ONE VISION – THREE ECO-RESORTS

Divers Lodge Lembeh, Weda Reef & Rainforest Resort and Magic Bay Rao, near Morotai, North Moluccas

Eco-tourism is not just putting a solar panel on your roof and applying other environment friendly techniques. It is a continuous process of learning, with trial and error. Over the last 23 years we tried to develop a way of working that directly benefits the local people around us in the short and long term.

More and more, we have been able to offer education, training on the job and career-planning. By purchasing as many local materials and local labor as possible, we contributed directly to the local economy. We have always been very aware not to disturb the local traditions and way of living, while trying to improve the daily living conditions of the people at the same time.

Whenever possible, we work together with other stakeholders such as the media, the Local and National Government, private companies and NGO ‘s to actively protect the environment and conserve the nature.

In 2011 we started our Sawai Eco Tourism Foundation to have a legal body for our education and nature conservation projects.

We regret to inform you that we had no other option but to close our Weda Resort at Halmahera. The impact on nature from exponentially growing industrial activities has made Eco-tourism in the area unfeasible for the time being. However, our foundation will continue its educational initiatives and kindergarten programs. If you stay with us, you directly contribute to our education and conservation projects.

RECOGNITION

Rob Sinke, owner of Divers Lodge Lembeh, was nominated to receive the national award for protection and conservation of the environment: Kalpataru 2010. Earlier he received the Kalpataru of the North Sulawesi Province in 2009. Rob was honoured to receive the “Pahlawan untuk Indonesia Award” out of the hands of the Minister of Environment in 2013.

 Rob was also a guest in the famous Indonesian talk show Kick Andy, 19 June 2015.

Rob was also officially inaugurated by the Major of Bitung as “Pala” – Kepala Lingkungan (a kind of village leader under head of village) with a broader task to look after the environment of the whole Lembeh Strait/Island. 

Below are some examples of eco-friendly innovation/activities used/done by Divers Lodge Lembeh and some environmental care activities for Lembeh Strait.

Education foundation & Kindergartens

Thanks to our Sawai Eco Tourism foundation we run 3 Kindergartens, Paud Sawai-Eko Wisata, Paud Rao Indah in Halmahera, and TK Adinda, Kelompok Bermain Halona Indah and an English course in Bitung. 

The Sawai foundation was founded by Rob & Linda in 2012 at Halmahera with our first school opening at the village of Sawai Itepo. Rob & Linda started the foundation at Sawai since the village had no education and most of the adults and their children were unable to read and write.

Later on Linda opened another school in Posi-Posi Rao at 2015 since there were no kindergartens there, and it was also the village where Linda came from. Then in 2016 TK Adindah at Bitung was founded as Indah was born, and we wanted a Kindergarten where Indah could go to, and also for the children of our staff and neighbors. 

ECO FRIENDLY DIVE RESORT

Situated in a beautiful natural settings of 16 hectares of forest and mangroves and surrounded by Lembeh Strait and the Sulawesi Sea, Divers Lodge Lembeh is dedicated to maintain an Eco-friendly (environmentally friendly) dive resort on Lembeh island by implementing eco-friendly technologies such as a Solar Water Heater to provide warm shower in the resort, Ultra low emission outboard engines on all of our 5 dive boats, and Solar Power to partly provide the electricity.

MOORINGS FOR DIVE BOATS AND LOCAL FISHING BOATS

We actively install moorings in Lembeh Strait since 2003. Starting 2007, Rob invented a better way to make a stronger buoy with low cost. Rob then start making some buoy and installed them at several dive sites. This project was very successful and dive boats and local traditional fishing boat used the moorings often. Rob then started promoting it to resort/divecenters around Bitung/Manado – to participate in building more moorings (1 mooring per resort). There are also some guests donating. Now, there are at least 30 moorings installed all along Lembeh Strait and all are well used and maintained.

GARBAGE CLEANING

Divers Lodge Lembeh is always on the “green side” participating in the Cleaning up Lembeh Strait program held by the city council of Bitung, and quickly reports to the responsible officials if there is any industrial pollution in the area. Thanks to the government of Bitung for their successful program of “Healthy Life & Environmentally friendly”, everyone can now see that the city has become much cleaner than before and there is considerably less trash in the water.

STOPPING ILLEGAL FISHING/FISH TRADING

This illegal fish trading case occurred in 2007. On the way back home, in the harbour, our staff noticed a car fully loaded with plastic bags. Our dive guides then realized that those plastic bags were actually filled with fish ready to transfer somewhere else. Andris, one of our dive guides, immediately contacted Rob, whom then contacted the local authorities. The local police managed to arrive just in time and get all the fish onto the boat of Divers Lodge Lembeh. We released them back to the sea together. Since then we haven’t heard of a similar case.