Greetings from Wakatobi. We can’t wait to welcome our friends from around the world back to our little piece of paradise. And while we await your return, we’re keeping our eyes on the horizon and staying busy with a variety of projects. As you may remember from our last email, we’ve been sprucing up the property, maintaining reef patrols, and providing ongoing support for our greatly valued local staff. Here are a few more updates from the resort.

Everyone’s Getting the Jab

An effort we are particularly proud of is our initiative to get our staff and others in the surrounding area vaccinated against Covid-19. In June of 2021, the Indonesian central government shipped a large supply of vaccines to the island of Tomia. Wakatobi founder Lorenz Mäder organized a vaccination program for the resort staff and was the first to receive a vaccine shot. As the rest of the team received their vaccines, the entire process was recorded and turned into a video message to share with the local media and post online.

Some of the Wakatobi team receiving their vaccination. Our founder, Lorenz Mäder, joked that the most common side effect claimed by the team was a raging appetite, which was quickly taken care of by the kitchen staff. Photo by Marco Fierli, marcof8.com

Using Wakatobi Resort as an example, the medical teams and local authorities began a tour of the area villages to encourage vaccinations. By mid-August, some 95 percent of the Wakatobi staff had received at least one dose of the vaccine without issue, and their focus is now on being ready to welcome guests back to the resort once travel through Bali resumes.

Our team on the island says that the reefs are in excellent health, and local community patrol and villagers remain committed to protecting them. Photo by Marco Fierli

Reefs are Teeming With Life

In more good news, the dive team continues to report that the reefs are in excellent health, and the local community patrol and villagers remain committed to protecting the reefs. With ideal weather conditions and continued protection, a number of dive sites that have not been in the daily rotation for many years to allow for growth and regeneration have now returned to near-pristine status! Fish life remains abundant, and Wakatobi’s dive boat fleet is ready to set sail as soon as guests arrive. 

Guests are Getting Ready

Because the state of international travel remains in flux, we don’t yet have a firm date for reopening the resort. But it has not stopped guests from making plans for future visits. And this is certainly the case for Hank and Ruth Vaccaro. “On our first visit to Wakatobi we expected pristine reefs, and found them everywhere we snorkeled and dove,” they recall. What we didn’t expect was genuine affection and respect from Wakatobi staff. By the end of a week, we felt so loved we immediately vowed to return with family and friends,” says Hank. And as they look past the current travel delays, the couple is planning not one but three return trips to Wakatobi — first with their adult children, then again with friends, and a third time with more of the family including some pre-teens.

Stay in Touch

We want our guests and followers to know that we will be reopening as soon as it is possible and we’ll be sure to keep you informed on developments that will open the gateway to Wakatobi through the island of Bali.

Wakatobi will reopen as soon as it is possible, and we look forward to seeing our beloved guests and friends once again. Photo by Didi Lotze

Many of our guests have stayed in touch with us these past months, which makes everyone on our team very happy. We love hearing from you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. We can’t wait to tell you “we’re open,” and to see our beloved friends once again in paradise.

On a Lighter Note

When divers and snorkelers encounter a cuttlefish on a Wakatobi reef, they are usually in for a good show. For a sample of what to expect, we thought you would enjoy this entertaining and hypnotic look at cuttlefish from the BBC’s Blue Planet series.

You can enjoy many Wakatobi videos on our YouTube channel >here

Reach out to us at office@wakatobi.com.  Plan your next visit! Enquire > here.