt that the diving operator (Gary) is no longer with Ropopo Plantation Resort.  I have no knowledge on the new replacement diving operator (a New Zealander), but it would not be difficult to be better!  I believe the boat and equipment has not changed.  The Kaivuna Motel is no longer operating as it has been sold.  The diving operation and accommodation is now operated from Ropopo Plantation Resort.

OCTOBER 2004    I have been informed that the New Zealander has been deported.  Currently Ropopo does not have a resident diving operator, although boats and some dive gear are available. 

JULY 2005    I have been informed that diving is sporadic at Ropopo Plantation Resort and is not run by a diver orientated person.  My advice is to avoid this operator and instead dive with Kabaira Dive (see below).  Note also that the Kaivuna Hotel is now under a different management team.

JUNE 2006    The above report is now completely outdated.  I have left it on the web site purely for interest.
SCUBA diving is not offered by the Kaivuna Hotel, although I believe accommodation is still available.  Ropopo Plantation Resort has been completely revamped with new accommodation wings added to the complex.  Apparently they do offer diving at Rapopo, however, I have no idea as to the quality of service they offer.  I have been told they utilise Kabaira Dive on a regular basis when their diving instructor/dive master is unavailable.  In my opinion, Ropopo is more interested in providing accommodation and dining, however, this may change as the area is being developed on a continual basis.

 

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MARAVAGI DIVE:  Florida Group, Solomon Islands - April 2003   (UPDATE BELOW)

General

The operator at Maravagi is an Australian husband and wife team who also own a diving operation in central New South Wales, Australia. It should be noted that they ONLY operate the diving at the resort. The accommodation and restaurant are operated by Solomon Island nationals. The accommodation was OK, but a lack of water for gear washing and showering was a continual problem. The food was adequate in quantity, but the selection was pretty basic (rice nearly every night with whole fish). Fruit was available but of limited variance.

Experience and Equipment

The operator is very knowledgeable in safe diving practices and all the diving equipment, including compressors, are late model and in very good condition. NITROX and other mixed gasses can be used if you are appropriately certified and experienced. A number of 20 cu pony bottles are also available, as is 100% oxygen. NITROX and 100% oxygen are charged over above the standard dive costs.  Check the price before you dive.

Fast Boats

The operator uses a three 17 foot banana style boats equipped with Yamaha 4 stroke 40 HP outboard engines. The boats are in good order as are the engines, however, the engines require continual maintenance, which can be lacking at times (a common problem in the south Pacific). The boats do not carry radios or other life saving equipment. On the dives I did (25 in total) oxygen resuscitation equipment, nor other safety equipment was not carried.

The diving staff comprise the owner and two national dive masters. The dive masters are well trained and are both very good divers. I was impressed with the amount of time allowed for you to complete your dive. Many of my dives were 60 minutes with copious time spent in the last 5 to 7 meters of water. Most of the diving involved being dropped off and then being followed by a "live boat".

Problems and Concerns

One problem I did notice was the number of times I dived the same site. During my stay the owner was away for much of the time tending his Australian business. As such, the dive masters ran all the dives. I found that when they were not supervised by the owner, they had a tendency to make up their own locations and make excuses for not going too far a field, unless their was something extra in the trip for them – such as family or hidden personal business.

Artifact removal From Wrecks

I was extremely disappointed when I dived the USS Kanawha, a US oil carrier sunk at Tulagi. The dive master forcibly removed a steering wheel from a US truck, and then took the artifact to the surface. To my knowledge the steering wheel is now lying somewhere around the dive shop. Wrecks should not be tampered with in anyway and removing artifacts, in my opinion, is a definite concern. The steering wheel was not returned to the wreck whilst I was at Maravagi.

Underwater Explosive Fishing

Of major concern was the practice of using explosives for underwater fishing. This style of fishing is conducted by nationals living in nearby villages. The explosives are obtained by thievery from nearby mining sites, or from unused World War Two ordinance. During my two week visit several explosions were noted. Also, a number of dives were conducted on destroyed reef. On two occasions explosives were detonated by nationals whilst we were actually diving. Negotiations were under way to stop explosive fishing in the vicinity of dive sites, however, the negotiations did not appear to be moving forward with any positive outcome. You could DEFINITELY see the results of the explosions; fish life was poor in many areas.

Herded Divers (divers hate sheepdogs...)

Another concern involved diving with several other divers. I was herded by "sheep dog" dive masters and had to follow the dive leader. This happened on a number if dives when the resort had to cater towards a large group of divers. To be honest, all I can remember on these dives is flippers, bubbles and pesky dive masters pushing you along! Not all the dives were like this, but when the numbers of divers increased at the resort, the style of diving changed towards the "heard mentality".

I was lucky in that during the first week there were only two divers. During this time the diving was very laid back, casual and very much do as you like.

Dive Scheduling and Map

The operator is an experienced diver, however, during my visit he did not want to commit to anything until the actual dive day. It was very difficult to find out the night before where you were diving the next morning. In some cases I could not find out the location until the departure time (pity if you had already been to the site). Arranging specialist dives to view sharks was problematic. He always said there were great dives with sharks, but when you wanted to go, there was nearly always an excuse not to go (currents, visibility, too many other divers, problems with locals, etc).

One thing which definitely was lacking at Maravagi was a map of the dive sites, or a brochure indicating what sites were available. A basic map would minimise the times you visited the same site and provide an ideal memory jogger for the various sites!

Lack of Fresh Water

This was a problem during my stay and water was supplied from nearby islands.  Showers could be used, but the water supply and pressure was poor.  Fresh water for washing diving equipment was also difficult to find, and when water was supplied there was very little of it!  Apparently the local well has gone dry and further wells had to be dug. 

I have since heard (December 2003) that Maravargi has closed due to lack of a reliable water supply (I guess they never did dig that second well) and poor relations between the diving operator and the nationals.  I have been told that the diving operator has moved back to Australia.  Check with your travel agent before booking.

Accommodation and Food

Accommodation was second rate bungalows or lodge, but for divers was adequate.  Bathroom facilities were of a poor standard.

Food was mass produced and consisted of mainly rice and fish dishes - many poorly cooked.  Fruit was available for breakfast in addition to cereals.  I tired of the food very quickly.

Overall Opinion

A nice location with some excellent snorkelling and diving off the beach, however, the frequency of dynamite reef bombing was to be desired.  Many of the other reefs we visited were average and their was definite lack of medium-sized and large fish life.  The food situation and lack of water became inconvenient during an staying longer than one week.

Overall Opinion and ratings

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	4
Food	3
Operator (overall Opinion)	6
Coral Diversity	5
Fish (*)	4
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	4-5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	2
Dive Management & Attitude	4-5

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

UPDATES   

JUNE 2006     I have been reliably told that Maravargi no longer has a diving operator.  Best to check with a travel agent before visiting this area.

 

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WALINDI:  Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea - April 2004   

General

Walindi is a converted oil palm plantation and is located on the shores of Kimbe Bay. 

The actual resort is surrounded by lush tropical gardens and tall rainforest trees in what appears to be a drained swamp, consequently there are lots of mosquitoes.  Mosquito repellent may be needed at any time of day and is essential from dusk to dawn.  

As the resort is situated along a shallow mud flat there is limited snorkelling and no shore diving. 

The resort is owned by Australian expatriates and is very well staffed.  The staff are generally friendly and knowledgeable about the resort.  Unfortunately, American tourists insist on tipping the staff which makes me question whether the staff are genuinely friendly. This is despite the notice to incoming travellers to PNG that it is not the custom to tip in PNG.

Be warned that everything you want to do at Walindi will cost you - and the price may be in US dollars or Australian dollars which will be converted back to PNG Kina at the daily exchange rate which makes paying the bill very confusing.  Walindi prices are in US or Australian Dollars to protect their profit margin against the fluctuations in the PNG Kina, a practice I strongly disagree with.

The prices at Walindi are geared towards the 5-star traveller, despite the resort not being a 5-star resort.  A small can of coke cost us $US 2.00!  

Marine Conservation

One aspect of Walindi which I wholeheartedly agree with is their attitude to marine conservation.  Fishing at Walindi is banned and divers are made aware that touching, grabbing or hitting corals with fins will not be tolerated. 

Experience and Equipment

All staff members are highly experienced dive masters and instructors with a very good knowledge of the local dive sites.

