Scuba Trips and Workshops

"My husband, Mickey Rosenau, and I have known Maurine and Burt for several years, but the November 2010 trip to Raja Ampat was a 'dream trip', and our first opportunity to dive with them. At this point in our lives, we prefer a small group, a top notch boat, lots of attention from eagle-eyed guides, great food, and as much comfort as is available. Damai offers all of this, and Maurine and Burt are far and away the best dive tour leaders we have had the pleasure to be with. I would like to be an ichthyologist in another life, so I would name my wish list and Maurine and Burt would magically arrange dive sites where these wonders would appear. The guides on Damai are terrific, there is one for every 2 or 3 guests, and they rotate among the groups, so everyone gets to experience each guide's style and unique talents. Maurine and Burt make certain everything goes perfectly and are constantly trying to address whatever new need or desire pops up. They arranged the dives so that there is maximum comfort and choice for all guests - ranging from placid lee sites to currents - coral reefs and muck diving. Plus, they keep diver safety a top consideration at all times. While I am not an underwater photographer, I sat in on Burt's course to learn the fundamentals of better picture-taking, and learned a lot, which helps me to admire other's photos as well as to look differently at the underwater life. The experienced photographers on the trip gained a lot as well - Burt is a terrific teacher! Both Maurine and Burt are very relaxed, down to earth folks, who have endless patience and superb ability to help in identifications. It is also inspiring to see their photo shows and videos, whether you want to take pictures or not. We can't wait for the next trip!"
Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D.

"This was my first trip to Indonesia and every resource I looked at was clear - if you want as trouble-free an adventure as possible, you need to hook up with people who really were experts in all things Indonesia. My research pointed me to Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock of Secret Sea Visions and I could not have been happier. They made every aspect of the trip a breeze and even given the remoteness of the location, it was the easiest and most enjoyable trip I ever had. They handled all of the complicated logistics flawlessly and prepped us well for our adventure. Their knowledge of the diving in Raja Ampat is incredible and really maximized our diving experience. Their detailed drawings of the dive sites and how to best give them, the intimate knowledge of the diversity of life in the region, as well as tips on maximizing marine life interaction was incredible. They are outstanding and highly creative photographers and really opened up my eyes beyond just better mechanics for taking pictures, but what it takes to create outstanding images. The quality of everyone's photography improved dramatically during the trip and the knowledge I gained will be invaluable in the future. Burt and Maurine are genuinely nice people who really enjoy meeting others and love to share their passion for the underwater world. You can sense the thrill they get exposing us to some of the best diving in the world - we will definitely be going on other adventures with them."
John David Johnston

"I recently returned from Indonesia's Raja Ampat. I joined Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock aboard the Dive Damai for 10 wonderful days of diving and learning. It is difficult in a short writing to convey the many great experiences.
Burt and Maurine attended to every detail beginning with coming and going, making our travel uneventful. Their knowledge of the Indonesian system helped us avoid hassle and missed flights. They truly took the worry out of the travel.
On board, we were briefed about the dive operations and were offered a good understanding of what to expect on every dive. The most remarkable part of the trip was their ability to analyze our underwater photographic skills, or lack thereof, and make appropriate suggestions to improve and build our body of knowledge. The evidence of improvement can be seen in my images from day 1 to day 10. Both Burt and Maurine have excellent communication skills. Combined with a keen understanding of the problems we face as underwater photographers, it is easy to understand why they are so effective. The "value added" portion included saving my camera equipment from a flood, listening to experiences over their long careers, and the daily informative critiquing of my images.
If you are in the market for world class diving, exponentially stepping up the quality of your images while meeting an interesting group of serious divers and photographers, you need look no further than Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock. They certainly have not seen the last of me.
Highly recommended by,"
Dr. Jeffery W. Johnston PADI Master Instructor #38991

"My husband, brother-in-law and I traveled to Raja Ampat with Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock of Secret Sea Visions and had a spectacular trip. They made travel to the remote destination simple and effortless. Our boat was comfortable, diving was easy, food was magnificent and staff was professional, capable and enjoyable. Diving with Maurine and Burt was a total delight. Because they provided detailed drawings of each dive site with a strategy on how to get the most out of the dive, based on their deep and specific knowledge of each site's conditions and marine life, the diving was incredible--the best dive adventure of my life! Throughout the trip Burt conducted several outstanding courses on underwater photography and my husband and brother-in-law were able to enjoy dramatic improvements in their already excellent underwater photography skills. Half the people on our trip had traveled with Burt and Maurine in the past. We will go out of our way to go on another adventure with them, too."
Pamela Thompson