The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance recently welcomed its newest member, Asia Divers and El Galleon Beach Resort, in Puerto Galera, Philippines.

The personal touch of Asia Divers and the tropical setting of their own El Galleon Beach Resort have made them one of the best known operators in the Philippines, and a worthy addition to the Alliance.

For more information on the Alliance and what its members have to offer, check out the Philippines-Micronesia Alliance Blog.

In addition to the newly renovated and upgraded Super Deluxe rooms at Tauch Terminal Dive Resort in Tulamben Bali, the resort is now offering special “Dive & Spa” packages for those who want the best of both worlds.

Enjoy the great comfort of ocean-view rooms, shore diving at your doorstep, and of course a wide variety of exotic spa treatments all in one. And what’s more, all “Dive & Spa” packages can be tailor-made to suit individual needs, allowing guests to pamper themselves while enjoying some of Bali’s best diving.

Visit www.tauch-terminal.com for more details.

Check out three new Destination Pages for Aquaventures PNG, Tufi Dive Resort and Walindi Plantation Resort in PNG. Get all your FAQs answered to start planning your trip!

Here at FiNS we are always interested in hearing where you have taken your copy of FiNS Magazine, or where around the world you have bumped into a copy. Next time you are on your travels please take a photo of yourself reading the magazine and email it in to us — so we can see how far and wide FiNS Magazines get.

This image was sent in by Talking Megapixels columnist, Alex Mustard, who says that he always sees copies of the magazine in Ocean Optics, the famous underwater photography shop in London, who have a subscription. Ocean Optics is as much of a social venue than a shop, and the comfy leather sofas are a great place to escape the hussle of the city and to immerse yourself in tales of diving from Asia.

Roach Reefs Resort in Sabah, Malaysia, was recently struck by a large storm which coincided with the full moon high tide. The resort suffered property damage to the sea wall, guest chalets, divemaster cabins, and the generator room. The resort team is now working hard to repair the damage and once again welcome guests.

The resort will re-open five chalets with basic facilities on 1 September and commence a Recovery Campaign (1 September to 31 December) with special rates for divers who visit the resort during the recovery process. The marine environment is completely undamaged, so now is an excellent time to visit this new and unspoiled destination, and help the resort to rebuild.

For more information on the special Recovery Campaign rates and details, see the Roach Reefs website, contact the resort by email, or call +60 (0)89-779-332.

Seaventures Dive Rig, the gateway for divers to Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai is pleased to announce the introduction of a new Videography, Photography and Marine Conservation Centre, located on the main deck of the platform.

The centre offers personal and group diving DVD’s — professionally edited with accompanying music. Underwater photography, videography and digital photography speciality courses, coral conservation and naturalist courses are available on a daily basis, supported by camera rentals and download services.

Resident professionals Richard Swann and Joanne Timms from Down Below Dive School are also on hand with advice and information.

The dive rig is located within a short boat ride away from world-class dive spots of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, making it a perfect destination for diving and marine enthusiasts.

Please visit www.seaventuresdive.com for more information and reservation enquiries, and for information about the new centre, please visit: www.downbelowseaventures.com.

In November two back-to-back GUE courses will be running in Ao-Nang, Krabi, Thailand.

GUE DIR Fundamentals will be running from the 18th until the 21st — followed by GUE Tech 1 running until the 27th.

The courses are being taught by GUE instructor Gideon Liew of Living Seas in Singapore and hosted by One Stop, the Halcyon distributor for Thailand. For more information please contact One Stop info@onestopdive.com or Gideon gideon@livingseas.com.sg.

Like the humpback whales he loves to photograph, FiNS Magazine Contributor Tony Wu is making his annual migration to the breeding grounds of these cetaceans in the Kingdom of Tonga.

It’s a long, long way from home, but internet connections permitting, Tony will be posting updates and images of the magnificent humpbacks to his personal blog and Flickr page. Stay tuned!

16 August: If you haven’t already done so, check out Tony’s Flickr page to see some of his recent whale images.

Focused on the entire world of diving adventure, the OZTeK’07 Diving Technologies Conference & Exhibition promises a dynamic and action-packed weekend featuring one of the largest assemblies of internationally renowned diving authorities ever to appear at a single event. Read more…

Thank you for the hundreds of entries we received for our Pristine Papua Prize giveaway! Our friends in Papua New Guinea and all of us at FiNS are really excited to have received so many responses from over 19 countries!

So here’s what you’ve been waiting for…the lucky winners of the trips with Walindi Plantation Resort, Lissenung Island Resort and Aquaventures PNG are:

Denise Christensen from the USA — 7D/ 6N at Walindi Plantation Resort
Khun Patamasak Senanarong from Thailand — 7D/ 6N at Lissenung Island Resort
Paul Hancock from the UK — 8D/ 7N aboard MV Kamai with Aquaventures PNG

To our three lucky winners…we’ll be in touch soon by email to let you know the details. So get packing! And have a wonderful trip to one of the most beautiful dive destinations in the world. Please drop us a line when you’re there or get back to let us know about your adventure.

And if you’re weren’t one of our fortunate three this time around, keep your eye on our blog. There’s more fantastic trips, deals and prizes coming soon!