A Marine Scientist- a German TV producer – well myself and one of the best evenings/mornings for a very long time. Kristina just finishing her Masters in Marine Biology, and did some of her research at Club Paradise in Palawan.


1:00 Am things are still normal, Kristina, Martina and Gunther, checking out some critters on the screen, Nudibranchs, Frog-fish and an expert opinion from our
still sober Scientist Kristina. Photos by no other than Hermes Singson, who lasted until about 4:30AM, thanks my friend for hanging around, but how could you
refuse, surrounded by such great company.

Where are we? 5:07 AM at Gunther place of course. Sunrise, just about there, the first light… approaching my windows and Kristina has taken away my Mac, Oh boy, well … shit just happens.

Great friends, good wine and some real cool music at the virtual office of the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance.

Read Kristina’s story below, unedited typed on my Mac, at 4:55 AM.

About 5:30 AM, now the trouble starts, lost my Mac to Kristina, used my cellphone for the images and the wine kept on flowing and the sound got better too.
By the way, not so sober any more.

Well, yes now I remember, after 5 bottles of red wine we are sitting in Gunther’s office in the middle of Manila. A city of smoking angels.
A German TV producer, a marine biologist and our friend Gunther, the photographer. What it comes to is an evening of drinking lunatics bringing creative minds together.
Like every human being each one of us has their own story and melting that into one pot on a reunion like this turns the moment into a bestseller, a blog or even a podcast. The world will know soon. For myself, as a scientist, I just can’t turn my scientific lens from these big goggles in front of me, looking around the room, coming out of a head with furry extensions on the back of it’s head. These critter is even still sitting on it’s nesting area having its good night supper the red wine glass in the one extremity and the smoke in the other. Might it really be a blenny or even Gunther?

Wait, what is that, just let me have another sip…wow, that is unreal; it’s the TV producer Martha. She is spreading out her antenna, no, there are rhinophores. Look at that, right up her forehead there are, chemical receptors, sensing more of the good wine stuff. She is getting up, snuggling around the room and finally finding the bottle. She might even be a sap sucking sea slug regarding her uptake of more wine-sap. And now there a popping up pimples all over her but their are no pimples there are glands, toxic glands. Is that for real or is it the 8th glass of wine? However this might be my story, seeing humans turning into marine animals or marine animals turning into humans…. or are we even equal?
For now I get back to my friends independently they are human or animals.
Hey. Kristina you just called me an Animal, well she is right, what about our German TV producer, Ok. Martina when are we going to be on TV, Martina you better make sure on that one. Okaylang: although my instructor gave me five diving points out of ten – compared to Dirk who got a ten – I am loosing my buoyancy. Unfortunately I forgot my BCD tonight. Is it because of the red wine? One thing is for sure: if I bring a wonderful anihuminals on television this planet would have a magnificent chance to change into a better place.
Are we going to bed, no bloody way, he, he Dirk and Norbert did not last that long, the girls did you in…. they had a great time.

Kristina, Martina (the German TV) and Gunther. One hell of a good evening in Manila with some real good friends, who I love dearly, until our next Blog, but make sure you stay awake.

Good morning Vietnam??? No, it is good morning Manila, 6:05 AM, you have guessed right the sun is up, now the closing words from our TV Producer Martina.
Here she is:
Gunther was almost shooting me down. But what he said is:
Going to bed forget it, why?? Because I say so.

Life is so good but I think with friends like this, it only gets better.
Love you all, over and out.

GD

Norbert Muenz and Dirk Fahrenbach enjoying a nice Brandy during
a visit at the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance virtual office in Manila.

A Dentist experience in Palawan- what has a Dentist in common with the limestone cliffs of Palawan, Philippines?- Lots of cavities.

Norbert Muenz a Dentist from Germany is a very experience cavity diver; almost all year around he is into cavities,
searching and exploring where no man has ever gone before.

Well, he decided to try some diving this year with one of our partner resorts Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center in Palawan, Philippines.