Walindi uses a number of different sized diving tanks, but generally prefers to use 90 cu aluminium tanks. 

Nitrox and 100% oxygen for out gassing on decompression or safety stops is not available.  A D sized oxygen bottle and oxygen regulator is carried aboard all boats for emergencies only.

Fast Boats

Walindi uses 17 to 25 foot, 5mm aluminium boats powered by Volvo Penta diesel inboards.

All boats have a roof for sun protection, two-way radios, GPS and depth sounders, emergency oxygen equipment and medical kits.  Each boat has a dive ladder that allows the diver to climb aboard fully kitted.

The dive boats are comfortable, well fitted out for diving and stable in a moderate swell.

Diving and Staff

All dives are accompanied by a qualified dive master and they will go out of their way to show you marine critters that you may not have seen before.  The dive masters have excellent vision are very adapt at seeing things you would probably miss!   At the start I did not find the dive staff friendly but subservient, after a couple of days this changed to friendly.

Diving schedules can be inflexible and depend on the number of divers at the resort at any one time, and if you are at Walindi for a week or more you will most likely repeat a dive.  , However, the dive masters try avoid this.  Each evening a dive master will discuss where you wish to dive the following day and try and accommodate your request, along with everyone else’s.  

Dive boats depart at 0830 and return at around 1530 – 1600 depending upon whether two or three dives are done.  Dive sites are approximately 30 to 45 minutes cruising from the resort. The first surface interval is around one hour, which I find is too short, but the general plan is to do 2 dives before lunch and a third after.   Mooring buoys are used on every dive to protect the reef.  Night dives are possible on reefs located close to the resort, but are not promoted (at least during my visit).  If the resort is busy, expect to be diving with six to ten other divers!  There is no limit on your bottom time, but they do like you to be at your safety stop at 50 bar (500 psi). One dive master told me he did not mind if I "ate my tank"......

One aspect of Walindi which many divers like, is that they do not have to clean and assemble their own equipment, as this is done by the dive staff.  Personally, I like to look after my own gear, but this can be difficult as they do not like divers accessing the diver storage and cleaning area without a staff person.  At the beginning of each dive day your equipment is put on the boat and occasionally set up by the dive staff.  Make sure you check your gear thoroughly before you depart for the dive.

Drinking water, tea, coffee and biscuits (free) are supplied on all dives.

I would rate the diving on average as good, but this can be very subjective as it depends on your interests and experience.   Several sites have superb hard and soft coral formations with many rare and unusual species being observed.  Although there are lots of interesting “little” things there was a definite lack of large schools of fish and, in particular, larger predatory fish in comparison to previous visits to PNG in the mid 90s.  This is probably a result of the relentless long-lining fishing that occurs outside Kimbe Bay.  A couple of the dives I did were very poor (low visibility with poor coral and marine life) and it was obvious that the location was chosen because of its proximity to the resort allowing and an earlier finish time for the boat crew.

Accommodation and Food 

Accommodation is either in a bungalow or in the plantation house.  The later is a long building with five rooms beside each other.  Bungalows have a small kitchen whilst plantation rooms do not.  Both are located in a lush tropical setting.  The accommodation is good, although lighting in the plantation house is very poor.  There are several electrical outlets for recharging lights, etc.  There is bathroom in each room with hot and cold water.  During my stay they were having hassles with a continual water supply.  Often after the dive boats returned there was not enough water to have a shower.

The food was very average considering the price you pay to stay at Walindi.  The cook is exactly that – a cook and not a chef.

Dinner was always a smorgasbord with rice plus an assortment of meat, cooked vegetables and whole cooked fish.  The volume of food was adequate, however, there was usually insufficient time for a second serve.  A staff member was always posted near the food table which was off putting if you wished to have seconds.  After a few days the food selection and preparation became very monotonous.  Occasionally a really good meal was served like curried fish which was as good as that served in an Indian restaurant.

The highlight of the meal was dessert, usually there was cake or pudding or both with ice cream and fresh fruit salad.   

Breakfast was generally chaotic with hot meals taking ages to arrive.  The selection of fruit was generally paw paw with the odd banana, in addition there was cereal, white bread toast and fruit drink.

My greatest compliant about the food was the reincarnation of the previous night's dinner into the next day’s lunch.   This might be appropriate for staff meals but not for guests.  

Overall Opinion

An overpriced 1980’s style resort trying to squeeze the most out of each guest.  Considering it is a third world country, the diving and accommodation is very expensive and the food is average.  I disliked the way that everything was converted to US dollars.  The staff did there utmost to help you if you had a problem.

Would I return?  Probably yes, as the coral formations are some of the best I have ever seen.  However, if you are keen to dive with big pelagic fish I would recommend diving another location.

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	7-8
Food	3
Operator (overall Opinion)	7-8
Coral Diversity	10
Fish (*)	7
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	4-5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	9
Dive Management & Attitude	8

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

 

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KABAIRA DIVE RABAUL AND DIVE LODGE:  Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - April 2004 to June 2006 

Click here to download all reports for Kabaira Dive Rabaul (4 reports 2004 - 2006, 19 pages .PDF format)

 

First, I dislike having to report a substandard operator (and I rarely do unless the bad publicity is warranted).

I gave considerable thought before I published this report.  I realise that the report maybe detrimental to Kabaira Dive’s future business.  I hope Steven Woolcott will rectify the problems, and more importantly improve his attitude and environmental awareness.

I have just returned from three weeks at Kabaira (June 2006).  This operator is nowhere as good as noted on previous trips (very poor service, poor dive guiding, boat & vehicle engine break downs, poor environmental awareness, low quality for a very high price (based on the condition of accommodation, boats and food), general poor attitude & high level of ignorance and arrogance).  I DEFINITELY do not recommend Kabaira Dive at the present time (be aware that Steven may improve his operation, especially how he deals with clients (I hope so). 

If you dive with Kabaira Dive and note positive changes, please e-mail me, and if warranted, I will definitely upgrade this report.

I don’t mind diving from old dilapidated boats or sleeping in basic accommodation with basic food; high end accommodation in bungalows, etc is not a requirement for most experienced divers.  However, the price charged must reflect this, and it did when I first visited Kabaira in 2003/2004.  The fees charged in June 2006 for accommodation, food and diving services did not match the quality that is to be expected when paying this amount.  Steven appears to believe that because other dive operators charge a high price for their services, then he also can charge a similar price.  What Steven fails to realise that these other operators have injected large amounts of capital to bring their establishments to a level of quality that equates to the fee charged.  No one is quibbling over the increases in fuel that many operators have had to pass on to clients, but accommodation which is below the standard of an Australian backpackers or youth hostel should be reflected in the amount charged.

This was my fifth visit to Rabaul and the fourth time I have used Kabaira Dive as a diving operator.  My first visit was in 2003 just after the business began operation.   At this time, there were many problems – many of them being teething problems that any new operation in PNG has to endure.  I assumed that these problems would eventually iron themselves out as the operator gained his foothold in the area.  

It would appear I was incorrect in my assumption.  

Other than a small supply of SCUBA diving equipment, and some not needed extensions to the eating area, the operation has gone backwards.  

Building infrastructure is falling apart, rats plague the establishment, boat and car engines breakdown on a regular basis, GPS and sounders on the dive boat do not consistently work because of poor wiring and no maintenance, generators are intermittent.  This is but to mention a few of the shortcomings.

Unfortunately, Steven Woolcott the owner, has become exceptionally arrogant in his outlook and does not treat guests in a way that they should be treated (unless he wants to).  Furthermore, his method of dealing with staff is also questionable, as his overall demeanour, general attitude and environmental attitude.  To be very blunt, I found Steven Woolcott to be rude, arrogant, uncooperative and obnoxious – as close to a primadona as you can get!  It's a pity this young man has become this way, as he was quite affable and co-operative when I first met him on on of my first visits.

Rather than duplicate the content of previous reports, I have combined all the reports into one report.

Jolanda and I have decided not to use this operator again, unless he improves his attitude.  If you wish to dive the New Britain area, I would suggest visiting Walindi Plantation (good operator with consistency) or making contact with Ropopo Plantation Resort to determine what diving services they currently have on offer. 

UPDATES

In July 2008 I was contacted by a person who had visited Kabaira (June 2008). She commented that the operation was a lot better than I have reported above. She mentioned that Kabaira now has several dive boats and additional bungalow style accommodation. She also commented that the food was plentiful, although it lacked variance. I cannot comment as to the validity of this, I asked the person in question to prepare a dive report to append to this listing, however, nothing was received.

