GoPro® Launches HERO3+® A Smaller, Lighter Evolution of Best Selling Camera

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

HERO3Plus_Silver-C-200GoPro Enables New Era of Personal Content Capture & Sharing

SAN MATEO, CA (October 1, 2013) ­­– GoPro today announced the availability of its new HERO3+ line of cameras, featuring a 20% smaller and lighter design and 30% better battery life than previous models. These upgrades, combined with an improved lens and convenient new video capture modes, produce the most advanced and easy-to-use GoPro, yet. In addition, GoPro announced several new mounting accessories that further enable immersive content capture during any activity. The HERO3+ line of cameras and accessories are now available at GoPro.com and at select retailers worldwide.

GoPro is enabling people to capture and share life experiences in a way that was never before possible. Prior to GoPro, it was very difficult for anyone to capture content of themselves doing anything without having the help of someone else to film them. GoPro has enabled a new era of self-documentation whereby people can now easily wear or mount miniature ultra wide-angle GoPro cameras to record themselves doing just about anything, anywhere. The result is a surge of immersive user-generated and professional content made possible by the versatility and affordability of GoPro’s cameras and accessories. An average of three GoPro “tagged” videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and GoPro is used by the world’s leading production companies to help produce some of today’s most engaging film and television content.

Video: The HERO3+ Black Edition Camera – Smaller, Lighter, Mightier Still

In addition to being the best-selling camera globally in consumer markets*, GoPro’s HERO3 camera has also been the best-selling camera to professional production companies, on a volume basis. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recently awarded the HERO3 camera an Emmy for its contributions to filmmaking and television production.

“We have used GoPro cameras in some of our biggest productions, like Survivor and The Bible. GoPro has allowed us to capture and share fascinating new perspectives that previously weren’t possible or were too costly, which in the end makes for better story telling. We are always excited to see what GoPro is working on next,” remarks award winning producer, Mark Burnett.

“The HERO3+ illustrates GoPro’s commitment to innovation. We took the world’s best-selling ultra compact camera and made it better because we’re relentless in our pursuit of delivering the best possible user experience to our customers. We saw that we could make the HERO3+ significantly smaller and lighter while at the same time increasing battery life 30%. We saw the opportunity to design a sharper lens, so we did it–improving GoPro’s already highly regarded image quality. And we thought up exciting new features like SuperView, which enables the world’s most immersive wide-angle video. These are all features that we as passionate GoPro users want for ourselves, and we’re excited to share them with our customers around the world,” said Nicholas Woodman, Founder and CEO of GoPro.

The HERO3+ Black Edition  – The Most Advanced GoPro Camera Yet.

  • Innovative new housing yields a 20% smaller and lighter overall package when camera is installed in housing (waterproof to 40m)
  • 30% longer battery life
  • 4x faster Wi-Fi for quicker transfer and playback of photos and videos from your HERO3+ camera to your mobile device when using the GoPro App
  • SuperView is a new video mode that captures the world’s most immersive wide-angle perspective
  • Auto Low Light mode intelligently adjusts frame rate for varying lighting conditions
  • A new lens for sharper video and improved image quality

The HERO3+ Black Edition camera has a suggested retail price of $399.99.

The HERO3+ Silver Edition – 2x More Powerful.

  • 2x faster image processor than the HERO3: Silver Edition
  • Enables 1080p60 and 720p120 fps video
  • Innovative new housing yields a 15% smaller and lighter overall package when camera is installed in housing (waterproof to 40m)
  • 4x faster Wi-Fi for quicker transfer and playback of photos and videos from your HERO3+ camera to your mobile device when using the GoPro App

The HERO3+ Silver Edition camera has a suggested retail price of $299.99.

New Mounts, More Versatility, Better Content

GoPro is the world’s 2nd largest camera accessory brand* thanks to its industry-leading line of wearable and gear-mountable accessories. Mounts and accessories are key to enabling the life-capture creativity of millions of GoPro customers around the world. GoPro announced today several new mounts, including:

  • Jaws: Flex Clamp – A quick way to clamp your GoPro camera to a variety of objects. Use the optional opposable neck to achieve a wide range of camera positioning and adjustability. Jaws securely grips irregular shapes and super slim objects thanks to its innovative design.
  • Junior Chesty (Chest Harness) – A smaller version of our adult-sized Chest Harness. Perfect for kids ages 3+, the Junior Chest Harness is great for capturing immersive footage of a child’s world from their perspective—from skiing and skateboarding to slides and swings.
  • Headstrap + QuickClip – The QuickClip is a new accessory that now comes bundled with GoPro’s Headstrap. The QuickClip enables ultra-compact, low-profile mounting to baseball hats, belts and other objects ranging in thickness from 3mm to 10mm.

