Picking Bananarama dive center manager's brain!

Hi everybody! I have already spent forty five days in Roatan diving non-stop. I figured it's about time I could pick on Malcolm Forrest's brain. As Bananarama dive center manager, I was eager to know what one of the most well-known and respected diver on the island could share with us.

Here's a summary of our friendly chat at down by West Bay beach.

How did you become Bananarama's dive center manager?

Mal: I left my job in England and came to Roatan to work as a dive master. I ended up getting a job as a dive master and manager of a dive center in West End all straight away. While working on the island I always quite fancy the job at Bananarama. Four years ago, a managing position became available and my partner Sofia and I were offered to cover it.

Can you please mention some of your staff attributes?

Mal:Yes sure. We definitely have got a nice mix of different nationalities and personalities.
Our staff is passionate about what they do. They only have one day holiday a week and I have never received any complain about it. They are also competitive, in the good sense of the word I mean. Our instructors are always competing to see who has been able to find the coolest fish or creature underwater. The way they interact each other has also a positive impact with our clients. As they are so enthusiastic, they continuously inspire confidence on our customers.

What does it make Bananarama dive center different from the other dive centers on the island?

Mal: We are not completely different. Roatan has a good amount of good dive centers and their staff generally like what they do. We do probably go a little bit extra in taking more time with our divers. You also have to choose people that can work in a mature team. Captain must help our instructors and the other way around. This has an impact in our customers, because we create an easy and relaxed atmosphere. Our aim is to have our divers enjoying their time with us!

How many courses do you give per year?

Mal: We have an average of 350 students per year. Seventy percent of those are Open Water.

Why would you recommend a diver to come diving to Roatan?

Mal: Those who want to start diving would have great fun on the island. E-learning PADI courses are becoming increasingly popular. They have to go through all the theoretical knowledge at home and only come down here for the diving. Certified divers will find that Roatan is among the top destinations in the Caribbean. We don't have very strong currents, there is good visibility and a lot to see. We have two wrecks which are very popular and some drift dives which can be enhanced with the use of Nitrox. More experienced divers will find lots of swim through, canyons and adventure dives. There is a little bit for everyone!

Which are your favorite diving sites on the island?

Mal: I don't always tell them ! Ok, the south side of the Island, near the point, between 60 to 110 feet. The reef is very healthy in that area and barrel sponges are huge! You can find Sargassum triggerfish, Queen triggerfish, Blue parrotfish, Turtles or Spotted eagle rays. Schools of Blue chromisfish always give you a buzz when looking at the drop off!

Can you recall a funny moment/episode during your diving career?

Mal: The most fun comes from teaching rescue courses numerous scenarios. Boat captains and other people are involved to recreate rescue situations which turn out to be a lot of fun. On my early days as a Dive master I intended to guide a customer to a dive site called 'Whole in the Wall'. While on the boat, I gave her a long briefing about the site, spin over my back, entered into the water and realized I would never be able to find the 'Whole in the Wall' cause I was in the wrong dive site. I ended up taking her through some channels and made her believe we have been to the right place!

How do you cooperate with Roatan Marine Park?

Mal:I am lucky enough to be friend with the current manager. Nick, who is an employee, is a fellow English man. My partner Sofia, myself and Bananarama actively cooperate with the Marine Park. We cooperate with the park rangers who patrol the area, as this is quite a big area. I have personally helped them to secure the current office building and have been involved in the Marine Park T-shirt design. Everybody would like to see more done, but you need to understand that everything is a slow process in this area. The lack of funds doesn't help them either. If water continuous to get warmer, paired to unsustainable fishing and poor diving practices, the reefs are in great danger.

What do you think about SUUNTO instruments for diving?

Mal: Four years ago, I purchased a Suunto Mosquito in England for my partner Sofia. It has proven very reliable, easy to service and she seems to be very happy with it. I am particularly attracted to the new Suunto diving line such as the D9, which not only looks great as a watch but it has a great feature: a compass integrated.


Thanks to you for reading! See you in a couple of weeks when the last dispatch from Roatan will be published.
Good luck and if you are close to the water, good diving!
Manu

What does it take to own a five star Padi Dive Resort in Roatan?

Following my annual mountain bike race in Costa Rica and after spending a few adventurous weeks at both sides of Lake Nicaragua, I finally made it to Roatan (Bay Islands, Honduras).

As soon as I reached the island and got my stuff sorted out, I grabbed my Suunto D9 and Cobra 3 and rushed into the Dive Center, which five months earlier, have accepted my application to begin a PADI Dive Master course.

