About Wakatobi Island

Our Objective

Wakatobi Dive Resort and the Pelagian operate a high quality dive operation for the most discerning divers and nature lovers from all over the world. We believe in responsible dive tourism as a practical and sustainable way of protecting the tremendously rich marine heritage in this large, unspoiled area.

Very experienced professionals ensure safety and high recreational value for our guests while ensuring environmental impact is minimized. We value sustainability of the operation and harmony with local communities over quick growth and short-term profit.

Protected Today...

We demonstrate to the locals that utilizing their natural reef resources in environment-friendly dive tourism contributes significantly to nourishing and developing their communities while it liberates them from dependency on fishing for foreign commercial boats that come to the area without paying local taxes or contribution to the protection of the reefs (the marine environment is not threated by locals fishing for their own needs but from commercial fishing by foreign boats). Realizing the economic potential of responsible dive tourism encourages local communities to defend their precious reef resources against foreign fishing vessels intruding into their waters.

Unspoiled Tomorrow

Trying to protect the pristine coral reefs in the Wakatobi region by declaring them a marine reserve is only the first step. The next and much more difficult step is to show fishermen the long-term advantages of sustainable economic alternatives, thereby guaranteeing their future livelihood.

We believe ecotourism is the most practical, sustainable way. The wheel of time cannot be turned back. Without a threat to the environment there would be no need for nature reserves! It is easier to convince the natives not to destroy their precious environment if they see a more lucrative and sustainable alternative in dive tourism.

History of Wakatobi Island - The Paradise.

The story of Wakatobi Dive Resort starts back in the sixties when Resort founder Lorenz Mäder's father brought him from the mountains of Switzerland to the Mediterranean and taught him to snorkel. That was the start of a life-long passion for Lorenz. Two decades later after years of working in the Red Sea and Maldives as a dive instructor and Dive Liveaboard Cruise Director Lorenz set out to create his dream. A Dive Resort far away from the tourism hot spots, where he could establish a new way of running an ecotourism operation. A Resort combining diving with care for the environment. A place where a quality experience goes over the number of people served in a day. A community based business concept to manage the natural resources.

Lorenz was in Singapore establishing a base for his exploration of Eastern Indonesia. (Having studied Navy Charts and dived the Wallacea area, which marks the region with the highest marine biodiversity, he knew that the envisioned dream location must be there). Months of trekking through the islands and exploring the reefs on local fishermen's boats finally brought him to the blissful corner of an island the locals called Onemobaa (Local language for 'Long white sandy Beach'. Knowing that this was indeed the place to build his resort, Lorenz approached the locals to find out who owned the land. He then met Mr.. Baharruddin, the son of the last Sultan of the area and made friends with him. Till this day the two are, as they say, inseparable. In his role as keeper of traditions, serving the community by thinking long-term, Haji Baharuddin is one of the very few Indonesians truly understanding the necessity of conservation.

Reinforced by Lorenz's personal objective to make a contribution to marine conservation, the challenging project was started in a region where locals have not seen a white man since the Dutch left the country and electricity and running water are still a rarity.

Searching for the right location to setup his dream resort, Lorenz spent many days being "Manta-towed" behind local boats researching the reef conditions in the area. Lorenz' objective - to find a place with a combination of a World-class reef in front, a beautiful topside (read: beach), ground water availability and a friendly local community.