Check out other new mounts and accessories at: GoPro.com/products

Awesome Edits Made Easy: GoPro Studio 2.0

While HERO3+ cameras and accessories make it easy to capture incredible footage, GoPro Studio 2.0 makes it easy to edit and share incredible videos. New to Studio 2.0 are GoPro Edit Templates–customizable templates of some of GoPro’s best videos made available for free to users. It’s as easy as picking out a GoPro video you like and dropping your own GoPro clips into the pre-made edit template. Killer soundtracks are included and all the edits are stylishly timed to the music by GoPro’s famous production team. Now anyone can easily create professional-looking videos, making it more fun than ever to GoPro.

Studio 2.0

  • Simple to use storyboard-based video editing software for Windows or Mac
  • Manually create a video with transitions, titles, and soundtrack, or
  • Use GoPro Edit Templates to quickly create professional-looking videos based upon edits originally produced by GoPro’s acclaimed production team

Studio 2.0 is available for free download on GoPro.com

About GoPro

GoPro makes the world’s best selling and most versatile cameras, enabling people to capture immersive and engaging footage of themselves during their favorite activities. GoPro’s HERO line of wearable and gear mountable cameras are used collectively by more consumers, professional athletes, and video production professionals than any other camera in the world. Based in San Mateo, California, GoPro’s products are sold in more than 35,000 stores in over 100 countries worldwide and direct via GoPro.com.

PastedGraphic-200GOPRO® and HERO® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Woodman Labs, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company, product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their rightful owners.

 

* Source: The NDP Group Digital Imaging and Camcorder Report & Internal GoPro Sales Data 

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Sandals Resorts International “Spices Up” Luxury Included Portfolio With New Grenada Resort

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

Sandals-Logo-200

MIAMI – Sandals Resorts International (SRI), parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, debuted its newest and most contemporary Luxury Included® resort, Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa, on December 21, 2013.  Situated on 17 acres of stunning land along the pristine Pink Gin Beach, Sandals LaSource Grenada offers guests the highest level of luxury with an unprecedented look and feel for the resort company’s portfolio. The newly opened property features Sandals’ most elaborate accommodations to date, nine global gourmet dining options with the brand’s very first steakhouse, and an expansive Wellness Center.

Boasting coral inhabited azure waters met by white-sand beaches, locals that treat visitors like house guests, and a history that that dates back to 1705, the island of Grenada is a marvelous addition to Sandals’ collection of stunning scenery and memorable experiences.  “We are thrilled to introduce our guests to another breathtaking Caribbean island, offering even more alluring destinations for a Luxury Included® Vacation,” says Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International. “With our enhancements of the former LaSource Resort, Sandals LaSource Grenada will exceed guests’ expectations while allowing them to enjoy the natural beauty of the Spice Island.”

Sandals-200Conveniently located only minutes from Maurice Bishop International airport, Sandals LaSource Grenada boasts a total of 231 rooms housed within three distinct villages: Pink Gin, Italian and South Seas.  The resort’s accommodations, dining options, attractions and amenities include:

