Late Breaking News! KIDS SEA CAMP coming to Palau!

We’re delighted to report that Sam’s Tours has been selected to host the very first KIDS SEA CAMP (KSC) in Palau slated for this November. Kids Sea Camp is an award-winning educational vacation program for families that love the ocean.

Kids Sea Camp PALAU 2009: November 21 – 28, 2009.

Kids Sea Camp is the brain child of Margo Peyton, a scuba diver since 1989. This Scuba mom with husband Tom, two kids of her own, Jen and Robbie, decided it was important for her family to spend time together doing what she loved the most, scuba diving & travel.

Kids Sea Camp is a full week's schedule of events and educational programs that promises great times and learning experiences for families with kids age 4-15. Each week includes 7 nights accommodations, diving, meals, excursions, activities for both adults and kids including, diving, snorkeling and many PADI Specialty courses.

KSC is hosted at PADI 5 Star Dive Resorts around the world which include Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Roatan, Fiji, Curacao, Galapagos and now in PALAU! Sam’s Tours and Palau Royal Resort, a Nikko Hotels International partner http://www.palau-royal-resort.com/ are teamed up to host this exciting event. Space is limited so get in touch with Sam’s Tours right away if you’d like to participate.

Families can spend a week scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, discovering underwater photography, meeting other families and making friends from all around the world. Kids Sea Camp is the perfect family vacation for those that love to scuba!

Sam’s Tours PADI Five Star National Geographic Dive Center is proud to have been selected to host Palau’s very first Kids Sea Camp and we are already in full swing planning an exciting action-packed week of fun in the sun!

For more information on Kids Sea Camp please visit http://kidsseacamp.com/ although details of the Palau Kids Sea may not be posted yet.

For bookings please contact: kids@kidsseacamp.com or e-mail Sam’s Tours Reservations Desk at: reservations@samstours.com

Kids Sea Camp PALAU 2009: November 21 – 28, 2009.

Keeping The Crew Happy!

L-R: Matsuo, Eddy, Flavin, Annloyd,Jade, J-Five, Daniel, Jason - looking cool in their new BOAT COATS! Picture by Nick Martorano.

There's a whole lot of happiness going on at Sam's Tours!

Keeping our guests super happy has always been mission number one for everyone on the team here at Sam's Tours, and keeping our guests happy starts with keeping our team members happy. You know the drill...happy people keep people happy! That's a whole lot of happiness going on!!!

Well, I'm really happy to report that all of our dive crews are now the happy owners of BOAT COATS.....the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to keeping warm and dry out on the water. Manufactured by DIVEGEAR USA http://divegearusa.com/ the BOAT COAT is perfect for dive guides and boat captains alike. With a soft nylon outer shell and a fleece lined interior, the BOAT COAT is designed to keep you warm and dry and can be worn right over your wetsuit. It's nice and long so that you're still well covered when sitting down, and the two way zipper makes it easy to adjust for comfort. The fleece lining keeps you warm without becoming waterlogged and the outer shell blocks the wind and rain. The BOAT COAT is a top quality garment with features designed for divers.

I met Susan Shaw, President of DIVEGEAR USA at a recent trade show and had an opportunity to check out the BOAT COAT firsthand. I was so impressed with the quality and features of the BOAT COAT that I ordered one for each of our boat crews including dive guides and boat captains and will carry them in our retail store along with other quality garments from DIVEGEAR USA.

P.R.A., a local Palau company specializing in logo clothing did a wonderful job embroidering Sam's Tours logo and each crew members name on their coat. Pictured above are some of the staff happily modeling their personalized BOAT COATS.

Check out http://divegearusa.com for more info on DIVEGEAR quality clothing or contact info@samstours.com to order your very own BOAT COAT. Be Happy!

Update on proposed Shark Fishing legislation in Palau, Micronesia.

The two controversial Senate Bills (SB8-44 and SB8-50) which propose to undo Palau’s landmark shark protection laws adopted under the previous Remengesau Administration in 2003, are both pending at the Senate Committee on Resources, Commerce, Trade and Development.
SB No. 8-44 which proposes to allow commercial fishing for sharks was introduced on March 5, 2009 and passed 1st reading on that same day.

