Matava: Earth Day April 2011

Matava: Earth Day April 2011
Originally uploaded by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort.

Matava: Earth Day April 2011 by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort

DiveCaching

Sounds like a blast, looking to place some in Kadavu Fiji!

Professional Dive Centers are always looking for fun local diving events to keep their current customers engaged. Local and regional diving activities are as important as dive travel to promote education, equipment purchases and fun. Today the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) is proud to announce the release of a new in-water game called “DiveCaching,” designed to keep divers active locally while promoting more diving, more retail dive business and keeping customers involved!

“We’re extremely excited to be introducing this new real-life game to the diving and snorkeling community,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. “It’s a simple in-water activity that can be conducted almost anywhere, regardless of visibility or dive conditions. There are so many rewards to be gained from participating in DiveCaching; exploring new dive sites, visiting favorite locations with a new eye for adventure, and simply thriving on the fun and excitement of discovering ‘treasure’ underwater. DiveCaching gives certified divers a great reason to dive locally, use and update their equipment, brush up on previously learned skills such as navigation and search, and just have a great time with family and friends. Divers can also search for caches when traveling to dive anywhere in the world, and there’s virtually no limit to the games and activities in which retailers, dive professionals, and divers can incorporate DiveCaching. DiveCaching is truly ‘Looking for Fun!’”

DiveCaching is an underwater variation of “Geocaching,” a decade-old game that uses a GPS device and simple search skills to locate hidden land-based caches. Here’s how it works:

• Divers hide a “treasure” or “cache” underwater and post the GPS coordinates and compass directions on www.geocaching.com, the official global GPS cache hunt website
• Other divers search www.geocaching.com for divecache listings near their dive site and actually dive to locate the cache
• Once the cache is found, divers log their cache visit using the on-site visitor’s log. The finder may also choose to photograph the cache, deposit an additional treasure in the container or simply return it to its original location
• After returning to the surface, the finders log their visit on www.geocaching.com, sharing their adventure with other divers around the world

There are more than 5 million geocachers worldwide and more than 1.3 million active, mostly land-based, geocaches. Divers can join www.geocaching.com with a free basic membership, and log the caches they hide for others to find as well as any they find while searching.

Why DiveCaching? Not only is it fun but it also gives divers motivation to dive wherever there are submerged caches located in dive environments for which they are trained and equipped. Caches can be hidden in almost any underwater environment, and the visibility, temperature and other diving conditions are part of the challenge of hiding and finding a cache. It also creates the perfect family outing when combined with land-based geocaching or social activities and allows non-divers to join in the fun!

DEMA member retailers will receive DiveCaching information and tools over the next few weeks to get their customers involved and help them hide their own caches. In the meantime, visit www.facebook.com/DiveCaching to view and share the introductory video now! DEMA will “officially” launch DiveCaching to the entire diving community beginning on May 17^th at which time online ads promoting DiveCaching to consumers will begin to appear. Stay tuned for more information on how you can get your customers involved in this exciting activity!

For more information about DiveCaching, including finding and hiding a cache, visit www.DiveCaching.org and don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest DiveCaching details, updates and events!

DiveCaching

Help Give Sharks A Fighting Chance - Sign the Petition

Shark populations are devastated by overexploitation, including targeted fishing, bycatch and finning. Join thousands of AWARE divers and shark advocates who are serious about shark protection. Support the goal to reach 100,000 petition signatures from around the world by June 8^th, World Ocean Day. Sign the petition and urge your friends and colleagues to do the same.

Together, we’re gaining the attention of policymakers worldwide. We’re closing loopholes in existing global shark management policies and insisting on full protections for Endangered and Critically Endangered sharks.

Yes, I'm appalled at the failure of the world's environment leaders at CITES 2010 in Qatar to approve trade protections for some of the Earth's most vulnerable and heavily traded shark species.

Each year, tens of millions of sharks are killed by Earth's most dangerous predators - humans. Too many of them fall victim to the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning - the act of removing shark fins and discarding the often still alive shark overboard. As Asian demand for fins remains strong, markets for shark meat are growing, helping to push shark species to the brink.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) analyses, all shark species proposed at the meeting met the criteria for listing under CITES Appendix II. Such listing requires that trade is controlled in order to avoid use that threatens the species' survival. Despite the depletion of sharks worldwide, restrictions on international trade are in place for only three shark species - whale shark, great white shark and basking shark.

I join with Project AWARE, divers and activists worldwide, calling on CITES Parties, between now and the next CITES Conference, to:

• Heed all available scientific advice for limiting shark catches;
• Fully protect shark species listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN;
• Set precautionary shark fishing limits [where no advice exists];
• Ensure all sharks are landed with their fins naturally attached;
• Work with other countries to prepare and promote shark listing proposals for the next CITES Conference; and
• Improve shark trade data collection by taking national action to list all species proposed at CITES 2010 on Appendix III before the next CITES meeting in 2013.

