Diving cruise Indonesia: WAOW !!!

Almost 60 meters long, 11 meters wide, three masts, cabins of over 20 square meters: the Waow will take 18 privileged people across the Sunda Islands, then later to the Banda Sea or to the Rajah Islands side. Ampat. Built in the tradition of Indonesian ships, in ironwood for the hull and superstructures and in teak for the finishes, the Waow looks like a dream. That of its owner, Michel Deville, who thought, imagined, worn for years before it became a reality. “The adventures of Henri de Monfreid,” he explains, “rocked my childhood. Since that time, I have always thought that if I ever built a boat it would be made of wood and that it would be a dhow from the Red Sea ”. Its geography has changed, but the dream has not changed. “And my idea of ​​aesthetics being summed up in the only harmonious lines of a woman's body, a free horse and a sailboat on the sea, when I reached a certain age I only had the boat left to build ! ” And faced with this somewhat crazy project, the reactions of his interlocutors were always the same: a “waow” both admiring and almost incredulous. The name stuck, and the boat was born.

It was deep in the Borneo jungle that Michel Deville and his team found the one who would be able to bring the Waow to life: Hadji Wahub, a marine carpenter who, says Michel, "does not know how to read a plan but knows his job ". And behind it, undoubtedly much more precious than the benches of schools, centuries of know-how and the result is there: beautiful, solid, with means that seem almost ridiculous. Three hours by plane from Bali, then 12 to 14 hours by car on broken, muddy roads, finally an hour by fast boat on the river, he works on a construction site at the end of the world. “The Waow, says Michel Deville, is a lot of sweat, emotions and tears… of joy”. Hadji built the hull, then the still naked boat headed for Bali for the finishing touches, the decoration, and the installation of the most sophisticated equipment.

To build the Waow, it was necessary to cut down 150 trees: and for the sake of managing the resource, the owners proposed to subsidize a reforestation operation of 10 trees. And their environmental approach does not stop there. The equipment chosen for the Waow goes in the same direction: marine diesel engines of the latest YANMAR technology with low polluting emissions, fuel oil filtration system for a reduction in polluting emissions and fuel economy, steel masts of 000 meters allowing '' increase the sail area and be able to navigate without engines, cleaning and drainage bilge, waste treatment system, water desalination system. As far as the diving itself is concerned, the guides are also uncompromising on respecting the seabed.

But respect for the environment and tradition do not preclude luxury and comfort: each cabin, the smallest of which measures over 20 square meters, has a separable double bed and a lounge area with sofa and coffee table. , as well as a desk. Each is decorated in a unique, delicate, harmonious way, dedicated to an artist or to a theme (Aboriginal Art, Gauguin, Miro, Klimt, Kandinsy). Michel Deville was pleased: “I had the impertinence, he says, to design the decoration from A to Z in its smallest details. It is the only thing that I selfishly attributed to myself exclusively ”.

It has of course a spacious bathroom, and all the modern comforts. Air-conditioned, some also have a private terrace. On board, internet is available and each room is equipped with an LCD screen to watch movies, and documentaries.

The first cruises will take place from April 2012, and will initially crisscross the Sunda Islands. Then other itineraries are planned, according to an annual schedule which will of course adapt to the seasons and to the diving and navigation conditions. And the names given to the cruises are already dreaming: “Spices & Serpents”, a 14-day journey in the Banda Sea, in the footsteps of the former Dutch and Portuguese colonists, who came to look for nutmeg and cloves in this part of the sea. He Indonesia is full of isolated atolls and uninhabited islets that few divers have had the privilege of exploring. Or even "Tales of dragons", cruise of 9 to 11 nights entry around the Komodo National Park and its 3 main islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, all classified as World Heritage of Humanity, and which also shelter the famous dragon exceptional corals, squadrons of mantas, huge schools of tuna.

And because it would be a shame to come to Indonesia without tasting the charm of the islands, each cruise also includes shore excursions: depending on routes, colonial remains, Banda Neira volcano, fishing villages or spice fields will add to the pleasure of the eyes and all the senses. Other activities are also proposed on board, sea kayaking, fishing, snorkeling, but also massages, relaxation on the main deck of 150 square meters, windsurfing, ...

From 3789 €

Find Michel Deville at the diving show on Saturday 14 January from 16 hours to 17 hours. He will share with you the stages of the construction of the boat, and will take you to the discovery of the Indonesian underwater treasures.
And of course during the exhibition at Abyss official & exclusive representative of WAOW for Switzerland, France and Belgium on the stand C 31