Eco Divers News

"Keep your wide angle in your bag, this is the Lembeh Strait!" We really can't remember how many times we have said that to our guests. However, on 3rd March we were forced to think again. On a dive to Angels Window a group diving with guide Robbie Manialup came across a whale shark. We fondly called it a pygmy whale shark as it was still young and only reached a length of 6 meters!

This is the biggest fish in the sea and there are only a few whale species that are larger. Thought to reach up to a possible 20 meters and 34 tonnes it seems difficult to believe that they feed on microscopic plankton rarely more than 3mm in size. The combination of its immense size and characteristic checkerboard pattern makes this creature almost unmistakable and completely unforgettable.

The whale shark belongs to the order Orectolobiformes, or carpet sharks, and comprises the only member of its family, Rhincodontidae. Most families of carpet sharks are small, benthic (sea-floor) species with a limited distribution through the tropical and temperate indo-pacific waters (e.g. wobbegongs and bamboo sharks). A few species such as the whale shark, Zebra shark and two out of the three species of nurse Shark are larger and more geographically widespread. (Info from the Shark Trust)

If you have a particular critter that you would like to learn more about, email steve.coverdale@eco-divers.com and we'll look into featuring it in a future article.

Kungkungan Bay Resort is proud to have been selected by Scuba Diver Australasia Magazine as host resort for its Digital Download photo shoot-out event 2008.

The shoot-out is in a 5-night format between 26 November and 01 December. All are welcome to join irrespective of level of experience, with the emphasis firmly on having fun and learning. There is no entrance fee to pay – all you need to do to join this exciting event is make a normal booking into the resort on those dates and let us know you'd like to join the event.

Prizes will be in three categories with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize awarded in each category:

CATEGORY	1st prize	2nd prize	3rd prize
Macro Behaviour	Canon EOS 450D Tusa Selene BCD (female)	KBR 7D/7N trip for one	PDS Membership Camaro wetsuit
Portrait	Canon EOS 450D Tusa Xpert Zoom fins	Tasik Ria 7D/7N trip for one	PDS Membership Camaro wetsuit
Portfolio	Canon EOS 450D Scubapro Xtender computer	Kima Bajo 7D/7N trip for one	PDS Membership Camaro wetsuit

Judging the event will be three very well known personalities from the world of scuba diving and underwater photography. David Espinosa, editor of Scuba Diver Australasia, will also be attending. Joining him will be Simon Buxton and Mike Veitch.

Simon Buxton has spent most of his working life in and around the sea. After graduating with a degree in marine biology, he journeyed to Asia to work in the diving industry as an instructor, guide, and videographer. As time passed he began to specialise more in imaging, and the only dives now without a camera are while teaching students about photography on his underwater photo workshops. Simon has placed highly in several competitions in the past few years, and when not diving spends his time designing Web sites and performing studio photography. He is a contributor for various magazines around the world and a Field Editor for ScubaDiver AustralAsia. Highlights of his underwater career so far have been seeing humpback whales underwater, and finding his first mimic octopus in the Philippines. Within Asia he tries to dive Indonesia and the Philippines at least once a year, as he feels these areas offer more than most other locations.

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Mike Veitch has been working as a full-time dive professional in the tropical Pacific since the '90s. As a photo/video pro aboard live-aboards and resorts, Mike has spent many years photographing the incredible marine life of the Indo Pacific region on a near daily basis. Along with his underwater photography and video work, Mike conducts photo classes throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific (www.divephotofest.com, www.OceanStockImages.com), and currently resides in Bali where he hones his photography and video skills on an almost daily basis.

For further details contact Eco Divers at info@eco-divers.com

It's not often we get something for free these day, and so the Eco Team are extremely happy to tell you that Bill MacDonald will be at Kungkungan Bay Resort for the first 3 weeks of November 2008. This is your big chance to learn from one of the most experienced underwater videographers in the world. And Bill's advice is completely free of charge.

Bill is an established environmental film producer and CEO of Bill Macdonald Productions and stock footage archive and is the producer of the popular Synthetic Sea series that chronicles the unfortunate impact of marine debris on the world ocean ecosystem.