  • Pink Gin Village: Exuding a serene, tropical ambiance, the resort’s Pink Gin Village is comprised of two existing blocks of rooms refurbished with custom-built, contemporary furniture, elegant Turkish marble floors and lavish amenities. One block boasts 70 oceanfront rooms, including walkout rooms, while the second block includes 30 luxurious junior suites. Additionally, all bathrooms have been completely redesigned to be modern and exposed with transitioning wall art to customize privacy. Guests of the Pink Gin Village have easy access to the resort’s gorgeous stretch of white sand beach, a new zero-entry infinity pool, expanded and renovated lobby, including the departure lounge, Club Sandals Concierge, gift shop, wedding lounge, SnapShots photography, Island Routes Tours desk, and the resort’s Red Lane® Spa with nine treatment rooms, as well as a nail and hair salon. For entertainment, guests can enjoy the multi-purpose “Living Room,” an outdoor open-air hangout featuring a bar, piano, billiards, Ping-Pong and more.
  • Italian Village: Perched upon a cliff overlooking the resort and breathtaking Pink Gin Beach, the all-new five-story Italian Village consists of 48 rooms with two exclusive river pools at the ground level. The first three floors feature one-bedroom, split-level suites with spacious bathrooms, flat screen televisions and Japanese-style soaking tubs. The fourth and fifth floors consist of more extravagant suites with butler pantries, stand-up showers, freestanding claw-footed bathtubs, living rooms, dressing rooms, and private infinity edge plunge pools situated on the balcony.
  • South Seas Village: The exotic South Seas Village is another brand new addition to the resort, consisting of the brand’s signature Rondoval suites, top-tier millionaire suites, plunge pool suites and luxury and premium rooms. Situated on the resort’s mountainside, guests staying in the South Seas Village are able to take advantage of the nearby pool with a coveted, thatched-roof swim-up bar. The state-of-the-art millionaire suites, the highest room category, feature private entrances, glass tile plunge pools, indoor and outdoor showers, 65-inch TVs and more. Rondoval guests have an indoor 61-inch round tub, indoor and outdoor showers, private pool and Jacuzzi as part of their secluded accommodation.
  • Dining Options: Guests are able to whet their palates at their choice of nine global, gourmet dining options, including the island’s first top-tier steakhouse called Butch’s Chophouse, named after the resort company’s founder and chairman. True to the mission of Sandals’ Discovery Dining program, internationally trained chefs create authentic dishes that take guests on a gastronomic expedition around the world without ever having to leave the resort. Housed in the Pink Gin Village, Sandals LaSource Grenada’s impressive gastronomic experiences includes Soy, a sushi bar; Café De Paris, a French café; Spices, serving Caribbean cuisine; Le’Jardinier, a French restaurant; and Neptune’s, a Mediterranean beach bar. Those dining in the South Seas Village can enjoy Kimono’s, a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant; Cucina Romana for Italian fare; Butch’s Chophouse; and Dino’s Pizzeria.
  • Attractions and Amenities: When it comes to entertainment, the resort provides plenty of options to suit any guest, whether offering themed cocktail parties, beach bonfires, or live piano music and dancing at the “Living Room.” At night, guests can also enjoy unwinding at one of Sandals’ signature fire pits romantically scattered about the resort. Another new enhancement includes a fully-equipped indoor and outdoor wellness center complete with a state-of-the-art gym, waterfalls and reflective pools, catering to the needs of all fitness-enthusiasts with special classes, high-performance equipment and ample space to move freely. Finally, for those looking to make Grenada their temporary company office, the resort offers over 2,000 square feet of meeting room space with advanced audio and visual capabilities.

Making its home in the Spice Island, Sandals LaSource Grenada is the fifteenth Sandals Resort in the Jamaican-based company’s portfolio. Delivering all that is promised in a Luxury Included® Vacation guests will encounter the finest beaches in the Caribbean, deluxe accommodations, premium brand wine and spirits including wines by Beringer Vineyards and Appleton Rum, international a la carte culinary delights, land and water sports including SCUBA for certified divers, airport transfers and all resort taxes and fees.

A look at this resort can be found at www.sandals.com/grenada.  For more information about Sandals Resorts, or to book your Luxury Included® Vacation today, please visit www.sandals.com, or call 1-800-SANDALS.

Sandals Resorts:

With 15 stunning beachfront settings, Sandals Resorts has earned a worldwide reputation for providing two people in love with the most romantic vacation experience in the Caribbean.  Sandals Resorts welcomes guests to the islands of Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, Barbados and soon Grenada with a myriad of exclusive amenities from luxurious accommodations and Butler service to gourmet specialty dining and premium wines and spirits.  The award-winning Sandals Resorts is also the perfect venue for dream destination weddings, vow renewals, honeymoons, or what Sandals Resorts has coined WeddingMoons®.  For more information on Sandals Resorts Luxury Included  experience, please visit www.sandals.com.