I was surprised when I found out that the Dive Center was part of a much bigger structure from a Resort called Bananarama.

It's been three weeks since I got here already. I have had the fortune to spend several hours with wonderful people at the resort, when I am not diving! Some of those people are two buddies who no matter how early I get to the resort, are already up and working hard. Despite the fact that they are always busy, greeting the resort staff and visitors seems to be one of their main priorities.

Guy St. Louis and Philip Clark who are managing partners at Bananarama, never look like they might run out of energy! So one afternoon, as the sun was setting after a cool diving day, I decided to learn a little bit more about them and their thinking behind a Diving Resort. This is a summary of our friendly discussion:

Guy and Phil, please tell me a bit more about Bananarama's past?

GUY:Five years ago, the Caribbean cruise where my family and I were spending holidays, made a stop in Roatan. I kind of felt claustrophobic with so many people around in the cruise, so we jumped into a taxi and ended up relaxing the entire day at West Bay, where Bananarama is located. My sun Louis spent some time with the owner at the time. Back at home, and about eight months after we first touched down Roatan, Louis persuaded me to 'own a business at the Caribbean'. We were lucky, and after gathering friends and family as investors and partners, we put an offer for Bananarama by the end of 2006.

After expanding our facilities by also purchasing the Vintage Pearl resort, we have now grown into a large family resort which can offer full services. We count with three bars, two restaurants, accommodation in apartments and villas, and a five star Padi Diving Center.


How important are the diving activities within the resort services?

GUY: Although we define ourselves as a diving resort, we provide a full service circle. Our customers can enjoy an entire living experience at the resort, from snorkeling, diving and kayaking, to night entertainment and comfortable accommodation.

Put it this way, as a customer in Bananarama, you will experience an evolution of what happens above and below the water while you stay in Roatan!

We have learned from recent surveys that at least sixty percent of our diving customers are recurrent customers who have either used some or all of our services in the past.

If diving services are such an important link in your business, how do you guys cooperate with Roatan Marine Park to protect and preserve the reefs?

PHIL: Our cooperation with the Marine Park is very good. We know we will be out of business if the reefs weren't there.

One of the first thing we did after buying Bananarama, was to re-do the entire sewage pipe system. The old one used to damp everything into the reef! We also purified the water and have installed rain water collectors.

Looking towards the future of our business, we want to become an Eco-friendly resort and promote those practices towards other resorts in West Bay. We estimate that the number of visitors arriving to Roatan will be four times bigger in ten years time. Therefore, you need to handle your business well if you want to be able to also handle the environment preservation.

Neither us nor our customers should feel that we are spending time in this beautiful place while we are screwing up the island.


In 15 days I will be back with Roatan underwater pictures, more Suunto news and an interview with Malcolm Forrest, Bananarama's dive centre manager. For more info, check www.bananaramadive.com
See you guys!!

Costa Rica, bikes, donations and my Suunto X10 !

The seventh Guanaride (www.guanaride.com) edition took place between the 24th and 28th June. This is a five stage endurance race, which is gaining international recognition for its state of the art organization and beautiful single tracks through the rain forest and pristine Pacific beaches.

With the constant support from Suunto Oy, Giant Europe and Sram,Rock Shox,Avid,Truvativ as my main sponsors, I participate in this race since 2006. Last year, I become Guanaride's ambassador in Europe, recognition which I happily accepted due to the social responsibility the race organizers have shown. Since the very first edition, Guanaride has been committed to give back to the community by either providing funding to conservation projects or helping those who needed the most.

When World Bicycle Relief (www.worldbicyclerelief.org) suggested twelve months ago that I contact Hans Rey from www.wheels4life.org to organize bike donations in Costa Rica, I did not hesitate for a second. The idea to empower the community that lives by the race track felt me with joy. Most of my happy moments during each stage are when all those kids from the schools surrounding the race course cheer up, help and encourage the race participants with big smile on their faces. Most of those kids, do not have a bike. Most of those kids, have to walk to go to school. Still, while we were simply having fun on our bikes, they felt us with energy to continue pedaling.

Thanks to Hans Rey great support, this year fifteen students from twelve schools received new bicycles as well as new helmets and reflective t-shirts that helped them to ride their new bikes safely (safety items donated by www.aconvivir.org). All these schools are located close by Guanaride 400 km course.

Year by year, the course has been improved and more new loops are being included to each stage. My Suunto X10 helps me to keep the tracks updated on Google Earth. This gps counts with several advantages over its predecessors. With superior battery life, extended memory capacity and state of the art satellite connection Suunto X10 is a 'must have' for any outdoor enthusiast while riding a bike, hiking, sailing or simply traveling around the world!

