News
Diving with… Black Rock Divers, Tobago
In this ongoing series, we speak with 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?
Markus Baumgartner
What is the name of your business?
Black Rock Divers, Tobago
What is your role within the business?
Owner, Director, Master Scuba Diver Trainer
How long has the business operated for?
15 years (from 2002 – 2016 as Extra Divers Tobago) and since November 2016 as Black Rock Divers, Tobago. We are based at Grafton Beach Resort, Stonehaven Bay, Black Rock, Tobago.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
For more than 30 years; PADI MSDT, SSI DiveCon Instructor, NAUI Instructor Trainer, CMAS *** Moniteur, TDI Ext. Range Instructor, DAN O2 Instructor, EFR Instructor
What is your favorite type of diving?
Tropical Water, Drift Diving, Wreck Diving, Night Diving, Shark Diving, Critters and Easy Diving
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
Individual Service, small groups, relaxing, stress free diving environment, short distance to dive sites, healthy reef, rich marine life, shallow to moderate depth, safety first, good quality rental gear, DIN / Yoke valves, metric / imperial gauges.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
Cove Ledge, for nurse sharks, rays and turtles
Japanese Garden, for the most diverse coral reef on the island
Divers Dream, for the most pristine coral reef, large schools of Snapper and Grunt, Nurse Sharks and Eagle Rays. Plus, very strong current!!!
What types of diving are available in your location?
Reef Diving, Drift Diving, Night Diving, Wreck Diving, Shore Diving and Boat Diving
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
Sharing my passion for diving and for tropical reefs and wrecks with my customers. I can also have a positive impact on my dive students and divers regarding safety, good dive practice, environment awareness and protection & respect for the marine environment.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Manta Ray
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
Unfortunately not. We are lobbying the government to recognise that a healthy marine environment can make a positive contribution to tourism in both Trinidad and Tobago. We are striving to maintain a healthy marine environment and would love to see the creation of protected marine parks, some artificial reefs and wrecks. Initiatives such as these would help to support the dive tourism industry on the island and bring wider island wide benefits.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
Tobago is still relatively small in terms of tourism which has pluses and minuses for us and our visitors. The lack of numbers means that we can offer a more personal service and give divers a rewarding experience. On the negative side it does mean that we are not able to invest more in improving our facilities.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Lion fish control / survey work, Sharks and Rays Survey project, beach & reef clean ups, support for Turtle protection initiatives.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
I am concerned about how diving is becoming a ‘grey’ market. We have to find ways to attract more young people into the activity again. If we succeed we can ensure that we still have customers in the coming 25 years or so. We would love to be able to tempt younger people away from cyber world activities back to the real world!
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
Rich Marine Environment, healthy reefs, huge variety of marine species, good chance to encounter Nurse sharks, Reef Sharks, Sting Rays, Eagle Rays, Manta Rays and different types of sea turtles, great for drift diving lovers, small privately owned dive operator, no mass tourism industry, all year round season, outside of the hurricane belt, decompression chamber / hyperbaric facility on the island, appropriate dive sites for beginners and experienced divers available, water temperature between 26 – 29 degrees Celsius!
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
www.blackrockdivers.com www.facebook.com/blackrockdiverstobago
www.tobagoscubadiving.com www.tripadvisor.com www.graftontobago.com
Email: blackrockdiverstobago@gmail.com
Call: +1 868 741 3945
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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