Scuba Trips and Workshops

2019 TRIPS

Tonga: Snorkeling with Humpback Whales

August 10-19, 2019: WAITLIST

$6300

» Contact us for more information

Tanzania: The Safari of a Lifetime

September 18-28, 2019: OPEN
October 1-11, 2019: LIMITED

$12,775

» Contact us for more information

2020 TRIPS

Raja Ampat, Misool Eco Resort

Luxurious accommodations and snorkeling or diving on the world’s most biodiverse reefs.

January 31-February 12, 2020. 12 nights of unlimited diving $6950 or unlimited snorkeling $6275

» Click here for details, or contact us for more information

Your satisfaction is our primary goal.

We place a high value on every person who travels with us, and we do our best to provide a quality experience for our guests.

We know that dive trips on premium boats like the ones we book are expensive. And, the last thing we want you to have to think about is yet another bill after the diving is done. That’s why we do our best to include all of the significant extras, such as nitrox, park fees and, when possible, fuel surcharges.

» Read some testimonials

“Stop Taking Pictures and Start Creating Images”

2020 – Raja Ampat

Misool Eco Resort: Snorkeling or Diving, January 31-February 12

A few months ago we were contacted by Galen and Nicole who run the Tropical Snorkeling website (www.tropicalsnorkeling.com) about planning a snorkeling trip to Raja Ampat. Misool Eco Resort with its bountiful nearby reefs, high standards of environmental responsibility, and lovely accommodations was the logical choice to host a group of snorkelers. The first trip we booked sold out within a week, but we have now added the January 31 departure. We still have a few south beach villas available and we are marketing these to divers as well as snorkelers. This is the perfect trip for couples with one diver and one snorkeler, or any combination! Please note that the south villas are reached by a short but relatively steep set of stairs. If you do not feel that you are physically capable of making this climb or prefer not to, we can put you on the waitlist for a water cottage or north villa. There are five double occupancy south villas available. Divers and snorkelers will have different schedules and go out in different boats.

The diving package includes unlimited diving with nitrox, all food, transfers to/from the resort from Sorong, and a night in Sorong at the Swiss Bel on February 12, which is required. The snorkeling package includes unlimited snorkeling on the house reef or lagoon, two boat snorkels daily, two off resort excursions to snorkel, all food, accommodation, transfers to/from the resort from Sorong, and a night at the Swiss Bel on February 12, which is required.

Misool Eco Resort: Snorkeling or Diving

January 31-February 12, 2020

Snorkeling package: $6275/person
Diving package: $6950/person

Testimonials

“My husband, Mickey Rosenau, and I have known Maurine and Burt for several years, but the trip to Raja Ampat was a ‘dream trip’, and our first opportunity to dive with them. At this point in our lives, we prefer a small group, a top notch boat, lots of attention from eagle-eyed guides, great food, and as much comfort as is available. Maurine and Burt are far and away the best dive tour leaders we have had the pleasure to be with. I would like to be an ichthyologist in another life, so I would name my wish list and Maurine and Burt would magically arrange dive sites where these wonders would appear. Maurine and Burt make certain everything goes perfectly and are constantly trying to address whatever new need or desire pops up.
Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D.

“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