Many bright beaches are another reason to escape to Timor-Leste.

Give to charity and take back a wealth of Timorese culture. That's the motive behind this unique dive trip put together by two social enterprises that aims to give soap makers in Timor-Leste a better chance of earning a livelihood.

SINGAPORE, 27 September. A charity dive tour is organized from 10-17 November 2012 in Timor-Leste, one of the world’s newest, most unexplored and exciting dive destinations. In the charity expedition, divers can enjoy a brand new diving destination, donate to and support the social entrepreneurship project of Ai-funan, a soap making cooperative based in Timor-Leste and get a chance to learn about the life and culture of Asia’s newest nation.

Timor-Leste has a diverse and unspoiled marine ecosystem and divers there are sure to be surprised by its riches.  Timor-Leste is located within the Coral Triangle, which contains 60% of all marine species on the planet and is right in the middle of a whale migration route, which locals refer to as a "Whale Superhighway." A recent marine mammal surveys suggest Timor-Leste has one of the highest concentrations of marine mammals in the world. 

The charity dive tour will explore at least 12 different pristine dive sites with largely undamaged reefs that play host to a colorful diversity of marine life. Just in the last year, there have been confirmed sightings of Whale sharks, Mola Mola (Sunfish) and large shoals of Hammerhead sharks. 

Clear waters and spectacular underwater creatures are a common in Timor-Leste.

This charity dive tour is organized by Gone Adventurin’, a Singapore-based social enterprise and The Hummingfish Foundation, a Hong Kong based environmental not-for-profit and is designed to raise awareness of Timor’s natural wonders and raise funds for the woman’s cooperative behind Ai-Funan all natural handmade soaps.

Divers can discover Timor’s marine treasures from the waters of the magical Atauro Island, a small island 25km north of Dili, to a dive site so new that it does not even have a name yet.  K-41, Sacred Garden, Dili Rock, Tasi Tolu, Bubble Beach, Manta Cove, Shark Fin and Dan’s Sandy bottom (named after one of our guides) are just some of the dive sites to be explored.

Participants will also experience the urban and rural lifestyles of the Timorese people, by staying in a range of accommodations from authentic community based eco-lodges to the guesthouse of the group’s fully licensed and insured PADI dive operator Dive Timor Lorosae.  During the expedition the charity divers will have the unique opportunity of spending a day with the women behind the Ai-Funan all natural handmade soaps and even try their own hand in making organic soaps themselves.

Women from Ai-Funan, a social enterprise in Timor-Leste.

Check out more about the meaningful diving tour at www.goneadventurin.com/divin-timor-nov-2012 or contact Ashwin Subramaniam.

For donation, please check out the details at http://hummingfish.org/news/simplygiving-com.

Photography by Dan Groshong of Hummingfish Foundation.

Ness Velu (right), founder of Dive Diva's Fanclub; Mallika Naguran of Gaia Discovery (left) with radio host Asha Gill of Capital FM.Kuala Lumpur, 26 June 2012.

"We'd like to share with women in Malaysia and beyond the skills training and career opportunities that are available in the dive industry," says Ness to Asha Gill during a one-hour Capital FM live radio show. 

Mallika will be presenting on responsible diving and conservation at the Dive Divas Fanclub gathering on Friday 6 July and Saturday 7 July at 2:30 pm.

Panglao Island, Philippines, 30 June 2011. There is more to Panglao island than Balicasag - a famed dive destination in the Philippines that has earned honorable mention in most dive guides, even clinching top ten rankings in reviews. Balicasag Island diving has lured keen divers from around the world, like a neon lit bar would to insatiable drunks.

Shark-eyed Yolly with SeaQuest The only neon lights that got me staggering was the heady flash of colours from the flirty Mandarins. It was nearly twilight when we dived, disrupting the sleety calm of steel blue surface water. Yolly and I were on a stakeout for those tiny dragonets that have a reputation for only stepping out when the lights are dim, and dressed to kill.

Yolly, SeaQuest’s long-serving Filipino dive master, and I had planned on a ten-minute stop underwater to look for these coy beings, before moving on to observe the other critters at the Alona house reef, just a few hundred metres in front of the dive centre’s location on Alona Beach. We saw one, then two Mandarins circling around the rubble of dead hard corals. Aha! There will be action, I thought. Instinctively we stayed put. Lo and behold, there was yet another dragonet, then the fourth emerged and then number five. Great, it will be a party I thought – bring out the San Miguel!

But the dragonets took a long time to warm up, and it was only after 20 minutes when a Mandarin started to get fresh with another half its size.  Still, there was no action. Yolly gestured if we should move on. I gestured back - over my dead body (you got to imagine this one).  Six more minutes dragged by as we kneed on the sandy bottom observing these colourful fish circling, hiding, darting in and out of the broken corals, what I think is foreplay - boy do they take forever! And then at the 27^th minute, out swam the lovers – one about 4 cm big and the other barely 2 cm - flitting up nearly half a meter midair in wild embrace, vibrating and doing their thing.Ornate ghost pipe fish abound

The temperature around me must have upped a notch as these absolutely beautiful fish mated, not once but twice. What a treat! It’s getting hot in here, I thought, grinning from this delightful experience, and soon we left the scene of passion to explore others less X-rated. 

I felt jubilant – after such a long time, I had such leisure to observe marine creatures in their natural habitat, and that was because of the advantage of diving during the low season. And I had just arrived on Panglao island from an eco-tourism trip in Cebu and Bohol, ending with a dive trip and resort stay at Oasis Resort.

Both Oasis Resort and SeaQuest Dive Center are owned by Dutchman BJ Schaap, a pioneering dive center proprietor in the Philippines. BJ first started his SeaQuest operations in Moalbaol on Cebu island in 1981, then Panglao island in the province of Bohol in 1990. The third center recently set up is at Malapascua island. All three centers are 5 Star PADI Gold Palm facilities and located in the Visayas, central Philippines.

This was the first week of June and the clouds were brooding. The wet season has officially arrived; in the Philippines the typhoons are said to be at their peak during the middle of the year. But at Panglao Island, mostly, it was hot to the point of melting sun block, reaching to 33 degrees Celsius. When it is hot, the water – clear and blue – is delicious for a swim and dive. You could peer from the surface down 30m to 50m on a clear day with great visibility. Snorkellers are treated to sights of corals and busy fish life even from the surface.

Leaf scorpion fishThere are around 16 dives sites around Panglao island, with 5 dive spots surrounding Balicasag Island alone. Other dive hotspots such as Apo Island located within the marine sanctuary can be reached within three hours by boat. “There are some some nice coral gardens, small walls, swim throughs and drop offs,” says SeaQuest dive center manager Marcus Benders.

The Servera Shoal on the way to Pamilacan Island is known for its pit of banded sea snakes and other snake species. And divers can gaze at the lovely giant sea fans at length at Doljo Point.

As I did not have the luxury of time, I only managed to squeeze in three days of diving that included coastal dives. Atlantis Wreck out south from Alona Beach had the best part of its sunken boat washed away leaving behind a wooden skeletal structure. This was a huge let down, but there was enough life to catch my eye, such as an ornate ghost pipefish, two boxer mantis shrimps, a yellow ribbon eel, wriggling juvenile sweetlips, thicklip trevallys and clouded moray eel.

Stunning nudibranchNot far away, Kalipayan provided a pleasant slope and wall dive with better coral cover and smattering fan corals. The resident frogfish eluded us but there were plenty others to entertain us at 17m depth: mantis shrimp, ghost pipefish, banded pipefish, four juvenile harlequin shrimp and sweetlips. And lots and lots of nudibranchs.

Many nudibranch species here

Balicasag Island

At Balicasag Island, we fist dived at Cathedral and were blessed with corals garlanding the wall. Descending to a depth of 23m, and finning along the hallowed grounds with visibility of about 30m, we came across a yellow leaf fish and a creamy frogfish. As for nudis, there were plenty with a few species I had not seen before! So if you plan to dive here, bring along your camera with macro lens.