 

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SEA EXPLORERS & EL ESTRELLA:  Cabilao Island, Philippines - Dec / Jan 2005 / 2006

During my visit to Cabilao Island I stayed at La Estrella Resort and dived with Sea Explorers Cabilao Island.

Sea Explorers

Sea Explorers operates several diving operations throughout the Philippines.  

The operation at Cabilao Island is managed by Henry, a German, who decided a change in life style was necessary from his previous occupation in Germany as a civil engineer.  Henry also manages the Sea Explorers Resort located on the other side of the island.

Dive Boats, Equipment and Staff

Diving is from the standard style wooden constructed banca boat which is used for larger dive groups or for the more distant dive sites whilst a small wooden skiff equipped with a Yamaha 40 HP engine and stainless steel dive ladder is used for the closer locations.  The geography of Cabilao Island also allows for shore diving.  The banca has a canvas roof for sun protection and is equipped with a medical kit and oxygen, although I did not observe this equipment in the wooden skiff.  The wooden skiff named “Pegasis” is quite small and often is overloaded with divers and diving equipment.  Be aware that you will get wet in this boat if the sea conditions are unfavourable.

Although I did not use any of the available rental equipment, it did look as if the gear was in good serviceable order.  Air fills were clean, however, on several dives the tank fill fell short of 200 bar.  Nitrox is available, but only if you pre order well in advance.

The Philippine national staff were all very friendly and helpful and always carried your dive equipment to and from the boat.  They also assembled dive equipment prior to the dive and disassembled and cleaned the equipment after the dive.  Although this practice pleases many divers, I am not in favour of the practice as often the equipment is assembled differently to the way you would normally do it.  Also, I noted regulators on several occasions being cleaned without dust caps securely fastened.  

Equipment was stored in plastic crates marked with your name, however, several times I discovered that my weight belt had been taken and altered or certain pieces of equipment had been placed in the wrong baskets.  Although not a big issue, it can be annoying having to rethread your weight belt two to three times a day!  

All the dive guides were very good and you could conduct any dive profile of your choice, although the guide provided on each dive a basic dive briefing with depth recommendations. Once you had proven your diving ability to a guide, he was happy for you to dive away from the group. Long run times were not frowned upon and often the guide spent 80 minutes in the water exploring a shallow section of reef.  

If required any of the guides will try and find critters and point them out to you.  Bobbet by far has the best eyes and he found me critters I never would have found!

Diving is on demand and dives usually start at 9 AM and 2 PM with a night dive starting at 6 PM.  I did some night diving and thought that 6PM was too early to enter the water as the transition from day to night is still occurring.  The best time to night dive is after 8:30 PM.

Equipment Washing Facilities

Equipment cleaning was accomplished using three large plastic rubbish (trash) bins filled with fresh water. One bin is for cameras, one for BCD’s and regulators and the final tub is for wetsuits.  

On a negative note, the floor to the dive shop area was very rough cement.  The texture of the cement caused considerable scuffing and scratching to regulator second stages and gauges.  This was unavoidable as in many cases it was difficult to look after your own equipment as the Philippine nationals were too quick “striping your gear” after a dive.  Diving equipment is expensive and nationals continually laid the equipment on the rough cement floor causing superficial damage.

A more insidious problem with gear cleaning was in relation to the water used.  Fresh water is in relatively short supply on the island.  As such the water is recycled from one tub to the next.  Eventually, the water becomes putrid as wetsuits are washed and regulators inadvertently get washed in the wetsuit bin instead of the regulator bin.  Being the tropics equipment rarely dries and several divers during my two week visit to Cabilao were observed to suffer from ear, nose and throat infections.  It would appear that the catalyst for these infections was the dirty water from the washing bins.  Management was alerted to the problem. But nothing was done to correct the issue.

Management

Henry is the manager of Sea Explorers and is very inflexible in his attitude.  Be aware that you will be charged for anything extra you require.  I wanted to pay using VISA and although the web site advised that VISA was accepted, Henry would not accept it.  I had to arrange payment through Estrella Resort.  Also note that if you use VISA you will be charged an additional 7%.  It appears that this is a bank cost that is passed onto the customer and not incorporated into the business’s expenses.  Henry also argued with other diving guests over their accounts.  The main point of concentre appeared to be regarding the hire of dive lights (rechargeable type).  Henry asks if you would like light, however, does not tell you that it will cost you $5.00 USD.  You only discover this charge at the end of you stay.

Fish Stocks Declining

At many Philippine dive locations fish diversity and stock is very low.  The reason for this is over population of the Philippine Islands and over fishing.  The local people eat anything that swims, no matter what the size or species.  

I observed several fish traps and nets along the house reef at Cabilao Island.  Caught within these traps were small reef fish, decorator crabs, fire fish, squirrel fish, white eyed eels and zebra fish.  I asked the local fisherman if they returned any of fish because of their small size and he replied that they ate the lot!

I spoke with several resident divers who have been diving the area for twenty years and they all said that diversity was falling very quickly.  I certainly noted a complete lack of small tropical fish on many dives.  Large pelagic fish were non existent.  

If fishing does not cease on local reefs used for diving, and cyanide and reef bombing stopped, then I fear the worst will occur in the not too distant future.

Invertebrates and Cryptic Critters

The diversity of invertebrates such as nudibranchs, and other cryptic reef creatures was very good.  On several dives I noted: ghost pipefish, weedy pipefish, star gazers, crocodile snake eels, pygmy sea horses and vast collection of smaller invertebrates such as crinoid commensal crustaceans and many species of shrimp.

Accommodation – La Estrella

Simple native style bungalows equipped with a wall fan, single power point, small table and chairs.  Mosquito netting is supplied for the bed.  The en-suite has only a cold water shower.

Of particular annoyance was the lack of available power and very poor lighting in the rooms.  Power for charging batteries, etc was only available between 6.00 PM and midnight and I had to resort to using a dive light to find things in my bag.

The food provided at the restaurant at Estrella ranged from being just suitable to down right atrocious.  Food prices are expensive considering the quality of food and the service is VERY slow.  Expect a 45 minute sitting to eat the breakfast!

Staff are friendly.  Payment can be made using VISA.  Estrella do not charge the 7% additional fee but incorporate the fee in their business expenses.

Overall Opinion and Ratings

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	6-7
Food	3
Operator (overall Opinion)	6-7
Coral Diversity	5
Fish (*)	2
Invertebrates	8
Cryptic Animals	4
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	5
Dive Management & Attitude	0

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

 

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PETER'S DIVE:  Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, Philippines - Dec / Jan 2005 / 2006

Peter’s Dive Resort (also known as Whale of a Dive) is located in Sogod Bay in southern Leyte.  Peter Morritt, the owner and operator is an English born Australian.  Peter employs David who is an Australian diving instructor and several Philippine nationals.

Dive Boats, Equipment and Staff

The dive boat, Whale Shark 2 is a wooden fifty three foot banca which has been purposely built for diving.  The boat cruises at about 13 knots and is a fairly stable diving platform.  The boat has a cabin that can accommodate several divers to a basic standard and has a solid wooden roof for sun protection.  Oxygen and a medical kit is carried as is a satellite telephone.  Two things which make this boat stand out from others is the large flat table for camera repairs, etc and the fresh water container for washing camera equipment immediately after the dive.

All the staff were friendly and more than helpful.  Diving equipment was always cheerfully carried to and from the boat by Philippine staff.

All diving is carried out in a group and all divers are asked to remain in the group with David the diving instructor leading.  I found this practice a little claustrophobic and it made taking photographs problematic.  Despite attempting to alter this routine, the practice continued and the only way I could successfully take photographs was to leave the group and dive alone.  Perhaps if you dive with David you can arrange something with him at the beginning of your trip.

Dive profiles were basically your responsibility based on David’s recommendation and long bottom run times over one hour were not frowned upon.  David was more than happy for you spend seventy minutes on a dive exploring a shallow section of the reef.

The rental equipment that was available appeared to be in very good order, although I did not actually use any equipment.  All air fills were to 220 bar and the compressor was maintained to a high level.

The equipment cleaning area was the best I have seen.  Several large cement baths with ample space and wooden pegs for hanging suits and BCDs to dry.

