Indonesia: Black Sand Resort, Lembeh

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

Black Sand Resort: Lembeh resort, a wonderful small boutique resort with specialized offering for keen photographers looking for small specialized attention and great guides!

“Six bungalows (2 x twin, 4 x double). Still the best House Reef in the strait. No sand fleas. No bar yet. At this time only serving beer, but we are about to start serving wine soon.”

Consider: They are the closest location to the best muck sites, fast transfer times to the sites. Maximum 4 divers per speedboat, incredible House Reef, personal attention as they are a small resort, great views, few mozzies (unlike many resorts in Lembeh), open to breezes, great food and excellent guides.

Indroducing,,,ARGENTINA!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

Our newest Destination!

The country has long held travelers in awe: The tango, beef, gauchos, soccer, Patagonia. The classics alone make it a colossal wanderlust cocktail.

Argentine Culture the Tango is possibly Argentina’s greatest contribution to the outside world, a steamy dance that’s been described as ‘making love in the vertical position! Take Tango Dancing lessons in Buenos Aires!

Highlights of Argentina (all year, though best September to March): 2 nights Buenos Aires, 3 nights Puerto Madryn/Peninsula Valdes, 2 nights Calafate, 3 nights Bariloche, 1 night Buenos Aires. Total: 11 nights

Argentina: Wine & Waterfalls: 2 nights Buenos Aires, 2 nights Puerto Iguazu, 3 nights Mendoza, 1 night Buenos Aires Total: 8 nights

Optional Valdes wildlife add on – 3 day, 2 night tour to Peninsula Valdes

Trekking in Patagonia: 2 nights Buenos Aires, 2 nights El Chalten, 2 nights El Calafate, 1 night Torres del Paine, 1 night El Calafate, 1 night Buenos Aires. Total: 9 nights

Trekking in Patagonia (extended version) – 13nts, Option to extend and do full W trek in Paine (which is in CHILE).

All tailored to fit your greatest desires. Check our website for sample tours and details!

http://www.divediscovery.com/argentina/

Indonesia: Misool Eco Resort News Update & Special Offer

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

NEWS UPDATE:

We have separated Villa Santai into 2 independent accommodations, called Villa Tenang and Villa Santai.
Villa Tabisasu now has steps leading into the water, located at the back of the Villa along the walkway.
After a successful 6 month training period with an American chef, we are pleased to offer plated dinner service in our restaurant, with a small rotating menu. Breakfast features a rotating menu as well as extra treats on the buffet table like double chocolate muffins, cinnamon buns, spiced pumpkin bread, etc. Lunch remains a buffet, as well as the ever-popular tea time.
We have also added a wine fridge to the restaurant and expanded our wine selection.
Also, the whole of Raja Ampat is now a Shark and Manta Sanctuary. Misool Eco Resort petitioned the government back in 2010, and a regional law has finally been passed, creating the first sanctuary of its kind in Indonesia as well as the whole Coral Triangle. This is a tremendous victory for conservation!!!!!!

baby sharks patrolling the shallows of the North Lagoon. Photo by Mary O’Malley.

SPECIAL OFFER: 20% off for Misool Eco Resort for 6 trips!!!

The best chance of seeing mantas.

The discount applies to only 6 trips:

Date 12: 29th Apr – 11th May (12 nights)
Date 13: 12th – 19th May (7 nights)
Date 14: 20th May – 1st June (12 nights)
Date 15: 2nd – 9th June (7 nights)
———————–
Date 16: 10th – 22nd September (12 nights)
Date 17: 23rd Sep – 5th October (12 nights)

For more information, contact Dive Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us

TAHITI!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

Share our excitement for the romantic, idyllic stunning beauty of Tahiti and her incredible diverse islands! These are truly THE most beautiful tropical islands in the world, thanks to their dramatic geography, the lush tropical vegetation and their unique multicolored crystal lagoons.

The DIVING! Do you love sharks mantas, eagle rays, huge schools of fish; are you an adrenaline junky and want to fly thru the passes of the Tuomotus with a wall of sharks, tuna, snapper and fish?

How about snorkeling with the most colorful tropical fish In the South Pacific with a crystal clear blue water background? Mantas? Do you love the big stuff? Overwater dreamy bungalows? Romance? How about an 8 hr flight from LAX not even crossing the date line!? There are Pensions for a more affordable holiday, 3* resorts and 5* deluxe amazing isolated bungalows for privacy. We have many wonderful options to offer in Tahiti, let us know what your wish may be!

For more information about Tahiti Diving, please visit www.divediscovery.com/tahiti

Here are 2 packages for Tahiti Specials:

Tahiti – Tikehau – Rangiroa 9 Days / 8 Nights (Deluxe 5 *) Diving Package

Tahiti – Tikehau – Rangiroa 9 Days / 8 Nights (Standard 3+ *) Diving Package

Solomon Islands: Bilikiki Enters Her 24th Season

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

Bilikiki is currently getting her annual maintenance and the crew and managers are off on holidays in preparation for the 2013 season beginning in March. It’s our 24th year in the Solomons and sure to be as great as ever. It’s looking like a busy year, but there are still a few spots available throughout the year, there is space in April, if you’re looking for a trip in the immediate future with only a small number of fellow divers and the normal great April weather….