The second dive at Diver’s Heaven turned out to rather hellish! A strong down current – totally unexpected – had us struggling to keep above 20m. This site is known for its rather swift currents going sideways, but this downward sweep was news to all indeed. For 20 minutes we were finning hard to get out of this pull, and when we finally did, catching our breath, we were rewarded with the companionship of two rather unperturbed green turtles and idling batfish.

On the last day, I was thrilled to venture out to Balicasag Island again. Obviously I was cast under the spell of its underwater magic.  Blackforest dive site did justice to its name as the steep slope unveiled rolling carpets of soft brown corals, branching corals and hard corals as well. We descended slowly to 29m – there was no rush. At about 25m visibility, I spotted an aggressive Titan triggerfish attacking my buddy’s fins, but soon to be jabbed away by the dive guide!

Pygmy 'Hippocampus bargibanti' seahorseRico’s Wall offered a dramatic drop-off and sheaves of diverse corals. Imagine a lush coral garden you’d have in your dream house if you were Spongebob. At 25m depths, I relished the sights of a white angler fish perched on off-white leather coral, then two green leafy fish, barrel sponges and more. Lo and behold a green turtle drifted past that appeared tagged by a researcher. I wondered how much data this turtle has contributed thus far to help us understand its movements better.

The final dive of the day at Rudy’s Rock was memorable. We descended the slope to 20m and hovered around the small sponge encrusted wall with eyes glued to schooling jacks way below probably at 50m depths. Then the backdrop of the deep blue ahead of me was filled with around 180 iridescent bluefin trevallys. As if this wasn’t enough, around 60 yellowtail barracudas charged onward with a purpose. Rapacious looking, these half-metre long barracudas were as harmless to divers as the humble sea slug.

Mind the Macro

The Philippines is more of a ‘macro’ destination than anything else, Benders reckons. That includes nudibranch, blue-ringed octopus, mantis shrimp, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorse, Indian walkman fish, frog fish, ghost pipefish, and harlequin shrimp.

As for bigger action, whale sharks play a leading role, and ply the waters more frequently this year than last. “On Christmas Day 2010, we saw five whale sharks in one day just on the house reef! That was special,” grins Benders.

Benders thinks that the best time to try your luck in sighting these amazing creatures would be in “the cooler months of the year like October, November and December” although they have been sighted at other times of the year as well.

“If we do see them, it’s usually for a couple of days. Our guess is that the whale sharks travel past here when they do their annual migration. So that would be going one way and then coming back the other way another time,” he says.

 Whale sharks migrate past Panglao Island

Conserve Through Local Participation

Seaquest is involved in a project at Malapascua Island (its third base) to protect Monad Shoal, a famed reef for manta rays and thresher sharks. With the support of local authorities, ex-fishermen have been hired to patrol this dive site to warn off fishing boats. 

And it is working. “This project has some very good results; lately the sharks and mantas are larger in numbers and seen more frequently than before,” says Benders, who claims that Monad Shoal is the only place in the world that offers regular sightings of the graceful thresher shark.Seek refuge at Oasis Resort at Alona Beach

“We also follow the Environmental Users Fee that has been implemented by the local municipalities to conserve and preserve reef and fish life,” says Benders. The fees are collected at the dive center for the local government, which is advised by the local dive center associations on where to channel these funds, for example, in education.

“Going into schools to get children aware and involved is one of the spear points of our organization here in Panglao. One of the visible results has been the beach clean-ups in cooperation with other dive centers, resorts, hotels and lots of school children,” explains Benders.

Turtle wonderPhilippines is part of coral triangle in the Indo-Pacific region that is home to one-third of the world’s coral reefs. That’s around 75% of known coral species (about 600 species of corals), nearly 3,000 species of fish, half of the world’s seagrass and marine mollusk species, 75% of known mangrove species, six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles (green, hawksbill, olive ridley, leatherback,loggerhead, and flatback), and more than 22 species of marine mammals.  

There are nearly 1400 species of nudibranchs and sea slugs that have currently been identified in the Indo-Pacific region alone. With sustained conservation efforts all round, Philippines will remain a top dive destination in Asia. So head down south to Panglao island for some great diving and snorkeling after enjoying an eco-tourism stay in Cebu and Bohol (especially the Chocolate Hills – a marvel). You will not be disappointed even during the low season.

 Marine life photos courtesy of SeaQuest Dive Center. Others by Mallika Naguran.

Reference:

http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/climate-a-ecology-16/the-coral-triangle

How to get there:

You can get to Panglao Island from Bohol, and to Bohol from Cebu, and to Cebu from Manila City. Most airlines fly direct to Cebu, but we recommend Cebu Pacific Airways that has wide domestic and international flight routes (including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong & Osaka). There is no airport in Bohol yet.

Oasis Resort offers range of rooms, this two-storey spot is good for familyFrom Cebu to Bohol: Take a local ferry ride that takes 4 hours and costs about 650 pesos each way. The speedy catamaran service Supercat, however, gets you from Cebu to Tagbilaran town in Bohol province in little more than an hour, has frequent trips, comfy seats and even in-house movie (but pack a jacket as the ferry is freezing!).

Artistic spots at Oasis ResortTo be in good hands and to catch eco-tourism sights and sounds, hook up with reliable tour operators. We had Angel’s Wings Tours and Travels (AWT) take care of our itinerary, and we are pleased with its tourism services and knowledgeable tour guides.

Where to stay:

Several chalets and rooms along Alona Beach offer you a variety of choice. It is best to book up early especially during the high season. For comfort at reasonable prices, try Oasis Resort that has two restaurants, a bar, a pool and the SeaQuest dive center. Food is pretty good here. For higher end stay away from beach mongers, try eco-oriented Amarela Resort just up the road.

Useful Links:

http://www.seaquestdivecenter.net/

Contact SeaQuest at info@seaquestdivecenter.ph

http://www.oasisresortbohol.com/

Contact AWT at angelswg@bohol-online.com

http://www.cebupacificair.com/

Ferry schedules: http://www.bohol.ph/article12.html



Khao Lak, 20 May 2011. There are many dive centres that claim to be “eco” and there are those who actually are ecology-orientated. Sadly there aren’t that many of them around as far as I am aware.

To most, being “eco” means being guardians of the sea according to marine conservation policies put out by Green Fins, Project Aware, ECOlogical and the like, with environmental considerations such as proper waste disposal, recycling and water saving initiatives too.

Wicked Diving staff on a normal day.However some dive centres - such as Wicked Diving in Khao Lak, Thailand and Komodo, Indonesia - take the running of an ethical business in a 360 degree perspective. They embrace the many aspects that come into play in running a business that relies entirely on nature - and what Planet Earth can often ill afford. Obviously stresses on the environment are huge in running scuba diving operations because of the basic mechanics of logistics, travel, transportation (flights, vans, boats) and accommodation.

But Wicked Diving has a comprehensive responsible tourism policy. Something not many dive centres have. And it abides by it.

“It’s not CSR - that’s embarrassing,” exclaims founder Paul Landgraver. “Instead, it’s a morally responsible thing to do.”  He hopes that by also setting an example, others will take a leaf out of Wicked Diving’s book to incorporate them into their own operations. Landgraver started his Khao Lak operations in 2006 and is now setting up a new base to run liveaboard dive trips in Komodo.

The question is, can a small dive centre of around 30 staff in Southeast Asia make a difference, not just a positive difference, but a considerable impact that influences behavioural changes, alters mindsets and improves living conditions for man and beast? It appears possible.

