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SIXTEEN OF THE BEST ECO RESORTS IN ASIA PACIFICIf you’re looking for a dive resort with a difference, look no further. Whatever your budget, we’ve got an eco resort ready and waiting to welcome you for a mind-blowing dive holiday that will also score you some karmic brownie points...

THE ECO OPERATOR CHECKLISTBy Marissa Stein, Communications Manager for the Coral Reef Alliance

Armed with this checklist, you can be sure that the operators you choose to dive with are really committed to sustainable diving tourism.

A sustainable operator should:

Ensure and educate on

sustainable diving practices, such as:

Protect wildlife by:

Practise sustainable boating behaviours,

such as:Limit waste and

pollution by:

1. Using the buddy system

2. Maintaining proper buoyancy

3. Not touching or standing on reefs

4. Using properly fitted equipment needed

1. Not touching corals or coral reef animals

2. Not feeding or providing food to attract animals

3. Rotating among dive sites with fragile habitats

1. Using mooring buoys when available

2. Complying with all local, national, and international laws and regulations

3. Refraining from littering or polluting the water

4. Using boat ramps and piers when available

5. Taking proper measures to anchor boats into sand instead of coral reefs when necessary

1. Maintaining a zero-waste policy

2. Properly securing and disposing of trash

3. Maintaining equipment to prevent hazardous waste from entering the marine environment

4. Complying with local, national, and international laws regulating the disposal of sewage

The Coral Reef Alliance works with people around the world—from fishermen to government leaders, divers to scientists, Californians to Fijians—to protect our most valuable and threatened ecosystem. They lead holistic conservation programmes that improve coral reef health and resilience and are replicated across the globe. www.coral.org

WAKATOBI DIVE RESORTAt Wakatobi, environmental and social responsibility work together to create benefits for both Nature and mankind. When resort founder Lorenz Mäder came upon one of the world’s most pristine and magnificent coral reef environments in a remote corner of Indonesia’s Wakatobi island group, he wanted to share it with fellow divers, but in a manner that would protect and preserve this special place.

Before breaking ground on the first bungalow, he reached out to local villages and native fishermen with a unique proposal: in exchange for honouring specific no-take zones, and halting certain destructive fishing practices, the resort would share a portion of revenue with the community. This led to the Wakatobi Collaborative Reef Conservation Program, one of the world’s premier privately managed reef conservation initiatives. Today, the programme

protects more than 20 kilometres of reef habitat, and provides substantial economic benefits to the local community.

Some of the dive sites are fitted with mooring buoys to prevent damaged caused by anchoring. With the assistance of experienced dive guides, Wakatobi guests practise smart diving techniques for viewing the reefs and soft encounters with a plenitude of wildlife.

Because guests share the resort’s sandy beach with nesting sea turtles, the staff clearly mark and monitor all nesting sites, and transfer hatchlings to an on-site turtle nursery, where they are nurtured and then later released into the wild.

To minimise the impact of the resort property itself, all structures are made from local materials by local craftsmen, using traditional construction methods. To preserve a beachside palm grove, guest accommodations and resort

amenities are spaced among the trees in individual buildings. Equally important to reef health is an innovative wastewater treatment system that uses natural biological processes to reduce nutrient levels, and channels treated water into the landscaping rather than into the ocean.

Social responsibility is another important component of Wakatobi’s vision. In addition to employing nearly 200 residents and making lease payments on protected reef zones, the resort provides electricity and purified water to local communities at no charge, and has sponsored waste management projects in surrounding villages. Resort revenue funds schools, sporting events and public awareness campaigns, along with a range of community enhancements that affect 17 villages. A micro-credit plan encourages local business development, and the resort

Maintain a reef-friendly

landscape by:Reduce water

usage by:

Purchase sustainable products, such as:

Reduce waste by:

Educate guests

through:

Support and encourage community engagement

and ownership by:

1. Using design techniques that reduce water runoff

2. Limiting use of pesticides and herbicides

3. Planting native plants that do not require high-levels of irrigation

4. Using recycled water for irrigation

1. Using water-saving fixtures such as low-flow showerheads and toilets

2. Adjusting irrigation schedules

3. Properly maintaining all HVAC and pool equipment

1. Paper goods made from recycled materials

2. Environmentally-friendly cleaners

3. Contracting services with green providers

1. Reducing the amount of waste produced

2. Recycling3. Reusing,

repurposing, or donating materials

1. Outreach materials

2. Signage3. Presentations4. Activities and

events

1. Complying with any user fee systems that are in place

2. Complying with local regulations and guidelines

3. Educating on the environmental, physical, and biological features of the sites they visit

4. Providing guests with information about local practices and sustainability efforts

5. Employing local staff where possible6. Enter revenue sharing or shareholder

agreements with the local community

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commissions widows to produce natural sago palm roof tiles so they can be financially independent. As the value of sustainable dive tourism becomes evident, the local people have not only changed their own methods of harvesting, but have

also become proactively involved in defending their reef resources from foreign fishing vessels.