SB No. 8-50 which proposes to exempt commercial fishing companies from export taxes on fish caught by purse-seining methods for a period of 5 years was introduced on March 26, 2009 and passed first reading on the same day too.

Picture left of shark fins burned in protest in 2002 by former President Tommy Remengesau Jr. PHOTO: Kevin Davidson.

For background information on these controversial Bills please visit: http://www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/ Visit Palau Shark Sanctuary for more information on shark conservation efforts in Palau at: http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

According to Senate sources if the committee reports on these proposed Bills in the next session of the Senate which opens tomorrow, the Bills will go to their 2nd Reading.

The shark conservation organization SHARK SAVERS has created an on-line petition where you may register your opposition to Senate Bill 8-44 and commercial shark fishing. Please visit the link below and sign this petition today. Time is of the essence. Please act now!!!

Picture left of illegal shark catch from Palau licensed fishing vessel arrested by Palau Patrol boat 2007. PHOTO Christopher Hale.

Petition Link: http://www.sharksavers.org/en/get-involved/sign-these-petitions/542-petition -to-palau-stop-senate-bill-8-44-on-shark-fishing.html

Also, please continue to pass the word to others and continue to submit comments to Palau Chamber of Commerce and Belau Tourism Association respectively at: pcoc@palaunet.com and bta@palaunet.com

Many thanks to all who have already acted including professional photographers and environmentalists EDWARD DORSON, TODD ESSICK and GUNTHER DEICHMANN who are among the many concerned individuals who have taken time to submit their comments in opposition to these Bills. These professional photographers have all visited and dived in Palau and know just how important sharks are to Palau’s tourism industry and to the entire marine eco-system. We appreciate their support.

Visit their websites and blogs for more information and fantastic images at:

Edward Dorson: http://dorsonstudios.com/

Todd Essick: http://www.essickphoto.com/

Gunther Deichmann: http://gdphotonews.blogspot.com/

http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

The Great Easter Egg Hunt!

Our friends at SEA BEES DIVING Thailand who are members of the Quality Divers network and winners of the coveted Golden Dolphin Award, are organizing an on-line Easter Egg Hunt for 6 GOLDEN EASTER EGGS! Here are the details:

SEA BEES DIVERS have hidden a number of golden eggs on their webpage http://www.sea-bees.com/eng/index.htm and on the Quality Divers webpage http://www.quality-divers.com/qd/english/kern.htm

Anyone who finds all 6 of the eggs will be included in their lucky draw for great prizes as follows: 1st prize: 6 daytrips with 12 dives with the Quality Divers Partner of your choice.

2nd prize: 4 daytrips with 8 dives with the Quality Divers Partner of your choice.

3rd prize: 2 daytrips with 4 dives with the Quality Divers Partner of your choice.

That's right! Winners can redeem their prize at any Quality Divers location round the world.

Visit http://www.quality-divers.com/ for complete info on Quality Divers twelve member dive centres in Egypt, Croatia, Thailand, Madeira, the Philippines, Mexico, France, Gozo, the Seychelles, Yap and Palau in Micronesia and the Caribbean. Truly a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to have some fun, win great prizes and enjoy world class diving!

Here's all you have to do:
Visit SEA BEES DIVERS homepage and find 3 golden eggs. Record the unique number of each egg. Visit the Quality Divers web page where there are 3 more hidden eggs and again record the unique number of each egg. When you've found all six (6) Golden Eggs send an e-mail to Sea Bees Divers with all 6 numbers - the order is not important.

All e-mails with the right numbers will participate in the lucky draw. The entry deadline is the 30th April 2009. The winners will be notified by e-mail and published on the Sea Bees Blog. Quality Divers and Sea Bees staff are not allowed to participate. Good luck!
Dermot

Sam's Tours Joins the Quality Divers Network!

Sam's Tours recently became a member of QUALITY DIVERS an international Association of First Class Dive Operators whose membership spans the globe and includes Manta Ray Bay Hotel & Yap Divers, our very own next door neighbor on the beautiful island of Yap, Micronesia. Other member dive centres are located in Egypt, Croatia, Thailand, Madeira, the Philippines, Mexico, France, Gozo, Seychelles, and the Caribbean and new applications for membership continue to be received.

