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The Sands at Grace Bay

The Sands at Grace Bay is a luxury resort located in the Turks & Caicos on Providenciales. More importantly, Grace Bay has 12 miles of white sandy beach and Scuba diving is just one of the many activities you may enjoy while staying here. So, the resort features six 3-story buildings with 114 suites. Junior suites have kitchenettes. 1-bedroom suites, two-bedroom suites, and 2-bedroom suites with den, have full kitchens. Air conditioning, fans, and in suite wifi are just some of the amenities. Enjoy our blog article on Turks & Caicos.

The Sands at Grace Bay Diving

Scuba Diving the walls of this destination is a must. In addition, the most experienced dive operator, Provo Turtle Divers, are just minutes east of Sands at Grace Bay. Moreover, you can typically do 2-3 dives a day in clear waters offering an abundance of sea life. Some popular dive sites you may wish to see include: The Amphitheater, Grand Canyon, Shark Hotel, and Coral Staircase. You can dive canyons, walls, pinnacles, and coral reefs. Some other popular dive sites you may wish to see while staying at The Sands at Grace Bay: Double D, Elephant Ear Canyon, Aquarium, Eagle Ray Pass, and The Crack.

Attraction and Activities

At Sands at Grace Bay, you are close to the Provo Golf club. Located in the Princess Alexandra National Park, you can ride jet skis, go windsurfing, parasailing, go on a catamaran trip take a submarine ride, or try kayaks and hobie cats. So, to relax, you can request an inhouse Spa treatment by Spa Tropique. More importantly, Hemingway’s Restaurant & bar is the onsite restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and diner is served overlooking the white sand beach. Moreover, there are several restaurants and shopping areas located nearby including those located at the Regent Village, Saltmills Plaza, and Ports of Call shopping plaza. The Casablanca Casino is not that far away either.

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M/V Truk Master

M/V Truk Master is a 91ft long scuba diving yacht. They have 8 cabins with ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning. 3 cabins are on the lower deck, 4 on the main deck, and 1 on the upper deck. The vessel was renovated in 2016. So, they can hold up to 16 guests, but allow 12 divers only per trip. MV Truk Master has itineraries for Truk Lagoon for 7 or 10 nights. Their trips to Bikini Atoll in the Marshal Islands may last up to 14 nights. Enjoy our blog article on Truk Lagoon. Why Dive A Wreck When You Can Dive An Entire Fleet?

M/V Truk Master Diving

Do you like scuba diving on wrecks? Truk Lagoon or Chuuk Lagoon is 80 times larger than Pearl Harbor. Japanese ships of all types filled the lagoon. The larger ships were moved a week before the Americans attacked February 17 & 18th, 1944. During the attack, 15 Japanese warships and 32 merchant ships sank. M/V Truk Master will take you to some of these sights plus you may view a few other ships that sank even before the battle. Plates, helmets, masks, sake bottles, and tanks, remain where they came to rest as the ships sank to the bottom of the lagoon area. In addition, both sides shot down what accumulated to 100’s of war planes. You can see some of these planes too.

Some of the lesser dove wrecks are deep and you need to be technically trained before you get to view them. Bikini Atoll trips are for Tech divers only. Other wrecks you can easily reach the main decks. M/V Truk Master can prepare you with the equipment you need for almost any dive including: air, nitrox, heliox, mixed O2 gases, and rebreather supplies such as CO2 absorbents or cylinder configurations. Please make all personal requests well in advance. Some ships frequented in Chuuk Lagoon include: Hoki Maru, Nippo Maru, Fuitzuki Destroyer, Betty Bomber, and the San Francisco Maru. There are over 300 types of coral growing on the wrecks and places such as Pizion Reef. Lots of fish and sharks patrol this underwater sanctuary.

Attractions and Activities

The dining area on M/V Truk Master is the place for buffet meals on the main deck. More importantly, you can in advance arrange for vegetarian meals. They also have a lounge area here, as well as a bar. So, the sun deck is the place to catch some rays. Finally, on Bikini Atoll where a hydrogen bomb blasted the lagoon some 250ft deep in 1954, the water now forms a safe barrier between you and the radioactive and hazardous wrecks and artifacts.

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M/V Solomons Master

M/V Solomons Master is a 90ft long scuba diving liveaboard based in Papua New Guinea. In 2015 they renovated the yacht. M/V Solomon Master, has 12 cabins and they hold up to 20 guests. The lower deck standard single and standard twin share cabins have shared bathrooms. The upper deck classic rooms have ensuite bathrooms. Enjoy our blog article on 110,000 Reasons to go Liveaboard.

