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We had a lovely time diving with Anthony's Key in Roatan in 2024, and we thought it would make the perfect summer trip for 2025.

Anthony's runs a really tight ship and good operation (much like Reef Seekers) which is one thing we really like about them. We'll be getting in three dives each day for six days, plus two nights dives during the week. The diving includes a trip to Mary's Place, one of the best sites on Roatan, as well as a couple of interesting wrecks. There's plenty of stuff to see there and the diving is also well-suited to photographers as well.

The other thing we like is that the diving is well-suited for divers of all skill and experience levels. If you're a newbie you won't be running into strong currents or depth-defying dives. And if you're an old salt (or anywhere in-between), you'll still find plenty of interesting things to see.

On top of all of that, all meals are included as well as airport transfers, and the group staff tip. As always with Reef Seekers trip, you pay once and we take it fro there. No nickel-and-diming you to death. If you want to find out more or secure your spot, give us a call at 310/652-4990. Prices quoted are double-occupancy Superior rooms. Single-supplement is available as is an upgrade to a Deluxe room (slightly bigger and  private over-water deck).

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We normally don't plan trips more than a year in advance but, for a variety of reasons, we've committed to not one but TWO trips on the Manthiri in the Maldives and will run them back-to-back next year. Trip dates - actually travel dates will differ slightly - are September 19-28 and September 29 - October 8. The reason we booked these trips back-to-back was partially at the urging of our dive guide/buddy Moosa on the Manthiri, and also because when he proposed this, a number of folks on the boat at the time said, "I'd do both trips!!"

Amazingly, we already have 8 people who have committed to doing both trips. We also have a few people doing only trip #1, and a few people doing only trip #2. The Manthiri only takes 12 divers (plus 11 crew), and we are now SOLD OUT for both trips. Although this is weather-dependent, our plan is run trip #1 as a northern route and run trip #2 as a southern route. There are trade-offs to both but for those doing both trips, the hope is not to do the same sites on trip #2 that we will do on trip #1. And with everything you hear nowadays about Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and coral bleaching, it's important to remind you that, while the Maldives has become a diving hotspot in the last decade or so, it's also one of the few places in the world where you'll still find pristine reefs loaded with thousands of fish. (Maldivians are very proud of and protective of their reefs.)

Bear in mind that because the Manthiri limits itself to 12 divers, this is effectively a limited-load type of trip. Both trips are also 9-day trips rather than 7-days. You can absolutely find cheaper trips on other boats but they will have upwards of 30 divers on board and many are only 7 days. In the Maldives, you get what you pay for. For our trips, we will generally do three dives each day (occasionally four), the food on-board is fabulous, plus we include a very generous tip for the crew, a hotel overnight in the Maldives on the way in, the 16% Maldives tax, and the $6/night "green" tax. So for each trip through us, the cost will be $5,990/person. Admittedly, not cheap. That's also why all we're asking for now is a $500 deposit to secure your spot and then we can do payments of $1,000 every other month or so to spread things out. And if you need convincing as to how wonderful the diving can be, take a look at last year's report and pix. If you have questions, give us a call at 310/652-4990. If you want to snag any of those last remaining spots, the sooner you get hold of us, the sooner you can start anticipating this trip-of-a-lifetime.

 READ THE 2023 TRIP REPORT 

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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.

 READ THE 2024 TRIP REPORT 

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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.

 READ THE 2024 TRIP REPORT 

SEE THE 2024 PIX & VIDEOS