Fish Stocks Declining

At many Philippine dive locations fish diversity and stock is very low.  The reason for this is over population of the Philippine Islands and over fishing.  The local people eat anything that swims, no matter what the size or species.  

I observed several fish traps and nets along the house reef at Peters Dive Resort.  Caught within these traps were small reef fish, decorator crabs, fire fish, squirrel fish, white eyed eels and zebra fish.  I asked the local fisherman if they returned any of fish because of their small size and he replied that they ate the lot!  

Large pelagic fish were non existent with the exemption of one site where a school of large rainbow runners were encountered.  Invertebrates (i.e.: nudibranchs) had very high diversity as did corals, ascidians and sponges, however, smaller reef fish on 90% of all dives were hard to find or non existent.  Quite simply they had been caught and eaten!

Peter and David are very environmental conscious, however, if fishing does not cease on local reefs used for diving, then I fear the worst will occur in the not too distant future.

Accommodation

Accommodation was very good and was a spacious native style bungalow equipped with two fans, power points, a cupboard, a table and chair.  The bungalow was mosquito netted.  A hot fresh water shower was located in the en-suite to the main room.  Power was available 24 hours.  Meals, if required, were available from the restaurant.

The only problem I found at Peters was that the accommodation is located directly adjacent to a village which was very noisy.  Other than this I would recommend this operator.  The website is www.whaleofadive.com  Peter’s e-mail is pmorrittpdc@yahoo.com.au.

Overall Opinion and Ratings

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	8.5
Food	5
Operator (overall Opinion)	9
Coral Diversity	7
Fish (*)	2
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	6
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	7
Dive Management & Attitude	8

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

(**)  Only 8.5 because of constant noise from village at all hours.

 

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PHILIPPINE DIVERS:  Malapascua Island, Philippines - Dec / Jan 2005 / 2006

Philippine Island Divers has operations at Malapascua Island and at Alona Beach at Panglao Island and is owned and managed by Jacques Trotin, a French expatriate.

Dive Boats and Staff

The dive boat Philippine Divers use is a large seventy foot banca.  The craft was very stable and was quite suitable as a diving platform even in 2 to 3 meter seas.  A small cabin on the banca offers protection from wind spray and waves and a canvas roof provided ample protection from the sun.  I did not observe a medical kit or oxygen aboard the boat, although I am fairly certain this equipment was carried.

The staff are friendly and the dive guide (Ken), once he knew the level of your diving ability, was very flexible in allowing you to dive in a buddy pair away from the group.

A large cement bath was available for gear washing although the water was slightly saline as it was island groundwater.  Wooden pegs and cloths line were used to dry equipment.

Poor Equipment Performance 

I was not impressed with the air fills received by Philippine Divers and contracted a headache on several dives.  Upon inspection of my regulator 1st stage sinter filter I noted that instead of it being white it had changed colour to a shade of dark grey only after 10 tank fills (my regulator had been serviced before this trip).  The filter was new when I arrived at the island.  I have since learned from a third party that the operator does not service the compressor regularly, nor does he replace the air filters as per the required schedule.  I also noted that the operator’s rental regulators were continually being overhauled and repaired.  I used two of his regulators and observed that the intermediate pressure was far to high causing 2nd stage free flowing.

Accommodation

I stayed at lodgings located directly behind the shop and although very convenient, the accommodation was overpriced for what was on offer elsewhere.  Lighting was very poor in the rooms and there was only a cold water saline shower.  The toilet also did not work properly, and although repaired during my visit, continued to be inoperable.  Power was available 24 hours and the room was mosquito netted.

Very Poor Business Practice

The overall business practice and environmental attitude of Jaques Trotin did not impress me and I will not be using this operator again. His staff on the other hand did there very best under the circumstances.

During my stay we were plagued with bad weather resulting in the cancellation of several dives.  Jacques in his desire to provide diving took us twice to the same location which offered very poor diving.  Then, at the end of our stay he attempted to charge for 2 dives a day, when many of the dives were cancelled due to inclement weather.  He also charged us double the room rate to that of another person staying in the room opposite mine.  

It appears that he makes up the rates as he goes along trying to negotiate the highest rate obtainable at that particular time.  I approached him regarding the room rate disparity and he then spent two hours hotly arguing with me.  Staff said that this occurred frequently with divers who made enquires over the Internet.  

Furthermore, our transfer from the island to Cebu City took over 10 hours as his vehicle continually broke down due to poor maintenance.  Jacques eventually decided to arrange another vehicle only after leaving us sitting at the pier for three hours whilst he attempted to repair his van. Jacques also operates a live shell business supplying endangered shells to  collectors -  a practice I do not support.

If you decide to use Philippine Divers in Malapascua island – BEWARE.  Arrange all fees and schedules beforehand and only pay after you have received the service you expect.  A 7% fee is added to your account if you use VISA.  I do not recommend this operator.  

Several other divers on the island were using Exotic Dive and they were more than happy with their service.  I also have heard that Thresher Shark Divers offers top notch service.

Overall Opinion and Ratings 

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	5
Food	4-5
Operator (overall Opinion)	2
Coral Diversity	1
Fish (*)	2
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	5
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	0
Dive Management & Attitude	0

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

 

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MURAX DIVERS & SERENADE live-aboard:  Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia - April 2005

General  

Murex was one of the first diving operations in North Sulawesi and operates three live-aboard dive boats and a number of diving resorts.  Their main resort is located in Manado.  I stayed at Murex Manado for two nights before departing on their live-aboard named “Serenade” for a one week dive trip to the islands north of Bangka Island and Lembeh Straight.

Marine Conservation

Murex has a protocol that does not allow divers to wear gloves whilst diving.  This is supposed to provide protection to the coral.  Although this a good idea for novice and experienced divers, I think that the company should implement procedures to penalise divers, especially photographers, who lie on coral formations to obtain their photographs.  I noted several divers breaking coral from time to time and at no time were these divers reprimanded by Murex dive masters. 

On a positive note was the utilisation of mooring buoys when anchoring at a dive site, or the boat remaining live whilst a zodiac was used to deploy and pick up divers.

Live-aboard Boat “Serenade”

The Serenade is roughly 18 meters in length and constructed of wood.  I was told the boat was around 20 years old and had undergone a number of refits.  The latest refit included the replacement of the engine with a caterpillar tractor diesel engine converted for marine use.

The Serenade is an old style boat and it is not luxurious in layout or appointment.  It is a low cost functional dive boat.  Cabins are quite spacious for a live-aboard and cabins were located on the middle deck and below deck.  My cabin was located on the middle deck above the engine room and was probably the worst cabin on the boat.  Diesel and oil fumes permeated the wooden floor from the engine room below and filled the cabin with a noxious gas that caused a severe headache and nausea.  Although my cabin was air conditioned, the unit did not operate properly and frequently turned itself off.  Furthermore, as the engine, compressor and generator were located beneath and beside my cabin, the whole room vibrated severely and was very noisy.  I actually moved my cameras as I was afraid the continual vibrations would damage the equipment.  I only stored my personal equipment in my cabin and actually slept on deck or in the main cabin of the boat.  Each cabin is equipped with a twin bunk and has a western style toilet and shower.  None of the fresh water aboard the Serenade is of drinkable quality.  You can only drink mineral water (Aqua brand) which is stored in the main eating room in a 20 litre container.

The best area on the Serenade is the bow section which is spacious and has sun protection.  The main cabin where the meals are served is also quite comfortable. 

Unfortunately, our trip did not travel the planned itinerary as inclement weather and large swells proved too dangerous for the boat to proceed past Bangka island and Lembeh Straight.  The Serenade is not a good rough water boat and rolls violently in anything but a small swell.  If you suffer from sea sickness, then you will not be happy aboard this boat as it rolls and pitches.  Furthermore, the engine and generator are very noisy (unless on front or top deck) and the odour of diesel and oil fumes permeates most of the rear deck, rear cabins and galley.

The Serenade has the standard safety equipment including HF and VHF radio, portable GPS and radar.  Medical oxygen is also carried.  A small zodiac with a Yamaha 25 HP outboard is used to ferry divers to dive sites and the shore if required.  The Serenade has a rear deck suitable for getting ready to dive, however, any more than 5 divers at a time is problematic.  There are no tubs for storage of diving equipment and I was continually misplacing equipment items such as my mask and torch.  Although I would place the equipment in a particular location, staff would then move my gear to another location.  After a short time this became quite annoying.  Gear cleaning was via a rectangular tub full of fresh water.  I noticed that after a day or so, the water had an oily film on the surface – as the water came from the main fresh water storage tank I had my doubts to the cleanliness of the storage tank. 