Contacts:
Lou Hammond & Associates
Stacy Royal                                  Devyn Barker                            Ana Zawacki
212-891-0218                              212-891-0207                            212-891-0228
stacyr@lhammond.com           devynb@lhammond.com        anaz@lhammond.com

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DivingGlobal Announces Integration of iContact

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

DivingGlobabl LogoFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
by Robert Klein
DivingGlobal
email: rklein@bookitglobal.com
Phone: 916.996-6782

DivingGlobal Announces Integration of iContact

San Francisco, CA – September 2, 2014. DivingGlobal, the premier cloud service provider to scuba, travel and adventure businesses worldwide has announced the free integration of iContact, the international online service provider of email and social media marketing tools, into their flagship product, DivingGlobal 2.1. With iContact, you can take your marketing dollars further by sharing your ideas, strengthening your customer relationships, and increasing brand awareness through email. iContact’s easy-to-use tools move you seamlessly from building lists and designing emails, to sending messages and tracking opens and clicks.

Together, DivingGlobal & iContact allow you to:

  • Bypass sending limits, so you can reach more contacts
  • Create campaigns to automatically send emails to customers or prospect lists
  • Gain insight into campaign effectiveness with reports and tracking dashboards
  • Learn who opened or clicked on messages and send targeted messages to those customers
  • Get the most out of social sharing by adding like and tweet buttons to messages
  • Evaluate contacts, and discover how they respond to emails across multiple campaigns
  • Push changes to your web-site automatically with simple drag & drop functionality
  • Enable quick & easy bookings and reservations with pre-populated industry standard forms.

DivingGlobal users can leverage the power of iContact. Try us now and get 1 free month of DivingGlobal when starting your service!

About DivingGlobal
DivingGlobal is a provider of world-wide customer relationship management (CRM) software and a pioneering cloud computing leader. Our social and mobile cloud technologies help companies connect with customers, partners, and employees in entirely new ways. Thanks to the cloud, all of it comes with low cost, low risk, and fast results.

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SeaLife Introduces The First Permanently Sealed Never-Leak Underwater Camera: The Mico HD

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

SeaLife-Micro-HD-200FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joshua Gilmour
SeaLife Cameras
Phone: 856-866-9191 ext 135
email: jgilmour@pioneer-research.com

 

SeaLife Introduces the First Permanently Sealed  Never-Leak Underwater Camera: The Micro HD

Moorestown, NJ   –   Introducing the Micro HD from SeaLife – the first permanently sealed underwater camera that never leaks. There are no O-rings to maintain, no openings or doors that could possibly leak, and no batteries or SD cards. The self-contained camera has no housing and is waterproof down to 200 feet.

Charging the battery or downloading pictures and video is as easy as plugging the USB cable into the camera’s waterproof USB port, and the internal high-capacity Li-Ion battery lasts for 3+ hours of continuous operation with one charge.

Small and ergonomic, the camera operates with three wide “Piano Key” controls that make it easy to handle underwater, even while using dive gloves.

The SeaLife Micro HD is offered in two models: The standard Micro HD includes a 16 GB internal memory for hours of continuous recording and thousands of pictures, and the premium Micro HD+ model features a 32 GB internal memory and WiFi for connecting to smartphones and tablets.

The Micro HD+ can wirelessly download and share images and video to iOS and Android devices through the free Action Cam HD app. The app provides uploading to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox and other online services, perfect for backing up and sharing your photos and videos immediately after a dive or during your vacation. The app also allows for wireless control of the Micro HD+ camera, providing a real time view of the LCD and the ability to capture and review photos and videos all on your smartphone or tablet.

The Easy Setup Guide is a fast and intuitive new way using pictures instead of text menus to select land, dive, snorkel, or external light modes, allowing users to spend more time immersed in their environment rather than scrolling through a menu list.

The Micro HD offers fast one-touch video recording. Bypassing the usual steps, the video key will start and stop videos immediately. While video is recording, pushing the shutter button will take a still picture without stopping the video. Featuring full 1080p HD resolution video and 13MP images, the Micro HD is capable of delivering stunning underwater footage of colorful sea creatures, reefs and other undersea landscapes.

Capturing surprise encounters with sea creatures is made possible with a fast shutter response and sharp focus from one foot to infinity, and the built-in 140-degree wide angle lens helps stabilize videos and capture large objects and wide scenes at close shooting distances.

Color correction filters are not necessary since the camera features four underwater modes with automatic color correction. The Snorkel Mode is perfect for capturing vibrant natural colors at shallow depths, while the Dive Mode restores the red and yellow colors lost at deeper depths.