Community Building

GHRE in Khao Lak, Thailand champions human rights, education for the marginalised and poor.Wicked Diving’s operation in Khao Lak could very well set the tone for what an eco dive centre can or should be. Its responsible tourism policy is broadly categorized in three areas: Environmental, Social and Economic. To get its act pointed in the right direction, Landgraver asked Samantha Tyers of reallysavvy  to develop a sustainable policy framework that was fleshed out into their ethical code of practice, and spelled out on their website. Reallysavvy consults in responsible tourism specialising in the diving industry.

Khao Lak, like a number of rural provinces in Thailand, has fair infrastructure, average or below average living conditions for locals, and in a number of areas, abject poverty. On Boxing Day in 2004, Khao Lak became a victim of the treacherous Tsunami that killed 360,000 people around the world.

Seven years on, lives are picking up for the ones who survived, however a number of them are widows, widowers or orphans. Recognising that these communities can be left behind with lack of funding and resources, Wicked Diving sought to help specific groups of people with the hope of improving their economic conditions. They do this by investing in the local community, not living off it.

Baan San-Fan Orphanage in Khao Lak heads towards a sustainable organic trade.“Soaps used at the dive shop and on the boats are phosphate-free and handmade by a cottage industry of women, mostly widows who are victims of the Tsunami,” says Landgraver. A cooperative called Andaman Discoveries was formed with help from governmental relief aid and support from local businesses such as this dive company.

Wicked eyes then turned towards supporting the under-resourced Baan San-Fan Orphanage in Khao Lak. There, some 40 children are given educational and welfare support from donations. To steer them towards financial independence and sustainable operations, Wicked Diving shared its knowledge of soap making with the orphanage. The idea grew and grew.

“We told them about our needs and we worked over the season to test different products. Right now we are getting all our jam and honey from them, and we hope to develop new products for our 2011/2012 dive season,” says Landgraver.

Baan San-Fan Orphanage also had land to spare, which sparked more ideas. Landgraver and his team talked to them about expanding their existing free-range chicken farm, which they currently use to supply their own kitchens, to increase the productino of organic and free-range eggs.  “They didn't even understand why we'd pay more for eggs from them, but they seem to finally get it. So now we should have a supply of free-range organic eggs to supply our boats by season start in November,” he grins.

Spreading the Word

Landgraver says that this new initiative has captured the interest of other organisations, like the Grassroots Human Rights, Education & Development (GHRE) which is now keen on supplying tourists with handmade goods. “We are hoping that we can supply them with other product ideas that we can use,” he adds. In fact, word has gone around about the natural produce, creating a new demand.

Wicked Diving dive master trainees take on eco projects as part of their course.“By making this ‘public’, several dive operators in town have asked us about the source of the things we get and if they can get some as well. So, should this trend continue, the shift to more and more sustainable local sourcing should accelerate,” he tells Gaia Discovery.

Other ecologically safe products purchased by the dive centre are organic unbleached cotton sheets and towels, biodegradable shampoos, conditioners and non-toxic, natural detergents. Wicked Diving’s boats (including the Similan liveaboard) and trucks all use biofuels or mixed biofuels grade. Guests are often invited to take part in environmental projects such as beach and reef cleanups.

Then there’s community work. Community work extends to Summer Camps and to teaching migrant Burmese laborers’ children. The dive centre also sponsored uniforms to the GHRE Youth Outreach School for Burmese Children and educates them about marine life and how they can help to conserve it.

In fact part of the dive master training incorporates a community project that revolves around the environment or guest safety.  This goes way beyond PADI requirements of a dive master training.Whale shark and manta research are among a few educational projects supported by Wicked Diving.

I asked a dive master trainee (DMT) on what she thought about this. “Our project is to teach the kids to turn waste materials into something useful, which they could use at home or sell to earn some pocketmoney,” says Alix Green, a DMT who was clearly enjoying her unusual task. This project is outside of a typical DMT; challenging norms is something Landgraver sees as the way to break through environmental lethargy.

When I visited the centre, the dive master trainees were showing off their own handmade creations – chandelier made of straws, an arty piggy bank made of used drinking plastic bottles, and a “badminton net” made out of elastic bands – before they set off to the orphanage to share with them the art of making these recycled artifacts.

“Part of our responsibility and ethics is that we hire and develop people who will eventually represent us. We have a responsibility towards our community,” says Landgraver. “So our DMTs learn how to make an impact as dive professionals. They become role models, way beyond strutting about in bikini,” he adds.

Dreams coming True

Wickedest of them all - Paul Landgraver.Landgraver and wife Karin started dive operations in 2006, right after the tsunami, with just six sets of equipment, but with the idea of helping Khao Lak folks recover their dreams. They started with a clear 10% profit contribution policy. That contribution philosophy has not changed to this day, as funds are channeled towards supporting communities in which they operate such as education, nurturing children who go to gifted school programmes, and summer camps.

It also supports whale shark and manta ray research (the latter with Andrea Marshall of Marine Mega Fauna society). To date, Wicked Diving has spent nearly $25,000 on all its environmental projects and commitments. And that does not include organic or natural product purchases for guests. But Landgraver is quick to highlight, "not all changes need a lot of cash. Some changes can be done very easily and have a positive impact."

“Each time you join us on a tour, you help make a difference. With so many projects to choose from, we narrow our efforts to just a few that have the largest positive impact on the community and ecosystems,” asserts Landgraver.

So next time you travel or dive, ask your tour operator or dive centre if they have a responsible tourism policy. If they don’t, show them this article.

That’s one small contribution you, as a traveller, can do to change our world for the better.

Photos courtesy of Wicked Diving.

For more information, visit The GHRE Youth Outreach School  for Burmese Children (http://www.ghre.org/en/programs/education/328-youth-outreach/)

View Wicked Diving’s Responsible Tourism Policy here:

http://wickeddiving.com/responsible-tourism-policy2.

View Samatha Tyer's services at www.reallysavvy.com.

The Senang Hati Centre is an oasis of calm and care in a Bali that often only feels ashamed of its disabled children.Bali, 15 December 2010. Two years ago, after completing an instructor course with the International Association of Handicapped Divers, Avandy returned home to Bali fired with a determination to use his new qualification to try to change lives in his community, to inspire others and start eroding prejudices against the disabled.

In Indonesia, it is common for families to be ashamed of their physically handicapped children and hide them away from the community. They are frequently neglected and many live in truly awful conditions. They grow up despondent and hopeless and have a very low level of self-esteem.

In his search for people who also wanted to help disabled people in Bali, Avandy came across an organisation that had already accomplished a great deal for disabled people and had ambitions to achieve a lot more. The Senang Hati (Happy Heart) Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation run by people who were severely affected by polio contracted in early childhood.

The delight on the faces of the Senang Hati divers shows just how far they have come from being virtual outcasts.The foundation was formed in 2003 and currently occupies an old school building in Tampaksiring, deep in the hills of Central Bali. It has 200 members, 30 of whom live in the Senang Hati Centre itself. The others don’t live there permanently, but visit for activities and social events.

The primary goals of Senang Hati are to make contact with disabled people in Bali's rural heartland and lift them out of their social isolation - by giving them the means to become mobile and meet and interact with others. Avandy offered to visit the centre to talk about scuba diving, and show them some of his underwater videos. The event was a great success as the audience had never seen the undersea wonders of Indonesia.

When Avandy ended the session by telling them that they too could learn to dive and see the same things for themselves instead of on video, there was an initial silence and then a burst of laughter. They indicated he must be joking; this was impossible! How could disabled people ever do something so adventurous? None could swim; most had never been close to water except to wash.

Avandy was everywhere helping and encouraging as the divers prepared to raise the Indonesian flag underwaterFast forward to Indonesian Independence day, August 17, 2010. National television cameras were on hand to record the sight of a dozen Senang Hati divers, accompanied by volunteers from the local diving industry, raising an Indonesian flag underwater during a dive near the Liberty shipwreck off the coast of Tulamben in north-eastern Bali.

