Scuba Diving

/Scuba Diving

Apo Reef with Apo Reef Club, Mindoro, Philippines

15 - 22 March 2010 The colors of Asia comes out with this bright outrigger boat turned liveaboard Apo Reef Club I. Diver about to surface after a good dive With the expedition team complete with our writer Alya Honasan, our first Philippine journey for this leg was to Apo Reef.  We spent [...]

Hasta La Vista Papua Diving

8 – 28 February 2010 Sorido Bay Resort A panoramic view of one of the most comfortable and elegant lounge and dining areas we've been to here in Indonesia! High end Papuan art of tapa bark cloths, woven Papuan bags and intricate highland wood carvings tastefully decorate this place giving off a feeling of [...]

Landscapes and Seascapes of Raja Ampat

8 - 27 February 2010 While we were in North Raja Ampat, we were incredibly fortunate to have professional photographers and videographers Claudia & Leon Joubert document our stay and experience in what is arguably the epicenter of marine biodiversity. Claudia Pellarini-Joubert and Leon Joubert of the Bittenbysharks.com fame work with Max Ammer to manage and market Sorido Bay Resort. [...]

Marine Life of North Raja Ampat

8 - 26 February If I may, I would like to lift a few bits and paragraphs written by Dr. Mark V. Erdmann, Senior Advisor Conservation International Indonesia Marine Program in his introduction of a new fantastic coffeetable book The Raja Ampat.  "Reefs on Steroids", "The Kingdom of Coral", "Heart of the Coral Triangle", "The World's Richest Reefs" [...]

Papuan Folks of Raja Ampat

8 - 25 February In 1526, Jorge de Menses, the first Portuguese governor to the Moluccan "spice islands" was swept ashore by a storm to the Bird's Head Peninsula (West Papua) even before he reached his post. He named the country Ilhas dos Papuas (Islands of the Papuans) derived from the Malay term "orang papuwah" meaning the [...]

Mantas of North Raja Ampat

8 - 23 February 2010 Manta Sandy Manta Slope How do you describe the feeling of utter happiness you have to pinch yourself underwater to remind yourself it's happening? Our artist friend Robert Strachan sees me as a hobbit about to be engulfed by a ringwraith . . . There are [...]

Misool Eco Resort

16- 30 January 2010 MER Full moon night scene of this wonderful resort in Batbitim Island. See the milky way on the right sky? Loads of divers dream of owning a resort in an island paradise in the tropics surrounded by pristine coral reefs and lots of fish. When out at sea, palm [...]

Misool Rangers At Work

25 January 2010 Yellu Island What originally started as a 200 square kilometer no-take zone has now been increased to 425 sq. km. Misool Eco Resort MER take their conservation work very seriously. They have set up a UK charity called the Misool Conservation Centre to raise funds for the all important work of taking care of these waters. [...]

WWF CT Business Summit Photo Exhibition in Manila

19 - 20 January 2010 Sometime early November last year, we got an email from Dr. Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader to discuss an idea of having a photo exhibition of our expedition in Manila during the first WWF Coral Triangle Business Summit in January 2010. We knew this was going to be [...]

Life Forms

22 January 2010 Fiabacet Misool Eco Resort When Yogi starts singing, I have all reason to stop and listen to his song as he seldom does this. Whereas I break into a song at a drop of a hat, even if I don't know the lyrics. Well, Yogi repeatedly sang “Life Forms” - original sung [...]