Together, these practices and initiatives have garnered Wakatobi Dive Resort a plethora of awards. But more important than any

accolades is the example set, which provides ongoing proof that tourism can be a positive force for not only the protection of a pristine environment, but also enhancing a traditional way of life.www.wakatobi.com

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programmes include a kindergarten, school teacher sponsorship, school library projects, and the donation of an outboard engine to allow children get to school on another island. Recycling programme Bank Sampah buys over 200 tons of aluminium cans and plastic bottles from the community, and sells accessories made from plastics that cannot be recycled.

Misool also helped persuade the government to establish the Raja Ampat Shark and Manta Sanctuary and collaborated on drafting legislation and enforcement strategies to protect it.

KRI ECO RESORTRaja Ampat, Indonesia

Kri Eco Resort is located on beautiful Cape Kri, an area of stunning biodiversity that holds the world record for the highest number of recorded fish species.

Proactive in conservation, the resort works with local Papuan communities, donating 10 percent of its profits, and about 90 percent of its staff are local Papuans.

The resort is built from locally sourced, low-impact materials, styled in the local tradition of architecture. At sunset guests can take a boat to a local village to see the red bird of paradise, and if they’re lucky, hornbills, eclectus parrots and other beautiful birds. Donations directly protect the birds while also assisting with local healthcare initiatives.

Kri Eco resort also founded the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC), which protects natural heritage, researches flora and fauna, and combats poverty in local communities.

MISOOL ECO RESORTRaja Ampat, Indonesia

Nestled in an archipelago of stunning uninhabited islands, at the heart of the Coral Triangle, Misool is an exclusive dive resort and coral reef conservation centre in remote southern Raja Ampat, well known for its impressive biodiversity.

Misool has created 1,220 square kilometres of no-take zones, leased from local villages, to protect marine biodiversity. Misool Baseftin (meaning “we own it together”) trains and employs former fishers as rangers to patrol with marine police.

Diving at Misool directly supports conservation and community initiatives, protecting the marine environment and creating livelihoods for local people who rely on coral reefs for income and food security. Guests can join the reef restoration programme, or become a manta researcher for a day, tagging and tracking reef and oceanic manta rays.

More than 90 percent of staff at Misool are local. Misool’s community

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www.wakatobi.com

An experience without equal

“The diving and snorkelling at Wakatobi is outstanding – that’s well known. But equally important is the world-class customer service of every staff member.

Wakatobi can teach customer service to any industry or organization. You feel at home the first day, and it just gets better every day after that.”

Steve and Cindy Moore, April 2015

AsianDiverr.indd 1 5/21/15 10:45 AM

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RAJA AMPAT BIODIVERSITY ECO RESORTConnecting with Nature in one of the most celebrated dive destinations on the planet doesn’t have to break the bank.

Reynaldo Corral and Patricia Sanz, owners of the Raja Ampat Biodiversity Eco Resort, which is based on the island of Gam, are aware that the term “eco resort” is bandied around too easily, and would rather honestly describe their operation as an “eco concept” resort.

Reynaldo explains, “Our intention, as divers and Nature lovers, is a resort that practises environmentally sustainable eco-tourism in the hope of managing natural resources, to help improve the lives of the surrounding community as well as maintaining the quality of the environment around the island of Gam.”

Their Papuan-style buildings, built by craftsmen from the neighbouring villages, and using local, sustainably sourced materials, are arranged to cause the least

disturbance to natural flora and fauna. Landscaping is left to return to its natural state, with grass giving way to native ground cover.

On a daily basis, the resort’s operations revolve around reducing impact where possible. Resources are conserved, reduced and recycled, with features like traditional “mandi” style showers in most of the rooms, water dispensers, kitchen supplies bought in bulk, and containers reused to store fuel. Recycling bins dot the site, and guests are asked to help take old batteries home with them to be disposed of properly. Old engine oil is up-cycled and used to waterproof timber and protect it from the sun, old sheets are turned into rags for cleaning, and aluminium cans are sold for recycling in Wasai. From this year, the resort will also be fully solar powered.