Equipment

I can not comment on rental equipment as I did not use rental equipment during my stay.  Nitrox was available at an extra $10.00 USD per tank.  The tanks had to be pumped and blended before departure as the Serenade does not have a nitrox blending station.  Compressor fills were to 200 bar maximum.  I noted that my regulator filter, which was white before my trip, was a shade of grey after the trip.  This suggests that the compressor filters are not cleaned regularly.

Diving and Staff

A dive briefing was conducted before each dive, however, after three or four dives it became painfully obvious that every briefing was identical to the last with the exception of the location and name.  I personally found the briefings to be pretty useless.  I was on this trip by myself so was added to a group of five German divers.  The ratio was 6 divers to 1 dive master/guide.  I tired quickly of swimming with the group and being a photographer, opted to dive by myself after entering the water with the group to obtain my bearings.  The dive guide didn't’t object and this  flexibility was ideal for my photography pursuits. 

The captain of the boat and crew did everything to ensure my time on board was enjoyable and their service and attention to any requirement was above standard.  What was lacking was the value for money. 

One thing I didn't’t like was the way the staff removed regulators from tanks and refitted them to a fresh tank ready for the next dive.  I often observed them putting the equipment together incorrectly and washing the regulator with dust caps loosely fastened or not attached to the yoke.  Some divers love this kind of service, but I dislike it.  I prefer to be responsible for my own equipment at all times.

Accommodation and Food 

Accommodation at the Murex resort in Manado was bungalow style with air conditioning.  Although the resort was aged and required quite a bit of maintenance, it was more than functional for a few nights accommodation whilst waiting to board the Serenade.  The accommodation aboard the Serenade has been addressed in the section above.

The food at Murex and on aboard the Serenade was average.  Everything was deep fried and as I’m not particularly fond of deep fried food I am probably not the best person to comment on the food.  Suffice to say there was stacks of food available, although after a few days the buffet style menu became a little monotonous.  Coffee and tea was available at all times.  If you wanted something specially made, Cookie on the boat did his best to please you.  For instance, Cookie made some lovely pancakes for me.  By the way, the steamed rice was some of the nicest rice I have ever tasted.  All food was free of charge with anything to drink requiring payment (not coffee & tea).

Overall Opinion and ratings

In comparison to other dive boats I have utilised, there is absolutely no comparison other than the hardworking crew.  The pricing to charter the Serenade is very high and the value for money very low.  The Froggies operation (outlined in the next dive operator report) on the other had was top notch in every possible way and provided excellent value for money. 

My lasting opinion of Murex is that the management are very “money hungry” and will try to get every last dollar from you.  Although Murex are running a business, arguing over whether a coke was a small or medium sized bottle is petty when you have just spent over $1100.00 USD for five days.  Murax and especially the Serenade trip does not provide value for money.

I would not use this operator again, nor would I recommend them to other divers.

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	7/2
Food	5
Operator (overall Opinion)	4
Coral Diversity	5
Fish (*)	7
Invertebrates	7
Cryptic Animals	8
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	1
Dive Management & Attitude	3

 

 (*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

(**)  Refers to accommodation at Murex in Manado (first figure) and the Serenade respectively

Field Book Excerpt

I was allocated room 4 port side rear.  A room I soon was to hate.  Air conditioning was intermittent, the carpet was wet and the room stank of diesel fuel.  The engines were beneath the room and fumes filled the room when the engine was running.  The noise from the engine and or generator/ compressor shook the mattress and I moved my camera gear to the galley as I was worried the vibrations would damage the cameras.  I slept in this room for one night before living and sleeping in the galley on the meal table.

Wheelhouse leaked water and throttle controls are located at the rear of the boat and operated via light and horn activated by the Captain.  Diesel leaked from the fuel tank and there was always am oil lick behind the boat for 20 m.  Likewise the dive gear tub was tainted with fuel oil.  All rubbish tossed overboard.  Nothing was free other than food.  Shower used contaminated water from the boat’s tank.  Cabins stank of fuel and oil.

Weather was rough.  Gale force winds and swells.  The boat rocked to 45 degrees.  Weather precluded us from travelling far and we did not make any land based trips other than to a local village on Bangka Island. (this not the operator’s fault).

All food was cooked in a galley similar in appearance to MV Somona.  Washing up was done in cold tank water (from the boat’s supply and nor fit for drinking) using a cloth saturated with dish washing liquid.  Utensils were then wiped with a paper towel as you received them.  All food was deep fried – everything – even bananas.

I had fish the first night and promptly became sick with severe diarrhoea for 48 hours.  It just would not stop!  I used my Flagyl and anti diarrhoea tablets and eventually things were OK.  Then I threw up bananas I had eaten for 10 minutes straight.  I  missed the following day as I was sick, had severe diarrhoea, and was severely dehydrated.  I filtered all water, despite “Aqua” band being available.  A man at the airport told me that Aqua was not the best water, but the cheapest.  The fish I ate was served again albeit in a different form for the next 5 days.  Eggs were cooked in oil like when in the Army.  The food was the same day in day out – several dishes were made and the left over food eaten by the crew or dished out the following day.

Diving was very average.  Guide (1:6) was inadequate and guide just swam about the place pointing out lion fish and the like. Dive guide at “briefing time” would always say this is a beautiful area, it is my favourite, you will see this and that – rarely was he correct.  He was interested only because it was his job, and clearly only going through the motions.

Serenade is ideal for new divers or those interested in diving and socialising.  It is not a specialist dive boat for specialist divers or divers with special requirements/interests.

 

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FROGGIES DIVERS:  Bunaken Marine Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia - April & Dec 2005

General  

Froggies Divers is a shore based diving operation based on Bunaken Island located within the Bunaken Marine Park.  The operation is owned and managed by veteran diving instructor Christiane Muller.

Marine Conservation

The staff at Froggies practice what they preach.  Conservation is foremost in most of the dive guides minds and divers are continually reminded not to damage coral and other marine life.  All dive boats are operated live and they never anchor to the sea floor.  Christian is an avid and passionate conservationist and does everything in her power to try and ensure that the reef within the confines of the park is protected for future generations.  It was a pleasure to speak with a person so dedicated to marine conservation.

Equipment

I didn’t use the rental equipment available for rental from Froggies so cannot provide comments.  Tank fills were to 200 bar and the air was clean.  My regulator filter, after it had been replaced from the earlier Serenade live-aboard trip, maintained its white colour suggesting that Froggie’s compressors were fairly well maintained.

Fast Boats

Dive boats are constructed of wood and powered by two or three 25 - 40 HP Yamaha outboard engines.  There were several boats and they varied in size and capacity.  I never felt crowded on a boat and there was lots of room to get gear ready before a dive.  Each boat carried a large tub of freshwater to place my camera in after a dive.  Medical grade oxygen was carried on all boats.  Two way radios were not carried, but were not really needed as travel distances to dive sites were relatively short in duration.

Diving and Staff

All the staff at Froggies, from housemaids to dive guides were very friendly and helpful.  If you were unhappy about anything, Christiane did her utmost to rectify the situation quickly, quietly and with the minimum of fuss.  I found Christiane to be a very thoughtful and caring person, but on the other hand she will not be steamrollered into something that she doesn’t agree with.  With Christiane you know where you stand at all times, which I find refreshing.

Diving usually starts at 0830 or 0900 after breakfast at 0730. The afternoon dive starts at 1330 and the night dive at 1800.  At no time was my bottom time cut short by a dive guide.  My shortest bottom timer was 70 minutes with the longest being 110 minutes.  Long bottom times are not frowned upon.  The dive guide to diver ratio was 1:1 or 1:2 which is excellent.  Most of the dive guides were good, however, it really depends upon the guide you are allocated.  There is no depth limit, however, experience and diver qualifications are taken into account when you arrive.  Divers with like minded interests are always, if possible, allocated the same boat.