There are a lot of cavities in the fantastic cliffs of Coron Island, with a whole fleet of WWII wrecks at the bottom of the ocean.
His first dive was on a wreck I guess the exploring got the better of him, but after that he left it alone, maybe the wrecks reminded him to much of his cavity work.
During his three-week vacation he spend most of the time relaxing and cruising the spectacular house reef right in front of the resort.
Yes, he did see the amazing Dugongs from Palawan, one of the highlights of his entire trip, a few days later the ocean been very calm, he ventured to the famous APO Reef, another highlight with schools of big fish and sharks.

Norbert dropped by the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance Virtual office on his way back to Germany, checked out Manila for a few days, bought an iPod for his long Journey back home, had a good look at the old Spanish part of Manila, and mingled with the crowed at Greenbelt 3.

I meet Norbert with Dirk Fahrenbach last year in Truk where he explored the famous Truk Lagoon with its abandons of WWII wrecks, he promised us to come to the Philippines next year, well, he kept his promise and like Mc Arthur promised to return and dive with some of the other Alliance Partner resorts and Dive centers next time.

During his short visit to the office, we convinced him to give us a first hand report on the diving and service, we quickly prepared a Podcast and will launch this one shortly.
One thing is for sure he said, I liked every bit of it and will return for sure, this has been my very first trip to he Philippines and I loved it, not only my vacation was great but the people and scenery are just super.
So, if you ever have a cavity problem when traveling in Germany, just drop by Norbert, he is the expert on cavities.
More from Norbert soon on our Podcast, his interview, so please stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe.




Photos: © Club Paradise and Gunther Deichmann

Cheers, G.D.
www.deichmann-photo.com

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann
Unborn Shark, it's Mother and Baby got
Murdered!
Stop the killing and say no to Shark fin soup, it is Disgusting.
Sharks are NOT man-eaters, it is us who eat and destroy them.

Just received this info/letter from our friend and supporter DivePhotoGuide Jason Heller please read on or get all the info @
http://www.divephotoguide.com/discovery_shark_week.php

The Philippine - Micronesia Alliance
is supporting this letter and all our Alliance partners and dive resorts are very concerned about our Environment,
we dive responsible. The Divers Choice.
G.D.
For those of you have not seen this yet, please feel free to post it. It is a formal
response from the world’s foremost shark scientists, researchers and conservationists
regarding this year’s Shark Week content. If you support shark conservation, please
consider posting or publishing it.
http://www.divephotoguide.com/discovery_shark_week.php
 

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann
Your passion is diving... ours is service.

Dear divers and friends, Taucher und Freunde,
our website is in six languages but we welcome all and everyone to experience the ultimate in diving and vacation.

Welcome - Willkommen bei der Fillippinen-Mikronesien Allianz -

ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ К НАШЕМУ ФИЛИППИНЫ - МИКРОНЕЗИЯ АЛЬЯНСУ ЭТО ТВОЙ ЛУЧШИЙ ПАРТНЕР ДЛЯ ПЕРВОКЛАССНОГО ПОДВОДНОГО ОТПУСКА
Our other languages are: Japanese, Korean and Chinese and very soon we add also Polish, French, Spanish and Italian.

The Philippine Micronesia Alliance,
your partners in quality diving holidays!
You find now on our website some very exciting
Special Dive Packages, combinations from the Philippines and
Micronesia. You can book direct with one of our partners, or choose a package.

