DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

Green Turtle resting on the Cabbage Coral

The airport The landing strip in well over a kilometre long. I asked Lorenz where they hired the graders, Rollers, Dump trucks and bulldozers. I was flabbergasted with his reply. There was no earth moving machinery! They had to buy heavy machinery and bring it in by ship. Immediately prior to my visit, the tarmac had to be resurfaced. It cost over a million dollars. As a result, guests can fly from Bali to Wakatobi and start At its inception, Lorenz said that they could sit on the foreshore in the evening and see the lights of fifty fishing boats plying their trade. He decided to negotiate a reef lease system and pay some of the fishermen to stay clear of the reefs nearest to the resort. As you would expect, there was strong opposition to the creation of no fishing zones but within a couple of years, the fishers began to get improved catches. There were bigger fish and more of them in the surrounding reefs. What happened next amazes me. The fishermen themselves began to enforce the conservation zones and to police illegal fishers. There are five levels of protected resorts totalling about diving the same day. It is so convenient. Protecting the ecosystem

twenty kilometres of reefs. The House Reef has the highest level of protection; that is, it is totally protected for about two kilometres. The results are easy to see. The fish life is abundant; fish are not afraid and are used to divers. Many creatures have moved in to enjoy the safety of this marine sanctuary. Divers get far better quality of diving than reefs that are fished regularly. It is just the way it should be. Long Term goals for Wakatobi The long-term goals of Lorenz and Valentin are based on a vision. To rebuild a dive resort that is sustainable and healthy and to support local communities. A dive resort should pave the way for restoration of coral ecosystems. The plan extends way into the future. It is the way that ecotourism should be. Money poured into local communities, ecosystems recovering from overfishing and an outstanding dive resort that caters for the well being of guests and staff. It is a win – win concept. Lorenz says that the reef is not a worthless acreage. It should have a dollar value just like real estate. Once the fish life recovers, divers will pay to visit it and it will generate wealth. This is the financial incentive needed to convince the world to save the oceans. They are not marine deserts but living productive real estate providing food, recreation and adventure.

Total relaxation right in front of your cabin

Landing at Wakatobi airport

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DIVE LOG Australasia #410 - February‘25

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