The purpose of Quality Divers is to offer divers a worldwide network of first class dive companies committed to providing excellence in service, satisfaction and safety. Sam's Tours appreciates our selection for membership in Quality Divers and we believe it reflects our own long standing reputation for these same qualities.

In addition to the high safety and quality standards required of Quality Divers member dive centers, their diving customers may also benefit from the Quality Divers Privilege Card by availing of special offers from network dive centers to make diving holidays even more attractive!

The Quality Divers Privilege Card is totally free and it is accepted by all Quality Divers members, regardless of the issuing dive center. It's a great way for divers to get out and explore the world with the comfort of guaranteed service excellence, maximum safety, and save some money too!

Visit the Quality Divers website for complete information on Quality Divers and our partners in diving excellence around the world.

Repeal of Palau's Shark Protection Laws Proposed!

A Bill is now before Palau's OEK (Congress) that if passed would eliminate Palau's strong shark protection laws and actively encourage fishing for sharks and the taking of shark fins.

Senate Bill No. 8-44 seeks "to amend Title 27 of Palau's National Code to allow for the commercial fishing of sharks within Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone, to impose a tax on the export of sharks and tuna-like species, and for other related purposes."

The proposed law is a potentially severe blow to Palau's tourism industry of which scuba diving is the mainstay. Palau gained international recognition in 2004 for passage of landmark legislation that protected sharks, turtles and rays and outlawed the practice of shark-finning. Under Senate Bill 8-44 it is unclear whether shark fishing and or shark-finning is or is not permitted and the ambiguity will make it virtually impossible for law enforcement to successfully prosecute potential violators. Sections of the bill read as follows:

"It is unlawful for any person: to remove the fins of or otherwise intentionally mutilate or injure any such shark"

"It shall be unlawful for any person to have on board a fishing vessel shark fins that total more than five percent of the weight of sharks on board."

Other provisions of the proposed Act call for:

"An appropriate export tax for shark and fish caught pursuant to this Act."

"A minimum monetary or in-kind fish donation that commercial fishing companies shall make to the Belau National Hospital, the Aging Program within the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, or similar governmental agency or private, non-profit organization. These donations shall come from fish or shark caught pursuant to this Act, or revenues generated from those fish or shark."

Members of the Belau Tourism Association, Palau Chamber of Commerce and the Palau Visitors Authority are strongly opposed to passage of this legislation.

Fishing company consortiums from the city of General Santos, Philippines, are pressing hard for rights to fish in Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone and it is widely believed that introduction of this bill is no mere coincidence. Foreign fishing fleets have a well documented track record of violating Palau's environmental laws, poaching Palau's marine resources and violating fishing agreements. This proposed Bill puts the Palau's tourism industry directly at odds with commercial fishing in Palau's waters as the two are simply incompatible.

In 2004 Palau was recognized by shark conservation agency Sharkproject as their Shark Guardian of The Year. Passage of Senate Bill 8-44 will be a sudden and potentially costly about face for Palau that will yield no gain. Palau only stands to lose...lose its fisheries and its dive industry.

I urge you to speak out against this proposed Bill by sending your comments to all of the following organizations who are fighting against Senate Bill 8-44:

Belau Tourism Association: bta@palaunet.com

Palau Chamber of Commerce: pcoc@palaunet.com

Palau Visitors Authority: pva@visit-palau.com

Dermot

Every Week is SHARK WEEK in Palau!

For Immediate Release:
Dusseldorf, Germany: January, 17, 2009

Announcement!
S.AV.E. Our Sharks – Shark Awareness Visitor Education Program

Sam’s Tours Palau is pleased to announce the official launch of SHARK WEEKS (http://www.sharkweeks.com/) marking a year long commitment to shark awareness and education in support of the International Year of The Shark 2009, to help bring an end to the unprecedented slaughter and destruction of sharks worldwide.

Palau is renowned among divers for exciting encounters with sharks in their natural environment. There is no need to bait sharks, stage orchestrated shark feeds or place divers in shark cages. As a veteran Palauan dive guide says “every week is shark week in Palau!” and it’s true. Divers and snorkelers can encounter sharks on almost every outing all year round. While different times of the year bring different behaviors among sharks, diving and snorkeling with sharks is an experience to be enjoyed year round in Palau.