For more details and prices please visit us at:
http://www.alliancediving.com/packages.html

The vast and remote Philippine – Micronesia region encompasses the
Pacific's most abundant tropical waters renowned to divers for rich marine
bio-diversity including large pelagic animals, endless varieties of macrophotography
subjects, over 700 species of corals, more than 1,300 species of
fish, and a massive collection of intact WWII shipwrecks.
Our exclusive network of premier dive resorts throughout the Philippines,
Republic of Palau , and Truk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia,
in partnership with our select travel professionals makes travel and diving in
this amazing Pacific region more convenient, more comfortable and more fun
for divers than ever before!
The Philippine-Micronesia Alliance consists of the regions premier dive operators
hand-picked by the Alliance to guarantee scuba divers the finest in quality
holidays and the highest levels of diver safety, customer service standards and
professional business practices in the industry.
For your travel planning convenience our select regional travel experts will
plan your Pacific explorations for guaranteed peace of mind in our Alliancebacked
levels of service, comfort and satisfaction. Please sit back, enjoy andleave the dive
planning to us!
Thank you from the virtual office of the Philippine – Micronesia Alliance.
G.D.
For the latest NEWS and up dates subscribe to our Blog @ http://www.alliancediving.com/blog

THE DIVERS CHOICE

tauchen und meer, abtauchen, inselhuepfen, die besten tauch-gebiete in Asien und Micronesien, tauchen Sie mit erfahrenen Tauch Centern,
erleben Sie die unterwasser Welt wie nie zuvor, alle Ausbildung vom feinsten, von anfaenger bis zum Tauchlehrer, PADI National Geographic Dive Centers, auf den Philippinen und in Micronesien, von Truk Lagoon to Palau and the Philippines, wrack tauchen, Haie beobachten, steil waende bis ins unendliche, traumhafte straende, super natur. buchen Sie jetzt mit der Philippine-Micronesia Alliance, die wahl der taucher. Vergessen Sie nicht Ihre Camera unsere Gebiete sind einfach traumhaft fuer photos unter und ueber wasser.
A Photographers paradise above and below, eine super marine bio diversity, explore the sea with us, or choose our islandhopping specials.

Nur ein beispiel von unserem partner in Boracay, Calypso/Pinjalo Dive Resort:

Schriftsteller, und Touristen haben Schwierigkeiten Wörter in der Superlative zu finden, wenn sie diesen, wohl “schönsten Strand der Welt” beschreiben. Smaragd-grüne Vegetation, kobald-blaues Wasser und weißer, puderfeiner Sand sind ein Traum, der wahr wird. Boracay bietet für jeden etwas, von Abenteuerlustig bis hin zu Anspruchvoll.

This was just posted by Dermot Keane from Sams Tours Palau, Micronesia,
interesting reading about DAN. A message from the Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, The Divers Choice.

Reminder...
Join DIVERS ALERT NETWORK - DAN

Photo: © Gunther Deichmann

I was just looking for some information for one of our visiting divers and decided to make a quick visit to the DIVERS ALERT NETWORK (DAN) web site at: www.diversalertnetwork.org

Wow! I'd forgotten what a tremendous resource the DAN site is for divers. I quickly found what I was looking for and lots more too! I bookmarked the site and will go back later and spend some time refreshing myself on all sorts of dive related subjects.

It's also a good time to remind other divers to check out DAN, and especially DAN's various insurance plans! If you're an active diver and or going on a dive vacation, don't even think about leaving without your DAN Membership and Insurance in place. For example, a visit to the chamber in Palau costs over $500 per hour or about $2,500 for basic treatment! DAN Membership and Insurance is less than $100. There's also the comfort of knowing that no matter where you are in the world, the medical experts at DAN are just a phone call away, whatever your question may be.

Do it now! Visit DAN today at: www.diversalertnetwork.org

Just got this one from our friends at Fins Magazine, Dermot from Sam's Tours Palau, Micronesia, picked it up and posted it on the Blog, check it out it is real cool, congratulations from The Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, for a job well done. Gunther
Read below the whole story.



Dive into Asia's Best with FiNS Magazine! www.finsonline.com

Our friends at FiNS Magazine have recently revamped their website so check out the third, new-and-improved version of FiNS Online at: http://www.finsonline.com

FiNSonline.com comes to you from the publishers of FiNS Magazine, whose core mission is to provide up-to-date information about the best destinations, personalities and other topics relating to the recreational dive community in the Asia-Pacific region.