M/V Solomons Master Diving

You’ll find 992 islands out here. However, only 147 of these islands are inhabited. They typically do 10-night / 11-day scuba diving trips around the islands. More importantly, they travel to such places as Guadalcanal, Honiara, Munda, Rebaul, and Tufi. Some of the popular hot spots include: Leru Cut, Mirror Pond, Mbulo Caves, and Cave of the Custom Shark, Mary’s Island, Morovo Lagoon, Devil’s Highway and Twin Tunnels. While on M/V Solomons Master, you can explore a plethora of World War II and the battle of Guadalcanal wrecks. Some popular wrecks include: Bonegi I the Hirokawa Maru and Bonegi II the Kinugawa Maru. The Searpens, Wildcat F4F, Douglas Dauntless bomber, a Japanese I1 submarine, the H6K4 Kawanishi Flying Boat, Japanese supply ships, a B-17 Bomber, and “White Beach”. You might also like diving the Wreck of the Ann and the Uepi fishing pier.

Attractions and Activities

International and local cuisine are prepared buffet style in the dining area on the main deck. They can also arrange for vegetarian or Gluten free on request if done well in advance. Fresh lime juice, coffee, and tea are free. Soft drinks, cocktails, beer, and wine are available for purchase. In addition, the main deck has a large lounge and tv area. Nitrox is available. Moreover, they have a dedicate camera area, use two zodiac tenders or Dohoni. You may also have time for snorkeling and shore excursions to visit archaeological caves, see the skulls of former head hunters, and/or view waterfalls and rivers. Moreover, you can visit the Vilu War Museum and the American War Museum, or purchase local foods, wood carvings, and experience local markets and customs.

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MV Oceania

MV Oceania is an 88ft long scuba diving catamaran based out of Walindi Plantation Resort. This resort faces the Bismarck Sea and is located on New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea. The aluminum hull yacht has 8 cabins for up to 18 guests. 3 of the cabins have queen beds and 5 are twin birth rooms. All cabins have ensuite bathrooms, individual air conditioning control. Furthermore, all cabins are above deck with ocean views. Enjoy our blog article on Papua New Guinea: Diving At The Edge Of The World. Part One.

MV Oceania Diving

They typically do 9-10-night scuba diving itineraries. They have 3 different trips that go out to Kimbe Bay, Father’s Reefs, and Witu Island. Plan to do up to 4 dives a day to see coral gardens, seamounts, walls, arches and overhangs. The dive sites near Walindi Plantation Resort, have seamounts, pinnacles, reefs, hanging gardens, and wrecks. So, two well-known seamounts include Ingles Shoal and Ono’s PointThe Zero is a Japanese plane wreck from WWII. Furthermore, from MV Oceania, you can view spectacular staghorn and rose pattern corals just off shore. Seamounts and pinnacles actually separate Kimbe Bay into two fairly equal sized bowls, both of which open out towards the sea.

Over 900 species of fish and 350 species of coral live out here. Aboard the MV Oceania and just in Kimbe Bay alone, you have to visit Inglis Shoal. This is where you have a good chance to view dogtooth tuna, bigeye trevally, and scalloped hammerheads roam. So, Susan’s Reef has sea whips, sea fans, and sea pens. Look closely and you will find Denis pygmy sea horses, tomato clown fish, and electric clams. Moreover, Restof Island has blacktips, silvertips, gray reef sharks, hawkfish and triggerfish. In addition, Christine’s Reef has barrel sponge gardens, cryptic crinoids, and colorful corals. MV Oceania has a tender may take you out to selected sights. More importantly, Nitrox is available.

Attractions and Activities

Dinner is a la carte, lunch is buffet style, and they have two breakfasts. You can literally have a continental breakfast, do dive 1, and then enjoy a hot breakfast before dive 2. So, they also have snacks before lunch and after lunch, and a desert each night. Meals are either western or Asian style and they have two long tables for guests. Three nearby mini-fridges have complimentary juice. In addition, Beer, and a few selected wines are available for purchase. Now, as for the layout on MV Oceania, they have a saloon and bar and dining area on the middle deck. Finally, the upper deck is the sundeck with chairs and table, but you may spend most of your free time just gazing out at the wildlife and impressive view.

