News
Sudamala to Open 5-Star Diving Resort Close to Komodo National Park in Indonesia
Sudamala will open its third luxury resort at Pulau Sebayur Besar (Sebayur Island) on the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara, a prime jumping off point to some of the world’s most incredible diving in and around Komodo National Park, home of the famous Komodo Dragons.
The architect chosen for the Sudamala Komodo Villas and Dive Resort is Yori Antar of Han Awal & Partners Architects while Hidajat Endramukti of Endramukti Design will take on the interior design.
The resort is scheduled to open in summer 2017.
Resorts Director, and daughter of the owner, Emily Subrata said the national park and surrounding islands were ‘pure diving nirvana’ and guests would encounter an other-worldly wonderland with architecture in the vernacular Labuan Bajo style, reminiscent of Papuan architecture, lush tropical jungle and pristine waters as their playground, and the group’s renowned touches of art and artisanship will also be a feature.
“We expect around 80% of our guests will be divers,” Ms Subrata said. “We are talking about very pristine and protected dive sites. Sea turtles, manta rays, mum and dad sharks deposit the baby sharks in the local mangrove. We have established our dive centres at Sanur and Lombok and this will be the extension of that as well as the jewel in our crown. We must be as mindful and sustainable as we can. We will be using recycled materials where we can. We will need to generate our own power and desalinate our own water, so it’s a big undertaking.”
Komodo National Park is located in the centre of the Indonesian archipelago, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, and was set up to protect the only known habitat of the unique and fearsome Komodo dragon (Varanus Komodoensis), huge monitor lizards that can bring down a cow or adult human, and represent a living link to the dinosaurs.
The national park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and includes three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands creating a total surface area (marine and land) of 1,817km. It is also home to the orange-footed scrub fowl and the Timor deer, as well as one of the richest marine environments including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays, harbouring more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make Komodo National Park their home.
“Sebayur Island, 30 minutes on boat from the nearest domestic airport of Labuan Bajo, is still quite remote, with the biggest resort on the same island now about 25 rooms. It’s an exciting part of the world to visit; Flores itself is 450km long and you have triple-coloured crater lakes, smoke belching volcanos, and at the other end they still harpoon sperm whales like in Moby Dick. Komodo is like a real life Jurassic Park, so that will be a big draw of course. But mostly, it’s going to be about the diving,” said Ms Subrata.
Sudamala Resorts also operates Sudamala Suites & Villas, Sanur, Bali and Sudamala Suites & Villas, Senggigi, Lombok.
For more information regarding Sudamala Resorts, visit www.sudamalaresorts.com.
Source: www.asiatraveltips.com
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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