Melanesia welcomes their first PADI Eco Dive Centre on Tanna Island, located in the south of Vanuatu’s beguiling archipelago.
White Grass Ocean Resort and Spa is situated on Tanna’s North-West coral coastline. With direct jetty access to the outer reef, which boasts kilometres of vibrant coral to explore, opening an onsite dive operation was a natural progression for the Resort.
In 2016, Volcano Island Divers, Tanna’s first (and only) PADI Dive Centre opened. Seven years on, they have been crowned the first PADI Eco Dive Centre across all of Melanesia, recognising the Resort’s commitment to fostering a sustainable dive industry and conservation of their coral reef.
The journey to PADI eco status has included working with Green Fins, an initiative supported by The Reef-World Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
As Digital Members, the resort actively interacts with a network of global members, documenting and sharing their environmental journey.
Through Green Fins, the resort has been able to offer training to their Dive Team on the protection and conservation of coral reefs and has provided them a framework to implement environmental guidelines for their Dive Centre.
Through the PADI AWARE Foundation, the Resort Adopted The Blue, registering dive site House Reef with their Global Database.
House Reef plus two iconic Blue Holes will be protected in Tanna’s first Marine Protection Area (MPA). The Resort have been working with the Vanuatu Fisheries Department throughout 2023 to formalise the five-kilometre MPA.
An MPA will ensure the fragile marine ecosystem is thriving for future generations, including Tanna’s next generation of Eco-Warriors. White Grass Ocean Resort and Spa welcomed 25 enthusiastic, budding conservationists from Lamkail College to participate in their inaugural World Ocean Day event.
The students worked with the Dive Team to collect an impressive 10kg of glass, 10kg of metal and 5kg of plastic from the coastline. The students enjoyed morning tea at the Resort, celebrating their efforts with coconut cake and tropical juice.
Volcano Island Divers are 100% AWARE Partners, donating back to PADI AWARE with every dive certification to advance the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action, with funds going directly into; Marine Protection Areas, reduction of marine debris, protection of endangered and vulnerable marine species and restoration of reef, seagrass and mangrove habitats.
Marine residents of Tanna’s reefs such as the majestic dugongs, green sea turtles and migrating whales will be the benefactors of these long-term initiatives.
The Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) forecasts 2024 will see an uptick in the number of dive tourists to the South Pacific from both the short-haul and long-haul markets. White Grass Ocean Resort and Spa is well-positioned to capture this market growth.
The Resort recently launched their new, custom-built, ten-seat dive boat The Lloyd Hately, boosting their capacity to cater for 16 divers across their two vessels.
Divers from novice to advanced have the opportunity to learn about coral reef conservation above and below the surface in Tanna’s pristine waters.
With unmatched visibility, dramatic marine landscapes including caves, reef walls, swim throughs and caverns, Tanna offers guests world-class diving with ocean-first, marine conscious operators.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver ANZ #63
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