Getting to that point was not easy; it had seen many tears, much laughter, great personal victories, minor setbacks and numerous swimming pool sessions, lectures and practice dives. But they had done it.

Avandy was everywhere, helping set up the site, making suDiver Ayu never thought she could swim let alone go diving.re every diver entered and left the water safely, encouraging the triumphant new divers – just not in front of the cameras. Briefings, interviews and public appearances were left to others. As he said at the time: "This is just for them."

One of the divers, Ayu, with eyes shining at the memory of her day, said that somehow it still "feels like a dream." It is hard to for her to believe that she now has the skills, mental strength and, thanks to Avandy, the opportunity to go diving whenever she wants.

However, there is still a long way to go. Avandy’s next goal is to encourage others in other parts of Indonesia to follow in the fin prints of the Balinese, and to recognise that physical disability is not a badge of shame but a challenge.

Melanie Smith and her husband Michael travelled to Dili, Timor-Leste to be part of the country’s first dive photo contest and mingle with experienced and published photographers from around the world. As support divers, they had a near enough encounter with divers and critters alike to relate their experiences. Gaia Discovery was a proud media partner of the event.

Singapore, 15 November 2010. “Untouched, unexplored, unbelievable”.  That was the description of underwater Timor-Leste promised by the country’s President Jose Ramos-Horta.  A self-confessed non-diver himself, none-the-less, he has a keen awareness of one of his nascent country’s crown jewels.

1st in Clingers: EunJae Im1st in Portfolio: Lim Kay BurnWhen my husband Michael Smith and I decided to attend the inaugural Timor-Leste Dive Photo Contest (10-14 October 2010) as Gaia Discovery writer and photographer as well as to act as support divers, we were unsure what to expect.  We had been diving in the seas around Timor once before, but wondered what it would be like with at least 70 divers in the water simultaneously spread over the ten allowed dive sites. 

Despite the colorful and healthy reefs around the shore near Dili, the only two dive shops in the country usually host no more than a dozen or two divers on a good weekend. How would they handle more than 30 published underwater photographers as well as an equal number of well-heeled support divers?

We flew Air Timor from Singapore and landed at Dili’s airport the day before the competition and were transferred to the Timor Lodge Hotel – the contest’ headquarters.   Photographers from various countries checked in about the same time, and they arrived from Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, America, Australia, Italy, Korea, Denmark and Hong Kong. There was only one participant from Timor Leste.

1st in Crawlers: Dewi WilaisonoA brief to competitors included a reminder of the purpose of the competition.  The dive photo contest was part of a program to showcase Timor-Leste’s tremendous scuba diving potential and promote its marine-based tourism to the world.  A personal initiative of the President, the contest was a means to educate Timorese on the environment, biodiversity and many marine-based opportunities that the pristine waters of Timor could offer. 

Sean Ferguson-Borrell, the competition organizer and assistant to the President said that all the submitted photos would be used to help educate the people of Timor about a part of their country that they often do not think of.  “If we show them the beauty of the underwater world, they will be less likely to spoil the environment with litter or waste,” he said.

On the eve of the competition, photographers were treated to a helicopter tour of the northern shoreline to scope out the dive sites.  The organizers chose ten dive sites from about 30 explored sites on the main island for the competition. These selected spots provide a variety of marine life and terrain. 

President's Choice Dwellers: Ina Varella BradridegeAccording to Marianne Woodward, General Manager of Dive Timor Lorosae, “We have only scratched the surface of available dive sites.  Everywhere where the northern coastal road is close to the sea, we have dived there and found beautiful new sites.  We don’t have a regular boat capable of exploring the shores closer to the cliffs where there is no access from the road and we avoid the southern coast because of the crocodiles!”

1st in Swimmers: Hendra TanThe sites chosen for the competition provided a microcosm of the varied dive sites on the main island.  Great macro photography was available closer to Dili such as at Pertamina Pier, Dili Rock and Tasi Tolu.  Among the shallow rubble on these dives, photographers found rare critters such as weedy scorpionfish, leafy scorpionfish, blue-ring octopus, thorny seahorses, Halimeda ghost pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish, banded pipefish, frogfish, Ambon shrimps, shrimp gobies and mantis shrimp.  At Tasi Tolu you may emerge from the water nearly bumping into a dugong or sea cow, as I did.

The deeper dive sites east of Dili generally had large vistas and walls that were better for wide-angle photography.  Sites such as Lone Tree offered the added bonus of potential whale sightings. 

Later in the day, at the official opening ceremony, the children of Ba Furtura and the Maritime College treated us to a traditional dance.  Ba Furtura is a local non-profit development organization dedicated to improving the chances of a peaceful future for the children of Timor.

After a welcome dinner, the final piece of the organization took place and gave the photographers’ nerves a reminder that the competition would be fierce and full of pressure.  Support divers were chosen at random and assigned to them.  The few local experienced guides were obviously coveted over the newer divers and those who were also doing their maiden dives in Timor.

2nd in Artistic: Ivan Choong2nd in Clingers: Kandis SenidangAccording to one of the judges, Jürgen Freund (an international freelance nature photographer associated with the World Wide Fund for Nature), “The pressure on the photographers in this type of competition is intense.  In other photo competitions, the photographers just send in some of the best shots from their portfolio that fit the event’s categories.  In an underwater shoot-out such as this, photographers have to capture and process their photographs in a limited time and location.”

Another judge, Jason Isley (founder of Scubazoo), also pointed out that this event chose to differentiate itself from the norm.  Instead of awarding prizes for the common categories of wide angle and macro shots, the categories to be judged included Creepers, Clingers, Swimmers, Dwellers, Artistic and Portfolio.  In addition, the President was awarding one prize in each category for his own choice of favorites.

The other judges for the competition included Daniel Groshong (professional photographer and founder of the Hummingfish Foundation), Jonathan Meur (Editor of Asian Diver magazine) and Wayne Lovell (former international journalist and founder of Timor’s oldest dive shop).

Daniel, also a key organiser of the event, explained the distinctive approach that the contest had taken. “We wanted to tailor the contest to fit Timor and what it has to offer.  I also wanted to keep the categories open enough to allow for as much creativity as possible. Photographers could then express their creative vision rather then just try to fit into rigid categories.  Hence, nothing like ‘macro’ or ‘wide angle’,” said Daniel.

Kandis Sekidang hooks both President's Choice and the 3rd Prize in Swimmers category.“I just wanted to keep the event unique, memorable and uniquely Timor,” he added, having spent time exploring and photographing the newly independent nation for more than 10 years. Daniel had in 2006 produced a coffee table book documenting the country’s land and underwater attractions with his own photography.

1st in Artistic: Ronny RengkungCompetitors acknowledged the added pressure of the shoot-out style competition.  Participant Gilbert Woolley from England said, “Every dive needs to count.  With limited minutes underwater for shooting, I don’t have time for anything other that looking for critters or figuring out how to take the best photos of them”. 

Korean Eun Jae Im concurred saying, “I didn’t have time to really enjoy the dive sites but I will definitely return to Timor.  The reefs and marine life here are fantastic and Timor makes an interesting side trip from Bali.” 

1st in Dwellers: Ronny RengkungDewi Wilaisono from Indonesia went further to say, “I plan to organize a trip here for friends.  They will not believe how easy and nice the diving is until they see my photos.  There are also beautiful places in around Dili and in the mountains that are just waiting to be explored.” 

Most importantly, the photographers agreed that the logistics of the event were handled well and the number of divers at any one site never caused serious issues.

What was my verdict for the competition?  Based on the stated goals, it was a major success.  President Ramos-Horta sung the praises of the portfolio of photos now collected for use in promoting the industry and educating the Timorese. 

Daniel and Jason agreed that the quality of photos was on par with other competitions around the region.  All of the photographers enjoyed the event.  Their only complaint could not be helped - it was the unusual wet weather that caused the closure of several dive sites one afternoon. 

