Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25166
In 1995, Swiss diver Lorenz Mader and his wife Renee opened Wakatobi, a dive resort in Tukangbesi, on the island of Tolandono. This all-inclusive dive destination resort combines all the facets of a world-class dive spot: location, reefs, marine biodiversity and professionalism. Relatively few people have explored Wakatobi's reefs and there are sti ll many sites that have never been seen th rough a mask. Staff still find new species they didn't know live here. Tukangbesi is remote and also a national marine reserve, which will hopefully ensure that the area will remain pristine. Wakatobi is careful about reef preservation. "Your safety comes first, and the reef is right behind it," Collister says. " If the guides see you kicking something, they'll haul you out of the water." In addi- tion, the resort actually subsidizes the meager wages of local park rangers and makes efforts to integrate with the local com- munity, donating funds to the school in the island's village To get there, you fly to Bali , then hop aboard the ~ ,. Tukangbesi resort's own plane for another 600 miles. The next day, you get up with the sun, grab a tank and just walk into the water- which hovers around 82°F-for a dive. Wakatobi's house reef- . the reef that's right outside your bedroom door-is considered ~ one of the best in the world. You take a breakfast break before ~ you board a boat about 9 AM, do two dives and return for lunch ~ at 1 PM. Afternoons are free time, and most people naturally ~ spend time diving. Just sign up, grab a tank and off you go. It is ~ the epitome of "unlimited diving."-LG ~ u. o Vl OUTFITTERS REEF & RAINFOREST, USA "There are pygmy seahorses in 30 feet of water-I don't believe it!" dive master Jenny Collister remembers thinking on her first Tukangbesi dive. And from that moment on, the show never stopped. In just a few feet of water, you see Picasso triggers, anemone fish and countless other species. A hundred feet from the shore is an underwater canyon with a wall that drops 100 feet to a shelf. There you might see batfish, crocod ile fish and razorfish. The wall is a blooming, swaying explosion of angelfish, butterfly fish, rabbitfish and lion fish against a backdrop of orange, purple and red corals. And that's just the house reef. The Tukangbesi archipelago, off the coast of southeastern Sulawesi, is part of a biologi- cal hot spot. The entire Indonesian archipelago, and surrounding waters, has the most extensive assortment of marine li fe on the planet. Sites such as Mari Mubuk (Bahasa Indonesia for "Let's get drunk") is so named because the dazzle of undersea life will intoxicate you. Do a backward ro ll off the side and you just might come fact to face with a banded sea snake, which is highly venomous, but, luckily, docile-bites are exceedingly rare. At the deep walls you have the chance to see schools of moorish idols, giant stingrays, jacks, barracuda, and gray and blacktip sharks. If you're at the right place at the right time, you could even spot dolphins and pilot whales. 48 ~ ~ Reef & Rainforest can customize whatever dive escape you desire_ ::: 10 days, $2,170, 2001: 7/10-7/20, 8/17-8/28, 9/25-10/5, ~ 10/5- 10/16, 10/30-11/9, 11/23-12/4; 2002: 3/12-3/22, 4/16-4/26, ;;; 5/21-5/31, 6/25-7/05, 7/30-8/9, 9/3-<)/13, 10/8--10/18, 11/12-11/22, ~ 12/17-12/27; 800-794-9767, www_reefrainforesl.com WAKATOBI DIVE RESORT, Sulawesi, Indonesia ~ 12 days, $1,998, 2001: 7/20-8/3, 8/3-8/17, 8/28-<}/11, 9/11-<)/25, ~ 10/16-10/30, 11/9-11/23, 12/4-12/18, 12/18--1/1; 2002: 3/22-4/2, ~ 4/26-5/7, 5/31-6/11, 7/5-7/16, 8/8-8/20, 9/13-<)/24, 10/18--10/29, ~ 11/22-12/3; 62-361-284-227, www_wakatobi_com w u S Ii: iii :;: w Z Z vi z o ~ ~ ~ o ~ if! :>: ~ :t: 0.. ~