We've got a wonderful e-mail from our avid diver Valeria, who was diving with us last year, which we want to share with you:

Dear guys....

i miss you so much that i cannot explaine....
My crazy feeling for you....
My best part of my life was been there with everyone...
every day i think of you..
i remember each your fantastic smile...and each sunset...

i was very happy with you...
every day of my life was full of color...magic...
I know ...you are special and everyone go there and spend time with you can think the same...
Only one word .....thank you!

Properties and Lots for Sale in Moalboal, Cebu

Over the years we had a lot of our divers coming back to us again and again.

Some of them purchased properties and settled down here in Moalboal.

So if you are interested in a decent property, drop us an e-mail and we get you in touch with trustworthy people who sell lots with a clean title and who will help you with the paper work.

New Year Dive - Some of us must live under water, right?

Traditionally, some of our divers cross over into the New Year under water.

Shortly before midnight our Swiss instructor Uli gathered the willing flock and descended at the house reef. They emptied several bottles of champagne at midnight.

We think that Rachel took a little bit too much, as you can see her mask filled up with some fluid we think is champagne...

We wish all scuba divers and friends of Moalboal a happy new year, and let us know if you want to join us next year.

Your Savedra Team

Savedra offers now PADI Assistant Instructor Courses

After the latest IDC update with PADI Course Director Mario Tapales our Master Instructor and "Tecki" Abraham Borg conducts now PADI Assistant Instructor courses in our dive center.

The PADI Assistant Instructor Course is part of the Instructor Development Course (IDC) which comprises of two parts.

Part 1 Assistant Instructor

The Assistant Instructor course is a minimum of three days. It introduces you to the teaching techniques for skill and knowledge development. The course concentrates on duties and programs Assistant Instructors may conduct independently. On successful completion of the Assistant Instructor course candidates can move on to obtain training to become Open water Scuba Instructors.

We got an amazing e-mail from our PADI Dive Master Candidate Akio which we want to share with you guys:

Dear, Karl, Dino and all my friends in Savedra Dive Center,

I am very sorry not to write for a long time since returning home.

I was very busy for many things that had been waiting for me during my absence in Japan.

Here, it is a complete Autumn now, and the winter is approaching just there.

I did cut and trimming trees in my small garden and cultivated beans, green onions, ginger roots etc, in the countryside.

Thank you very much for supporting me during my long stay in September and October.

Thanks to your steady supports and warm advices, I finally could become a DiveMaster and also could be a member of you.

I am very much happy and proud that I could conquer and pass all the ordeals, such as 60 dives with other guests, training assistant, stamina training and even the interview with a medical doctor.

Now, I could remember your (Karl's) words on e-mail before leaving Japan.

You said that Savedra would offer me the very rigorous and strict training and that after the success of the training you would be sure that I would be a real DiveMaster.

Now, thanks to Dino, I am confident that I have become a REAL DiveMaster with his kind and serious instruction and his very tough training.

I did write the story of these 4 week's severe training and delivered by e-mail to many friends of mine, not only diving friends but also old friends of my high school, university and company.

And I got many many many replies from them.

They mostly say; that they are much surprised at my energy, spirits and efforts, that they are much envious of my life, that I am a superman they can never imitate, that I am passing the ideal human life and that they thanked me for providing them with living energy, etc.

Dear, Karl, Dino and all my friends,
I am sure that I will come to Moalboal again, maybe in February and it would be much appreciated if I could join you and assist you. I also would like to bring some friends of mine with me sooner or later.

Lindy and Dino, thank you very much for everything during my stay.

Hermann and Bhiebs, thank you very much for many things including extension proceedure of my visa.

Please let me ask you the same proceedure again.

Raquel, thank you for all arrangements at everytime.

Jaymi, I will mail the pictures soon please wait for a while.

Now thank you very much again, everybody.

akio (^:^(

Whale Shark Mania!

Guys, the whale shark are back. BIG time! Our dive instructor Tommi has 2 PADI Open Water Students, Michael and Christian, and dives the house reef all the time. Here is the Log Book entries of the dive students:

Oct. 2, 2007: Open Water Dive 1 (this is the very first Open Water dive in the course): Whale Shark

Oct. 3, 2007: Open Water Dive 2: Whale Shark

Oct. 4, 2007: Open Water Dive 4: Whale Shark

So these students saw in 3 out of their 4 certification dives whale sharks. Right now we have a giant school of sardines at our house reef and hey are spawning. We assume this keeps the whale shark around for a while. Our certified divers are not going boat diving anymore, everybody is just diving the house reef. And, I guess, Michael and Christian, our PADI Open Water Students, are spoiled for life...

Thresher Sharks in Moalboal

Our Japanese business partner Noriaki Hashizume (www.savedra.jp) is just passing by for a short visit from Japan. He has his Tech Gear still with us and jumps every day in the water for a deep dive. And nearly on every dive he encounters tresher sharks. This is a trend we observe already since a couple of month. More and more often we have encounters with treshers. Nori had up to 4 threshers on Sunday, Sept. 23 and yesterday, Sept. 24, a big tresher shark in Pescador Island. In Pescador we have usually white ship sharks, the appearance of threshers is new to us. It seems that laws in Philippines against illegal fishing methods are improving and the proof of it is just on our house reef. Only set back is they are really deep. like 60m/200f or deeper. One reason more to learn tech diving...
Unfortunately Nori didn't bring his camera. We post some pics taken before from our friends at artifishal.com.

Project AWARE’s Dive For Earth Day

Each year during the week of Earth Day, 22^nd April, thousands of people across the globe make a difference for the underwater environment while having fun and getting wet to celebrate Dive For Earth Day. We joined the global effort to make a difference this April. We organized in partnership with Project AWARE a Beach and Underwater Cleanup. Divers, snorkelers, their families and friends helped us to make a difference for our local dive sites.

Here is more info on the Earth Day and Project AWARE:

Earth Day began on 22 April 1970 to raise the status of environment issues to the global stage. On the 30^th anniversary of Earth Day in 2000, Project AWARE began to help organize dive volunteers and put aquatic issues on the Earth Day map. Since that time thousands of divers and water enthusiasts in more than 115 countries of the world have helped protect underwater environments and educate local communities each April.

Project AWARE Foundation is the dive industry’s leading nonprofit environmental organization working in partnership with divers and water enthusiasts to conserve underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.

For more information about Project AWARE conservation initiatives visit www.projectaware.org.