68HOLIDAY NEWS
BOOKINGNOW...divErNEt.comSiladen takes on Selayar
Siladen Resort & Spa in North
Sulawesi, Indonesia has taken
over a property in the south of
Sulawesi called the Selayar Dive
Resort. It has been operating in
Selayar, an archipelago of 73
islands, as a remote “barefoot
luxury getaway” with its own
patrolled marine park for the past
20 years, and is said to offer
a combination of wall-diving,
sloping reefs and sandy
slopes for muck-diving within
10 minutes’ speedboat ride.
Unlimited house-reef
diving allows divers to search
for critters or rays in seagrass
meadows or spot turtles or
sharks on the wall, it says.
Turtles also nest on the
private beach.
Siladen management will have
taken over by next May, when
repeat guests of both resorts will
receive 10% off accommodation
at either site for bookings of
seven or more nights.
Current rates (minimum stay
one week) are 85 euros pp per
night for a double bungalow with
meals, and 90 euros pp per day
for two boat-dives and unlimited
house-reef diving.
8 siladen.com, selayar-dive-
resort.comIf you enjoyed reading about Henley
Spiers’ striped marlin adventures in the
July issue of divEr, you might have
got the bug to try this exciting form of
underwater interaction for yourself.
Amos Nachoum is offering his
own series of striped marlin photo
adventure workshops off San Carlos in
Mexico’s Baja California from 18 and 26
October and 3 and 11 November this
year, and they’re very exclusive, with
no more than four guests per trip.
The trips include both snorkelling
and scuba with the marlin and also
seals as they attack baitballs. You get
eight nights’ accommodation, six days
in the water with scuba-gear supplied
(including pony tanks), breakfast and
lunch and transfers for US $4950pp.
8 biganimals.comSummer Roots
Roots Red Sea at El Quseir in Egypt is
offering Cavern, Sidemount, DPV Diver
and other PADI speciality courses free
until the end of August if you book
seven nights’ half-board in a double
chalet. With the course, transfers from
Hurghada or Marsa Alam and
unlimited house-reef, the package
costs £545pp (two sharing). Go with a
buddy and you both get a free course.
You do still have to pay for manuals
and certifications (40-125 euros).
8 rootsredsea.comFestive Grenada
Pure Grenada's 3rd Annual Pure Dive
Fest has been set for the six days from
28 September to 4 October, at the
start of a new diving season, on the
Caribbean islands of Carriacou and, for
the last few days, Grenada itself.
The festival includes individual
diving days for reefs, wrecks,
environmental clean-up and lionfish
awareness, an underwater
photography competition for all
participating divers, presentations,
lionfish dinner and a free pool-diving
day for beginners.
8 puredivinggrenada.comBuddying up in Bonaire
Critterfest
in January
PETER LANGE
Join the
marlin
set
With its absence of strong currents,
Bonaire in the southern Caribbean is
ideal for learning to dive, says Diverse
Travel, while experienced divers and
underwater photographers will be
glad of typically 30m visibility and
extended bottom-times.
The tour operator has just added
the small island to its portfolio,enthusiastic about marine diversity
that embraces more than 300 fish
species. More than 50 dive-sites are
accessible from the shore, most at
depths of less than 10m where
seahorses, turtles, jack, tarpon and
frogfish can all be seen, and you can
hire a vehicle and explore for yourself.
The well-known Buddy Dive resort
offers 24-hour access to its house reef
and a range of apartments.
Prices from £1599pp include
KLM flights, transfers and
seven nights’ B&B in a studio
(two sharing) and you can then
opt to add your own drive and
dive package.
8 diversetravel.co.uk
Critterfest 2020 is being held at the
Crystal Blue Resort in Anilao in the
Philippines from 17-27 January next
year. Underwater photographers
Bruce Shafer, Walter Marti and Mike
Bartick host the 10-night, nine dive-
day event, and the price of US
$2245pp (two sharing) covers full-
board accommodation, nitrox boat-
dives, transfers and park fees.
The workshop, now in its 10th year,
includes photo/video lighting,
shooting and editing techniques,
photo reviews and personal coaching.
Discounts are also available for
blackwater dives.
8 divecbr.com