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Papua Paradise Eco Resort

Papua Paradise Eco Resort is a scuba diving destination. They are located on Birie Island in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. So, they have 26 overwater wooden bungalows. More importantly, the rooms reside right above and against the house reef. Now, the Superior Overwater Bungalows have queen beds, a veranda. the also come with an ensuite bathroom. However, the Deluxe Overwater bungalows are slightly larger. They have a king bed, and sundeck with sun beds. Oh, and mini-bar.  Above all, the Deluxe has a private semi-open bathroom. This bathroom comes complete with an outdoor rain style shower. All rooms at Papua Paradise Eco Resort come with an ocean view desk. Wifi is available in the dive center lounge. Also enjoy our blog articles on North Sulawesi Indonesia-Part One.

Papua Paradise Eco Resort Diving

Gangga Divers is the onsite scuba diving center. They have a fleet of 10 dive boats.  They are also a PADI 5 Star dive center. The dive center also has a marine library, class room, and locked storage room. Most importantly, they have an air-conditioned camera room with work stations. They also have rental gear and Nitrox up to 32% is available. 75% of all known coral species can be found near Papua Paradise Eco Resort. Moreover, there are over 1300 species of fish in the area. Expect to see mantas, turtles, cuttlefish, and sharks. Smaller fish such as mandarin fish, pipefish, and sea horses are quite common. . The House Reef has two snorkeling sites plus a dive site. The Passage dive trip includes two dives in the mangroves at Yangeffo. There are also trips to MansuarKri, and Fam Island.

Attractions and Activities

The Sea View is the restaurant at Papua Paradise Eco Resort. They offer buffet style European and Indian cuisine. Vegetables come mostly from local gardens and villages. Pasta and ravioli are made fresh onsite. As for activities, you might like snorkeling. You can also go kayaking or bird watching. Island excursions include Wilson’s Bird of Paradise tour. You might also like to visit the Batanta Island waterfalls.  The Arefi Village tour is a great cultural adventure. However, the Hornbill Island sunset cruise and the Mangrove River bird cruise are for the birds. Finally, you may also like to take a break and relax at the Spa in Paradise.

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Gangga Island Resort

Gangga Island Resort & Spa is a scuba diving destination. They are northeast of Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Pulau Gangga, or Gangga Island, is near Bangka Island. They have 30 well-appointed rustic wooden bungalows. The majority of the bungalows are right next to the beach. Most Superior Villas have a double bed with draped mosquito nets. The rooms have a desk, complimentary wifi, satellite tv, and a mini-bar. All bungalows have an ensuite bathroom. The Deluxe Bungalows are similarly furnished, but have an additional veranda with a day bed. Enjoy our blog article on North Sulawesi Indonesia Part One and Part Two.

Gangga Island Resort Diving

Gangga Divers is the onsite scuba diving center. They are also a PADI 5 Star dive center. So, they have a fleet of several boats. Typically, they take out 4 divers on the faster boats.  The largest boat holds 12-15 divers. The longest dive trip is a 3-tank excursion. On this trip they offer a lunch box and afternoon tea. They also provide snacks. The Bunaken National Marine Park is within easy distance to Gangga Island Resort. The list of possible dive sites out here is enormous. So, wall dives around the Bunaken National Marine Park may be deep. More importantly, the area contains 390 species of coral and over 2000 species of fish. So, you may see seahorses, frogfish, sharks, and whale sharks. You might also see dugongs too. In addition, near Gangga Island Resort, chambered nautiluses rise up from depth at night.

Down below 100m, a brown species of coelacanth lobe fin fish somehow thrives. They  hide in caves and under overhangs. So, they were thought extinct for some 65 million years until seen in a fish market. Above all, nearby Bangka Island is home to pinnacles, drift dives, and muck dives. Some of the local larger creatures include: pilot whales, dugongs, sharks, and dolphins.

Attractions and Activities

At Gangga Island Resort, Tuturuga Restaurant is the place for breakfast buffet style. Lunch and dinner are ordered by menu. They offer International cuisine, as well as feature Indonesian favorites with emphasis on freshly caught fish.  As for activities, you can try fishing with local fisherman. Moreover, you can play billiards, volley ball, or table tennis. Now, the snorkeling is great, but lounging near the salt water infinity pool is divine. You may also like to visit the Minahasa Highlands. Excursions to Tangkoko National Parks, private tours to outer islands, and volcano trekking are also available. The resort is also the home of Pasung Spa.