One thing I didn’t like was the way the staff removed regulators from tanks and refitted them to a fresh tank ready for the next dive.  I often observed them putting the equipment together incorrectly and washing the regulator with dust caps loosely fastened or not attached to the yoke.  I use a harness style BCD which has various clips on it for photographic gear, etc.  Every time they set my gear up I had to dismantle it and redo what they had done incorrectly.  This is not a big problem, but after a while it began to grate on you.  Often it’s difficult to change the regulator yourself as the staff are so quick to do it for you.  Furthermore, at the end of the day it was difficult to look after your own equipment as the gear was stacked into a plastic crate and taken away for washing and drying before lock up for the evening.  Some divers love this kind of service, but I dislike it.  I prefer to be responsible for my own equipment at all times.  This is a personal bias.

I would rate the diving as average.  Certainly I had some memorable dives, however, after several dives at Bunaken I found the location quite boring.  Invertebrate diversity is outstanding, however, nudibranch diversity was somewhat lacking.  Fish diversity was good and there were large fish, however, the fish diversity is nowhere in comparison to that observed in some locations in PNG and the Solomon Islands.  If you want to dive schools of fish, then Bunaken is not a suitable location as most of the large schooling fish have been over-fished  Sharks are sadly lacking with the exception of the odd white tip and black tip reef shark.  Most of the diving in Bunaken is wall diving which I am not a great fan of.  Visibility varies from 5 meters to the average of 20 meters.

Accommodation and Food 

Accommodation was varied depending upon your taste and budget.  My accommodation  (leaf fish and moorish idol) was a largish bungalow located in a elevated position amongst leafy trees.  Smaller and less expensive accommodation is available ranging from a smaller bungalow to dormitory style lodging.  A western style toilet and bucket shower were attached to the bungalow.  My room was not mosquito netted, however, a net was provided for the bed; other rooms maybe netted I am not sure.  24 volt power generated from two large generators was available 24 hours and there were ample power points for recharging photographic equipment. Ensure you bring the correct adaptor for Indonesia as spares are not available.  I found the accommodation to be more than adequate for my requirements. 

All the food was well prepared buffet style with free soft drinks, coffee and tea available at all hours.  After two plus weeks, I found the food a little mundane, but this is to be expected when you stay in the one location for a considerable time.  Desert was sadly lacking, however, fruit was readily available.

One aspect I did not like was the unavailability of fresh or UHT milk.  Milk was always coffee whitener (chemicals).  In my opinion, if milk is availble in Manado and on live-aboards in more remote regions, then Froggies should also be able to supply fresh milk.

Overall Opinion and Ratings 

I found Froggies to be relatively good value for money.  The prices are in Euro only.  I enjoyed the diving and the staff were very helpful and tried to find the animals I wanted to observe and photograph.  The only down side I found at Froggies was that the dive shop is located in close proximity to the accommodation.  The staff began work at 0530 and the noise was quite distracting if you wanted to sleep until 0700.

I would recommend this operator.

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	6
Food	7
Operator (overall Opinion)	8
Coral Diversity	9
Fish (*)	5-7
Invertebrates	8
Cryptic Animals	6
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	10
Dive Management & Attitude	9

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

(**)  Poor lighting in rooms

Field Book Excerpt

Met Christiana and initial impressions of Froggies is very good.  Randy gave me a good wrap and I have been assigned a personal guide.  Staff waitresses are similar to those at Cabilao Island, Philippines.  All drinks free except alcohol, and then alcohol is only allowed in moderation.  Owner is French Italian and speaks fluently in English, German, French and Italian.  Room is nice, lots of space and veranda that looks over – or actually into a forest canopy.  Room has been built into a uplifted coral bench about 30 meters higher than the beach.  Just saw two pigeons in the tree in front of room.  Colours are brown drab body, bright green wings with red under the wings when it flies, orange beak and white cap on its head.  

Bathroom washing is via a green bucket as is flushing the toilet.  Unfortunately the cleaning girls place the two buckets together and you don’t know which is which – cross contamination.  Ironing comes back neatly folded in a coloured ribbon.  Food is plentiful, however, is the same every night which becomes monotonous.  Singing and playing musical instruments in the eating area by the locals can and does loose its appeal as the playing is quite loud and often you cannot hear people speaking.  Everything seems to wake up at 0530.  Tanks being rattled, compressors starting, music and the like.  The dive shop is located below the accommodation and noise travels up.  Furthermore, the staff hang out below the accommodation playing cards from early  to late and get quite loud.  In the afternoon the water pump is started which also loud and very invasive.  It seems that this could be better arranged.  No solar or tank water (?) and all water is shipped from Manado.  Petrol and oil lubrication and maintenance is on the beach and viewable by guests – poor set out with the exception of accommodation and the main dining area.

Dive boats are good, although they are old as are the engines.  The engines are also smelling.  10 odd dive shops on the island, although you rarely see other divers, although, you do see dive boats.  Certainly there is a total lack of adventure that exists in PNG.  Some of the guides are very good, but most are pretty useless pointing out lion fish, hawk fish, crinoids and the like.  Guide ratio 1:1 and 1:2.  The guides all look in the crinoids for shrimps and really do nothing to add to the dive as you see most of the things they see.  Diving is “so so”.  I have seen a lot underwater so I am difficult to please.  All the sites are well dived several times a week and much of the marine life is used to divers.  The guides really concentrate on small stuff, they keep talking about big stuff but you rarely see it (well I didn’t until my last dive).  Nearly all dives are walls with the odd sandy slope.  Invertebrate biodiversity is excellent, however, nudibranch spp. are not prevalent and then only the usual varieties.  Large fish are quite common and the fish biodiversity is very good as is the hard coral diversity.  Soft corals are lacking.  If you like coral reef then Bunaken is probably equal to Walindi in PNG.  Despite the high biodiversity, I found many of the dives a little boring as you saw the same things on every dive day in and day out – but I am not a wall diver and prefer sandy and coral slopes and patch reefs.  There was nothing new after several dives. But this is diving – sometimes you see a lot and oat other time you see only a little.  The guides seem to take you to the same place time and time again and show you the same animals on every dive despite the location being different.  Trash very common everywhere.

 

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SHAKTI live-aboard:  Raja Ampat, West Papua (Irian Jaya), Indonesia - January 2006

This report deals with the dive live-aboard Shakti only.  For additional information on this trip, please read the Diving 4 Images operator report (next listing) and the trip notes (link at top of page).

General   

I was asked to join an expedition to the remote islands of Raja Ampat.  The trip was organised by Graham Abbott, owner of Diving 4 Images based in Bali.  The expedition was 15 days aboard the dive live-aboard Shakti and the aim was to explore some of the main diving areas and a few of the lesser dived locations.  

New Guinea, the second largest island in the world is separated into two parts.  The eastern side of the island is the independent state of Papua New Guinea and the western side of the island belongs to the multi-ethnic Indonesia.  

In 2001, the Indonesian Government renamed the region from Irian Jaya (named by the Dutch when they were custodians of the island) to Papua Barat.  Although not entirely correct, many people refer to the region as Western Papua.  

Raja Ampat meaning the four kings is the name given to the island archipelago located adjacent to the main island of West Papua.  There are four main island groups (Waigeo, Batana, Salawati and Misool) and hundreds of smaller islands with secluded beaches and lagoons.  

The entry point to Raja Ampat is Sorong, en-route from Manado. The people inhabiting the areas are distinctly Papuan in appearance and culture bearing more resemblance to Papua New Guinea nationals rather than Indonesians.   

Several Indonesian owned live-aboards operate in the area, however, Shakti is the only non Indonesian operated vessel. 

The Shakti is roughly 30 meters in length and constructed of wood.  I was told the boat was around 6 years old being constructed in the traditional Indonesian phinisi style of boat building (wooden vessel with two masts resembling an old style pirate ship).  The Shakti diving operation is owned and operated by David Pagliari, a softly spoken but enthusiastic expatriate from Hong Kong.  The crew are Indonesian and Papuan.

Comprising two levels, the Shakti has six cabins (four double berths below the main deck & two located on the main deck).  Each cabin except one has air conditioning and a window, or a hatch that can be opened.  Immediately aft of the forward four cabins is a largish multi purpose room equipped with a DVD player and overhead projector.  This room is used for general entertainment, camera repairs and sleeping.  Despite being air conditioned and having a oscillating fan, the room can become quite hot and stuffy.  A ladder and hatchway connects this room to the upper deck and galley.  