For those interested in checking out the race logs, please visit www.suuntosports.com and search for the latest travel reports.

Solar charger for Suunto X10

If you are planning to be on the wild with your Suunto X10 for several days or weeks, have you thought about recharging its battery? Suunto X10 is a great tool for your outdoor trips, which besides barometric, compass and altitude features comes along with a powerful GPS. As Suunto X10 battery needs a daily recharging after an intensive GPS usage (about six and a half hours with a satellite lock of 1 second) you need to have a practical and light tool to recharge the battery.

There isn’t a better solution out there than a Solio solar charger. Either the Solio Hybrid or Solio models will do it. They are light, compact, easy to transport and extremely fast solar chargers. I have tested them up to 7000 mts and they work perfect. In fact, the higher you are the faster they charge as sun light becomes more intense.

Don’t hesitate, a Solio charger would become the perfect companion for your Suunto X9, X9i or X10 wristwatches.

Back to the sources

On Friday 19th December, at 14.20 hs I was back to the sources.

Twelve years have passed since I first step in Aconcagua summit. I was there again with a clear blue sky above us. ‘Us’ is me and a group of five wonderful friends with whom I spent twelve days in this mountain.

Aconcagua has been my source of inspiration to start high altitude climbing. As a kid travelling with my family to Chile, I often saw this mountain from the car windows. As a teenager I wondered what it felt to be up there. Shortly after, I climbed it.

Aconcagua is a truly gigantic mountain when compared to those other ones around it. Aconcagua is a truly enigmatic mountain when known that the Incas used it to sacrifice and offer their kids to the Gods. At last, Aconcagua is a truly beautiful mountain that offers breathtaking views.

Thanks to www.aconcagua2008.nl team members for the unforgettable days we spent together. Congratulations for the strength you kept all the way to the summit.

Finally, this summit is dedicated to my friend German Gonzales Mena, cameraman of ‘No Bike’s Land’. As a professional mountain photographer and cameraman, he loved working in Aconcagua. German passed away three days ago, after fighting bravely for a year against leukemia. He was only 43 years old. May his soul rest in peace over a mountain that was a source of inspiration for both of us.

Getting ready for Aconcagua

In a few more days I am off to Aconcagua.

Mt. Plata (5960 mt) and Mt. Rincon (5380mt) offer the perfect training setting. They are placed only within one hour by car from the western city of Mendoza. I was born here, I grew up here, and every time I come back to Argentina I fall in love again with the Andes I shared seven days with Juan in these two mountains. My friend has made it nineteen times to the top of Aconcagua working as a guide. During those days, we both agreed that climbing on our own to the summits was a retrospective experience. Nobody else but foxes, guanacos and condors were hour daily companions.

The only competition going on between Juan and me was to check which Suunto will give us the most accurate reading when we reached the summit. I had the X10, he had the Vector. He got the exact reading, I got to connect the X10 GPS and was only 2 meters below the suggested altitude. The view from the top was so magnificent, that we didn’t dare to discuss who the winner was.

Aconcagua is the next higher step. But I will certainly miss Juan, the solitude and the guanacos.

Safe Sunscreen for Sea Life?

Are we responsible divers? I have found a very interesting article published by www.thegreenguide.com that I ought to share with all those divers who whish to respect and preserve nature.

‘Coral reefs are under increasing threats, not only from global warming but also from us, tourists who want to appreciate their beauty. A study published by Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) revealed that chemicals and preservatives used in a number of sunscreens triggered viral infections in coral, causing them to bleach and die. The study targeted sunscreens that use chemical UV barriers (which absorb UV rays before they damage your skin) as opposed to physical UV barriers (which reflect UV rays before they reach your skin), and found that the sunscreen chemicals benzophenone and cinnamate caused the most harm. The researchers also found that preservatives called parabens, common in sunscreens, promoted coral bleaching.

It’s easy to imagine that one of us slathered with sunscreen wouldn’t cause much harm to ocean life, but the EHP study noted that the 78 million tourists who visit areas with coral reefs leave behind the impressive amount of 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen annually, because roughly 25 percent of what you put on gets washed off.

Since there are no regulations on what is ‘biodegradable’ or ‘reef-friendly’ buy sunscreens buy sunscreens with plant-based ingredients, which break down faster than petroleum-based ingredients do after they washed off. Also, opt for physical UV barriers (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) rather than chemicals. Fortunately, what’s better for the coral tends to be better for you: The same chemical preservatives and UV blockers that damage reefs may interfere with your hormones.’