Since bright lighting is essential to reveal magnificent underwater colors, the Micro HD is expandable with the powerful new Sea Dragon underwater lights and flash. Also available to expand the camera’s capabilities are Flex-Connect arms, grips, trays and accessories. Flex-Connect accessories “click” together in seconds for easy set-up and disassemble equally as fast for compact traveling.

An exciting way to get close to colorful reef scenes and creatures in caves and crevices is to mount the camera on SeaLife’s extendable AquaPod, a 54-inch extendable camera pole designed especially for use in water.

The revolutionary new Micro HD underwater camera will be available at SeaLife dealers starting September 1, 2014.

Models:

Item SL500            SeaLife Micro HD   (16GB)                                  $399.95 (MSRP)

Item SL501            SeaLife Micro HD+ (32GB + WiFi)                     $499.95

Item SL505*          SeaLife Micro HD+ Sea Dragon Pro set            $899.95

* includes Sea Dragon 2000 Lumen underwater light, Micro Tray, Grip and Case

About SeaLife:

SeaLife underwater cameras, lights and accessories are made and distributed by Pioneer Research in Moorestown, NJ.   SeaLife cameras were first introduced in 1993. In 2000 SeaLife made the first digital underwater camera. In 2007 SeaLife developed the first non-housed digital underwater camera, and in 2013 SeaLife introduced the powerful Sea Dragon Lighting system and its innovative Flex-Connect tray, grip, arm and accessory system. SeaLife Cameras, Lighting and Flex-Connect Accessories are sold and serviced in 64 countries around the world.

For more information visit www.SeaLife-Cameras.com.

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Survey Question #1

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

DIALogo-tag-200by Gene Muchanski
Executive Director
Dive Industry Association, Inc.

 

Survey Question #1 – For Retail Dive Centers

Q: Retail Dive Center: Do Manufacturing Reps Introduce New Products around September 1 when they visit your store or do they wait for the DEMA Show in November?

A:  Thank You for Clicking on “September”   or  “DEMA Show”.  Your response has been recorded.  – as of 8:19 a.m. – September 3, 2014.

A:  “September” – 6 Responses

A:  “DEMA Show” – 5 Responses

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DIA Members Exhibit at DEMA Show 2014

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

DIALogo-tag-200The following Dive Industry Association Members are exhibiting at the DEMA Show on November 19-22, 2014 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.  Make it a point to visit our DIA Members FIRST.

Manufacturers

Manufacturers – Retail Services Software

Travel Businesses, Destinations, Resorts, & Dive Operators

Certification Agencies

Non-Profits

Associations, Media and Shows & Events

Posted in Industry, Trade & Consumer Shows | Leave a comment

The Reef Crawl is coming to the Upper Florida Keys – August 20-23, 2015

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

Reef-Crawl-200UPPER FLORIDA KEYS, Immediate Release – The Reef Crawl© is coming to the Upper Florida Keys August 20th – 23rd, 2015. Reef Crawlers have four amazing days to Dive, Snorkel, Kayak & Paddle the Beautiful Reefs from Key Largo to Islamorada. Learn about the impact we have on the reef systems and how we can leave a smaller environmental footprint. Work side by side with REEF and the Coral Restoration Foundation when you sign up for their One Day Seminar & Coral Dive  using your 2015 Reef Crawl© VIP Cards.

Conserve, Preserve, Promote & Grow… Let’s Reef Crawl©

Pre-Order your 2015 Reef Crawl © VIP Card today.

 

Posted in Events & Activities, Press Release | Leave a comment

Visible Divers Release New Rental System

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

visible-divers-200gifBy Stephen Ellis, President
Visible Divers
August 19, 2014

Visible Divers Release New Rental System and Integrated Card Payments

Visible Divers announces significant new additions to its program. Over the weekend, several important features were added, including Product Packages, Rental Management, integrated payment processing, store policies, and more.

The new rental feature turns hours of normal setup into just minutes of setup. With its “wizard” approach, even the newest staff at a store can fill prescribed rental sets quickly, flawlessly and effortlessly.  “No one seemed to like how our competitors handled rentals – they were too complicated and made tracking rentals difficult.  So we completely redesigned the whole concept based on real store needs” says Visible Divers President Stephen Ellis.  Now stores can track who has what, be alerted to late rental returns, and engage customers automatically for future rental opportunities, all through an automated, fast and easy-to-use experience.