Located on the main deck is a spacious galley adjoining the kitchen area and the remaining two cabins.  The galley has a skylight built into the roof that ensures good lighting, however, you must be careful not to get sunburnt.   The upper deck has deck chairs and mattresses and is an ideal area to socialise and relax.  There are three bathrooms with warm water fresh and salt water showers.  

The forward area of the boat is quite spacious and this is where the dive stations are located and dive briefings conducted.  All your equipment is kept in a plastic crate and it’s almost impossible to misplace equipment.  The arrangement is very efficient and neat.  Access on and off the boat is via a ladder-way which is lowered from the side of the boat to waiting tenders.

The Shakti has the standard safety equipment including HF and VHF radio, portable GPS and radar.  Medical oxygen and a well stocked medical kit is also carried.  

Two small tenders are used to ferry divers to dive sites and the shore if required.  One is an orange coloured heavy Chinese built rescue boat and the other is a zodiac style craft constructed from aluminium.  Both are powered by Yamaha 40 HP outboards.  The larger Chinese built boat has a boarding ladder, however, the smaller zodiac requires divers to slide aboard “like a seal”.

The air fills I received were of high quality and the compressor was large enough to fill tanks on demand.  Equipment cleaning (if required) was available via a small hose connected to the fresh water tank.  Although the boat has several large water capacity tanks, fresh water is limited when spending an extended time at sea.  Two large plastic tubs were available for soaking camera gear and dive computers.

Equipment

Minimal equipment is available for rental and it is recommended to bring your own diving equipment and a small dive master kit.

Staff 

All the staff on Shakti acted in a very friendly, outgoing and professional manner.  David the skipper was very approachable and did everything in his power to ensure your stay was pleasant and memorable.  If there was a problem, then a staff member would deal with the problem immediately.  

All the staff are quiet and inconspicuous.  It amazes me how such a large number of staff can literally disappear on a boat, but they somehow manage it.  The exception was Adam.  Adam is British born, is diving instructor rated, and has been travelling the world for the past 11 years.  He is exceptionally gregarious and his friendly abruptness and casualness made up for the quietness of the remaining crew.  In the morning you would frequently hear Adam’s booming accented voice yelling “ hands of cocks – put on socks” as he rallied the guests for breakfast.  Adam’s job on Shakti is a dive guide.

The only negative comment I have regarding the staff is that David (skipper) during lagoon trips was not well versed in photographic etiquette.  It is very difficult to take decent photographs “flying” along in a zodiac at 15 knots!  No doubt I should have mentioned this at the time and David would have stopped the boat, but at the time you don’t really want to say anything.  When you consider that three individuals in the boat were semi-professional photographers, there really is no excuse for David not thinking to frequently stop the boat for picture taking.  This negative aspect of the trip is easily rectified.

Please read the separate report on Diving 4 Images (which is in no way associated with Shakti).   (see next listing)

Food  

Food is one of the most important aspects of a live-aboard, and moral quickly slumps if food is not tasty, plentiful and varied.

The food aboard the Shakti was excellent.  Two Papuan girls worked tirelessly, sometimes 14 hours a day to provide meals for the crew and guests. Most meals were rice based with either fish and prawns.  Fruit was either pineapple, papaya or watermelon.  Breakfast was cereal, eggs to your liking, bread and flapjacks.  Freshly brewed coffee was available at all hours, as was tea, hot water, biscuits (cookies) and fresh drinking water.  Milk was UHT milk and was a very welcome change from the usual powdered milk.  There was always enough food and "left overs" were given to the crew.

A word of thanks must go to the two cooks – Yolanda and Aiming.  They worked the longest hours of any of the crew and slaved away in 40 degree Celsius heat cooking and baking.

Overall Opinion and ratings

I have used many live-aboard dive boats and although not the most luxurious I would rate Shakti in the upper 20%.  The reason being it’s very functional, spacious, and the crew are 100% committed to their work.  It should also be mentioned that in 2006 Nitrox is being installed.

Negatives are:

It can be difficult negotiating the ladder-way to the waiting dive tender – especially when carrying camera equipment.  Although my camera equipment did not suffer any damage, I was waiting for a tank to hit the camera on every dive as I climbed down the ladder-way to the boat.  This is not really a negative as the boat has been designed this way.

Lack of sun cover.  The boat is a very open boat despite the crew erecting sun shades over the deck (awnings).  I was constantly relocating my position to remain out of the sun.  The galley area has a large skylight, therefore, sun protection is required in the galley as well.  Furthermore, the galley was quite warm as the skylight allowed heat to penetrate.  To combat this there were two oscillating fans.  Perhaps the skylight can be coated in a UV material or a shade erected during the say to stop harmful sun rays penetrating the galley.  

• Lack of a comprehensive dive master kit.
• Possible Improvements (for operator)
• Different coloured towels for each cabin to stop confusion as to whose towel is whose.
• Drying line should be higher as some clothing and wetsuits became soiled in grease from the anchor winch
• Comprehensive dive masker kit
• Cover/tinting of the skylight leading to the galley
• Shelves in starboard forward cabin
• Better lighting for forward cabins

 

I would definitely use this operator again.  I strongly recommend the Shakti and crew.  Shakti is available for charter only.  

I have used a point system from 1 to 10.  10 is perfect whilst 1 in very poor.  5 is average.

Accommodation	7
Food	8 **
Operator (overall Opinion)	8
Coral Diversity	9
Fish (*)	5-7
Invertebrates	8
Cryptic Animals	6=7
Environmental Attitude & Awareness	8
Dive Management & Attitude	9

 

(*)  Fish life refers to fish abundance and species diversity

(**)  Only 8 because food was fried rather than stir fried

 

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DIVING 4 IMAGES (Graham Abbott).  Based in Bali, Indonesia - January 2006

This report only deals with Diving 4 Images.  For additional information on this trip please read the dive operator report for the dive live-aboard dive boat Shakti and the trip notes.

General  

I was asked to join an expedition to the remote islands of Raja Ampat organised by Graham Abbott owner of Diving 4 Images based in Bali.  The expedition was 15 days duration aboard the dive live-aboard Shakti and was to explore some of the main diving areas and a few of the lesser dived locations.

Diving 4 Images is not a dive operator but rather a business that can arrange trips for like-minded individuals to areas in South East Asia.  They arrange everything except airfares and meet you on arrival at the airport before the trip begins.  Although I had heard of Graham Abbott and his company “Diving 4 Images”, I had never used their service as I usually prefer to arrange everything myself.

Overall Opinion

To be very blunt, I was not impressed with Diving 4 Images nor Graham Abbott. 

It’s difficult to know where to begin to explain the problems associated with this business as they appear to be embedded in both the business and in Graham’s poor attitude, organisation and communication skills.

Payment Problems

Payment for the trip was required before departure and this proved very difficult to do.  I wanted to pay via VISA card, however, Diving 4 Images didn’t have a credit facility, therefore, payment details had to be faxed with passport details, etc to another company.  This had to done three times as Diving 4 Images never seemed to receive the payment or fax transmissions (via the other company). The charge for this was an additional 4%.

Further payment complications arose for a member of the group a day before departure.  While in Manado awaiting an early morning flight, Diving 4 Images contacted one of the group to say that payment hadn’t been received and therefore, the person could not join the trip.

The guest had recently transferred money by wire to Graham before departing China, however, for some unknown reason payment had not been received by Graham despite the guest having documentation from the bank, stating that the payment had been sent some weeks earlier.  A conversation via cell phone from Manado rapidly degraded into an argument after the guest was informed by Graham that she would have to pay again! 

Eventually after several cell calls to China, and to Graham and Dwi in Bali the problem was sorted out and she was allowed to proceed on the trip. 

The person concerned commented at the end of the trip that she never received an apology from Graham for the argument which cost her a considerable sum in cell phone calls.  Part of the problem was that Graham’s wife (Dwi) had incorrectly informed Graham regarding payment.

A similar problem occurred with one of the other guests, who had arranged for a guide to come along on the trip.  Apparently this had been arranged weeks earlier via e-mail with Graham’s wife, Dwi.  Graham insisted there wasn’t room and the guide would have to remain in Manado.  After several minutes of heated discussion it was agreed that if the Skipper of the boat agreed, then the guide could travel.

Trip dates Altered After I had booked

Before departing Australia, I had confirmed by e-mail the dates for the trip, however, on arrival at Bunaken Island  (meeting area for the group) I was advised that the dates had since been changed.  Fortunately, this fitted with my international flights.