Supporting and being integrated into the local community is an essential aspect of any resort that seeks sustainability. The staff is primarily made up of local Papuans,

most hired without any previous experience in the hospitality or diving industry, and trained in all areas of the business. Local guides lead jungle treks to see the famous birds of paradise, activities from which they earn every cent. The resort also makes yearly contributions to the local villages, in the form of hundreds of kilograms of rice, sugar flour and other staples, as well as school uniforms and shoes for the primary school children.

With a strict policy of not serving reef fish, most produce, where possible, is also sourced directly from the local villages. All cooking is done with natural coconut oil, made exclusively by local women. Village-grown spinach, sweet potatoes, green papaya, chillies and seasonal fruit all make it to the resort’s tables.

Reynaldo tells us, “All of our guests agree on the spectacularly rich flora and fauna, both above and below the water in Raja Ampat. We worry that many might consider today’s reality the benchmark of extreme biodiversity and beauty. I cannot imagine what these reefs were like in the past, and what they could or should be like now! With this in mind, we urge you to take a few simple measures to limit the impact of your activities wherever you live.”

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SCUBA JUNKIE MABUL BEACH RESORTMabul, Sabah, Malaysia

Christian Loader/ScubazooLocated on Mabul Island, famed for its world-class muck diving and as the gateway to the magnificent Sipadan Island, Scuba Junkie is a Reef Check certified dive centre that is committed to protecting the region’s coral reefs and its associated biodiversity.

The resort was built 60 metres above the high tideline to accommodate nesting turtles and seagrass beds in the shallows. Rainwater catchers and solar panels are fitted to the roofs, and a sewage treatment system produces fresh water for the resort’s garden. Only biodegradable cleaning products are used and no seafood is served in the restaurant. Scuba Junkie has an approved Environmental Impact Assessment every three months.

Annually, Scuba Junkie organises “Mabul Marine Week”, which involves schools, government officials and tourists working together on conservation and community initiatives. The resort’s weekly beach and reef clean-ups have removed countless tonnes of plastic.

Scuba Junkie campaigns for the protection of sharks and rays in Malaysia through the Semporna

Shark Sanctuary proposal, their work with the Shark Education Awareness Survival programme, and as one of the founding members of the Sabah Shark Alliance. The Mabul Turtle Hatchery, launched by Scuba Junkie and the Sabah Wildlife Department, has now successfully released over 5,000 baby turtles. They have also just completed the Mabul Beach Resort Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.

In 2012, Scuba Junkie won the award for “Best in Protection of Natural Areas and Wildlife Conservation” at the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards.

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BEACH front resort surrounded by indigenous FLORA and FAUNA

FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE with maximum of 14 guests

Flexible DIVE package rates in THREEACCOMMODATION TYPES with all the comforts you need

We are located on a WHITE SANDY B EACH at the heart of the dampier straight, with a SPECTACULAR HOUSE REEF a few steps from your cottage

June and July only!

15% off www.rajaampatbiodiversity.cominfo@rajaampatbiodiversity.com

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WICKED DIVINGThailand

Wicked Diving, the first operator in Thailand to establish a responsible tourism policy, is known for its green initiatives, most of them revolving around liveaboard excursions to the Similan Islands and Surin National Marine Parks.

Wicked employs dedicated conservation and community managers, and work with conservation groups and accredited NGOs. They operate a strict no-seafood policy and every three-day trip involves a beach visit and clean-

B&J DIVING CENTRE Tioman, Malaysia

B&J has been actively promoting marine conservation for over two decades. The operation organises yearly events to remove drift fishing nets and fish traps, clean the reefs and shorelines, install mooring buoys, create artificial reefs and coral nurseries, and control crown of thorns outbreaks. Energy- and water-saving systems are in place throughout the resort and dive centre, and collection areas have been installed for recycling, as are water-refilling stations. The dive centre has a strict no-gloves, no-touch policy.

In recognition of their work and commitment to conservation and best practices, B&J were awarded by Green Fins for 2015. B&J is also a Green Star award winner, Go Eco Operator, and multiple Project AWARE Environmental Award winner.Im

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up, as well as a shark presentation, and an environmental and ecological briefing, in which guests are encouraged to be responsible tourists. The Wicked code of conduct for diving and snorkelling ensures the safety of both guests and marine life.

Two percent of all of their revenue goes directly into Wicked Diving’s community efforts. Wicked supported the Baan San Orphanage by buying them 200 chickens, and now purchases their free-range eggs at above market price. Other products developed to support the orphanage are also sold though the dive centre and used on board. Cleaning products used on Wicked’s boats are locally produced and biodegradable wherever possible, and guests are provided with one plastic water bottle to refill for the duration of their stay.