They've also started a video version of their popular PixTips column in the printed magazine. In the first one, underwater photographer Tony Wu demonstrates TTL.

FiNS Magazine is owned and operated by dedicated divers. They’re addicted to diving, love the oceans, and practice what they preach, it’s not just a job for them — it’s a way of life.

Check out http://www.finsonline.com and Dive into Asia's Best with FiNS Magazine!

Dermot

Just received this story from Lee Blundell GM at Calypso Dive Resort, member of the
Philippine - Micronesia Alliance, please read the whole story below,
a happy ending thanks to a quick response.

Emergency Responders spring into action when a typhoon hits Boracay Island in the Philippines On the 9th of December 2006, Boracay Island was affected badly by a typhoon – it swept through the island causing a great deal of damage. The morning after, we - Rae Collins, Jade Dalis, Christian Iseli and Richard Lane - all found ourselves at the dive centre busy clearing up – the sea was still rough from the high winds of the previous night and we all commented on the fact that people should not be in the water swimming. 
Soon after we heard screaming from the beach, catching a glimpse of a body laying face down in the water, two of us ran down to the beach whilst one my colleagues went to get a floatation device and some fins and a mask. We passed through the surf where we shouted to people to clear the area, we turned the patient over. I checked for breathing, she had circulation but breathing was weak and strained. I provided her with some rescue breaths and we began the exhausting tow to shore. The waves were high and the current strong – the guys managed to egress with the victim where we then tended to her needs on the beach. She was foaming at the mouth and nose and turning a shade of blue. Oxygen was collected and I continued to provide periodic rescue breaths until the coast guards arrived and we transferred her to the ambulance. I traveled with them to the hospital and monitored her condition. Thankfully when she was admitted to hospital and the doctors took over she made a steady recovery. 
I am pleased to say that because of the quick action of my friends and me the woman survived. Upon complete recovery she came to the dive centre to thank us, a very emotional time. Recently we also received a letter of thanks and now I am sharing our story with you. 
You can never anticipate on what it will be like to perform a rescue – the conditions will always be far from perfect, your fitness and skills challenged. Even though all of us are dive instructors and I am an EFR Instructor Trainer, we all realized just how difficult it was. Thankfully this story had a happy ending.

Just picked up this Blog from Sam's Tours in Palau Micronesia, thank you so much for your sponsor ship and support.
GD

This just in (see info below) from my very good friend Gunther Deichmann, world class travel photographer with whom I made a quick trip to Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temples following the recent ADEX Show in Bangkok. Gunther, a certified Apple Aperture Trainer will return to Cambodia in September to conduct one of his very popular Travel Photography Workshops at the wonderful Heritage Suites Hotel in Siam Reap, close by the famous temples region. Gunther and his staff at DreamTime, his creative agency, are the creators of Sam's Tours website and serve as the marketing agency for the Philippine-Micronesia Alliance (www.alliancediving.com) of which Sam's Tours is a founding member. It's hard to keep up with Gunther as he's either traveling on a shoot, conducting a workshop somewhere around the world, or busy with his creative company DreamTime. If you're a photographer looking for a chance to learn from one of the top professionals in the field, think seriously about joining Gunther's Cambodia Workshop. I spent a few days side by side with Gunther watching him shoot during our recent visit to Angkor Wat and I have to say he's amazing! If ESPN saw the way he works out during a photo shoot I'm sure they'd be calling photographers "athletes" pretty soon! Gunther is a "light-a-holic" he drinks it in like no one I know and uses it to power his creativity. It's hard to explain, you just have to see it. But don't worry too much about the pace of things, at day's end there's the beautiful Heritage Suites Hotel to relax in (with their amazing bathtubs that I carried on about in an earlier post). Clean up after the shoot, enjoy a great meal and some wonderful wine, and wrap the evening up with some great photography education.

