Dear Starfish,
In 15 years on liveaboards around most parts of Southeast Asia, this is the very first time I have read something like this and I am shocked about the way you describe the event, the exaggerations and the twisting of the truth you have published on this Forum. Not only are you creating a bad image for WAOW but you are also attacking me personally, accusing me publicly of things I have not done and all that, without knowing me or let alone even having ever talked to me. As we all know, there are always 2 sides to a story and I do take the opportunity to just put it down here as you are the one who has initiated this, for reasons unknown to me.
1. "Simon and the dive guides returned from the WAOW and told us we would wait another half hour to go in".
==> When Damai came to the site we already were anchored close by all morning, they were clearly told by WAOW's dive crew, that we would go diving in 30 minutes! Damai has not respected this by launching at the exact same time as our crew had told them we would! If Damai can not wait any longer for whatever reasons, then Damai can chose about 10 different dive sites in close proximity and go and dive there at their desired time.
2. "WAOW's tenders roared up to us and their dive director, began screaming at all of us and using tremendous but not very creative profanity."
==> Roaring over in a fully loaded chase boat? Not possible mate. I shouted over - as we are on the sea and not in a closed room, so it is better to talk in a loud voice - and asked whether the Cruise Director had gone in or not and whether he would know the rules and regulations of proper dive operator conduct around Raja Ampat.
3. "This terrible dive guide (identifiable by his large pony bottle strapped to his tank and his board shorts) comes by and intentionally gets between our divers and the mantas and violently exhales to spook the mantas…
==> There are 3 of us diving with Pony's and 2 of those 3 sometimes wear board shorts. Also we do actually have videographic evidence, that this statement is simply a lie and put up here for the sole purpose of giving WAOW and myself a bad name! Besides that, it was not "Mantas" but just one Manta and that one being way too far away to have been spooked by any form of bubbles whatsoever, no matter how violently one would exhale through his regulator.. And lastly, why should I who loves creatures such as Manta Rays, possibly do such a thing??? I do supply Misool Eco Resort as well as "Manta Matcher" with "fingerprint" images of Manta Rays to do my part in identifying and knowing more about these magnificent animals...
And to put an end to this my dear Mr. Starfish, I actually called Damai Dua's interim Cruise Director over the radio and asked him what this was all about? I was simply told, in a very arrogant tone, that he needed to go diving and that he could not wait because he needed to head back to Sorong because his guests would fly out the next day. Well... So did ours!
My questions to you Mr. Starfish are rather simple: Are we still in the Kindergarten or are we adults? What’s the point in making a big fuss out of it on an open forum? What's in it for you?