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Royal Sea Aquarium Resort

Royal Sea Aquarium Resort is a scuba diving destination with 30 fully furnished villas. The resort is in Willemstad, Curacao and has 3 main types of rooms. They have a Double Junior Suite with a kitchenette for 2 adults plus 1 child. With full kitchen and 2 murphy beds they have the One Bedroom Ocean View. Lastly, for parties of up to 6 people they offer Two Bedroom Master Suites with two bathrooms. All villas have air conditioning and flat screen tv’s. Enjoy our blog article on Curacao, Can We Say Choices?

Royal Sea Aquarium Resort Diving

Ocean Encounters is the largest scuba diving school in Curacao. They are literally a few minutes away by foot. Even better, they are 100ft away if you swim across the inland waterway. Moreover, are a one stop dive shop, servicing all your rental, retail, or learning needs. Each morning, they provide one tank or two tank dive excursions to some 50 dive sites. While staying at Royal Sea Aquarium Resort you can schedule night boat dives. You may like to try a florescent night dive, a lion fish dives, or even a trip to Mushroom Forest and Blue Room of Klien CuracaoEast Point. Guided tour shore dives are also conducted right from the LionsDive Beach Resort’s beach. Finally, they have a coral restoration course.

Some of the popular local dive sites include: Basora, Rediho, Watamula, Shark Cave, Alice in Wonderland, Hell’s Corner, Airplane wreck, and Superior Producer Wreck.

Attractions and Activities

The Royal Sea Aquarium Resort is home to Laman Restaurant. Here, they offer international dishes, choice seafood selections, and Italian cuisine. More importantly, there are many other restaurants nearby in case you don’t want to stay in and cook. As for activities, you can arrange an animal encounter dive next-door at the Dolphin Academy and Curacao Sea Aquarium. The Royal Sea Aquarium Resort has an adult pool, a children’s pool and a wading pool. Nearby, you can also go kayaking, sail boarding, snorkeling, or enjoy other water sports. Moreover, there is even a submarine ride you can take (Curasub) down to 1,000ft deep. You might also like taking a shuttle into the Punda district of Willemstad for duty free and shopping. Then again, you can just relax and  watch the dolphins swim by from your lounger or balcony.

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M/V Galapagos Master

The M/V Galapagos Master is a steel hull 106ft long scuba diving liveaboard. They are based out of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands. The vessel was built in 2004 and renovated 2015. They have 9 cabins for a total of 16 guests. The upper deck cabins have large picture windows. Moreover, the cabins have lots of personal storage space as well as ensuite bathrooms. The vessel has air conditioning throughout including the indoor lounge and dining area. The lounge also features a library and large screen tv for viewing select movies, aquatic images and underwater videos. Enjoy our blog article on these 15-18 main islands; The Galapagos Islands: A Natural Selection for Divers.

M/V Galapagos Master Diving

They have two main itineraries. You can either take a 7-night 18 dive trip, or a 10-night trip with up to 27 dives. Some days will have 4 dives and other days will 2 dives and a land excursion. They also strive for 2 days of diving at Darwin and Wolf Island. Before your first dive off the M/V Galapagos Master, you will have a 20 min checkout dive in Puerto Baquerize Moreno bay to adjust your weights and come face to face with potential dive partners and or playful sea lions.

The Galapagos Islands is where the nutrient filled waters of three major ocean currents collide. Therefore, these waters are filled with large pelagics that come here to feed on smaller fish and plankton. Strong currents up to 5 knots and down drafts make this area unsuitable for scuba diving with less than advanced diver certification and 50-100 logged dives in similar current conditions and using similar dive equipment. In exchange for your accumulated dive knowledge and physical fitness, you may see 28 different species of sharks, and 500 species of fish: 17% of these creatures are only found in these islands. So, just like Darwin, while onboard the M/V Galapagos Master, you may view flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, equatorial penguins, and indigenous fur seals

Attractions and Activities

Aboard M/V Galapagos Master, they serve meals buffet style. On a typical day, you may have a light breakfast followed by a dive, then a full breakfast followed by dive 2. After lunch do dive 3 and after a snack do dive 4. After relaxing and warming up in the loungers, you are ready for dinner. We should mention that they use 2 tenders for dives. From June to December, when the waters are colder you need a 7ml wetsuit, hood, and gloves. So, from December to May, the waters are warmer, more mantas show up and you may get by in a 5ml wet suit or less.

