Descending to wreck paradise from Truk Master
Hey Dirty Dozen Team Member.
We hope you are well and heading off to enjoy some adventures this weekend.
Dirty Dozen prides itself on the exceptional service our guests receive when they join us on board our boats. Initially when we started DDE we set out to create luxury expeditions for divers who wanted to go that little bit further. We wanted produce perfectly curated, adventurous, off the beaten track holidays that are not your ordinary dive trip. And we succeeded. With epic destinations, expedition vessels built by technical divers and extraordinary Special Guest lineups, you have the chance to dive alongside your diving hero in style.
USS Anderson in Bikini Atoll
Ahead of the curve
Due to our considered approach we have unknowingly been practicing socially distant procedures on board Truk Master since our first expedition. With spacious boats made for 16 clients and our running capacity capped at 12, there is plenty of room to kit up, relax, and enjoy socially distant hangouts after diving.
Truk Lagoon Expedition in 2019
Our partners at Blue O Two have always been serious about safety. Since inception, and continuing throughout their long history, crews have worked hard to ensure robust safety procedures to protect both the staff and guests, which is displayed by live drills during your cruise. This lets you feel safe and focus on the task at hand, having fun.
Some of the new considerations that are happening onboard our boats include:
Whilst we believe our existing practices for hygiene and cleanliness are already industry leading, we have developed new operational protocols - with extra precautions against COVID-19 in mind and we want to share them with you.
Our plans include:
We may require team members to complete a pre-travel questionnaire, giving further confidence to fellow guests and crew that it is safe for you to travel to your vacation with us.
Additional training for crew in appropriate sanitation and cleaning practices with viral infections in mind. Where possible, sourcing environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals.
Enhanced, documented and inspected deep cleaning and sanitation of all areas of our vessels a minimum of three times a day, with special emphasis on high traffic, high contact areas. Where available, use of fogging and other devices.
Social distancing will be encouraged wherever possible, while maintaining the high level of guest service that we are known for. These plans include possible staggered briefings, diving activities, and mealtimes - where this is operationally feasible.
We hope to be able to source and provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, to be worn as appropriate when onboard our vessels. This will apply to both our guests, and our crew. Additional hand sanitizer stations will be installed throughout our vessels.
Diving practices such as rinse tanks for equipment, suits and masks have been reviewed, taking into account the possibility of cross-contamination. We have also taken into consideration the provision of a towel service and rental equipment may be less available depending on the availability of suitable sanitising agents/sterile storage options.
We will be working hard with our suppliers and shore support agents to ensure logistical functions allow our vessels to operate. For example, provisioning and fuelling will be done in a manner consistent with social distancing principles.
These adjustments mean that the precautionary measures taken will allow your holiday to go ahead. We ask you to work with us and remember the changes are for the benefit of the safety of both our guests and crew.
Telegraph in the engine room of Fujikawa Maru in Truk Lagoon.
This means DDE has some high bars to live up to, but just look at some of our past testimonials, having all the extra space as standard has never put anyone off before:
“Small group of 12 of us, really comfortable boat and Aron’s safety program and staffing is second to none.” Jill Heinerth, Truk Lagoon 2020
“Trip was run like a well oiled machine, the boat was setup to accommodate technical/CCR divers and diver safety was always kept at the forefront of our priorities.”
Dallas S. Simpson - New York, USA - Bikini Atoll 2019
“What makes these expeditions by DD special is the limited number of people involved. This allows for some great camaraderie to emerge and sow the seeds of new friendships.”
Vincenzo Galli-Zugaro - Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar 2020
Read more testimonials on our dedicated page HERE.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Decompression Hour with Nick Hollis and Jill Heinerth
Team members and friends Jill Heinerth and Nick Hollis sat down last week for the “Decompression Hour” to discuss how Jill uses rebreathers to tackle dives that would otherwise be very difficult, or on near impossible. Catch up on the stream on the link below.
#SOS Galapagos
It is sure bet that anyone without a penchant for shark fin soup is devastated about the current situation occurring just outside the Galapagos marine reserve. No longer hidden under the guise of COVID-19, China’s fishing fleet is ravaging the sea floor, and all that lie in it’s path, is now headline news across the globe. The fleet has been nicknamed the Great Wall of China by islanders as there is an estimated 26 million hooks and 265 vessels that span 300 miles which is almost double the length of the island archipelago itself. Not only are they fishing species that are illegal to sell in China and Hong Kong that suggests demand is high, the abhorrent amount of waste dumped overboard has been visible washed up on the beaches of the pristine islands.
Reports sat that China have agreed to pull the fleet in three weeks. We wait, heartbroken at the sheer volume of marine life lost, to see them leave. #sosgalapagos
#sosgalapagos
“The Chinese embassy in Quito said that China was a “responsible fishing nation” with a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards illegal fishing. It had confirmed with Ecuador’s navy that all the Chinese fishing vessels were operating legally “and don’t represent a threat to anyone”, it said in a statement last month. On Thursday China announced a three-month fishing ban in the high seas west of the marine reserve, but it will not come into force until September.” Read the full article from The Guardian here.
Our instagram algorithm has been full of activists raising awareness of this situation, and we salute them. We are avidly following @sharkgirlmadison, from Project Hui who has a keen eye for story telling and reporting.
Closing Statement
We understand COVID fatigue is everywhere, it is here for us too. There is nothing more that we would like to do than to be close with our teammates and friends like we are in the photo below. We have to think about this time as a something that will pass, and that for now to protect yourself and others we will have to be a little bit distant and the cleanest Dirty Dozen we have ever been, at least on the surface!
Whatever the future holds, we will promise to keep on pursuing ever safer travel to keep giving you a dive trip like no other.
Don’t forget, if you feel lonely at any point, we are always here to chat Dirty.
Love,
Aron Arngrímsson and the DDE Team