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Diving with…Jessica Stroet, Magic Oceans Dive Resort, Anda, Bohol, Philippines
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?
Jessica Stroet
What is the name of your business?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort
What is your role within the business?
I am part of the Dive Center Management.
How long has the business operated for?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort started in July 2015.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I got certified as a scuba diver when I was 19 years old and started working in a dive shop in the weekends. I became a Divemaster when I was 22 and an Open Water Scuba Instructor when I was 24.
What is your favourite type of diving?
I guess that depends on what day of the week it is. Sometimes I prefer muck diving and love to stick my nose in the sandy bottom and look for the small stuff. Other days I am more on the ‘adventure’ tour and love to swim far away from the reef to scan the big blue looking for a whale shark, eagle ray or something else big. I love doing both.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
If you want to have a little bit of everything then definitely come to Anda! Whether you want to make easy relaxing dives all day long or do some exploring on the island, WE HAVE IT ALL! The resort is nice, quiet and surrounded by our beautiful green garden. We have an amazing house reef that offers two different kind of dive sites. Our elevated private beach has the best view over Camiguin Island and if you want to have this long beach walk on the white powdery sand than Anda beach is the perfect spot and only 10 min. away from the resort.
We treat our guests like they are family and since the resort isn’t that big, it gives you this intimate feeling. We have dinner ‘family-style’ so even when you are a solo traveller it is easy to meet new people. We share stories around the long tables where everybody is sitting together and enjoying their evenings. The island of Bohol is beautiful and there is so much to see. You can’t say that you have been to Bohol if you haven’t seen the Chocolate Hills and, of course, the smallest primate of the world: The Tarsiers.
What is your favourite dive in your location and why?
I have two favourite dive locations here in Anda. The first dive site is Coral Garden which is, like the name suggests, a beautiful garden full of soft corals. Since there are not a lot of diving operations here in Anda, the dive sites are untouched. The explosion of colours in the shallow parts are amazing and there is a big chance to spot Green Sea Turtles here. My second favourite dive site is Secret Place. It is SO secret, that we didn’t put it on our dive map, but it is there! A beautiful muck dive site with just SO MANY critters to find. A 70-minute dive isn’t long enough. I’m not going to tell you what you can find over there because that is something you have to experience for yourself, but what I can say is that on this dive site it is possible to spot a Whale Shark (Yes.. on a muck dive site!!)
What types of diving are available in your location?
We have a wide variety of dive sites here in Anda. On the west side of the resort the dive sites are mostly wall dives with beautiful reef tops covered by soft corals where you can easily spot hawksbill and green sea turtles. On the east side we have dive sites that offers both walls and sandy slope areas. The dive sites that are further away than 15 min. boat rides are muck dive sites with the chance to spot different kind of octopuses, pipefishes, nudibranchs and many more critters.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
Meeting people again who have been diving with us before. It is so nice to see people coming back to Magic Oceans and hear the stories and experiences they had with us. To hear them say that they had such a wonderful time with us the last time they visited us, THAT is the best reward ever.
What is your favourite underwater creature?
Definitely the Green Sea turtle. These guys look so super cool and chill, they make me laugh every single time I spot one during my dives.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort has been up and running for only three years, so the last time there were a lot of exciting changes already. We got the very comfortable pier to dock our dive Bangka’s so no more walking through waist-high water to reach the boat before diving. We are now a 5* PADI IDC centre and run our own Instructor Development Courses. There are more IDC’s coming up in the near future.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
We don’t have big problems here in the Philippines, but we do have big challenges. I guess that weather conditions here can be a challenge for us, since Magic Oceans Dive Resort is on open sea. I like the policy we have here that we don’t cancel our dives because of bad weather. We will do everything that is needed to make sure our divers can be in the water. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We are lucky enough that our waters are not as polluted like some other places in Asia. However, every now and then the local government is doing coastal clean ups and we are supporting these activities in every possible way.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
The underwater world has become more accessible for every single person. The recreational scuba gear has developed so far that breathing underwater is getting more and more easy. Therefore it is easier for people to see the oceans with their own eyes. I truly believe that people must see it first before they can understand it. Understanding comes with education. If I could change one thing, it would be that underwater activities will get less of a recreational value and more of an educational value.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
If you want to feel like you are the ONLY diver in the world and can’t choose between muck dives or colourful coral gardens, then take the chanve to dive with us and you will feel the ‘Real Magic Oceans Experience!’
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort
Candabong, Anda
6311, Bohol, Philippines
Website: www.magicoceans.online
e-mail: info@magicresorts.online
reservations@magicresorts.online
Facebook: @magicoceans.diveresort
Instagram: @magic_oceans_dive_resort
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
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
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
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