Wicked won a Wild Asia award for their growing local diver training programme. They hosted the first and only all-Indonesian SSI instructor training course, and are currently training the first-ever female dive guide in Labuan Bajo. They are about to launch a non-profit arm, “Wicked Good”,

that will focus on training young Indonesian men and women to allow them access to the dive industry. They are running a similar project in Thailand.

reefs’ coral-blanketed Biorock structures and the Underwater Temple Garden offer unique dive opportunities. Reef Seen has educated locals on protecting the reef and marine life, employing many fishers in dive tourism.

The resort’s Reef Gardeners project creates jobs for young fishers to actively protect the coral reefs. Trained as PADI Rescue Divers, the Reef Gardeners remove crown of thorns starfish and drupella snails, repair broken corals, monitor Biorock installations, and maintain the Temple Garden.

Reef Seen’s turtle project rewards villagers for protecting turtles and buys green, olive ridley and hawksbill turtle eggs and turtles caught in nets from local fishers who would otherwise eat or sell them. Hatchlings and adult turtles are released. Pemuteran, which was one of the poorest villages in the country, now earns a good income from dive tourism and responsible fishing by protecting its coral reefs and marine life.

area 10 kilometres long and a kilometre-and-half wide around the resort, patrolled all year round by two dedicated boats.

Over the years, the waters have flourished and now boast grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks as well as turtles, rays, tuna, barracuda, giant trevallies, schooling jacks, and occasional mako sharks and hammerheads. The reefs are also full of diverse macro life.

Built by local craftsmen using traditional materials, the resort employs 30 local staff, and sources products from the nearby villages whenever possible. The environmental awareness training and conservation ethic imparted to staff is trickling through to the community, helping to create a long-term vision of sustainability. www.selayar-dive-resort.com

SELAYAR DIVE RESORTSulawesi, Indonesia

Selayar Dive Resort has worked tirelessly to protect its spectacular natural surroundings over more than 20 years. With reefs severely damaged by dynamite fishing, the resort worked with the local community to establish a protected

REEF SEEN DIVERS’ RESORTPemuteran, north Bali

Reef Seen has been instrumental in restoring the damaged fringing reefs around Pemuteran, and the

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LADY ELLIOT ISLAND ECO RESORTCoral Sea, Australia

Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay located on the southern tip of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The island is situated within a highly protected “Green Zone” of the Marine National Park and is a sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life, including mantas, sea turtles and humpback whales.

The resort educates guests on how to enjoy the island’s ecosystems responsibly, and actively encourages participation in conservation and sustainable management of the environment and natural resources. The resort’s operations are designed to minimise impact on the island, and a natural, eco-friendly lifestyle is encouraged. The fan-cooled rooms use minimal electricity and do not have telephones, televisions or radios.

EAGLEHAWK DIVE CENTRETasmania, Australia Owned and run by two passionate and active marine biologists, Eaglehawk is located in the heart of some of the world’s best temperate water diving. For the last 20 years,the Eaglehawk team has been actively campaigning for local marine reserves and to ban recreational gill nets, giving presentations on conservation and local marine life to schools and the community.

Eaglehawk is completely carbon neutral, and every drop of water used at this PADI 5 Star Dive Centre is collected rainwater. Vegetables are grown onsite, and organic eggs come from the centre’s own chickens. Organic waste is fed to the chickens and the wallabies or composted, while animal waste is composted and used to fertilise the gardens. All other waste that can be recycled is separated and collected. Seventy-percent of the operation’s power is solar generated, and the vegetation on the property more than offsets the rest. Solar lights line the paths, and the training pool is also solar heated.

BEQA ADVENTURE DIVERSFiji

The experienced crew of Beqa Adventure Divers bring guests safe, exhilarating and intriguing diving with bull sharks and eight other species – named the best shark dive in the world by filmmakers Ron and Valerie Taylor. The Shark Reef Marine Reserve is also home to approximately 500 species of fish, and Beqa Lagoon is famous for its wrecks and lush soft coral forests.

Beqa Adventure Divers has innovative conservation and livelihoods programmes and supports scientific research to better understand the bull shark population. They worked closely with traditional owners and the government to designate the Shark Reef Marine Reserve as Fiji’s first National Marine Park. Villages relinquish traditional fishing rights in exchange for a levy on divers, which goes directly to the villages. Spillover of fish breeding in the reserve has increased fish yields outside it, creating a win-win for dive tourism and local people.

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mangroves have also been left untouched. Local villagers are given seeds from the farm, the products of which the resort buys back. The resort staff is from the local villages, and the resort’s expenditure is directed, wherever possible, back to the local community.

Matava established a no-take marine reserve in cooperation with the neighbouring village, and it has also helped the village of Nacomoto establish a marine reserve in their waters. The resort is also supporting the efforts of local community school governors to have the Fiji national curriculum include a class on marine and terrestrial conservation and sustainable resource management.