Regarding the organization, safety was always a primary concern.  Dive marshals were posted at every site to give advice on the local conditions as well as to provide first aid and communications support.  Each photographer and support diver team had use of a microlet van, driver and assistant to get to dive sites.  This helped to ensure a more even distribution of divers over the available sites and dive times.

2nd in Swimmers: Dewi WilaisonoThe competition culminated with the awards ceremony on 15 October at the President’s Residence or Dili’s Palacio Lahane.  President Ramos-Horta thanked not only the photographers but also all who supported the event and contributed to its success.

Cash prizes and medals were awarded for each category with first place worth US$2,500, second place US$1,000 and third place worth US$500.  The President’s choice award for each category was HK$10,000 Canon vouchers (worth about US$1,300) and a commemorative medal.

2nd in Portfolio: Gilbert WoolleyI could only echo his final comment that his wish is that the photo competition would become an annual event.  Although only a support diver, I felt that I was fully immersed in the competition, interacting with the photographers, judges and organizers.  I met many new friends and learned much about underwater photography as well as the competitor’s most important attribute – patience. 

I hope it is not the last time I get to watch a grown man court a little pink Christmas tree worm.

Results of the Winners of the first Timor-Leste Photo Dive Contest 2010

Category: Clingers

From left: Ivan Choong, Dewi Wilaisono & Lim Kay Burn. Photo by EunJae Im.1^st – EunJae Im, Republic of Korea

2^nd – Kandis Semidang, Indonesia

3^rd – Peter Teagle, England

President’s Choice – Kandis Semidang, Indonesia

Category: Crawlers

1^st – Dewi Wilaisono, Indonesia

2^nd – Gilbert Woolley, England

Timor-Leste dive photo contest participants.3^rd – Ricky Rusli Kurniawan, Indonesia

President’s Choice – Brian Francisco, United States

Category: Dwellers

1^st – Ronny Rengkung, Indonesia

2^nd – Ricky Rusli Kurniawan, Indonesia

3^rd – Louisa Butler, England

President’s Choice – Ina Varella Bradridege, Timor-Lest

Category: Swimmers

1^st – Hendra Tan, Indonesia

2^nd – Dewi Wilaisono, Indonesia

3^rd – Kandis Semidang, Indonesia

President’s Choice – Kandis Semidang, Indonesia

Category: Artistic

1^st – Ronny Rengkung, Indonesia

2^nd – Ivan Choong, Singapore

3^rd – Ricky Rusli Kurniawan, Indonesia

Category: Portfolio

1^st – Lim Kay Burn, Australia

2^nd – Gilbert Woolley, England

3^rd – David Baxter, Australia

President’s Choice – Kandis Semidang, Indonesia

Gaia Discovery thanks the sponsors Air Timor, Timor Lodge, Dive Timor Lorosae, Freeflow Diving, the President of Timor-Leste and the organisers of the contest for making this article possible.

About the Contributors

Melanie and Michael Smith have been diving for over 20 years. Michael is a scuba diving instructor with White Manta Diving while Melanie is completing her dive master course. They enjoy land-based and dive travel to places off the beaten track, which provides its own rewards. How many people can say they were diving in the Lembeh Straits before there were resorts there and diving on the Seven Skies wreck before it rusted?  In their out of the way travels, they have also met the king of Ladakh, king of Maubese and the last prince of Bali. Melanie and Michael also enjoy dancing in the rain. Contact them at msmith_sg AT yahoo DOT com.

Simon Pridmore moved recently from England to Bali. While exploring land and sea, he stumbles upon an amazing find - a muck dive site that is not well publicised. But he is bothered by a few environmental factors and wonders just how long will the natural habitats be left alone to flourish.

Bali, 20 October 2010. Along Bali’s north shore, away from the tourist hotspots, there are a few great little dive-sites that are infrequently visited.

One of these is Puri Jati. Drive for 20 minutes along the coast road west from Lovina and you come to the small town of Seririt.

Open rice fields add to Bali's charm.If you are coming from the south, take the road north out of Denpasar through the mountains, passing through the lakeside market village of Bedugul and sleepy Munduk. If you are lucky with the traffic, it will take you about 3 hours.

Negotiate Seririt’s one-way system and just 500m out of town on the road to Gilimanuk take the track off to the right signposted Zen Resort.

This leads you along a bumpy trail, through a set of split gates and brings you out at the top of a hill overlooking gorgeous rice fields surrounding a large temple and the sea, glassy and glistening beyond. This is Puri Jati.

Drive down to the beach and the track splits in two. Go left to find a row of fishermen’s homes and a second, smaller temple. Go right to find a little shaded beachside facility set up especially for divers. There are fresh water showers, toilets, a small café, concrete gear washing and camera baths and usually a couple of guys around to help you with your gear if you need it. If you don’t need help just say “tidak mau” (I don’t want) with a smile and they will leave you alone.

If you are doing a couple of dives they will ask for a donation of Rp28, 000 (about US$3) for use of the facilities. This goes to the community and theoretically compensates the local people for not fishing on the dive-site.  Sadly, as we found, this seems to have only limited effect but it is a small amount to pay and it seems at least some of the locals are trying their best. The facility is clean and very well maintained.

File fish are kinda cute.Puri Jati diving is what is commonly termed “muck.” The calm bay, particularly around the mouth of a small river, is a haven for octopuses and a nursery for the more unusual creatures found in Indonesia’s seas. At first, you dip below the flat surface and it seems that there is nothing there. But then a trained eye spots what looks like a sprig of weed and, on closer inspection, the weed turns out to be a very rare and exotic Ambon Scorpion fish, with its partner lying perfectly still only centimetres away. As you approach they both start to weave and bob in unison, mimicking the way seaweed moves on a tide.

A few metres further on, you lift a patch of weed to reveal a baby hairy frogfish hiding beneath and a small white mark on the sand turns out to be another baby frogfish relying on its unusual colouring rather than camouflage to protect it.

Every coconut shell and discarded bottle or jars turn out to be the residence of an octopus and they can often be seen scuttling across the sand clutching construction materials to improve their homes. Collapsible juice bags make useful front doors, it seems. When not busy collecting, they bury themselves and their homes deep in the sand. A pile of debris in a pit is a common indicator that here is the lair of an octopus.

This is a holy place so in the morning you may well come upon a prayer ceremony taking place on the sand or a procession coming from the temple to the sea. Mostly, however, you will get the beach to yourselves until late afternoon when mopeds laden with up to four people each bring villagers to swim, bathe, eat and chat on the sand and under the trees. Everyone is very friendly although you will get a few curious stares as you emerge from the shallows in your scuba gear like a big glass-eyed monster from the depths.

Octopus gathers a shell and coconut for its hideout.The site slopes out gently along way from the shore until you reach a steeper section, which takes you down to 30 m (100 ft) and more. The slope is good for spotting fingered dragonets, inimicus devilfish, flying gurnards and many kinds of file fish and if you look closely you can find ghost pipefish hanging in the fronds of ferns that decorate the slope like puffy white clouds. These are the home too of unusual yellow, white and black nudibranchs.Same octopus hides in coconut.

Curb your environmental instincts and resist the urge to pick up any trash you see lying on the bottom. It is not only the octopus that needs to find creative housing solutions on the featureless sand. A sheet of plastic provides protection from predators and a tin can makes a romantic pied-a-terre for a pair of blennies.

There is no airfill station on the beach but the friendly folk at the Zen resort dive facility a few hundred metres up the track are happy to rent and fill tanks for you. They also provide guided dives and this is one place where a good, experienced guide is worth his or her weight in gold because some of the more exotic of Puri Jati’s residents, such as the highly sought after and little understood mimic octopuses, are so hard to find. When we were there on one occasion we met a couple of photographers who were diving with top Bali operator Aquamarine and they were very grateful for the spotting skills of their divemaster.

