Martin became addicted to underwater photography and video, at age 10 an uncle who actually dove with J.Y. Cousteau gave me a copy of The Silent World and I remember thinking "someday that will be me". I dove camera free for 25yrs but 5yrs ago combined the two hobbies and now can't imagine diving without a camera in hand.

What solidifies Wakatobi as a premier dive destination is what matters most, the incredible diving. It is inspiring, because of their commitment to working with the local people in preserving this living jewel.

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Diving since 1972, Craig has logged over 6000 dives worldwide. Craig is an Instructor Certifier with SSI and Instructor Trainer with TDI on 6 styles of rebreathers, and works as a consultant to diving manufacturers and insurance companies. He is the owner of Silent World Diving Systems, a leading scuba and rebreather facility in the USA. Craig has been leading dive groups all over the world for over 20 years and most weekends can be found on the beach somewhere around the world.

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Coral Reefs need top quality water quality management. Poor water quality ultimately leads to dead reefs. Unfortunately, the budgets for water quality in large urban areas such as Los Angeles are out of the question for most parts of the world. Together with Dr. Burt Jones http://usclab.usc.edu/people.html, USC Biology Dept, Tom developed the "rainbow sensor" that inexpensively measures organic components of seawater. With this technology, it is now possible for small organizations to fund and manage local water quality measurements.

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The Bonaire National Marine Park, working with the Sea Monitor Foundation, funds and maintains the Light and Motion Sensor Program on Bonaire ( www.nova.edu/ncri/11icrs/abstract_files/. Wakatobi Dive Resort funds and maintains the first rainbow sensor program managed solely by a dive resort.

Tom and Ginnie dive all over the world and are yearly visitors to Wakatobi. They are active photographers www.tomandginnie.com. He is a frequent poster on www.digitaldiver.net and www.wetpixel.com. Tom posts under the screen name TomR1.

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I remain an avid diver, even after these many years. I am a former air traffic controller, retired from the US Federal Aviation Administration. I have a BA in English - University of Maryland.

Wakatobi never stays the same; it only gets better. When we come again we won't know what to expect, but we know we will be pleasantly surprised. Wakatobi never stays the same; it only gets better.

" ... a beautiful, natural place that never stops improving "

" ... the fish life and health of the reef had improved since our previous visits. The resort's ongoing effort to educate the local populace on the value of their ocean resource was bearing fruit "

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Berkley White is a leading internationally published professional photographer, instructor and expert in the field of underwater photography and videography. He is the founder of Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo in Monterey, California. Berkley shares his in-field photographic techniques and digital methods through a series of select international travel events each year, such as the Digital Shootout.

We were a little concerned because we'd heard that Wakatobi are so over-protective of their reefs and animals that you just cannot shoot good photos - but I have a new story to share with folks.
The staff were all amazing, great spotters, great at correcting issues - certainly taking care that nothing was going wrong but not in an unpleasant way, they did it really professionally and well.

The 4:1 ration is beyond generous, awesome, fantastic. Everybody gets to see everything!

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Judd Burstein, P.C., is a trial and appellate lawyer from New York, New York. His firm, Judd Burstein, P.C., is a boutique litigation firm that specializes in complex commercial litigation such as the civil RICO statute, sports and entertainment litigation, matrimonial litigation and white collar criminal litigation.

"I have never encountered a staff that was so personally concerned about each guest, as an individual, having the best possible vacation. Within two days, every staff member - from the boat deck hands, to the maids, to every waiter, to the kitchen staff - knew my name and greeted me. I felt as though I was being cared for by a family."

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Dr. Cervino is a coral health-physiologist and pathologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute where he is currently a visiting scientist. His research focus is on the links between coral diseases and global warming. His laboratory work explores using coral cell lines to understand cancer mechanisms.

". . . . Wakatobi Dive resort has created a truly sustainable development scheme that protects the coral habitat. Only a handful of operators and owners around the world understand the sensitivity of the habitat they are coexisting with, and Wakatobi's leaders are among them. "

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Stephan is the President and Founder of Beautiful Oceans, an international coral reef education, mapping and conservation organization. His company donates 1% of its annual revenues or 10% of its annual profits, whichever is greater, to non-profit organizations working in the field of marine conservation. Beautiful Oceans Coral Reef Adventures and courses are available online and at selected destinations throughout the Caribbean for the enjoyment of the entire family.

"On one occasion, I was about to take down the last few in a series of special features on my dive slate when I suddenly found myself in a huge ball of schooling fish, probably several hundreds of them. The kaleidoscope of colors and the sheer number was so overwhelming that it made my jaw drop and with it my dive slate. The school of fish was so dense that they sometimes blocked the view of my dive buddy students and the surface marker buoy!"

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