Finally, while on board the M/V Galapagos Master, plan on doing a few shore excursions and see amazing giant tortoises the size of small cars, go on hikes such as to the Bartolome Summit, shop in town, and/or visit the tortoise breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Center. To say that the Galapagos Islands make up a thriving ecosystem is an understatement. Think you’ve seen it all and done it all? Then exploring the Galapagos Islands is the next trip for you.

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Papagayo Beach Resort

Papagayo Beach Resort is a scuba diving destination in Willemstad, Curacao. The resort has a large manmade swimming lagoon over at the Beach Club, and is a 3-minute walk to Jan Thiel Beach & Bay. They have 2-bedroom villas with garden rooms, 2-bedroom villas with ocean views, 3bedroom villas, and even a Royal Suite Villa. The luxury villas have AC flat screen tv’s and open plan kitchens. Enjoy our blog article: Curacao. Can We Say Choices?

Papagayo Beach Resort Diving

Dive Center Scuba Do is the local scuba diving place to go. They are a short walk away at Jan Thiel Beach near Zanzibar, the restaurant with amazing ribs. Dive Center Scuba Do offers multiple guided and non-guided shore dives. Depending on the day, they do drift dives from Barbara Beach to Directors Bay, and Directors Bay to Tugboat. You can do full day diving to West Point to Cas Abou. Moreover, they do boat diving over at East Point, Klein Curacao, and other west coast beaches. Finally, they do wreck diving on the 115ft deep, 400-ton Superior Producer or on the 15ft deep Tugboat. They also teach PADI courses including many specialty courses such as Lionfish Hunter, wreck diver, deep diver, drift diver, and night diver, to name a few. Expect to see turtles, stingrays, dolphins, eels, sponges, soft corals, hard corals, and a plethora of happy fish.

Attractions and Activities

Papagayo Beach Resort has its own restaurant.  Furthermore, 11 other restaurants are within a short stroll from most villas including the Beach Café near the Beach Plaza and Beach Club. The Beach Plaza is home of the Van Den Twerl Supermarket as well as several gift and clothing shops. Laman Spa and Wellness and Diamond Beach Casino are also located in this area. Thursday nights you can dine and dance, Friday nights are for live music and later DJs. Mojito’s and Bites is another hot place to dance and enjoy night clubbing. At adjacent Blue Coast Water Sports, you might like to try a hydro-flight or jet ski during the day or just become a lounger next to the lagoon at the Beach Club and vigorously work on a tan.

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Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa and Casino

Dreams Resort, Spa and Casino is a scuba diving destination in Willemstad Curacao. They have 197 rooms that range from Deluxe Island and Deluxe Pool rooms up to Junior or a Presidential suite. This is an all-inclusive resort with unlimited luxury with 5 onsite cafes and restaurants, plus 24/7 room service. The rooms also include free wifi, balcony, and flat screen tv. Enjoy our blog article: Curacao. Can We Say Choices?

Dreams Resort Diving

Caribbean Sea Sports is the local scuba diving center. They have been next to the beach here for more than 15 years. They have a Pro 42ft boat that takes up to 22 divers out at a time, they offer two tank boat dives followed by free unlimited shore diving. Dive sites include locations at Seldom Reef, Bullen Bay Wall, Bachelor Beach, Double Reef, and Directors Bay. While staying at Dreams Resort you can also do guided shore dives, night dives, or take one or more PADI dive courses. The beaches are small, but the home reef diving is great, you just have to look closely to spot the seahorses. Nitrox or Enriched air is also available. They also do half day snorkel trips, and fishing trips.

Attractions and Activities

Dreams Resort, Spa and Casino offers 3 ala carte restaurants including Portofina; Italian cuisine, Oceania; seaside restaurant, and Seaside Grill featuring steaks and other grilled items. World Café is buffet style and open for breakfast and lunch. Finally, you can get your fresh morning cup of coffee and pastry at Coco Café. For adult beverages, Dreams Resort has the Hideaway Beach Bar, and the Crafty Iguana Brew Pub. This brewery offers Tex-Mex as well as handcrafted local microbrews. Moreover, for those looking for one bar open from morning until after midnight, Rendezvous Bar is located next to the main lobby. As for exercise, they have tennis, volleyball, a pool, and whirlpool. Caribbean Sea Sports also rents kayaks, paddle boards, and dive lights for night time snorkeling adventures. They also have their own Spa. The resort is 15 minutes from the airport.

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