SPECIAL OFFER from Sam's Tours:
Book Gunther's Cambodia Workshop and mention that Sam's Tours referred you and we'll send you a voucher valid for 2 Full Days of Diving in Palau, with Sam's Tours (a $240 value). Use it yourself or give it to a friend! Or save it 'til next April and use it during Gunthers photography workshop in Palau in April 2008 with Sam's Tours.

Picked up from PCCI posting:

CAMBODIA: A Photo Safari/Course on Travel Photography
The Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), in cooperation with GDPHOTOWORKSHOP, invites you to join a photo safari/travel photography workshop to one of the most popular destinations in Asia: Cambodia. The Photo Safari Workshop will be conducted from September 7-11, 2007, and is open to all serious amateur and professional photographers interested in exploring the renowned ancient temples of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, while learning to master the complexity of travel photography.

This four-day workshop will focus on photography in the Angkor Wat region of Cambodia. In addition to covering the area, its people and culture, the course will provide a learning experience from one of the top rated travel photographers Gunther Deichmann, including all aspects of a shoot: solving technical problems, working with the locals, gaining access to unique places, the digital workflow and more.

Gunther will share his knowledge on the art of successful travel photography and guide you through post-production workflow and techniques using Apple Aperture, a productivity tool for which he is an Apple Certified Instructor.

Two weeks prior to departure for Cambodia, a cocktail reception will be held at the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI) to allow participants to meet one another and receive the final pre-departure briefing. In Cambodia, work shop evenings will be spent sharing experiences from the day, critiquing the shoot, and planning the next one.

Workshop participants will receive a Certificates of Completion from both PCCI and GDPHOTOWORKSHOP, and a complimentary signed copy of Gunther’s most recent book, Journey and Time. Images from participants will be featured on the GDPHOTOWORKSHOP website and automatically entered in the Cambodia Photo Contest to be displayed at the PCCI Gallery. Winning photos are eligible for prizes that include a Grand Prize of a free trip to Cambodia for two with hotel accommodation!

Total package price is U.S. $1,650 (or peso equivalent) which includes roundtrip airfare from Manila-Siam Reap-Manila; 4 Nights & 5 Days accommodation at the 5 star rated Heritage Suites Hotel, including breakfast, ground transportation and guides. Also included are Angkor Wat Heritage Site permit fees, Cambodia visa fees, evening lectures at the Heritage Suite Hotel conference room, and a signed copy of Gunther Deichmanns latest book Journey Through Colour and Time.

Enrollment is limited to only twelve participants.

For complete details, please visit www.gdphotoworkshop.com

Gunther Deichmann is one of Australasia’s most accomplished travel photographers. Of German birth and a paleontologist by vocation, Deichmann settled in Australia when we was 21 years old where he got exposed to the beauty of the country. This led him to his current preoccupation, photography. His photographic opus appeared in different magazines such as the cover of Time Magazine (USA), Bulletin (Australia), Der Spiegel (Germany), Bunte (cover), National Magazine (South Africa), National Geographic, New York Times (USA), Sued Deutsche Zeitung (Germany), Grand Reportage (France), VSD (France), GEO (France), Terre Savage (France), and Figaro (France), and in other major book productions such as The Racing Game, National Geographic, Time-Life, Readers Digest, BBC (London).

He recently published his own book entitled Journey Through Colour and Time a 30-year collection of photographs featuring Australia, Europe, Asia, and Micronesia. For more information on this multi-talented and multi-awarded photographer, visit www.deichmann-photo.com

Contact Gunther at: gdeichmann@mac.com
Tel/Fax: 00 63 2 523 3179
Tel: 00 63 2 522 5232
Malate, Manila, Philippines

or E-mail PCCI at: mgm@pcci.com.pcci.

Other Links for Gunther:
Workshop site: http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com

Website: http://www.deichmann-photo.com
Bookmark my Blog: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html
Photo Shelter Gallery: http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann

© Gunther Deichmann, Cambodia 2006