Shootout Success and Dr. Sylvia Earle at Murex Manado
We are extremely proud to report the absolute success of the Celebrate the Sea Festival held here in Manado last week. The success came on many levels – not only for Murex Dive Resorts but also for our guests that entered the underwater photography shootout and for Manado and the Buaken Marine Park as a whole.
Find out more about the event and see the winning underwater images here…
Angelique Batuna was awarded for her work and commitment to organizing the festival
The single most important success for all involved, and for anyone planning to visit this region, was the declarations made by North Sulawesi Government officials (Governor of North Sulawesi, Minister for the Environment and Minister of Fisheries) to ban single-use plastics and the sale of shark fin in Manado. This is a major breakthrough and makes North Sulawesi the only province in Indonesia to have made these declarations.
Richard Meng winner of the Portraits category, diving with Murex Manado (Prize IDR 27,000,000)
This epic event drew in hundreds of local spectators to the Mall venue where it was held and no doubt educated many people from Manado about the incredible marine life and reefs here in North Sulawesi. School children from 10 different countries around the world entered the children’s drawing competition and learned about the importance of sharks and the issues of single-use plastic in the process.
Tyler Wang runner up in the Portraits category, diving with Murex Manado (Prize IDR 6,750,000)
Our guests in the resort took away the Master of Competition award (Shih Po Sheng) as well as winner AND runner-up awards in both the portraits and small exotic animals categories (Richard Meng, Tyler Wang, Tianhong Wang, and Shih Po Sheng). The standard of images generated was exceptionally high and all guest entrants from Murex Manado produced stunning shots of the marine life and seascapes of Bunaken and Manado Bay. Well done to Emery Oxford, Chen Szu Hung, Richard Meng, Tyler Wang, Chien-Kang Ho, Po-Sheng Shih, Tianhong Wang and Mei Yi Lee.
The winning shot:
Master of the Competition Award went to Shih Po Sheng, diving with Murex Manado, Prize IDR 67,500,000
In addition to the events taking place around Manado and underwater, we were delighted to host a dinner for the event speakers at Murex Manado, including Dr. Sylvia Earle, Craig Leeson, Kristin Hoffmann (who completed her PADI Open Water course at Murex Manado prior to the event) and Michael Aw to name but a few.
Dr. Sylvia Earle and Kristin Hoffmann with the next generation of Murex divers and conservationists
Dr. Earle took time to dive and snorkel with Danny, Angelique and family during her stay which seems fitting in the year that Murex Dive Resorts turns 30 years old and Dr. Batuna, (founder of Murex) is to be inducted to the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame – a privilege also held by Dr. Earle herself.
Murex celebrates 30 years of incredible diving and marine conservation this year
Dr. Sylvia Earle announced during the event that the Bunaken Marine Park is under consideration to become a Mission Blue Hope Spot which, if selected, will mean even greater protection and more marine conservation initiatives in the area to conserve our stunning marine environment.
It’s been an incredible week and we are all excited about the long term benefits that will follow here in North Sulawesi.
If you’d like to come and visit Murex Manado or Murex Bangka and explore this magnificent marine area contact us on reservations@murexdive.com to make a booking or for more information.
At both of our Murex Dive Resorts we offer camera rooms equipped with workstations, lighting and plug sockets and all Dive Guides are both underwater photography and marine biology trained.
Can’t decide where to dive in North Sulawesi? Why choose when you can take a Passport to Paradise and explore three distinct diving locations in one phenomenal trip: Bunaken -> Bangka -> Lembeh? Dive incredible walls, kaleidoscopic reefs and the world’s best muck diving. Easy boat diving transfers from resort to resort mean no packing and no wasted travel time, all you need to do is relax, enjoy and dive, dive, dive!
We look forward to welcoming you to North Sulawesi soon!
