2010-11: DISCUSSION ONLY (NOT SIGN UP THREAD)

New Last Minute Opportunity for November NOW OPEN FOR BOOKING BY PREMIERS UNTIL JULY 26th HERE:

If the link does not work then please upgrade to our premier member level...its $35 and you'll get $25 back if you file for it after the trip!


So due to the recent unrest in the Maldives and inability to ensure our contracts can be honored we have taken an entirely different tract and will now offer world renowned diving off North Sulawesi Indonesia 2-16Nov 2010 (FINAL DATES & FLIGHTS TO BE LOCKED IN BY 7/10/10) ~ panormaic walls of beloved Bunaken Marine Reserve and muck diving treasure hunting in Lembeh Strait!

A little more about this venue for those who do not know....

The best value in Asia for world class diving would be N Sulawesi Island Indonesia. You have a most extraordinary opportunity to dive 2 very different underwater seascapes only 1.5 hours apart, so for combined convenience and world class diversity there is no rival destination! We are finalizing the details, and working on a 12-13nt trip to combine 2-3nts Singapore, 5 nights at Santika Resort, Manado http://www.santika.c...do-premiere.php diving the panoramic walls of Bunaken Marine Reserve, and 5 nights at KungKuyngan Bay Resort, the Pioneer resort at famed Lembeh Strait http://www.divekbr.com/ . This area is renowned as being the planet's epicentre of marine bio diversity. Here you'll find a higher concentration of marine life than anywhere else on the planet. World famous for macro photography and its wondrous critters (sometimes referred to as "muck diving"), Lembeh also offers many other underwater riches including beautiful soft coral sites and several historic wrecks. Offering something for everyone, Lembeh and Bunaken are a truly unique combination.

We are planning to fly Singapore Air out of Los Angeles on the 210P 2Nov to return LA 16Nov 1125A. A full prospective itinerary, along with resort and air rate details are pending confirmation today and will be published asap. We expect the pricing to be the SAME as anticipated for Maldives without sacraficing quality, diving nor overall experience. I was looking at this trip for next year but believe we can reliably offer it this year.

I hope that you all will still join us to this amazing destination and we'll leave Maldives for another time.


Those Interested In Being Notified When Full Details Are Posted:

1. Jim aka UP diver - Premier
2. Dan aka Rookie - Premier
3. Elisabeth aka Lady Liz - Premier
4. Debra aka deb4diving - Premier
5. Susan aka susiq - Premier
6. Kelly aka KellyDiver - Premier
7. Brian aka scubabjs - Premier
8. Terrry aka TRINITY - Premier
9. Mike aka Going Postal - Premier
10. Bill aka ScubaTex - Premier
11. Liz aka Lady Liz - Premier
12. Ed aka Diver Ed - Premier
13. Carla aka rkymtnwy - Premier
14. Scot aka Handyman - Premier (pending pmt)
15. Mark aka Muktuk - Premier



DIVERS WANTING NITROX FOR MANADO:

1. Kamala aka WreckWench
2. Liz aka Lady Liz
3. Ed aka Diver Ed
4. Bill aka ScubaTex
5. Scot aka Handyman
6. Debra aka deb4diving

Edited by WreckWench, 20 July 2010 - 06:17 AM.

Please put me on the interested list for this trip.

UP Diver

Thanks Kamala for the nice job and avoiding us the problems. I am in for the other trip and will not be sorry not to go to South Africa ...choosing the marine life over the lions...will do the lions an other time! Let me know when you want the fist deposit
Lady Liz

Kamala,
I would like to do this new trip--will have to beg my boss for another 2 wk trip, but will try very hard.
Thx, Debra

I'm in for the new trip! I'll have to sort things out but I think it's doable! Thanks for hammering this out..... sorry it was such a giant hassle, but I know you're working to keep us in good hands!
s

Edited by susiq, 30 June 2010 - 09:55 AM.

I am so glad that people are still up for the new adventure. I am working on air contracts as we speak. I hope others will still want to join us. I also have to see if I will have minimums or not. I opted for a standard pkg which can still be extended for those who want too but going for less is not really ideal HOWEVER I will see if it can be broken into 2 parts and still make sense. Most of it will be contingent on the air routings and the fares.

As I get info I will be posting it. My plan is to have NO minimums and go with everyone who wants to go due to this late change of venue. The new resorts understand the nightmare we've just been thru and are trying to work with us.

Those resorts look amazing. I am still interested!

I am so glad that people are still up for the new adventure. I am working on air contracts as we speak. I hope others will still want to join us. I also have to see if I will have minimums or not. I opted for a standard pkg which can still be extended for those who want too but going for less is not really ideal HOWEVER I will see if it can be broken into 2 parts and still make sense. Most of it will be contingent on the air routings and the fares.

As I get info I will be posting it. My plan is to have NO minimums and go with everyone who wants to go due to this late change of venue. The new resorts understand the nightmare we've just been thru and are trying to work with us.

Looks great, I will most likely add on 2 weeks at the end. United has very nice fair from Nov 1 - Dec 2. Kungkungan looks like my kinda place.

Bjs

Looks like a good time, count me in Kamala! THANKS! Terry

Such a pity. But not too surprising. I have heard of similar problems booking in the Maldives recently. Sheena, didn't you have a problem there last year? Or am I remembering wrong.

Anyway, that officially knocks me off this trip. Even if I could get those two weeks off in November, I already have a Lembeh/ Manado 2 week trip planned in October. So have fun, and I will keep an eye out for the next trip to catch my fancy.

DG

Add me to the interested list. When do you think you will have a price?

For those interested in researching air. Manado (MDC) is the airport you fly into to get to Lembeh. Most folks fly into Singapore and then take SilkAir onwards to Manado. Silkair just reduce their flight schedule to M, W, F, Sat only.

I'll be in Lembeh next month. It is great. And KBR is a nice resort (at least was on my visit in 2005).

A major tip, don't kick your fins, just sort of will your self forward and use really tiny baby ankle kicks. Otherwise you will be the creator of an underwater blizzard from the bottom. It's called muck diving for a good reason.

Also you will need at least 2 completely empty pages in your passport for Indonesia alone. The entry Visa is available on arrival for $25 in new nice pretty dollars, preferably big head bills. They will place a visa onto one page in your book and then stamp you in on a separate page. The queue sometimes is really long as it is cheaper to get visa on arrival than from the consulate (at least that's what I learned at the consulate here in NYC). You will deplane by steps, then walk into the airport. After getting the visa and immigration, you'll get x-rayed with your carryons and then go to the baggage area to get your check ins. Then hand a slip to customs and out you go. There are ATMs outside at the terminal for Rupiah if you want some.

Edited by secretsea18, 30 June 2010 - 06:59 PM.

is it necessary to leave from la? is it possible to meet the group in indonesia a few days prior to the trip ? if so from where will the trip be leaving and where is the meeting point? or, is it possible to leave with the group from la. but not return until two weeks after the posted return date?

is it necessary to leave from la? is it possible to meet the group in indonesia a few days prior to the trip ? if so from where will the trip be leaving and where is the meeting point? or, is it possible to leave with the group from la. but not return until two weeks after the posted return date?

I'm sure one of the angels/charlies will offer more info shortly but Kamala is always happy to help you with plans to arrive early or stay later if you desire.

Sorry, but the Angels & Charlies, and even the Trip Coordinators, do not have any trip information that is not already posted on the site somewhere. Kamala is the only one who can answer this! I do know that there will be several people adding time on the back side of the trip, however the details are not available yet.