Email us or call 800.886.7321/415.444.5100

THE LATEST EDITION OF BILIKIKI ENIUS

April is Also Prime Time
Like the Smaller Stuff?
Like the Bigger Stuff?

April is Also Prime Time

We are often asked what is the best time to visit Solomon Islands. Being 9 degrees south of the equator the water and air temperatures vary only 2 – 3 degrees all year. But I just completed a 10 night trip on Bilikiki with on board managers Sam and Kellie, who are now completing their 7th season with Bilikiki Cruises and the subject of April and May came up. “Why is it that April and May are generally lightly booked when it is a great time of year? The seas are flat and the diving is great!” was the comment from Sam & Kellie. Well, I can’t really answer the why, and while May 2013 is fully booked there are 3 charters in April that only have a few divers on each. Bilikiki Cruises guarantees all departures regardless of numbers, so if you are looking for prime time with fewer divers on board, please contact us.

Like the Smaller Stuff?

The following are excerpts from Bilikiki’s Managers Log:

“Mbike wreck was outstanding, a pair of different colored ornate ghost pipefish & totally covered in Nembrotha nudis. Best cuttlefish show I have seen for a long time at Velvia with 1 female laying eggs while being protected by 1 male and another male lurking around. To top off the trip the Bargibanti Pygmy seahorses have returned to Petrol Point ( the dive site previously known as Patricks Point). I was so happy to see them as we have not had any pygmys there since March. 3 Barginantis seem to have made the fan their home; let’s hope they stick around for a while. Ornate ghost pipefish at the PT Base & wreck of the Ann. This trip was filled with awesome dives and great critters.”

Like the Bigger Stuff?

More excerpts from the Managers Log:

“The seas were so flat we got out to Curacao Shoals and the amount of fish out there was mind blowing! Schools of barracudas, jacks, oceanic triggerfish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, plus sharks and an eagle ray. 🙂 Mary Island continues to be magical with schooling jacks & barracudas posing for the photographers while Devils highway provided manta rays and (we saw) a huge tawny nurse shark at Velvia.”

PHOTOS EXCEPT HEADER COURTESY OF STEVE JONES

2014 Dive Discovery & Africa Discovery Group Trips

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

We have some new exciting group trips to entice you with for year 2014:

Combo Gray Whales & Blue Whale Adventure
Baja, Mexico, February 25 – March 3 2014 Group Trip

Here is the perfect whale watching tour option for those who want to see the Baja Peninsula, but who want as little driving time as possible. Gray whales at the best whale watching location in the world, Laguna Ojo de Liebre and then blue whale watching at one of the finest locations we know of for reliable sightings of blue whales, Loreto, BCS.

Galapagos Islands Group Trip
Onboard M/V Humboldt, Sept 29 – Oct 5
Land Walks & Touring, Oct 5 – 11 2014

M/V Humboldt Explorer Charter***join me as I head back to the Galapagos Islands diving with hundreds of hammerhead sharks at Wolf & Darwin, whale sharks, penguins and more.

Land Walks & Touring the Enchanted Galapagos Islands*** there is nothing like visiting the Galapagos Islands and walking with all the incredible land animals and birds that you will NEVER see on a Liveaboard dive boat. This amazing add on follows our diving trip, we are able to walk and experience the Galapagos Islands and her inhabitants the same as Charles Darwin did all those years ago!!! You will not believe how incredible the land walks are, we have worked our magic to make this happen.

Best of Zimbawe and Botswana,
May 1 -14 2014 Group Trip

I have worked closely with my Africa office to develop an amazing Safari combining 2 countries; Zimbabwe & Botswana, and very specifically the properties in each area!

Zimbabwe has been coming back to life now for several years; it is a wonderful country with excellent game viewing and pricing is still pleasantly low! Combining this with the Best of Botswana areas that I love that are very productive; with Zimbabwe has produced an incredible value for a 13nt safari!

Damai I – Indonesia, November 19 – December 3 2014 Group Trip

The Forgotten Islands also known as the Southeast Moluccas (Maluku Tenggara), are not a single destination, but rather a 1,000 km long chain of archipelagos stretching from Timor to West Papua on the island of New Guinea. Undeveloped, distant from population centers and far off any beaten paths, these “Forgotten Islands” have been largely isolated from the rest of Indonesia and the world. This is a very exciting, diverse diving itinerary; gorgeous wide angle and wild muck diving with critters!!

Please join us if you like to have fun, and have a group representative to help smooth the way! Looking forward to meeting you!

Happy diving!

Cindi LaRaia

Siren Fleet Updates

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Cindi LaRaia

New Palau Siren – 10-night itinerary covers a far broader range of dive sites than other liveaboard operators in the region. Departing from Koror the S/Y Palau Siren starts the diving off gently at Short Drop Off and Lighthouse Channel before cruising to the north of Badeldaob Island to dive at Devilfish City and West Passage where large pelagics are common.

The S/Y Maldives Siren will now be offering a number of 10-night special safaris departing from and returning to Male, throughout the month of July in 2013.

New Fiji Siren…The S/Y Fiji Siren is currently under construction by the Worldwide Dive and Sail team in Indonesia. She will launch in September 2013 to offer year-round diving in Fiji in conjunction with the Darling Family run Volivoli Resort on Viti Levu. Every thought for the modern diver is being taken into account during her build phase and she will follow a similar layout and design to our S/Y Palau Siren liveaboard.

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