September 2010 Archives

On the 25th of Septmber 2010 it was the international beach and reef clean up day. Eco Divers Team together with the school of the nearby local village Kima Bajo have organized a beach clean up. 40 Kids from age 9 to 11 has received education from our Diving Manager Miho Takeda about the importance of not trowing plastic into the enviroment, then the kids have been divided into smaller group leaded by an Eco Divers team member and went to clean the beach in front of their village. After an hour of collecting we all sit together eating cake and each kid received a PADI Project Aware certificate plus school materials such as notebooks, color pencil, pens etc.....  

In the same time we also had divers going out collecting plastic floating on the surface of our prestine reefs.

Eco Divers is very glad about the enthusiasm that the kids had . We will be back doing these activities with the local community in the hope of helping them to understand the importance of do not litter into the environment.

Thanks very mush to J.P. and her friends from all Eco Divers Dive Team to have been with us diving and especially to have had such a fun and good time. We all wish to see you back here in the future!

All the Best,

Eco Divers Team

As Project AWARE International Clean Up Day is fast approaching on 25th September 2010 we thought we'd tell you about what Eco Divers is doing on a daily basis to help clean up our waters.

As you know here at Eco Divers we always try to do our bit for the environment, both above and below the surface. For some time now we have been asking our guests (and guides) to take a small net bag with them on their dive and collect pieces of rubbish.


We brief before the dive that some rubbish has now become part of the environment, corals growing on it or a little critter has made it their home, so therefore each piece of rubbish is checked carefully before deciding whether it can be removed safely. This system helps the underwater environment and as we buy these net bags from the local community, we also help the local economy. So please take a net bag along for a dive the next time you are with us.

Our critter encounters for the 1st half of September:

Pontoh Pygmy Seahorse
Electric Clam
Juvenile Sweetlips
Spiny Devilfish
Chromodoris Nudibranch
Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse
Painted Frogfish
Cockatoo Waspfish
Flounder
Flying Gurnard
Common Seahorse
Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Orange Frogfish
Barramundi
Mandarin Fish
Ambon Scorpionfish
Baby Cuttlefish
Squid
Emperor Shrimp
Crocodile Snake Eel
Mimic Octopus
Dragonet
Banded Shrimp
Porcelain Crab
Butterflyfish
Baby Eel
2 Scorpionfish fighting!
Black Ribbon Eel
Sea Moth
Zebra Crab
Mantis Shrimp
Wonderpus
Filefish
Lionfish
Pufferfish
Boxfish
Thorny Seahorse
Coconut Octopus
Ghost Pipefish
Stingray
Sole
Banggai Cardinalfish
Rock Shrimp
Mushroom Coral Shrimp
Coleman Shrimp
Grey Bamboo Shark on Night Dive

So wow, what can I say.......... my first time back in the water after a while and on the first dive a pair of mating Octopus!! Crazy!


I had the best company to spend my dives with: Carmen, Chat and Lee Peng, great guys. Although at first we weren't quite sure............. the first day on the boat Carmen pulled out her laptop and showed us all a professional documentary on critters found in Lembeh Straits. If that didn't put pressure on the guides I don't know what would have done! But needless to say that the guides found everything on the DVD and much much more, so everyone was happy.


There were nudibranchs galore, all different colours and sizes, even ones doing their daily stretches and exercises as you can see!! There were mimic octopus, hairy frogfish, pygmy seahorses, beautiful banggai cardinalfish (my personal favourite).









We also found a piece of coral that was totally covered in tiny brittle stars all different colours - a sight we had never seen before!!


So thanks guys for a great couple of days diving and hope to see you all again soon!!!!!

Our critter encounters for the month of August:

On October 16 - 23, Anna and Ned DeLoach, co-authors of the best-selling series of marine identification field guides in the business, will lead an exclusive action-packed week of marine life education and underwater fun with Eco Divers at Kima Bajo Resort & Spa, Manado.

You don't have to attend the whole week, you can join us at any time for as long as you like. Ned and Anna will be diving every day and it's all quite informal but incredibly informative.

And it's completely FREE. Ned and Anna do this because of their love of the oceans. You just book a normal dive package at Kima Bajo Resort & Spa and join in.

Modelled on the DeLoach's successful Caribbean Fish & Critter Hunt, the activities have been tailored to North Sulawesi's world-famous reefs.

The week's activities include Basic Reef Fish and Invertebrate Identification; Daily Underwater Fish and Critter Hunts for the area's most sought-after species.

Also an Underwater Photo/Video Workshop:

·         How to capture memorable wildlife portraits
·         Getting close to elusive species
·         Macro photography
·         Waiting for the right moment
·         Framing your subject to best advantage

Special Nightly Presentations include:

·         Cephalopod Behaviour - The Outrageous Antics of some of the World's most Outrageous Animals
·         Symbiosis and Camouflage: Hiding in Plain Sight
·         The Diverse Reproductive Repertoire of Reef Fishes
·         Which Fish Eat What

As an added bonus Ned and Anna will debut the long-awaited Reef Creature Identification - Tropical Pacific, with photos of more than 2,000 species, many taken by the authors in North Sulawesi.

We guarantee that after spending an energizing week of fun and learning with a group of like-minded friends, diving will never be the same!

Be sure to book your place today! Email info@eco-divers.com