A plastic juice pouch comes in handy.Octopus seals its hideout with a door.The best way to appreciate Puri Jati is to dive it at different times of the day so think about staying overnight nearby. The Zen resort offers high-class accommodation or, if you are on a budget, the Bali Nibbana Resort next door has comfortable rooms at cheap prices. Both places have restaurants and freezers full of locally harvested and fresh produce or you can drive into Lovina where virtually every culinary taste is catered for. A popular choice with expat residents is Kakatua. For a quick lunch during your diving day, drive up the track to the main road, turn right (west) and the first café you come to on the right offers a spicy nasi campur for Rp10,000. The friendly couple that run it have absolutely no objection if you turn up in your wetsuit!

For supplies there is a Hardy’s supermarket on the one-way circuit in Seririt that has pretty much anything you might need and is open late into the evening.

A lair fit for this lordy Cephalopod, possibly a Day Octopus.If you are asking if Puri Jati is a hidden paradise, especially for underwater photographers, then the answer is, “it can be.” Sadly, it seems that not everyone on this stretch of coast has grasped the concept that the richer the marine life, the more divers will visit the bay and bring much needed economic benefit to the area. Some fishermen, possibly because they see divers coming in and out of the water with smiles on their faces, sneak into the bay from time to time at night and drag weighted nets along the seabed.

This is not completely disastrous. The more enlightened villagers have placed snares in the shallows to snag the nets and try and disrupt this activity, the nets don’t succeed in scouring the site completely and the marine life does return after a little while but there is bound to be some long term attrition and the site could be even better and an even bigger draw if it remained pristine and untouched.

Finds like Puri Jati are all too rare, so when you visit, take the opportunity to emphasise to everyone you meet the long-term benefits of protecting the site for divers. Point out that the reason people visit the site is not to see big fish but to see tiny marine creatures that are a valuable resource ONLY if they are left where they are.

Blenny passes the day in a can.Tell the waitress in your hotel, the guy who serves you in the bar, the children who come up to you on the beach to practice their English. That way the word will get around; the people around here have a chance to steal at least a few of Bali’s tourist dollars away from their cousins in the affluent south. If the divers stop coming, however, Puri Jati will sink back into peaceful but penniless oblivion!

Photographs courtesy of Simon Pridmore.

Contacts and Connections

Bali Nibbana Resort: www.balinibbanaresort.com/ 

Zen Resort www.zenresortbali.com/

Blue Season Dive Centre at Zen: www.bali-diving-resort.com/

Aquamarine Diving: www.aquamarinediving.com/

Kakatua Restaurant, Jalan Pantai Binaria, Lovina 0362-41144/41344

by Mallika Naguran

Singapore, 28 October 2010. Diving experience in the Philippines ranks high when compared to top dive destinations as it sits within the Coral Triangle, or the heart of the world’s richest marine biodiversity that can ever be realized. And there are plenty of places in which to take the plunge, considering there are 7,107 islands to choose from, mostly fringed by delightful beaches and reefs.

Vertical reefs, wrecks, caves, bommies... Puerto Galera. Pic by Herald Kruger.Puerto Galera is just one of those many islands drenched in the sun, sheltered in part by waving palms, that offer top underwater scuba diving and land-based attractions. It has been estimated that there are 3,000 marine species alone in this Southern spot, but don’t hold your breath for the big stuff. Sweetlips, humphead parrots, barracudas, jacks and puffers are huge, and there’s healthy and dazzling coral cover even in the midst of bleaching due to high temperatures this year. And there are loads of macro critters to scout for.

Puerto Galera, a reservation area under the Man and Biosphere Program of the UNESCO, is located in the Mindoro province of the Philippines, about a three-hour drive south from Manila City to Batangas Port, and an hour’s boat ride from there to El Galleon jetty.

When reaching Puerto Galera, the number of dive centres fronting the coastline can be mind-boggling. A number of them appear small, ill equipped or out for quick bucks. I was wary, and chose to dive with Asia Divers that was tucked away just around the corner that opens up into a bay, away from the bustle of the sea taxis and knick-knack peddlers.

The reasons to choose to dive with Asia Divers in Puerto Galera are plentiful: an established dive outfit, professional diving instruction and services, fully equipped dive centre, well-stocked technical dive store with gear and gadgets for those who need to be constantly challenged, and no surprises – very friendly staff. Not to mention a continuous stream of amazing underwater experience to put that grin on your face as you emerge from the wet.

Cuttlefish in camouflage. Pic by Akiko Tada.But let’s begin with the beginning.

Asia Divers is a PADI 5 Star Career Development Center (CDC) that was founded in 1987 by Allan Nash who heads up Asia Divers and El Galleon Beach Resort, both located next to each other. And the infamous Point Bar sits directly above the dive centre, a refuge for many in need of a good drop to drink, which happens all too often!

Mandarins play at dusk. Pic by Akiko Tada.Asia Divers CDC is a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center (IDC). That means that it meets all of PADI 5 Star IDC requirements and is committed to greater professional training and development. I was also told that Asia Divers is the first and only PADI CDC 5 Star Career Development Center in Puerto Galera and one of the three in the whole of Philippines.

Asia Diver Gets Technical

Allan is no stranger to many; he was Philippines’ third course director and has invested significant time and resources to build scuba diving capabilities in the country. He became a founder of Instructor Development Asia Pacific (iDAP) in 2001. With the help of course director Warren Dixon, they push the boundaries of instructor training.

Frog fish hardly wrecked. Pic by Herald Kruger.“We created iDAP as a division of Asia Divers to take care of all aspects of instructor development,” said Allan, adding that a dedicated course director oversees the training.  This includes “development and fine tuning our instructor training schedule to best suit our students and to develop stand alone courses that deal with management within the dive center and resort, compressor operations, maintenance, and more.”

Allan and his partners Tommy Soderstrom and Andy Norman can be classified as veterans, averaging more than 20 years each in the running of this business Far East.

Besides them a squad of five full time instructors and two dive masters await. “All our staff have been with us for a long time, not just the cooks and table help but also the instructors,” said Allan.

Indeed, everybody seems comfortable doing what they do at the dive center. Allison Manis has been with Asia Divers for 13 years. She is just ahead of Pete Eaton, a jolly guy whose humour belies his technical expertise – he has struck the bell at The Point Bar for the last 10 years.

The professional bunch also come in handy for training and support for technical diving at all levels, including instructor programme. Tech Asia, a subsidiary of Asia Divers, is the only comprehensive tech diving instruction that can be had on this island together with the tech store. That includes Nitrox, Rebreather, full Trimix, and Technical Wreck.

A frequent technical diver here is Jascha Ortmanns, a Hong Kong-based Philips senior executive who has lived in Asia for many years. Having dived and checked out various shops in the region, he has the impression that Asia Divers "is one of the - if not the - most professional run and operating Tech facilities in Asia," adding that the shop is well equipped, or can arrange for speedy delivery for items needed. The equipment, he finds, are always in excellent condition.

"They have a number of instructors, mostly focused on IANTD (and crossover from others to IANTD); they also run PADI TecRec and DSAT courses and also the famous GUE courses through local and international instructors," said Jascha, who explores the depth between 45m to more than 100m.

He enjoys wreck diving specially, citing the Mactan Ferry wreck just under five hours by boat from Puerto Galera. The 83m MV Mactan was built in 1961 and sank on 15 July 1973 while carrying goods. The vessel remains largely intact, resting on the starboard side on a reef slope with bow pointing towards the shore. Divers can explore the open cargo holds, the engine and machine rooms.

"Apart from that, there are great rock formations (Verde Islands), great drift dives, and scooters are available for rent or BYO. There is a cool Mapating Cave about an hour by boat towards Batangas too," Jascha enthused.

A centre catered for technical divers' demands and fancies, this sets Asia Divers apart from the numerous dive centres dotting the coastline and back alleys of Puerto 3D glasses not required. Pic by Herald Kruger.Galera.