Equally impressive is Visible Divers’ new payment processing system.  Now, stores can swipe cards directly on the website while securing and encrypting every piece of information before it gets to the website, have a customer sign the receipt on the computer screen, and many other smart innovations.   Visible Divers card readers encrypt the card information right at the card reader and transfer it directly to the processor.  Neither the store nor Visible Divers can decrypt the card, so the card data is never at risk.  “The bottom line is that a customer’s credit card is extremely secured by our program.” says Stephen. “We also don’t store the card data anywhere in our system for any time.  It’s a strong contrast to how Target dropped the ball last year.”  This new ability is also available on the Visible Divers iPad app.

Visible Divers selected National Card Payments (NCP) (http://www.ncpayments.com) as the recommended payment processor after months of evaluating the best providers.  “We really bent them over a barrel.” Stephen laughs. “Because of our strong bulk purchasing power with so many stores, we’ve locked rates and terms for stores that are just impossible to get otherwise.”  With no sign-up fees, no cancellation fees, incredible rates and unrivaled support, NCP is an ideal match to Visible Divers’ offerings.  Visible Divers member stores can switch over to the new payment processor service in lightning time, effortlessly.  “Stores can still use their own processors if they want, but with these unbeatable terms, I can’t imagine why they would.” says Stephen.

Product Packages are not to be overlooked either.  The new addition includes all of the necessary features one would expect, and also includes the ability to detect a product package opportunity during a sale and guide the sales staff through it.  Stores are also able to set store policies on receipts, along with rental policies and agreements.

Each of these new features continues to match Visible Divers’ high standards for speed, intuitive design, and ease of use.

These features come in tow of many major feature releases this year.  Earlier this year, Visible Divers released its intelligent and adaptive Purchase Orders system, embedded calendars that stores can put on their own websites, advanced customer management, additional manufacturer features, and more.  “We don’t sit still, and we have a lot of things we still want to bring to stores.” Stephen remarks, “We pride ourselves on useful innovation and designing around the customer rather than making the customer bend around our program.”

“We’re not just redefining retail management for SCUBA, we’re rewriting the rules and technology for retail worldwide. Innovation has to start somewhere.  This industry just happens to be the one where these innovations are happening first.”

* * *

Visible Divers, Inc. is the fastest growing software company built just for the SCUBA industry that provides full-service dive shop management including Point of Sale, scheduling, accounting, social networking, unlimited free support and more. With the ability to work anywhere in the world on any device, it’s the most versatile and powerful system for complete dive shop management.

For more information, sign up for a free account at https://www.visibledivers.com and contact Visible Divers directly by phone or email at jira@visibledivers.com or 888-832-3483.

 

If you are a manufacturer and want to know what Visible Divers does for manufacturers, please contact us at: jira@visibledivers.com, or call us at 888-832-3483.

 

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Divi Flamingo Beach Resort Bonaire To Undergo Multi-Million Dollar Refresh

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

Divi-Flam-200Contact:  Jacqueline Burton
Burton Luch & Co.
Phone: 201.888.3352
email: jburton@burtonluch.com

Divi Flamingo Beach Resort in Bonaire To Undergo Multi-million Dollar Refresh

Divi Resorts upgrades to ensure number one position on Bonaire, part of continual investment in the Caribbean

Chapel Hill, NC and Kralendijk, Bonaire, August 6, 2014— Divi Resorts announced that it would undertake a top-to-bottom refresh of its Bonaire property, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort. Renovations on the 129-room resort begin in September, with completion scheduled for June 2015. The upgrade covers rooms, grounds, lobby, pools, beach, restaurants and bars, back of house, exterior décor, dive facilities and retail. It is the largest hospitality capital investment on Bonaire in recent years. According to Marco Galaverna, president and chief operating officer of Divi Resorts, the renovation will make Divi the undisputed leader in guest services and amenities and the freshest, most stylish product on the island. The modernization of Divi Dive, the in-house dive operation, along with the hotel’s makeover will be a boon to the resort’s robust dive business; but also is expected to create a new mecca for Caribbean-bound vacationers from around the world.

