Diving with…Jessica Stroet, Magic Oceans Dive Resort, Anda, Bohol, Philippines

In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…

What is your name?
Jessica Stroet

What is the name of your business?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort

What is your role within the business?
I am part of the Dive Center Management.

How long has the business operated for?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort started in July 2015.

How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I got certified as a scuba diver when I was 19 years old and started working in a dive shop in the weekends. I became a Divemaster when I was 22 and an Open Water Scuba Instructor when I was 24.

What is your favourite type of diving?
I guess that depends on what day of the week it is. Sometimes I prefer muck diving and love to stick my nose in the sandy bottom and look for the small stuff. Other days I am more on the ‘adventure’ tour and love to swim far away from the reef to scan the big blue looking for a whale shark, eagle ray or something else big. I love doing both.

If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
If you want to have a little bit of everything then definitely come to Anda! Whether you want to make easy relaxing dives all day long or do some exploring on the island, WE HAVE IT ALL! The resort is nice, quiet and surrounded by our beautiful green garden. We have an amazing house reef that offers two different kind of dive sites. Our elevated private beach has the best view over Camiguin Island and if you want to have this long beach walk on the white powdery sand than Anda beach is the perfect spot and only 10 min. away from the resort.

We treat our guests like they are family and since the resort isn’t that big, it gives you this intimate feeling. We have dinner ‘family-style’ so even when you are a solo traveller it is easy to meet new people. We share stories around the long tables where everybody is sitting together and enjoying their evenings. The island of Bohol is beautiful and there is so much to see. You can’t say that you have been to Bohol if you haven’t seen the Chocolate Hills and, of course, the smallest primate of the world: The Tarsiers.

What is your favourite dive in your location and why?
I have two favourite dive locations here in Anda. The first dive site is Coral Garden which is, like the name suggests, a beautiful garden full of soft corals. Since there are not a lot of diving operations here in Anda, the dive sites are untouched. The explosion of colours in the shallow parts are amazing and there is a big chance to spot Green Sea Turtles here. My second favourite dive site is Secret Place. It is SO secret, that we didn’t put it on our dive map, but it is there! A beautiful muck dive site with just SO MANY critters to find. A 70-minute dive isn’t long enough. I’m not going to tell you what you can find over there because that is something you have to experience for yourself, but what I can say is that on this dive site it is possible to spot a Whale Shark (Yes.. on a muck dive site!!)

What types of diving are available in your location?
We have a wide variety of dive sites here in Anda. On the west side of the resort the dive sites are mostly wall dives with beautiful reef tops covered by soft corals where you can easily spot hawksbill and green sea turtles. On the east side we have dive sites that offers both walls and sandy slope areas. The dive sites that are further away than 15 min. boat rides are muck dive sites with the chance to spot different kind of octopuses, pipefishes, nudibranchs and many more critters.

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
Meeting people again who have been diving with us before. It is so nice to see people coming back to Magic Oceans and hear the stories and experiences they had with us. To hear them say that they had such a wonderful time with us the last time they visited us, THAT is the best reward ever.

What is your favourite underwater creature?
Definitely the Green Sea turtle. These guys look so super cool and chill, they make me laugh every single time I spot one during my dives.

Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort has been up and running for only three years, so the last time there were a lot of exciting changes already. We got the very comfortable pier to dock our dive Bangka’s so no more walking through waist-high water to reach the boat before diving. We are now a 5* PADI IDC centre and run our own Instructor Development Courses. There are more IDC’s coming up in the near future.

As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
We don’t have big problems here in the Philippines, but we do have big challenges. I guess that weather conditions here can be a challenge for us, since Magic Oceans Dive Resort is on open sea. I like the policy we have here that we don’t cancel our dives because of bad weather. We will do everything that is needed to make sure our divers can be in the water. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.

Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We are lucky enough that our waters are not as polluted like some other places in Asia. However, every now and then the local government is doing coastal clean ups and we are supporting these activities in every possible way.

How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
The underwater world has become more accessible for every single person. The recreational scuba gear has developed so far that breathing underwater is getting more and more easy. Therefore it is easier for people to see the oceans with their own eyes. I truly believe that people must see it first before they can understand it. Understanding comes with education. If I could change one thing, it would be that underwater activities will get less of a recreational value and more of an educational value.

What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
If you want to feel like you are the ONLY diver in the world and can’t choose between muck dives or colourful coral gardens, then take the chanve to dive with us and you will feel the ‘Real Magic Oceans Experience!’

Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
Magic Oceans Dive Resort
Candabong, Anda
6311, Bohol, Philippines
Website: www.magicoceans.online
e-mail: info@magicresorts.online
reservations@magicresorts.online
Facebook: @magicoceans.diveresort
Instagram: @magic_oceans_dive_resort