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We’ll be staying at Manta Ray Bay Resort and I’ve already got the third floor Ken Kurtis Wing rooms set aside for us. Breakfast on the fabulous Mnuw is included daily followed by three boat dives just about every day we’re there. (We’ll do as many as 26 dives overall.) Each day we do a 3-tank dive, we’ll have lunch on the boat, which is also included. (We’re on our own for dinner each night which can also be on the Mnuw or one of the nearby restaurants.) We’ll take a break one day for a half-day island tour. We’ll do a Mandarinfish dusk dive. And on our last dive day, we’ll do the Shark Feed which I’ve always said is one of the most high-voltage (in a good way) dives you’ll ever do. Nitrox is also included (for those qualified) as well as the crew/staff tip (which, as Reef Seekers is known for, is usually considered somewhat generous). Cost of the trip for all of that (and all the fun you can handle) is $3,950/diver, only slightly higher than last year. Single-supplement is generally available for those interested, often at no extra charge. And while we have Ocean View rooms reserved, there are a couple of Deluxe Ocean View rooms available at a slightly higher price. I love diving Yap and have been going there for over 20 years now. Every time I go, I see something new or experience something I’ve never had before. It’s really a fabulous place to have a vacation. So who’s ready to join me? You can reserve your spot now by calling us at 310/652-4990 or e-mailing me at kenkurtis@aol.com. A $500 deposit will guarantee that you will be exposed to all that Yap has to offer.

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We’re using Murex Manado as our home base and will venture over to Bangka Island for a day of diving (some spectacular soft coral reefs) and we’ll also do a day diving the Lembeh Straits, often referred to as the Muck Diving Capital of the World. In-between we’ll do morning dives exploring the reefs of Bunaken National Park and then have either an extra afternoon boat dive there as well, or do one of the close-by shore sites that are a short skiff ride from Murex Manado (where we’ll also have a sumptuous lunch). The resort, which is set amidst a very tranquil tropical forest with ponds and running streams, has always been very nice. But they’ve ramped it up a notch and have been doing a lot of reconstruction over the past year or so, which includes a new category of room known as Premium Deluxe Cottages (we’ve got three of them reserved) which are slightly bigger than the “standard” room (which is also pretty nice). As usual for Reef Seekers, this trip includes all diving, including nitrox if you’re qualified (three dives/day plus a late afternoon house reef shore dive for those interested), three meals a day (plus tea and snacks around 4PM daily), day trip to Bangka, day trip to Lembeh, double-occupancy room (single supplement generally available for an extra charge), marine park fee, airport transfers, and a generous crew/staff tip. Also, assuming based on the initial number of people on the “interested” list that this will be a sizeable group, what we do is actually then do it as two groups so that the boats don’t get too crowded. Generally each group will be 7-10 divers. Cost of this fabulous adventure for the Deluxe room category will be $4,360. (The Premium Deluxe adds $250/person if available.) If you’d like to secure your spot, a $500 deposit will do the trick and we’ll work out an every-other-month payment schedule. So if you want to get in on this, call us at 310/652- 4990 or you can always e-mail us at kenkurtis@aol.com. Don’t miss out on the fun!!!

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Bear in mind that this is a two-week trip. The first week will be on land at Atlantis Dumaguete Resort (which seems like the Frogfish Capital of the World). The second week will be on Atlantis' newer boat Infiniti (which will have come out of drydock two weeks prior to our trip). On top of that, airfare from Manila to Dumaguete and back (Philippines Air) is also included in our package price as is the generous crew tip. But also be aware that there are some incidentals NOT included in our package price such as park fees and boat fuel surcharge. Nitrox is also an extra charge each week should you choose to dive that. At the resort in Dumaguete (I was there last year on my own), we'll have opportunity to do as many as five dives a day. You can also do fewer if you like, since each dive is a 1-tank dive and you come back to the resort. (The sites are really close by.) It also means, especially if you're a photog, that you can swap lenses or make adjustments between dives before going out again. Dumaguete is known for macro and muck diving, but I enjoyed the reef there as well. So not everything is muck. (I prefer the term "muck-ish.") And many of the dives were muck with an adjacent reef so you could choose. The one exception to all of this will be the day we go over to Apo Island to explore the reefs there and will likely get inundated by turtles. Our last day at the resort, we should get in two morning dives and then we'll board the boat in the late afternoon and take off on a northern route, exploring the many reefs there as well as have a shot at seeing some Thresher Sharks. We are at the resort September 12-19 and on the boat September 19-26. So the overall dates including travel will be September 10-27. Cost of the trip to Reef Seekers is going to be $6,499 (remember, this is for TWO weeks). Airfare LAX-Manila looks to be running around $800 or so. Because we're on a boat, we're limited in the number of spots we have so we can only take 11 divers (plus me). A $1,000 deposit will hold your spot and we'll do on-going payments every other month or so. If you're interested, either e-mail me here or call us at 310/652-4990.

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A total solar eclipse is definitely the most spectacular celestial event you can ever witness. And the August 2, 2027 eclipse, which runs through Luxor, Egypt, promises to be one of the most spectacular ever with almost 6½ minutes of totality. In 2010, we planned an Australian dive trip to coincide with an eclipse there and it was marvelous. There's no diving in Luxor (but obviously plenty to see) so we'll figure out where to go either pre- or post-eclipse. the Red Sea is an obvious choice but we might also consider the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Canary Islands, or other spots in that region of the world that we haven't visited before. Pricing and exact sked still a work-in-progress but it's not too early to get on our "interested" list.

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