Among the project highlights are:

  • The total renovation of hotel room bathrooms featuring step-in shower, floor-to-ceiling tile, solid wood vanity with quartz counter surface, LED make-up mirror and lighting, new window and ceiling. Guest rooms also will get a facelift with new lamps; artwork, full-length mirror, patio furniture, closet doors and iPod radio alarm clock.
  • The creation of a 3300+ square foot sun deck and cabana lounge with concierge and beverage service. Elevated and secluded – and exclusive to resort guests – the sundeck offers loungers unobstructed views of sunsets over the Caribbean plus a close-up on sea life in the Calabas Reef below.
  • A 4700 square foot beach area, the largest of any hotel property on Bonaire, will be constructed. The company will convert an existing grass lawn into a beach area, installing tons of white sand atop a raised platform with steps leading into the Caribbean. The spacious beach will have canopied daybeds and chaise lounges and will be an attraction for day pass visitors from the nearby cruise port.
  • A new dive boat. Divi Dive, a PADI Five Star Dive Center, will expand its fleet with the acquisition of another customized dive boat. The retail shop, dive classrooms and lockers also will be completely redone. The expansion and modernization of the facilities will be on par with the island’s stature as one of the top three dive sites in the world.
  • The opening of a Pure Ocean restaurant. Divi’s proprietary brand, Pure, developed for the Divi Phoenix Beach Resort in Aruba and subsequently installed at Divi Southwinds in Barbados, will occupy the former Calabas restaurant space. Like its sister locations, the next installment of Pure Ocean sits at the water’s edge with pure ocean views, and features stylish, contemporary Caribbean décor. The transformation also incorporates a revised menu that emphasizes farm- and ocean-to-table offerings. Other current dining and lounge options, the Chibi Chibi and Flamingo Bar, will be overhauled with new furnishings, lighting, sound system and menu.
  • Redesigned pools and pool areas. The resort’s two pools will have rock water features, travertine decking, cabanas, daybeds and new lounge chairs.

Other alterations include a new lobby and furnishings, guest laundry, renovated lobby restrooms and an updated color scheme for the painted exterior. The resort’s main kitchen will be retrofitted with new equipment, including the addition of a walk-in freezer to increase storage for US shipments.

The resort will remain fully operational during the nine months of construction and renovation. This latest Divi expenditure in Bonaire follows a refresh of the onsite Divi Flamingo casino earlier this year.

“Divi is intent on elevating the vacation experience,” noted Galaverna. “It is especially critical as today’s travelers seek more amenities.”  Strategies like adding the sun deck and new beach will improve the on-site customer experience by creating additional activity and relaxation areas within the resort.  Though the dive market has been a mainstay in Bonaire, company officials see the visitor profile expanding. According to Galaverna, it is the European market that is driving changes there. The ultimate goal of the upgrade is to entice the Caribbean-bound vacationer to Bonaire and ensure repeat business.

Every year, the Divi Resorts group focuses on new and exciting ways to please its customers.  Galaverna added, “We are confident the changes will set Divi Flamingo Beach Resort apart from the competition and give our guests a fantastic vacation experience.”

Divi is currently enhancing other properties across the Caribbean.  Projects include:

In St. Maarten — This fall, Divi will unveil a redesigned and expanded lobby for Divi Little Bay Resort.  The Seabreeze restaurant has been outfitted with new furniture and new roof. A gazebo now graces the infinity pool, and offers more privacy, shading and visual interest to this popular area of the resort.

In Aruba – At Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort, the full renovation of the interiors and exteriors of the 30 golf villas is expected to be finished in November. A new guest amenity there includes five barbeque patios replete with built-in grill, sink and trellis.  At Divi Phoenix Beach Resort, BBQ patios were installed recently to great guest response, and a refresh is underway on the 101 tower suites and villas, including a kitchen makeover, new furnishings, lighting and window treatments.

In Barbados – Divi Southwinds Resort is putting the finishing touches on their new beachfront Pure Ocean restaurant and added LCD TVs and iPod docking stations in guest rooms.

About Divi Resorts

Divi Resorts is the vacation expert of the Caribbean with a collection of ten premium resorts on five stunning Caribbean islands. With vacation stays as well as full and fractional ownership, the resorts provide myriad vacation pleasures from relaxing on white sand beaches, indulging in spa services, embarking on scuba diving adventures to perfecting one’s golf swing.  For more information on Divi Resorts call 1.800.367.3484, or visit www.diviresorts.com.  The Divi Resorts logo is the Service Mark of Divi Hotels, Inc.; its use represents the group of resort companies owned by the registrant or operating under the registrant’s Divi Resorts brand.

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Divi Flamingo Bonaire – Dive Specials

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Gene Muchanski

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