What do you expect from eco dive resort?

[two clown resort]

Hi Guys...

Need your opinion. Based on your experience, What are your level of expectation when you are in eco resort in a remote area? Share with us what do you want to experience, what you don't want to see or eat, et cetera.

Thank you so much

[DeputyDan]

The opportunity to do at least five dives a day.

Two am boat dives
Two pm boat dives
Night dive.

Optional shore diving would be great as well. Then the guest would have the option to do a pre breakfast am dive and the ability to opt out of the boat dives and shore dive.

If all you offer is two am dives and a night dive on occasion - you are not a dive resort - you are a resort that offers diving.

[DeputyDan]

Look here for what I consider to be a top notch dedicated dive resort....

CoCo View Resort Roatan Scuba Roatan Diving located in Roatan, Honduras diving, scuba and snorkeling.

[TSandM]

At an eco resort, I would want to hear something about how the place was built and how it's maintained to reduce its impact on the environment. For example, when we stayed at KBR in Indonesia, they told us the buildings were built from the trees they had to cut at the site, and from the stone taken out when the road was built. I would want to see minimal use of things like plastic bottles. I would want options for reduced laundry (reusing towels and sheets, for example). If applicable, opportunities to participate in conservation programs (fish counts, trash removal) or things of that sort would be great.

[Danielle's_Dives]

I agree with TSandM above but I would also like to see them grow, raise and fish what they serve. To be truly eco resort you need to have the smallest impact on your surroundings. This means being sustainable, renewable and leaving the least amount of "waste". I would like to see solar, wind or water power being used to manage electricity. I do agree that a reef aware or fish aware program or dive would be nice to raise awareness on local potential threats or issues for the marine life.

[RoatanMan]

Responses from divers will likely be along a similar theme.

I have seen island development and causational reef degradation from a very different perspective.

Every time you touch the dirt, you disturb root structures and create run-off sedimentation. That is what kills reefs, not diver visits. Good luck on trying to build our perception of an "attractive romantic" guest room without causing environmental havoc.

If you allow dive-dock showers over the ocean, do not allow soap- just fresh water rinse-offs.

The biggest thing: have the guts to tell your DM's that they must put their tips at risk by being unfailingly proactive when dealing with dragging SPG's, glove use, muck-stick pokers, and the "I only finger-touch dead stuff" Photographers.

When you have caused enough interest in the local area that you incite competitors to set up shop next door, it's all over at that point.

I am in about 90% agreement with DeputyDan's posts above, as I understand that resorts in the SoPac (inferring this by your profile location) sometimes cater to North Americans who want a minimum choice of being able to actually do all 4 dives offered in a day, versus Euro-Asian divers who are used-to only being able to select two (or three) from the four that are offered. North Americans will likely clamor for a night dive, as well.

Again, as in the CoCoView example, this points up another perceptional fallacy found in what divers say versus what they really do. Many people who come to CCV were put-off by the lack of diving availability on arrival day- so they changed that process. Suffice to say, if you do five a day, you'll get that 27 in a week. Do many divers do this? No, and in fact, most do substantially less- yet the clamor continues for being allowed to dive on day one. Less-so in this example, but a lot of dive-resorts have guests who spend a whole lot of the time with an alcoholic beverage in their hand.

Recycling (again in the example for CCV and Honduras) can be a difficult concept for visitors to get their heads around. We in the US are led to believe that recycling actually works as an economically sustainable thing. It kind-of comes close in the US, but is perverted by laws and subsidies. Recycling in your environment will likely be problematic. Best to avoid such items. Ask customers to take-home used batteries and cxyalume sticks... crap like that.

DeputyDan refers above to CoCoView which was built with a very forward thinking approach to being eco-friendly, even though it was built 30 years ago. Efforts such as expending great amounts of money to build a waste-water facility some 10 years ago was way ahead of it's time, but the volumes of money and time spent on establishing a turtle rehab facility simply didn't work out. The common element always shines through in these efforts, that is what your customers will recognize, remember and value as to your reputation.

Every visitor saw and appreciated the ill-fated turtle program, but no one notices the very successful on-site waste-water treatment facility. Makes you think, eh?

[ElChe]

Well, as a European I'm a bit tired of the eco-friendly stuff. We travel to thousands of miles for 3-4 times per year by plane, how could we be "eco-friendly"? The eco-friendliness means you stay home and dive in the local quarry. However it isn't too much fun. We have a hobby (which is like many other hobbies) what makes us travel to distant destinations. On the location they'll tell about how they built the accomodation and how they catch the fish for the dinner and you can believe it if you like. But in my opinion the guests have to be even more eco-friendly than the resorts: they shouldn't bring plenty of chemicals and perfumes, they should be careful under water and never touch anything even when they take photos, they shouldn't choose the luxury rooms with huge TV, special furniture etc. Until we don't care about the nature it's quite unfair to complain if the resort isn't eco-friendly instead us. The special waste water treating isn't that important if you shower in fresh water without shower gels or soaps. When I'm on a liveaboard I don't use any chemicals for a week as the water I used goes directly to the reef. Sadly it's not enough to save the corals but at least I don't put more pressure on them just because I want to party in the night in perfume clouds...

[two clown resort]

Thanks guys - that's really great input. Many valuable opinions here and would like to hear more. Question, would you guys be okay if a resort only has electricity for about 6 - 8 hours a day? No television, Air Con, and refrigerator in your room or anywhere else?

[RoatanMan]

Thanks guys - that's really great input. Many valuable opinions here and would like to hear more. Question, would you guys be okay if a resort only has electricity for about 6 - 8 hours a day? No television, Air Con, and refrigerator in your room or anywhere else?

It absolutely depends upon the air temp and humidity. No answer to be gleaned otherwise.

[annlaur]

It depends on how much you charge. Personally, I'm perfectly fine with a hut with no AC or electricity (but would hope for good cross ventilation and mosquito screens) and definitely don't see the point of having a TV set while on vacation. However, I'm also not gonna pay USD 80/night for a basic shack (unless that includes meals or other goodies, of course, and depending on the local cost of living/remoteness).
I also find the "eco resort" concept to be somewhat of an utopia. As long as you bring human beings to a "virgin" destination, you do impact the ecosystem, no matter how hard you try not to.
Which is why I prefer to stay at local places that have been built for a while, instead of looking for newer venues. I don't want to encourage the building of new resorts (which means cutting existing vegetation and sometimes also depriving the people of the land of yet another beach/pier access) and I trust local construction better in the sense that traditionnal builders knew their land and climate and have developped techniques and designs to build houses best suited to their environment long before electricity, air conditionning and the whole concept of sustainable development were invented.
If I want modern, creature comfort, I don't need to travel to a remote island/beach location. Plenty of that in Paris and major cities anywhere.

That being said, I'm also aware that many people are not willing to sacrifice AC or TV or a flush toilet with western plumbing.