NEWS UPDATES

RAJA AMPAT, THE REALM OF THE FOUR KINGS

This is is the project of a new nature documentary to be filmed in the Indonesian province of West Papua, north of the Australian continent by two very successful Italian underwater videographers: Ferruccio Muran and Gian Maria Mazza.

The boat Ocean Rover has been chosen as the logistical support by Ferruccio Muran and Gian Maria Mazza who will make a documentary to tell the wonderful world of Raja Ampat, its biodiversity, its flora, the relationship between man and nature in an area among the most interesting of our planet.

Biography:

• Gian Maria Mazza is a great expert on underwater video that makes nature documentaries, historical and anthropological since 2004.

• Ferruccio Muran is senior supervisor of special effects in commercial and promotional videos, 3D animation and digital communication expert and their derivation on offline media (Blu-Ray) and online (internet).

Agreements are going to be signed in the next weeks with several international television networks for the screening of the documentary.

The documentary will be presented at the most important festival of the movie-industry as:

ANTIBES: www.underwater-festival.com

CELEBRATE THE SEA: www.celebratethesea.oneocean.com

This is a wonderful chance for the few places still available for the divers on board, in fact there will be unique dives and the special opportunity to observe how a sea documentary shooting is realized and the natural and biological discussions which will emerge while viewing the footage shot, and all this day after day and with a special discount of 15%!!!

Ferruccio Muran

Gian Maria Mazza

EXTRA DISCOUNT 15% ON THE FOLLOWING CRUISES!!!

Cruise#	Departing	Disembarking	Days/Nights	USD Price	- 15% Discount
NS55	Sat 14-Aug, 5pm	Mon 23-Aug, 8am	8 / 9	$3,190	$2,711
HA57	Mon 6-Sep, 5pm	Fri 17-Sep, 8am	10 / 11	$4,690	$3,986
RA58	Mon 20-Sep, 5pm	Mon 4-Oct, 8am	13 / 14	$5,990	$5,091
RA62	Mon 22-Nov, 5pm	Fri 3-Dec 8 am	10 / 11	$4,690	$3,986

Please note that they are all very interesting and different cruises, in fact one of these cruises is a North Sulawesi one (diving in Lembeh Strait, Bunaken Marine Park and Sangihe Islands), one is an Halmahera Cruise, leaving from Bitung , diving almost unexplored areas of the region and the last three or four days in Raja Ampat, arriving in the port of Sorong, while the other two cruises will be in Raja Ampat (10 to 13 days of diving in the new frontier of diving).

CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS NOT AVAILABLE
UNTIL CANCELLED

Effective 19th May 2010, we regret to be unable to accept credit cards for the payments on board in the near future.

A lack of continuity in the service and various technical problems have led our bank to interrupt the service until the same problems won't be solved.

We apology for the inconvenience and we hope to be able to offer to all our guests payments by credit card soon again.

NEW BITUNG AND LEMBEH STRAIT ENTRANCE FEE

In order to minimize the negative side effects of the dive tourism on the marine life of Lembeh Strait, the Government of Bitung city issued the following regional law:

Effective 1st February 2010, every scuba diver has to have a valid permit issued by the City of Bitung, before he/she is allowed to dive in Lembeh Strait. The dive operation is primarily responsible that their guests, dive guides and boat crew follow the rules of conduct:

Valid permit of City of Bitung visible present on the boat filled with name of dive operation, name of guest, arrival and departure dates and signature of the guest.

• No touching or disturbing the marine life

• No anchoring

• No more than 4 divers per guide

• Maximum 15 divers including guides per dive site at the same time

The Bitung government established this entrance fee, and diving rules to help protect this invaluable strait and promote good diving habits.

Violation of the rules of conduct can be a risk Pidana and Perdata according to PERDA KOTA BITUNG NOMOR 10 TAHUN 2009 PASAL 39.

In relation to Bitung Regional Law Number 10, 2009 about Tourism Retribution; Divers License, Divers who stay in Bitung City pay Pin Rp.50.000,- per person (~USD 5,60 or ~EUR 4,20) for the time of their continues stay during the year 2010. If visitors leave the Lembeh Strait area the fee may be re-assessed.

Permits are available in Tourism Information Center of North Sulawesi, at the Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11.00-14.00 and Tourism and Culture office of Bitung City on Monday-Friday at 08.00-15.00.

• The entrance fee can be paid on Ocean Rover.

Ocean Rover on Global “TOP TEN” Liveaboard List

Unterwasser, a major European dive publication, listed Ocean Rover in their April 2006 issue’s “The 10 Best Dive Safaris in the World”. The magazine, which focuses on exotic dive travel and underwater photography, listed their ten favourite liveaboards in a colourful 18-page lay-out that included vessels such as the esteemed Bilikiki and Canada’s Nautilus Explorer. We are proud to be recognized as a world leader in the luxury liveaboard industry and inspired to raise our cruises to ever higher standards.

Global TOP TEN list

Ocean Rover listed

Ocean Rover Awarded Top Honours

Ocean Rover Cruises was named “Benchmark for a World Class Liveaboard operation” in a recent Liveaboard Survey conducted by Australasia ScubaDiver Magazine, the official publication of the PADI Diving Society in the Asia-Pacific region. The results were published in the April issue and coincided with the ADEX dive show in Bangkok.

Ocean Rover awarded Top Honours

The Liveaboard Survey was conducted by an experienced team led by well-known underwater photographer Michael Aw, who has personally travelled on board most of the vessels listed in the survey. A few quotes from the publisher:

“… After nearly twenty years of live-aboard diving I found the operational standard and quality of the Ocean Rover in Phuket to be one that can be used as the model, a benchmark for rating the live-aboard boat operation. While the decor of the boat [is not opulent] the quality of the service, operational standards and diving is certainly world class.

[On a scale of] 1 to 10, I would score Ocean Rover as an overall 9, up there with the best of the best. After more then 15 years competing for patronage of discerning divers from the USA and Europe, the operational standard of the Ocean Rover can be used as a template for others to emulate if they are serious in offering a world class live-aboard service…”  Read actual comments from Ocean Rover guests