SVC.jpgThis spring Eco Divers is giving you a chance to dive Manado in style for less, with a very special offer on stays at Minahasa Lagoon Resort.

Our special All Inclusive Dive Package in a top category Sea View Cottage represents an incredible saving on normal prices. It's valid on stays from 15 May but must end on 31 July.

 

» Click here for the full offer details

2013-04-05.jpgWant to learn all about underwater photography? Then there's no better place to be than at award-winning Eco Divers Resort Lembeh this September.

 

Wolfgang Pölzer, respected underwater photo journalist, book author and double gold medallist at the CMAS World Championship of Underwater Photography, will be running a FREE week-long underwater photography workshop: plenty of diving, discovery and underwater fun, plus nightly presentations. Dates run from 28th September to 5th October.

 

Wolfgang has won numerous top international prizes including gold medals at the CMAS world championship on two separate occasions: 1998 (category "Macro") and 2002 (category "wide angle") and at Antibes in 2000 (category "software image"). Born in a small town in Austria, he studied marine biology at university and over the past fifteen years has published many books and worked as freelance journalist and photographer for several diving, travel and nature magazines.

 

In this workshop everybody – from beginner to professional – can learn from his extensive knowledge, through nightly slide shows and also one-on-one critique sessions with individual guests. Taking part is absolutely free when guests book a 7-night package, as Wolfgang is offering his workshop purely out of his aspiration to share a love of underwater photography.

 

To book your stay at Eco Divers Resort Lembeh: info@eco-divers.com

IWUPC.jpgThe Indonesian Ministry of Tourism is sponsoring an event for the first time which, in just its first year, has instantly become the largest, longest and most prestigious photo contest in the world, with a staggering total prize value of over US$200,000!

 

This contest is open to anyone with a camera, with prizes in 6 underwater categories and 1 conservation category, plus a Best of Show category.

 

Enrolment is free – to enter the competition all you have to do is dive with a Participating Dive Operator before 30 November and then submit up to 5 images in each category. Your images will then be judged by a panel of respected judges. It’s as simple as that!

 

Eco Divers is a Participating Dive Operator, so if you’d like to enter IWUPC 2013 please book a stay with us in Manado or Lembeh, or a combination of both if you wish to take both macro and wide-angle photos.

 

If you’re interested in entering IWUPC 2013, please visit the Indonesia World Underwater Photo Contest website to learn more about this amazing contest.

 

2013-04-04.jpgWe’re not done just yet, with new managers!

Last, but not least, please say hello to Macedonia Domingues. “Macy” is not from Macedonia, mind you – she’s Portuguese.

She’s from Pombal but started her diving career in Peniche, after finishing a degree in Marketing and Tourism.

Most recently she managed a dive centre in the Azores, but wanted new experiences as well as new diving environments.

 

As Macy herself says “I found the paradise in Manado, as well as my dream job, since it’s a perfect combination of richness in nature, diving, culture and gastronomy.”

Macy, a qualified teacher, is organized but also creative and loves to dance. She has a capacity to combine her serious side with a warmth and genuine care for other people, which we think makes her a great person to run a dive centre. Oh, and she’s also an animal lover, of course! Come and enjoy your next dive holiday in Macy’s capable hands.

2013-04-01.jpgMeet Tarkan Sever & Kathrin Heussner, our new managers in Lembeh:


Tarkan, CMAS 3 Star Dive Leader, EFR Instructor and PADI IDC Staff Instructor with more than 300 certifications under his belt, is a British citizen who has managed a dive centre in his native Turkey.

 

Kathrin, a German citizen, is PADI MSDT Instructor and EFR Instructor, who previously worked as a Holiday Representative for tourism giant TUI over several years through the Caribbean and Mediterranean. She was also the manager of a safari lodge in Namibia, where she was able to prove her ability in resort management. Between them they can teach many specialty courses such as Digital Underwater Photography, Nitrox and the brand new PADI Self Reliant Diver.

This charming, smiling couple came to Indonesia last year on their honeymoon. They loved it so much that they decided to stay on, well….a bit longer than originally planned! They now manage Eco Divers Lembeh, also providing photo & video services through our Digital Centre and adding their professional yet personal special touch to Eco Divers’ award-winning services. We invite you to return to Lembeh, to enjoy for yourself T&K’s friendly service.
 