Diving For Himself

This lack of accurate information was the beginning of what was to become a very disorganised dive trip.

Graham joined the group at Manado Airport 30 minutes before departure and we were met by the owner and crew of the Shakti at Sorong. 

The first day was sailing to our first destination and diving was carried out late in the afternoon.  Graham mysteriously disappeared during this sail time and only reappeared to conduct a dive briefing.  I thought it very odd that he did not explain the purpose of his company, the itinerary, or for that matter anything else.  Graham just seemed to be on the boat to dive.

After the first two dives, and the dives the following two days, it became readily apparent that Graham had no intension of supplying an itinerary to the group.  The guests (those paying) wanted to stay in some of the places for a little longer and dive some of the other sites in the region.  The skipper of the boat (David) had mentioned several large fish sites that were excellent dives and the group were keen to dive these areas. This was communicated to Graham, however, Graham wanted to dive areas he was keen to see and not dive fish sites. 

Despite Graham knowing that we were disappointed with some of the dive sites, he insisted in doing what he wanted and continued to not provide input to the group until late in the second week  - after the trip was almost over.  This inability of Graham to understand the group’s needs meant that we only dived at locations that Graham wanted to dive.  The name of Graham’s company is Diving 4 Images which we sarcastically renamed to Diving 4 Myself.

The inability of Graham to communicate the itinerary, or to be flexible as to what the group wanted infuriated me and most of the group.  As a result, many hours each day and night sailing to different locations rather than diving.  The group wanted to explore lagoons and have pleasant anchorages – not rolling seas every night! 

This situation was never resolved and degraded further when the group spent an entire day diving a jetty off a village, and diving some sites two and three times – despite there being other sites in the vicinity (such as a known manta ray cleaning station).

The consensus from the group was that Graham was only on the trip to dive the areas he wanted to dive.  Graham did not seem to care the slightest that his guests weren’t happy with the dive sites they were being forced to dive.

Lack of Dive Schedule

We were never quite sure when diving activities were to take place.  The diving schedule changed continuously and Graham never informed the group where or when we were diving, until it was time to prepare for the dive and get into the water.  Apart from two nights, the group had no idea want was happening the next day.

On several occasions, guests were eating breakfast and Graham yelled “briefing” which meant that breakfast was forfeited due to a dive.  Graham never waited for anyone.  It was as if you were privileged to be with him!

Despite Graham’s very good knowledge of critters, he rarely explained what had been seen to the guests, except when pressed to do so.  On several dives he swam off by himself looking for critters and never guided anyone.  Nor did he pass along his observations during the dive.  Rather, he would exit the dive  boasting about what he had seen – then comment that “you should have stayed with me”.  The only occasion that Graham was helpful to me was during a dive when I was photographing a rather elusive goby.  He swam over and proceeded to relocate a number of sea urchins which were blocking the view from my camera lens.

Some of the divers found it difficult to actually keep up with Graham underwater as he often swam into the current (despite a live catch boat)  Graham didn’t care about this and swam at his own speed, rather than that of the slowest group member. 

Graham seemed to forget that he was not a member of the group, but rather a service provider.   I never once saw him help any other person with diving or camera equipment.  At the end of a dive he would climb out of the tender, dump his dive gear at his station and head off for the shower. 

Jolanda had a problem with her regulator and needed tools to repair it (usually carried in a dive master kit).  I asked Graham if he had any tools suitable to repair the regulator to which he replied that he didn't carry a dive masker kit and that it was the responsibility of each member to carry spare parts, etc.  A Shakti crew member found the appropriate tool in the boat’s tool box!

Final Comment

Graham’s inability to communicate the dive itinerary, inflexibility in changing the trip to suit the wishes of those paying, and general lack of caring for what the group wanted marred what was an otherwise excellent trip.

However, if you are a photographer searching for a specific fish species to photograph, then Graham definitely has the ability to find the animal.  But be warned, find out where you are going to dive before you leave, and prepare to put up with Graham’s selfish attitude.

I would not recommend Diving 4 Images nor its owner Graham Abbott.

 

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TUWALI RESORT:  Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea – April 2007           

Tuwali Resort is located in Milne Bay.  The access point to Tuwali Resort is Alotau (Gurney) which is the capital of the province.  Alotau is  approximately an hours flight time from Port Moresby.  To reach Tuwali, a further 2 hours travel by vehicle is required followed by a 30 minute fast boat ride.  Although Alotau is located relatively close to the nation’s capital, Tuwali Resort is not easily accessible.  A visit to Tuwali should be treated as a remote location with regard to safety and medical evacuation.

Tuwali Resort has been constructed on a limestone point adjacent to a small bay.  The accommodation, diving room and other facilities have been built in such a way as to blend with the surrounding jungle.  A covered walkway snakes its way across the point through the jungle, passing each of the accommodation wings and effectively joins the village and service area with the main reception area and visitors wharf. 

Tuwali is base for a number of dive boats operated by the same company.  A 60 foot long Australian made ex fishing boat called explorer supports guests staying at Tuwali along with a smaller 50 foot boat called Prowler.  In addition to this a number of smaller banana boats and zodiacs can be used to reach close by local dive sites.  The 60 foot long MV Chertan and 110 foot long Spirit of Nuigini are used for longer charters and visit other areas of Milne Bay.

Dive Boats, Equipment and Staff 

During my visit, I used two centre console controlled banana boats approximately 20 feet in length.  The boats are fitted with twin 40 HP 4 stroke Honda outboards.  Both boats have sun protection by way of a awning above the boat and are equipped with a stainless steel ladders.  Radios are standard as are small medical kits.  No oxygen is carried aboard the fast boats, however, a plentiful supply is available at the resort for emergency use.  The banana boats are used to access reefs and diving area relatively close to the resort (30 minutes maximum sea time).

From Tuwali you have a choice of either diving nearby fringing reefs and sandy slopes or diving outer coral reefs.  The larger Prowler and Explorer boats are used to reach the outer reefs and travel time is usually an hour and half depending on the reef selected.  The Explorer boat is well appointed with 6 small berths, toilet, large open covered deck area, twin ladders, duckboard and a large camera table.  The Explorer has a very wide beam providing very good stability.  Trips to the outer reef are for the day and 3 dives are usually completed during the day.  Both the Prowler and Explorer are quite fast considering their size and weight.

You are responsible for your own diving profile, although dive briefings are completed before each dive.  There is no limit with regard to bottom time and you will not be chased out of the water by dive guides wanting to go home early.

The rental equipment is predominately oceanic brand and is in new to very good condition.  All equipment is well maintained.  A good selection is available for rental including: fins, facemask, snorkel, regulator, BCD, computers, tanks and weight belts.  A number of wetsuits are also available for rent.

All the staff are PNG nationals.  The dive supervisor’s name is Sebastian (Saba).  Saba is very proficient at his job and will do everything possible to ensure your diving stay at Tuwali is enjoyable.  Tuwali employs several dive guides which are present on all dives and act as marine life spotters; as with all national dive guides some are good and some are not so good.  Saba and Albert were excellent spotters, however, the rest of the crew were not very good at finding more than the commoner species.

Equipment Washing Facilities 

I found that the dive washing facilities were rather limited.  There are two wharfs at Tuwali and although cleaning tubs and showers have been constructed at each wharf, only the service wharf bath tub was operational.  This may change at short notice.

Management 

Rob Van der Loos is the manager/part owner at Tuwali.  Rob appears to be a gentle, friendly person who is very much entrenched into the New Guinea lifestyle.  When not working about the resort, Rob skippers the Chertan.  During my stay I found Rob to be very approachable and open to suggestions.  He has a genuine interest in diving and photography.  Rob is a diver first and manager second.

I found everyone at Tuwali to be friendly and courteous at all times.

Accommodation and Food

The accommodation at Tuwali has been constructed in such a way as to be part of the surrounding jungle.  Each room is spacious and insect screened, has two queen size beds, is equipped with air conditioning and a ceiling fan, and has en-suite facilities.  A small veranda with water views adjoins each room.  All the rooms are connected to the main reception and dining room via a covered walkway which snakes its way through the jungle .  I found the room lighting to be a little on the soft side, and power points for charging camera batteries, etc were not abundant.  A power board is recommended if you need additional power points for charging.  The mattresses were not overly comfortable which lowers the accommodation rating from a 9 to a 8.

Th