But not being a techy, all this doesn’t quite interest me as much as the diving itself!

Dive Delight

A good introduction to the dive sites around Puerto Galera can be found on Asia Divers website, so you can decide before where you’d like to explore. There are more than 30 dive sites within reach by boat in 15 minutes, and you can dive 5 times a day if you like, including a dusk or night dive.

Having been to Puerto Galera only once and logged just 13 dives in 6 days however, I have not scoured all the choice spots. But being rather picky, I already have my favourites.

Hole in the Wall

Snapping morays. Pic by Jascha Ortmanns.Easy and nice, perfect for Open Water divers at clear 18m depth. Take a boat out and dive at about 9m depth and fin towards coral crusted boulders standing about 4 m hig. They offer pretty views until you reach a hole that’s wide enough for just one to swim through at a time.  As you emerge from the other side, a hard coral garden greets you where you may chance upon yapping moray eels, puffer, porcupine fish and even a 3-metre long banded sea snake. Don’t worry it won’t bite. It is scared of you and will swim away.

Shark Cave

Depending whether you are lucky, you may spot a 1.3m long white tip snoozing in one of the three caves at 26m depth. Be careful not to kick up sand as you gently lower your body towards the ground for a better look. Photographers -  try not to spook it by going too close as these sharks are sensitive to human presence.  Having had your fill of the shark (not shark’s fin soup), feast on the pink wall of soft corals that harbour regal looking lionfish.

The Canyons

Snaking wonder. Pic by Herald Kruger.Now this is a tricky one depending on how the tides flow and where the currents dictate. Like a wild horse it needs taming, but life can be a lot easier if you just entered at the right conditions and with Nitrox. Diving at 28-30m depth you come across three beautiful walls set apart by plunging ravines. Currents can be pretty swift so grabbing on to a rock while ogling at the extra large sweetlips and snappers isn’t a bad idea. You end the dive by posing next to a relic – a nearly 2m big anchor camouflaged by coral that once served a proud Spanish Galleon well.

Ernie’s Cave

At nearly 21m depth you come across a cave and then another at 27m depth; between those, you sweep past a seabed covered with lovely soft and hard corals that’s home to surgeonfish, fusiliers, cuttlefish and more. The variety of coral cover is astounding with large table corals, bommies, and soft corals, even lacy gorgonians. Take with you a magnifying glass if you don’t have a trained eye, or you might miss the tiny pygmy seahorse on the yellow fan coral.

Verde Island

Now the boat tide to Verde Island takes about 45 minutes, but it’s a fun ride especially when Allan at the wheel decides to give it a bit of a spin. Gear up at leisure and drop off on the east side of the island where the pinnacles peer above the water surface. Here you can go deep, but don’t get carried away by the amazing lofty formations covered with myriads of sponges, crinoids and corals. For certain do not get swept away by the outrageous currents.

Off to Verde Islands!Two dives at Verde aren’t enough to satisfy the thirst of diehard divers but still they will show up lots of pelagics, jacks, barracudas, corals (some staghorn bleaching is underway) and Kodak moments like a rock jumping out of the way when a sea snake approach it. The rock was a devious scorpionfish in camouflage! And there were two banded sea snakes teasing each other. Parrotfish and angelfish eye each other as they chomp on algae. Welcome to nature’s playground!

As you return back after two magnificent dives, you might find your boat escorted by a pod of dolphins.  

Reaching El Galleon, tuck into some exquisite cuisine at Arthur’sLife can't get any better than this. Restaurant, tease your palate with Chef Antoine’s famous chocolate mousse, and watch the sun set slowly as you lie sprawled on the new pine fragrant jetty with a chilled Chardonnay in hand.

It might just dawn on you that you’ve just spent another day very easily in paradise.

Photographs courtesy of Herald Kruger, Akiko Tada and Jascha Ortmanns.

More Information:

Visit Asia Divers and El Galleon website at www.asiadivers.com.

Location and Instructions on Getting To Asia Divers/El Galleon

El Galleon Beach Resort / Asia Divers
Small La Laguna Beach, Puerto Galera,
Oriental Mindoro, 5203 Philippines

General enquiry: admin AT asiadivers DOT com

Contact Allan Nash at allan AT asiadivers DOT com

By Mallika Naguran

Singapore, 8 June 2010. Both times I dived in Miri, they were in some kind of a shroud. The first time, just after the Miri International Jazz Festival in May 2009, I dived a day after a typhoon had smacked into Southern Philippines which sits just out far east from this end of Sarawak. I recalled being amazed by the plentiful coral cover and anemones though the visibility couldn't go beyond 5m even with a prayer!

Feather star on a Gorgonian. Photo by Nick Coburn Phillips.Just last month, same time last year (following yet another enjoyable jazz festival), my buddy Nick Coburn Philips and I got into the boat on a clear day just after a day of thunderstorm, and dived in the same spots to somewhat better visibility all round ranging from 15m to 25m range. But what a delight it was!

Miri diving is all about patch reefs with varying depths from 7 to 30 meters, so even novice divers can enjoy the numerous sites without having to go too deep. Best time to dive is apparently March to September, and the best of visibility can stretch up to 30 metres. But be prepared for heavy showers and storms at the tail end of the monsoon season.

Miri's 40 dive sites never cease to amaze, even with repeat divers, who are either residents or workers in the thriving oil and gas industry (complete with several oil rigs), or pleasure seekers that drive down from Brunei.

Popular sites include Anemone Reef; as the name suggests, the sea is awash with waving, soft anemones in various stages of retraction, protecting clown fishes in a mutually symbiotic relationship. Nemo may have found its home here for sure and made friends with the gay tomato clown fishes!

You’ll be bound to be balled over by Eve’s Garden that according to Robert of Tropical Dives covers around 400 square metres of amazing hard and soft coral cover. We dived at the West end this time due to a slight current plying at the East end, which was supposed to be prettier.

Hypselodoris Apoglegma Rhinophores. Photo by Luke Ho.But still, what a treat.

A gorgeous site, Eve’s Garden tempts with her varied landscape of hard and soft corals, sea whips, sponges, giant clams, sponge barrels, and brainy looking squirts! Top marks for biodiversity here.

Two avid scuba divers from Singapore were also diving in Miri just days before we did, to satisfy their urge for photographing nudibranchs! Dr Luke Ho and Dr Mabel Fang, otherwise known as Dr Nudi, had previously dived there three years before. “Eve’s Garden is by far the best site for nudis. The diversity there is simply amazing,” said Luke.

Apparently, 40 species of nudibranchs have been spotted in Miri.

Nick discovered a gorgeous nudibranch called Berthella Martensi and we were amused by the markings on its body that we thought resembled a face. This was at Sunday Reef, where we also encountered the Sea Hare – a delightful swimmy slug that is known to wriggle its way up to the sea surface, then down again.

The face of the Sea Hare. Photo by Luke Ho.

Batu Belais site is famed for rabbit fish, and no wonder. The rocky bottom also display spreads of Gorgonians, and hundreds of Chelidonura Amoena happily feeding or making out, in pairs, and sometimes, more. “They are not necessarily restricted to twosomes” jokes Dr Nudi, while Luke adds “These nudis are famous for their orgies!”

No wonder Nick couldn’t take his lens off the wild scenes taking place underwater. I got bored (not much of a macro fan...yes, size matters!) and was totally distracted by what could have possibly been a hundred hovering squids at Sunday Reef. Their eyes bulged, checking me out. They were going nowhere. Neither was I.  I think the fascination was mutual as I finned closer, and within three metres, I was held spellbound by their peace, beauty and grace.

I shall never ever put a squid in my mouth!

Reef fish, plentiful, kept us busy too. We glided among the angel fish, butterfly fish,  a huge grouper, parrot fish, wrasses, tobies, gobies, and a juvenile scorpion fish.