In addition to the TripAdvisor awards given to Eco Divers Resort Lembeh in 2012, TripAdvisor has again decided to award us two major recognition awards in 2013. Whilst last year our awards were in the service and bargain categories, this year we’ve taken a step up, with a new award simply as Top 25 Small Hotels in Indonesia and also as Top 25 Bargain Hotels in Indonesia.

We’re very proud of this achievement, given the huge number of small hotels in Indonesia and the incredible competition they provide. But we couldn’t have achieved it without the constant effort and customer care provided by our incredible, dedicated team and management, so this is their award. We are also extremely grateful to the many satisfied guests who took time to post a positive review for us on TripAdvisor – without it, we would simply not have been able to achieve this recognition.

Thank you!

 

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January & February are great months to dive the Lembeh Strait, as there are normally calm seas and few divers.

 

Award-winning Eco Divers Lembeh* is offering a great deal on stays between 5th January and 28th February.

 

 

During this period the price of our 3-night All Inclusive Dive Package is just € 341 (US$ 466), to check all our packages and rates, click here.

Price is per person and is based on sharing a double room and includes accommodation in an air-conditioned room, all meals, 2 days of diving with up to 3 guided day-dives per day, free internet access, unlimited tea & coffee and drinking water, airport transfers, taxes and service. Additional nights with meals and diving cost just € 137 (US$ 187).

(Meal Plan in All-Inclusive Dive Packages begins with dinner on arrival day and ends with breakfast on departure day – all other meals charged extra. Exclusions: Tips, drinks, Nitrox, night dives, spa services, land tours, dive equipment rental, laundry).

Our unique service, combining the convenience of diving from our Day Liveaboard with the comfort of staying in a resort, provides total relaxation. With a capacity of just 16 guests, we are the most exclusive upscale resort in Lembeh. Immaculate accommodation, exceptional cuisine and a highly personalized service makes Eco Divers Resort Lembeh a top choice for discerning divers.

Guest-to-Guide ratio of 4 to 1 / 9 air-conditioned rooms / Private bathroom / Flat property (no hills to climb) / Restaurant, lounge bar with satellite TV, boutique / Professional Indonesian Spa / The Digital Centre photo & video service/ Free WiFi internet access

 

Group Offer: book a group of 6 or more people and you’ll only pay for 5!


 

To enjoy our low season prices, please make your booking enquiry now: info@eco-divers.com


 

* Eco Divers Lembeh is the only Sulawesi resort to have been earned both the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice award 2012 for Top 25 Hotels for Service in Indonesia and Top 25 Hotels for Best Bargain in Indonesia.

2012-10-02.jpgLast month we had the pleasure of the first ever visit to Eco Divers by a team from the only dive magazine published exclusively in Indonesia, for Indonesians – DiveMag Indonesia!

Underwater photographer Muljadi Pinneng and reporter Gemala Hanafiah were with us for just two short (but sweet) days of diving, whilst on assignment to put together a destination piece on Lembeh Strait.

 

We’d like to thanks Muljadi and Gemala – and not forgetting the Editor in Chief, Riyanni, for organising the visit – and we hope they enjoyed our service and will come back again and again.

We also hope to see many more local guests from across this huge archipelago coming through our doors in the future, as they enjoy the beautiful and diverse natural wonders of this amazing country - Indonesia!

Last week our Resident Photo Pro, Sam Lewis of ScubaZoo, was able to capture some truly amazing video of skeleton shrimps.

If you’ve never seen a skeleton shrimp before, you should take a look – it’s may be as close to a humanoid figure as you’re ever likely to see in a marine species - like Worm Guys from the movie “Men in Black”!

Whatever you equate them to, there’s no denying that they’re a VERY strange sight and also absolutely fascinating in their behaviour. Yet another of the many reasons to dive Lembeh. Not that you really needed another reason, did you?

Thanks for this great footage, Sam!


VerticalLUP.jpgL.U.P. Week is simply THE best opportunity this year in Asia to take your photo skills to the next level.

 

World-renowned photo geniuses Takako Uno, Stephen Wong and Jason Isley will be sharing their secrets for free, through nightly workshops and presentations.

 

This week is open to any and all, from beginner to accomplished photographer.

 

The celebrations will be rounded off with a Gala Dinner & Birthday Party Night, an informal photo contest and a prize-giving. Each guest will also receive a free gift.

 

 

For full details, click here.