“This was my first trip to Indonesia and every resource I looked at was clear – if you want as trouble-free an adventure as possible, you need to hook up with people who really were experts in all things Indonesia. My research pointed me to Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock of Secret Sea Visions and I could not have been happier. They made every aspect of the trip a breeze and even given the remoteness of the location, it was the easiest and most enjoyable trip I ever had. They handled all of the complicated logistics flawlessly and prepped us well for our adventure. Their knowledge of the diving in Raja Ampat is incredible and really maximized our diving experience. Their detailed drawings of the dive sites and how to best give them, the intimate knowledge of the diversity of life in the region, as well as tips on maximizing marine life interaction was incredible. They are outstanding and highly creative photographers and really opened up my eyes beyond just better mechanics for taking pictures, but what it takes to create outstanding images. The quality of everyone’s photography improved dramatically during the trip and the knowledge I gained will be invaluable in the future. Burt and Maurine are genuinely nice people who really enjoy meeting others and love to share their passion for the underwater world. You can sense the thrill they get exposing us to some of the best diving in the world – we will definitely be going on other adventures with them.”
John David Johnston

“I recently returned from Indonesia’s Raja Ampat. I joined Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock for 10 wonderful days of diving and learning.
Burt and Maurine attended to every detail beginning with coming and going, making our travel uneventful. Their knowledge of the Indonesian system helped us avoid hassle and missed flights. They truly took the worry out of the travel.
On board, we were briefed about the dive operations and were offered a good understanding of what to expect on every dive. The most remarkable part of the trip was their ability to analyze our underwater photographic skills, or lack thereof, and make appropriate suggestions to improve and build our body of knowledge. The evidence of improvement can be seen in my images from day 1 to day 10. Both Burt and Maurine have excellent communication skills. Combined with a keen understanding of the problems we face as underwater photographers, it is easy to understand why they are so effective. The “value added” portion included saving my camera equipment from a flood, listening to experiences over their long careers, and the daily informative critiquing of my images.
If you are in the market for world class diving, exponentially stepping up the quality of your images while meeting an interesting group of serious divers and photographers, you need look no further than Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock. They certainly have not seen the last of me.
Highly recommended by,”
Dr. Jeffery W. Johnston PADI Master Instructor #38991