He has a B.S in Political Science from CSULB as well as some forty years of filming and video experience including a six-year period as a member of the Cousteau Society's Calypso diving and filming team. You can learn more about Bill and his work by checking out these links – and when you've done that you will then want to click here and book your diving holiday to make sure you get some of the best free advice this side of Christmas!

Links: www.macdonaldproductions.com and www.youtube.com/007bmac

Come and meet the Eco Divers team from April 18-20 at the ever-popular ADEX show in Singapore (Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre).

Please call by to say Hi and catch up on the latest goings on with Eco Divers, Kungkungan Bay Resort, Kima Bajo Resort and Tasik Ria Resort.

A new Japanese representative will join Eco Divers on 1 April.

Ms Takako Wada is an experienced PADI IDC Staff Instructor, EFR Instructor, Specialty Instructor in eight subjects and a Recompression Chamber Operator, who also worked for several years as Inbound Manager for a travel agency in Malaysia. Takako's role is to make sure that Japanese dive guests staying at either Tasik Ria, Kima Bajo or Kungkungan Bay have a memorable and fantastic experience. We welcome Takako to her new job and we wish her every success!

From May 2008, Eco Divers will be offering diving and snorkelling services at the attractive upscale boutique Kima Bajo Resort, Manado. The resort beautifully compliments Eco Divers' Kungkungan Bay Resort in Lembeh as it give you the same high standards.

This exciting development sees Kima Bajo and Eco Divers offering highly competitive new dive package prices (see below).

With its own private beach, this phenomenal, unspoilt location is idyllic for diving and relaxation being just a short boat ride away from world renowned dive sites of the Bunaken National Park. So you can take advantage of choosing two dives in the morning and one dive in the afternoon with a leisurely lunch back at the resort.

Kima Bajo is the ideal place for divers and non-divers alike with its bar, restaurant, Mayana Spa, private beach and excursions to nearby places of interest.

Eco Divers at Tasik Ria Resort Manado is offering a fantastic new all-inclusive dive package price for 2008. A 4-night package starts at just US$ 525, including three days diving, meals, accommodation, taxes and service - a saving of over US$ 100.

Bookings are now being taken. For information on accommodation and diving, visit

Please remember that your passport must be valid for 6 months from the estimated date of departure from Indonesia. If you are eligible a VISA on arrival , please make sure that they have one (1) entire blank page for the placement of the VISA on arrival for Indonesia. If there is no page available, you run the risk of being turned away from Indonesia. We strongly advise to check your VISA requirements before travel to Indonesia with your Tour Operator or your local Indonesian Embassy.

For more information on Indoneesian Visa regulations also ckeck here.

World-famous underwater photographers and marine life authors, Andrea & Antonella Ferrari, are holding an informal hands-on photo workshop at the newly refurbished Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR) from June 13 to July 2, 2008.

Learn first hand about their unique tips on identifying and photographing the marine life of the Lembeh Strait.

The workshop is really informal and will look at the creativity and actual underwater action of capturing shots as well as in-depth chats about the subject. Share experiences and make the most of improving your underwater photography with their priceless tips and suggestions.

The Ferraris will also sign copies of their new book, A Diver's Guide to the Art of Underwater Photography - the ideal tutorial for all those diving at KBR.

The Bunaken National Park Entrance Fee for 2008 has not been increased and is fixed as follows: Rp 50,000 per daily ticket (approximately US$6) or Rp 150,000 (approximately US$18) for an annual entrance Park Tag. Tags (or tickets) must be carried at all times within park boundaries. The tags can easily be affixed to your diving or snorkelling gear or on backpacks.
The entrance fee system has been adapted from the well-known Bonaire Marine Park system, and the proceeds from the sales of the entrance tags are managed by the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB), a multi-stakeholder board that NSWA is a member of. The system has been very successful in raising over $250,000 for conservation programs in the Bunaken Marine Park since its inception in 2001.

Please read: The Bunaken Entrance Fee - Questions and Answers