And “shark diving” is not just limited to dive trips or snorkel trips. Kayakers participating in tours with Planet Blue Sea Kayak Tours may enjoy unique opportunities to visit shark nurseries in the inner lagoon areas where baby black tip sharks hide out until mature enough to take their place on the outer reef.

Even those enjoying helicopter rides with “Matt the Pilot” over at Palau Helicopters are often treated to shark sightings. In fact, Matt most recently reported sightings of baby hammerhead sharks within the lagoon which were heretofore almost unknown. Bottom line, there are few better places than Palau for exciting up close shark encounters whether you’re a diver, a snorkeler or simply enjoying a birds eye view of Palau from the air.

What better place then than Palau to get up close and personal with sharks and learn about their critical role in the marine environment, understand their life cycle, witness their importance to Palau’s fledgling tourism industry, and learn about the unprecedented destruction in a matter of a few short years of a creature that has otherwise survived unchanged for millions of years? Why limit shark awareness to a once a year Shark Week when in fact every week is Shark Week in Palau?

As a member of the International Year of The Shark and a long standing supporter of shark conservation in Palau, Sam’s Tours is therefore proud to launch SHARK WEEKS with a year long S.A.V.E. our SHARKS (Shark Awareness Visitor Education) program.

Throughout Shark Weeks 2009 guests will enjoy shark awareness and shark education interpretive briefings that will enhance their shark encounters in Palau and hopefully encourage them to join the fight to protect sharks worldwide. SAVE our SHARKS certificates will be presented to those who complete the program and they will be listed in the Palau Shark Sanctuary, Shark Savers Registry.

Throughout 2009, Sam’s Tours will also conduct Shark Byte, a year long free competition for Sam’s Tours guests in search of the best digital image of a shark taken in Palau. Starting February 1, 2009, and every week until the end of the International Year of the Shark 2009, we will select a winning image for Shark Byte of the Week from entries received that week. Winners of Shark Byte of the Week will receive a Palau Shark Sanctuary T-shirt and have their image posted on-line. Weekly winners will automatically be entered in Shark Byte of the Year, with the results of the competition to be announced at the close of the International Year of the Shark.

For more information on Shark Weeks please visit:

http://www.sharkweeks.com/

or contact: RESERVATIONS@SAMSTOURS.COM

Other informative links:

http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

http://www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/

http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SHARK 2009

Sam's Tours is proud to announce its' membership in The International Year of The Shark 2009 and joins the efforts to bring an end to the unprecedented killing off of shark populations around the world.

The International Year of The Shark initiative was launched by the LET SHARKS LIVE network whose members were so alarmed by the announcement in The Global Shark Assessment that "at the current rates of decline, extinction is indicated for a high fraction of oceanic shark species, in ten to fifteen years." In response to this very disturbing news, Let Sharks Live declared 2009 International Year of The Shark in an emergency effort to halt the unsustainable killing of sharks before it’s too late.

For more information on International Year of The Shark please visit:
http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org/

For information on Palau Shark Sanctuary, please visit:
http://www.sharksanctuary.com/

http://www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com

DIVING FOR LIFE!

THE DIVE LOG below was recently posted on-line by an avid diver who has spent the last 18 +/- months fighting for his life. He was originally scheduled to make his second visit to Palau for a dive trip in late 2007 but was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma shortly before he was scheduled to head for Palau. Following diagnosis he underwent several rounds of radiation treatment and chemotherapy regimes, enduring months of the tough physical and emotional toll these harsh treatments wreak upon the body.

Amazingly, this diver refused to cancel his trip to Palau and instead just rescheduled it for later. In the meantime he committed himself to fighting this difficult disease with all his might and set himself a goal of returning to diving and eventually to Palau as originally planned.

With diving as his motivator for life he suffered through all of the physically and emotionally painful ups and downs that doing battle with cancer can bring. Yet not once did I ever hear him complain or give up though I’m sure he must have wanted to more than once. Instead he sent out regular upbeat reports about his doctor visitors, latest condition, next treatments, hoped for results, steps to follow, and all this framed against the backdrop of his dream to one day return to diving. DIVING GAVE HIM LIFE!