Our third dive on the second day got us a bit busy. A fishing net, what could have been at least 80m long, had caught itself around hard corals, rocks, anemones, and more. Robert figured it was a day old or so, and promptly ditched guiding us, to embark in the tricky task of removing it. I got into action.

Chelidonura-Amoena getting cosy! Photo by Luke Ho.However, we had no dive knife with us, and it was difficult to dislodge the net completely, especially around the spiky staghorns. We secured the freeflowing bits but abandoned the removal of the whole net with the intention of Robert and more divers returning again with knives and cutters. At least we rescued some anemones and critters from becoming trapped and possibly, killed.

Back on the boat, heading back to shore, we discussed the net. Robert was surprised to see such a long net when there were hardly fishing boats near the coast of Miri and around the popular dive sites. He was baffled. But last year, we both removed long fishing lines that were entangled around a coral table during one of our dives here as well. An unlucky coincidence?

Educating fishermen on safe fishing methods would be a good thing, plus where not to fish as it would affect tourism in the long run to fish at popular dive sites, knowing that one bad move or two can wreck havoc on the biodiversity that has been preserved so well over the years. I made a mental note to go out and get myself a dive knife as all too often, when I go on leisure dives, I end up being a rescuer or sea gardener.

I also made a note to dive, the next time when I am in Miri, the two famed wrecks: the Atago Maru Wreck, a 300 footer ruin from the Second World War (home to giant grouper, large trevally and barracudas I hear), and the Sri Gadong Wreck, a 100 foot cargo ship that teams with fish.

In better visibility conditions, I hope.

Photography by Luke Ho and Nick Coburn Phillips. Video by Nick as well.

With thanks to Sarawak Tourism Board, Park City Everly Hotel, Tropical Dives (scuba diving division of Planet Borneo Tour & Travel Services) and Malaysian Airlines for making this trip possible.

Singapore, 19 March 2010. "Backsides" are not bad, especially if you’re in Timor-Leste. The backside of the spectacular northern coastline takes you to verdant hills and valleys during the wet season, and the backside Cristo Rei strikes a commanding presence even from afar.of that would be a scattered village or two saved from the spoils of civilization.

The backside of the Palacio del Gobernador (Governor’s/Prime Minister building) in the heart of capital city Dili would surprise with backward food joints serving back to basics nutritious Timorese food cooked fresh with healthy helpings of fish soup with backbones et al.

To find out the reason why the fish soup tastes better than it smells, you have to go to Jesus Christ backside (pardon my French). This is the famed 88-foot Cristo Rei perched on the headland at Cape Fatucama. Jesus’ arms are raised, blessing all things great and small, squiggly and scaly. Sunsets are spectacular and so is diving or snorkeling just around the back of Cristo Rei, where you’ve to grip on to the 4Wheeler as it trudges down a rocky, dusty track where few tread.

Once you’re there, there’s no backing out.

The sea teems with gleaming fish - free as the frolicking dolphins - and no wonder.

Peel on the wetsuit and wade out into the warm temperate waters of the sheltered bay. Just five minutes into my dive at this site christened Jesus Christ Backside (I would humbly suggest renaming is to JCB to keep the nuns from blushing) – BAM - I came head on into a shoal of bumphead parrotfish. 

Dotted sweetlips on a teabreak at Dili Rock.Swimming in the middle of the largely 24 female harem accompanying a proud male, I was exuberant. I sipped my air slow and deep. This was a dive to live for and I aimed to make every breath last.

But the corals took my breath away. Live, healthy, resplendent soft corals spreading out amongst hard ones, anemones, sponges and giant clams in a garden that could easily tempt chaste Eve. There were varieties here that I didn’t spot in the likes of Northern Sulawesi, coastal Malaysia and Thailand but very reminiscent of virgin marine life in Raja Ampat of West Papua.

Dirt Track, a favourite coastal dive in Manatuto district, offers at 17 metres depth spectacular coral-crusted rocks with fanning gargonions and thrusting bommies from which sponge barrels sprout. Save air! The wet soap opera unfolds for another 200m as you gradually ascend, running into dramatic snappers, parrotfish, butterfly fish, fusiliers and batfish.

Doing decompression stop at 5 metres will amaze. Here the sandy bottom holds a kaleidoscopic display of staghorns, leather corals, brain corals and anemones. Diagonal-banded and yellow dot sweetlips flirt, blue-striped snapper fuss, barber surgeonfish flit, and the ebony triggerfish fin in happy oblivion.

On the other side of the city, specifically the backside of Dili Rock, lies a dive site that together with Tasi Tolu is macro Mecca. You’d be blind if you missed the leaf scorpion fish, raggy scorpionfish, paddle-flap scorpionfish, anglerfish, thorny seahorse, ghost pipefish, and more. A night dive just 20m west of Dili Rock takes you to a shallow platform that’s a feeding ground for crabs and shrimp. Stick your hand out for a free manicure courtesy of banded boxer shrimp but watch out for the toothy morays.

Marianne has an eye on a leaf scorpionfish at Tasi Tolu.A ray shark was spotted here and as always, dugongs rule this kingdom of sea. I didn’t get to see them though in my second trip to Timor diving with excellent PADI 5-star Dive Timor Lorosae. Which means, I just have to go back.

And commuting from Singapore where I live, to Dili, is easy. I just hop on to a thrice-weekly SilkAir flight operated by Air Timor (formerly Austasia Airlines) on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays in the morning, and arrive fresh just three and half hours later. Departure is also on the same day at three in the afternoon. So the best thing to do is to book up for up to ten days, dive until the morning the day before, and you’ll have spectacular eight days of diving with two dives daily.

Timor-Leste has so far 30 discovered dive sites. Mostly shore dives, six sites are located within Dili itself, and fourteen dives along the coastal road that can take up to an hour to get to. There are 10 dive sites on Atauro island alone accessible by boat.

Atauro island has a stunner of a mountain located 14 nautical miles from the mainland with amazing walls and drop offs inviting big fish and turtles. The channel between the island and the mainland is deep at 3km, which explains the deep currents and choice path of migrating humpback whales in October and November.  Whalesharks, hammerheads and manta rays have also been spotted, says Marianne Woodward, a resident dive instructor and general manager of Dive Timor Lorosae.

“The reefs are unspoilt because there is no commercial fishing, dynamite fishing or cyanide fishing here,” she explained, adding that the world’s newest republic nation and dive destination sees fewer divers compared to places like Phuket, Bali or the Maldives.

You'd be tempted to play rugby with this puffer.“Divers can expect dramatic walls and healthy corals due to the nutrients brought in by deep welling currents,” said Marianne. “What they should not expect is resort-style diving like Bali.”

“Timor-Leste hasn’t got into tourism in a big commercial way, and you can still get to dive sites with your own group, which is why I love it,” adds Marianne.

Accommodation should preferably be arranged prior to arriving in Timor-Leste because they aren’t plentiful. Priced at US dollars, room rates can start at $40 to more than a hundred, depending on the comfort level and facilities offered.

Dive Timor Lorosae (starting from end of April 2010) offers shared board for up to 10 people with 5 bedrooms (twin share), a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, camera stations, and WIFI. Rates: USD35 per person a night, and yes you get to chill at the pool all night long with a margarita in your hand.

Where? At the backside of the dive centre of course.

Land photography by Mallika Naguran. Underwater photography by Daniel j. Groshong. http://www.tayophotogroup.com/

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The Editor thanks Air Timor and Dive Timor Lorosae for their gracious sponsorships in enabling this interview.

Air Timor takes you from Singapore to Dili, and back, thrice a week (Tues, Thurs & Sat). Flight time around three and half hours. Flight details on any of those days:

MI 296 Singapore to Dili  0920 – 1415 hrs

MI 295 Dili to Singapore 1515 – 1800 hrs

Note: Marianne Woodward, since 2012, has left the post as general manager of DTL.