MATAVA RESORT Fiji

Matava Resort’s traditional Fijian huts, built using locally cultivated trees, are nestled on the edge of the rainforest and look out over the Pacific Ocean and Great Astrolabe barrier reef.

Matava’s lighting is solar powered, and all hot water systems are gradually being replaced with solar heaters. Greywater is used for the flowers and plants, rainwater is collected for the organic garden, and waste is recycled or composted where possible. Much of the land around the resort is uncultivated to encourage the growth of native wild flowers and ferns, and the foreshore

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WALINDI PLANTATION RESORTPapua New Guinea

For 25 years, the owners of the Walindi Plantation have been protecting the spectacular coral reefs and working with local people, who have customary rights over the reefs, sea mounts and islands of Kimbe Bay.

Coral expert Charlie Veron says, “The coral reefs of Kimbe Bay take me back 40 years, to a time when corals grew in lush profusion, untroubled by the problems that beset them today… I am hard pressed to think of anywhere on Earth that has this combination of vibrant health, diversity and beauty.”

Flip to page 56 for the full story on this incredible place.

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protecting 700 hectares of the neighbouring primary forest and its endemic wildlife. The foundation also manages turtle conservation and mangrove replanting initiatives, a kindergarten and other programmes. Staying at the resort means a direct contribution to this ongoing work, as well as the communities of Sawai Itepo and Kobe Village. In 2013, resort owner Rob Sinke received the Hero of Indonesia Award for his efforts to protect and conserve the environment.

WEDA REEF AND RAINFOREST RESORT Maluku, Central Halmahera

When Weda Resort was established in 2011, all wood was sourced from sustainable trees cultivated by the villagers, who also undertook most of the construction work. The roofs and walls were all finished with the remains of the sagu palms that the locals use as a dietary staple.

Solar power provides much of the resort’s energy, topped up with a wind turbine, while solar water heaters provide hot showers. In addition, the resort’s dive boats are fitted with low-emission outboard engines.

Weda launched a community-based environmental foundation for conservation and education,

responsible for wreaking havoc on the environment, now this drilling platform has been up-cycled to shelter divers visiting one of the most bio-diverse marine regions on the planet, the island of Sabah, and the world-famous Sipadan.

Guests are provided for with collected rainwater and products bought in bulk to minimise the impact of trips to shore. Kitchen scraps are composted for the plants grown on the rig, sewage is properly treated before disposal, and linen and towels are not changed daily to minimise water use. Plastics metals and paper used on board are all recycled and all floor cleaners used on the rig’s decks are 100-percent biodegradable and phosphate free.

Seaventures employs staff from the local area, who are also exposed to information on best diving practices, sustainable fishing techniques, endangered species, and waste disposal. This information filters through to the villages and helps to develop a local culture of sustainability and care for the environment.

Divers at Seaventures are instructed on best practices; careful, responsible dives that do no damage to marine life.

Guests are educated about marine biodiversity, endangered species, declining fish stocks, and the importance of keeping the oceans healthy.

Image © Weda Reef and Rainforest Resort

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SEAVENTURESSabah, Malaysia

Seaventures has given an oil rig a second chance at a better life. Once a piece of infrastructure

WITH exclusive access to world-class diving, Seaventures offers a dive experience like no other. Soak up the 360-degree view of the Celebes Sea, while you indulge in mouthwatering food, before a comfortable night’s sleep, all in preparation for a day of some of the world’s best diving.

Boats from Seaventures get you out to the reefs of Sipadan in no time at all, where life teems abundant and underwater dreams are realised.

For unlimited dives, just drop under this novel, up-cycled oilrig, down to the thriving Seaventures House Reef, home to a staggering diversity and quantity of marine life. Minimising diver impact on their reef, no day boats are given access – as a guest it is exclusively yours to explore.

With exemplary service, your comfort aboard is assured, even though, for Seaventures, protecting the sea is their priority.

And thank goodness it is. These dramatic waters are famously fecund, full of fish from Napoleon wrasse, barracuda, sharks and jacks, to macro critters. Luckily there are regulations in place to protect them and responsible operators like Seaventures ready to take you there.

SeaventuresMaximise your dive time with a stay at one of the most unusual dive resorts in the world

DIVE TREATS: Pelagic, muck, wrecks, giant

clams, hawksbill turtles, Napoleon wrasse, sharks,

jaclks, barracudas.

Wisma Sabah | Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens | Kota Kinabalu | Sabah | 88000 | Malaysia

info@seaventuresdive.comwww.seaventuresdive.com

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