While it may seem like just another entry in any old dive log, to me it marks a milestone of success in a brave and difficult battle with a dangerous foe and demonstrates the importance of positive-mindedness in all that we do in life. It gives me hope and inspiration.

DIVE LOG: Cork, Ireland, December 2008.

"WELL, TODAY WAS THE DAY! I made my first boat dive of the year today and
boy was it good to be back. We met at Oysterhaven at around 11.15 after allowing for the icy roads and got our gear organised and onto the boat which we then launched.

First task of the day was to head over to the creek directly across from the slip and give a hand to a local fisherman and his crew to put some ropes under a yacht that sank a few weeks ago. With the good deed done it was off to Bream Rock on a nice crisp day with a flat calm sea.

We dropped into 5 metres and swam out over the kelp and gradually dropped to 10m where we met our first lobster of the day and a lot of shrimp but no sign of any conger eels. Moving on we dropped to 15 metres in between the rocks and gullies where we saw more lobster, shrimp, crab and numerous other fish and sea urchins. Brightly coloured sponges and anemones and other plant life were also in abundance.

Keeping the rock on our right we continued through the gullies dropping gradually to 19 metres and at 26 minutes started to profile up and move along in the slight current.

At 12- 14 metres it was up with the SMBs and start for the surface which we reached at 38 minutes, following our safety stop. Water temp was about 9 degrees and visibility
was quite good at over 7 metres.

It was a lovely gentle dive with lots to see and just perfect after being out of the water for so long. Back into Oysterhaven, boat out of the water, out of the dive gear and a nice cup of warming soup and a quick picnic. What a great way to spend a day and being back under water again – JUST BRILLIANT! Boy it’s great to be back!"
# # #

I’m proud to say that the diver who made this log entry is also my eldest brother Rory. I hope and pray for his continued health and for the opportunity to welcome him back to Palau in 2009. Hats off to you Rory and Happy New Year! See you soon!

P.S. Special thanks are due to members of the Cork diving community and especially Cork Sub-Aqua Club who rallied around Rory immediately and who continue to give him the support and encouragement he needs to live. They are truly “buddies for life”. Thank you all. Dermot

Sam's Tours - TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR!

SAM'S TOURS receives "TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR" AWARD!

The Palau Visitors Authority (PVA), Palau's official tourism board, announced their selection of Sam's Tours as "TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR" for 2008. The announcement and award presentation took place during the Annual Christmas Gala of the Belau Tourism Association (BTA), Palau's private sector tourism industry association, recently held at the Palau Pacific Resort (http://www.palauppr.com/)

Awarding winning is not new to Sam’s Tours which has been consistently recognized over the years not only by government and industry bodies for their commitment to development of sustainable tourism in Palau but also by their customers for consistent service excellence.

In 2007 Sam's Tours received a Top 10 Sponsor Award from PVA for "their continual support and sponsorship" and in 2006 the private sector Belau Tourism Association recognized Sam's Tours with their Outstanding Member Award for their "dedication, support and commitment over the years to Belau Tourism Association and its objectives.”

The readers of Scuba Diving Magazine have recognized Sam’s Tours more than any other dive center in Palau or Micronesia with seven “Readers Choice Awards” since 1997 including a Gold List Award for top dive center, top staff, and top value.

Sam’s Tours is the first and only dive center in Palau to receive the Palau Conservation Society “Ten Year Partner in Conservation Award” and is a Corporate Sponsor of the Palau Shark Sanctuary, a shark conservation organization founded in 2001 by Sam’s Tours General Manager, Dermot Keane, to help bring an end to the destructive practice of shark-finning by foreign fishing fleets operating in Palau’s waters. The Palau Shark Sanctuary received a PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Environmental Education Gold Award for their work.

“Sam’s Tours has consistently demonstrated their long standing commitment to responsible tourism development, environmental preservation, and excellence in customer service and while recognition is not what drives us to excel, we sincerely appreciate the acknowledgment of our efforts by our industry peers and our valued customers alike” said Dermot Keane, General Manager, Sam’s Tours.