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Diving with…Simone Gerritsen, Thalassa Dive Resorts, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Simone Gerritsen
What is the name of your business?
Thalassa Dive Resorts Indonesia
What is your role within the business?
I’m the founder and managing owner.
Over the years I became a bit of a mother figure to my team, since no-one can stop calling me ibu (“mother” in Indonesian).
How long has the business operated for?
In 1997 Thalassa started as a dive center embedded within a hotel in North Sulawesi, but in 2013 I got the chance to take over an old resort near Manado. In October of last year, we opened a second resort on the island of Lembeh, which we are super proud of. So in short, Thalassa exists about 5 years in its current incarnation as a dive resort.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I did my first dive in 1978 which was quite unusual, because it was exclusively a boys’ club in those days. Being a PADI Course Director, I love to teach diving — especially to the less privileged local kids who want to become dive guides.
What is your favorite type of diving?
Just being in the water and teaching my class of dive guide students. Their ability to be neutrally buoyant is impressive from the get-go, and seeing them grow in their role as guides and divers pleases me no end.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
North Sulawesi is not really on the radar compared to the more famous travel destinations, so this part of Indonesia is relatively off the beaten track — ideal for travelers who want to get away from it all and experience something different. You will find the Manadonese to be incredibly friendly and genuinely interested in foreigners, to the point of being very shy but delighted to get your attention!
We invest heavily in the local population: ten years ago, we built a junior + senior high school in a nearby village, and we keep the school in operation thanks to generous donations of guests, friends and family, all through a foundation that we set up. The school offers village kids the opportunity to pursue a career in the (diving) tourism industry, and many of our staff are alumni from the school.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
I love the yellow elephant ear sponges in our Manado house reef, because it looks like such an alien landscape. Another favorite of mine is called the Secret Garden, an old reef that’s in pristine condition.
What types of diving are available in your location?
You can do wall dives with an abundance of turtles hanging out among the corals, you can do muck diving, there are sloping sands with spots of coral life, and the pinnacle dive in Bangka is also quite a favorite. We have an interesting shipwreck in front of our Manado house reef and at our Lembeh house reef you can find an old fishing net that’s overgrown with corals.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
Seeing our guests having a great time, and hearing the excitement in their voices after a dive. It never gets old and is a constant reminder of why I chose to become a diver in the first place.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
I’d have to say that the humble sea cucumber is definitely a favorite of mine because they’re such bizarre creatures. Some of their feeding habits tend to be a bit unsettling, but they mean really well…
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
After the long road getting Thalassa Lembeh up and running, I got some room to think about new plans for our resort in Manado, and this resulted in a plan to overhaul our main lounge and restaurant. Next to a lick of fresh paint and a new lighting scheme, we also removed the banisters separating the lounge from the “outside”, so that guests now have a nice view over the swimming pool and the ocean beyond. It really opened up the place and means that our guests have a veritable “garden” to relax in.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
As in many other parts of the world, floating waste is definitely an issue. We encourage our guests to pitch in and pick up whatever doesn’t belong on the ocean floor, as do all our guides and students of our school — all the little bits help. The problem is that there’s just not enough education on this subject, so with our community initiatives we want to combat this issue as much as we can.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Absolutely. I try to tackle problems by the root and educate my students about the environment, teaching them about the Atlantic/Pacific garbage patches and organize frequent beach cleanups with them. At the resort, we ask our guests to reuse their towels, we don’t use insecticides on our flora and we grow herbs in our spice garden. Upon arrival, our guests will receive a reusable water bottle which they can take home.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
Over the past 40 years, the market has changed from an elitist hobby to something you do in addition to other hobbies and sports. Convenience has become a priority for people, with many guests diving only once or twice a year, instead of every weekend. Accessibility to some of the most fantastic dive areas in the world has increased significantly, which is how companies such as Thalassa are able to make their living — people come from all over the world to dive here.
If I could change anything, then I would love to see a higher luggage allowance on airlines, and more international connections.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
As part of the Coral Triangle, diving in North Sulawesi is quite special. The marine life here shows enormous variety and if you like turtles, the Bunaken National Marine Park is full of them!
Over on the east coast of North Sulawesi, our new resort on Lembeh island is home to some of the most cunningly camouflaged and outrageously strange creatures. Macro photographers will be delighted to be diving with us in Lembeh.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
Our website: http://thalassamanado.com
Follow us: facebook.com/ThalassaDiveResorts
Send an email: info@thalassamanado.com
Send us a postcard or give us a call!
Thalassa Dive Resorts Manado
Jl. Raya Molas, Kecematan Bunaken
95242 Manado, North-Sulawesi
Indonesia
+62 81243500956
Thalassa Dive Resorts Lembeh
Batulubang Kecematan Lembeh Selatan 95552 Bitung, North Sulawesi
Indonesia
+62 82346864700
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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