We call on governments around the world to heed scientific advice to provide better protection for all sharks and their ocean ecosystem.

Help Give Sharks A Fighting Chance - Sign the Petition Here!

Underwater Photography Seminar at Matava in August 2011

You’re a pretty good underwater photographer, but not a pro. You want to step up your game by sharpening your eye, honing your photo trigger finger and getting your lighting down. If you just had one week, you’re thinking, you could get it done. And if you had a patient instructor, minus the intimidating resume and overinflated ego, who’s willing to spend as much time with you as you need, you’d be all set.

Wait! Did you hear that knocking at your door? It’s opportunity. Scuba Travel Ventures is now proud to offer divers the chance to spend a week luxuriating in a Pacific paradise while elevating their underwater photography skills. Noted underwater photographer Dr. Andre Smith is leading a seminar on the subject from Thursday, August 11 to Saturday, August 20 at Matava – Fiji’s leading eco-adventure resort, on the island of Kadavu – for shooters of all levels of skill and experience.

“We’re taking all comers, aiming to make sure that everyone gets the right level of attention,” says Smith, an anesthesiologist by profession who originally hails from South Africa but now calls British Columbia home. “Some resorts and live-aboards offer courses, but they forget that people are on holiday and want to have fun. The diving will be fun and easy and not pressurized.”

The diving goes down in the Great Astrolabe Reef, one of the Pacific’s most radiant dive jewels, located on Kadavu’s southern shore. With an area of about 75 miles, the reef is the world’s fourth largest and features encounters with graceful manta rays, curious reef sharks, a rainbow palette of tropical fish, spectacularly colorful hard and soft corals, walls and mesmerizing passages. Some of the sexiest sites include a handful in the immaculate Naiqoro Marine Reserve, the aptly named Manta Reef, the richly colored Japanese Gardens and Coral Wonderland. It’s all yours to photograph.

Smith says the course – which also features instruction by shooter and trip leader Randy Osgerby – will involve daily classroom sessions, with two days devoted to macro, three to wide-angle and the final day devoted to a diver’s choice, with a slide show at the end of the trip. The majority of the work Smith says he’ll do with his new students will be underwater and after dives to check out the results.

“There’s lots of multitasking on dives and I’m hoping to simplify things for divers so the photography part becomes second nature,” Smith says. “I’m not looking for shooters to compete with each other. But by the end of the week, we’re hoping to turn out confident photographers.”

To check out more of Dr. Andre Smith’s fabulous underwater photography click this link or visit his website: http://andresmith.speedalbum.com/home.htm.

Dive Package $2899

August 11 - 20, 2011

This package includes Round trip airfare from LAX, 7 nights Ocean View Bure accommodations, taxes and airport transfers, all meals, 5 days unlimited seminar boat dives, 5 days underwater digital photography and unlimited shore diving, prizes and give-aways, Traditional Lovo Feast and Kava Ceremony.

Call 1-800-298-9009

Scuba Travel Ventures - Underwater Photography Seminar at Matava in Fiji

Winner of Dive Boat Name Announced!

Michael Caro of Michigan, USA won the competition!


We are pleased to announce that we have the name of our new dive boat:

"BELOW ME"

The winner is Michael Caro from Michigan, USA, sent in through his dive travel agent Scuba Planners!.

He's won himself a Scuba Dive Kadavu Package : 

• 5 day of 2 tanks diving (10 dives) at Mad Fish Dive Centre
• All day free access to shore diving at The Critter Junction
• 7 nights in Oceanview Traditional Bure
• All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, unlimited tea/coffee)
• Traditional Lovo Feast and Kava ceremony
• Airport and boat transfers to/from Kadavu airport
• All taxes

Congratulations Michael!

Thanks to everyone who sent in names, we were overwhelmed by the number of emails and suggestions.

Follow along the construction on our blogs and the photos on Flickr.

 

 We hope you all had some fun, we certainly did judging the entries.

Matava's new dive boat BELOW ME

Matava's new dive boat BELOW ME
Originally uploaded by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort.

Matava's new dive boat BELOW ME welding in progress!

Fantastic location & adventure options, and the people were terrific! - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

I've traveled extensively and for the overall value this was one of the best remote eco-resorts I've ever visited.

The owners and staff treated me like a long-lost friend. Meals were made with local food, prepared very well, served family style, and there was always enough to go around. The guests were from around the world and were fun and friendly.

The staff were helpful, accommodating, friendly and professional. As a diver, I really appreciated how well the dive operation was handled -- gear, boat, dive masters, safety, etc. were all PADI 5-star.

If you open your mind and heart to the local Fijian people, especially if you visit one of their villages, they will be friends for life...

Fantastic location & adventure options, and the people were terrific! - TripAdvisor: