Charter Knowledge

New Year’s in South East Asia’s Islands

Chad Sinden: Diving into the Gift of Choice

The Nine Ultimate Balearic Experiences to Tick Off

New Year’s in South East Asia’s Islands

By Linda Cartlidge

When it comes to New Year’s celebrations, the world’s largest continent of Asia has plenty of options to offer for the big occasion, from lavish beach parties to dazzling light shows. Here are a few of the best yachting destinations in South East Asia to spend The Holidays!

Phuket FantaSea Viva twilight

Indonesia Cruising Asia Pacific Superyachts

Andaman Islands, India: All I want for Christmas is... gourmet dining on the beach!

Andaman & Nicobar Islands one of the cleanest and greenest parts of India, with a lot of calm and peace. Christmas and New Year are a big deal in Andaman, with Christmas lights and decorations all around the Islands. In between all these festivities, allow some time to dig into the Islands of the Andaman. Visit museums in Port Blair to explore Andaman’s cultural curiosities and then head out to Havelock Island for the best beaches.

For the best gourmet dining, consider a reservation in Havelock Island at the Havelock Island Beach Resort, blending upscale dining and a party atmosphere, offering you the best of both to celebrate the new year. Savor the elegant cuisine of the Sea Dragon bar and restaurant. For a trendy ambiance and a memorable candlelight dinner, reserve a seat at Nemo Beach café and bar.

Every year there is a wide variety of New Year’s Eve parties on Havelock Island and your agent can book in advance for NYE events. Here guests from around the world gather at the showcase lagoon for an exciting midnight celebration as Havelock Island lights up the city in three New Year’s Festival countdowns!

Bali, Indonesia: 12 days of Karma.

In light of the season of giving, Karma Kandara will have a giving tree initiative. A series of Christmas trees placed throughout the resort, where guests are asked to donate 300k – this money will be used to purchase gifts for the disadvantaged kids of Bali Life Foundation. On Christmas Eve, they will visit Di Mare restaurant for carols, and afterwards receive a special visit from Santa, with gifts purchased from the money donated.

Continue the party at the recently refurbished Karma Beach Bali. The beachside space has long been a hub of live music and nightlife, and this festive season will remain a haven for those who want to dance the night away. During the 12 Days of Karma there will be daily parties with a rotating line-up of international DJs.

ANDAMANS Havelock Island Andaman Koh Samui new years eve

After indulging in some lively New Year’s Eve celebrations, guests can recover at a pop-up hangover remedy bar courtesy of a collaboration with Cocoon Medical Spa. Infusion packages aplenty are available here for a decent dose of vitamins; choose from the jet lag hydration booster, detox and recharge, and anti-ageing rejuvenation.

Bali’s Nusa Dua’s most exciting beach club, Manarai Beach House, is set to take everyone on a journey where sounds from all around the world collide. Ending the year on a high note, the Carnival of Rhythm is the ultimate beach party where you’ll definitely get a taste of mix customs. Located right at the beachfront, Manarai is a perfect blend of Balinese tradition and modernity.

Langkawi, Malaysia: Flying lighted lanterns.

An archipelago along the western coast of Malaysia, Langkawi celebrates New Year in a different style. Enchanting celebrations start with lighted lanterns released into the sky an hour prior to midnight creating a fairytale feeling. Home to extensive diversity of ethnicities, the people of Malaysia are always seen celebrating various festivals and events, making it one of the happiest destinations on earth. From New Years and Christmas to Onam and Hungry Ghost Festival, being a part of these events leave every traveler spellbound.

Langkawi island’s restaurants for Xmas and NYE dinners are mostly located at Kuah, Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah with delicious fresh seafood such as crabs, prawns, lobsters and squid on offer. After sundown at Pantai Cenang, comes the sky lanterns, released into the skies, symbolising good luck and letting go of worries and fears as 2023 is ushered in Fireworks will light up the sky of Pantai Cenang as the sky lantern count-down to a new decade concludes at midnight.

Maldives - New Years in the middle of the ocean

Exotic Maldives is a great place for international yacht visitors seeking unique holiday events and celebrating Christmas and New Year. Examples of a luxurious New Year’s party might be W Maldives (Fesdu Atoll) or a gala dinner at Hard Rock (South Male’) resort with the symbolic burning of the old year. Or a special program at the Huvafen Fushi Spa (North Male’) or see the festive extravaganza at Lily Beach (Ari Atoll). Almost all resorts have nice large lagoons enabling yacht anchorage and day access to yacht clients.

There are so many options to choose from and the following suggestions can be arranged by Asia Pacific Superyachts Maldives: • Book private uninhabited island or resort for private groups of families and friends • Book day visit to resorts for kids to witness ‘Santa arrival on Christmas day’

LANGKAWI Royal Langkawi Yacht Club & Marina Malaysia

• Relaxing Spa experiences at various high-end resorts enroute the journey • Experience multi-cuisine restaurants at various highend resorts en-route the journey • Experience one-of-a-kind underwater restaurants for holiday feast • Book Xmas / NYE Gala Dinner at high-end resort - live music, fire shows & entertainment • Experience multi-cuisine restaurants at various highend resorts en-route the journey • Experience one-of-a-kind

underwater restaurants for holiday feast • Book Xmas / NYE Gala Dinner at high-end resort - live

Phuket, Thailand Visit the Land of Smiles, Thailand!

On New Year’s Eve Phuket turns into one giant disco with world-famous music bands, fireworks and barbecues literally on every beach. For yacht visitors it‘s easy to combine the colossal range of New Year’s Eve events with privacy and maximum mobility.

Each December, the more popular beaches around Phuket become effectively giant parties. Hundreds gather on the sand to see in the New Year. Patong Beach has organised music and entertainment and is definitely the most popular choice, but you’ll also find celebrations on Karon, Kata, Kamala and Bangtao beaches, among others.

The pulsing club scene in Bangla Road close to Surin, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, adds to the already hip aura of partying here on the last day of the year. Since Paris Hilton partied here two years ago the entire island is essentially transformed into a party haven with fireworks, beach barbecues, live entertainment and exclusive gala dinners! Many of the west coast hotels celebrate the New Year with their own shows - virtually the entire coast from Surin to Kamala and Patong, turning it into Asia’s largest free party!

You can anchor right in front of Amanpuri, which invites yachtsmen to join its beach discos, cooking extravaganza and fire show (pre-registration required) and the nearby Twinpalms Phuket Resort with the Oriental Spoon Restaurant offers a special seafood menu.

Seychelles dancing

Seychelles welcome

Koh Samui, Thailand. Nikki Beach in the Tropics.

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand and is one of the most attractive destinations in SE Asia for welcoming the new year. A beautiful island with white sandy beaches and an ambient tropical weather, it’s un-

like any other in the region. The dark Koh Samui night sky lights up radiantly with the most spectacular fireworks during New Year’s Eve.

On the west side, Nikki Beach entertainment comes with Live Bands, acclaimed DJs, and melodious music and a fireworks display with numerous fireworks illuminating the sea water below. W Retreat Koh Samui is a great place to visit in the New Year with some gentle music, a glass of champagne, and a spectacular display of fireworks. On the east side at Chaweng Beach, yacht visitors can anchor and join the popular Ark Bar celebrations on the beach. Bigname DJs and huge fire shows, it’s a raucous affair! Or, you can simply enjoy the firework displays from your yacht.

Seychelles, Creole Christmas.

Visiting the Seychelles during the end-of-year holidays, you can enjoy a festive atmosphere in the tropics. In the capital of Victoria on the island of Mahé you can wander through the alleys in which the Creole houses lining the streets are decorated with Christmas lights.

Christmas is a time of celebration and discovery of all the other riches adorning this city. Stroll through the city streets to the rhythm of the Creole music played by locals in a tradition that will make your trip to Seychelles for the New Year magical. Your taste buds will be tantalised by traditional street-food stalls and the many barbecues organised for end-of-year meals with exotic Seychellois cuisine.

New Year’s in Seychelles will culminate with a countdown at midnight and magnificent fireworks which light up the sky of the Seychelles islands. This is an opportunity to discover the history and culture of these islands while enjoying the festive atmosphere of the tropics at the end of the year.

Singapore Keep your wishes afloat.

Watching the fireworks at Marina Bay, attending a beach party and visiting the Civic District are some of the most popular activities in Singapore on New Year’s Eve. It’s hard to single out just one celebration in Singapore as one of Asia’s most popular New Year’s destinations hosts several fireworks displays and beachfront parties. Though perhaps the most unique aspect is the tradition of the ‘Wishing Spheres’, special orbs on which people write their wishes for the New Year, which are then lit and set afloat in the night sky.

Sri Lanka. Beachside New Years Eve parties.

Sail into the capital city of Galle and moor up at the Galle Fort, one of the most popular attractions, built in the 17th century by Dutch colonists. Here, you can participate in some of the interesting activities in Galle to ring in the New Year 2023.

More upmarket NYE parties are found in the Colombo town hotels; e.g. Galle Face Hotel always has a huge one, and all upmarket hotels with discos like the Taj and the Hilton offer great celebrations.

Since Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, some of the best New Year’s Eve parties happen by the sea. Beachside parties are a common sight during this time of the year, and the best areas for this are Mirissa, Hikkaduwa, Bentota, and Unawatuna. After exploring, relax and dine in some of the most beautiful boutique hotels and adventure lodges the country has to offer.

Post New Year

International visitors can continue the area’s yachting season, joining in celebrating the Chinese New Year in late January, an event that lasts fifteen days. This is also known as the Spring Festival, one of the most important celebrations in the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year 2023 will fall on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023, starting the year of the Rabbit. Celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival.

Many festivities take place in the cruising grounds of South East Asia islands during the holidays. Spending a holiday in a new cultural setting definitely adds a unique, memorable experience to a yachting journey. If you are planning to immerse yourself in the holiday traditions and celebrations in South East Asia during a cruising voyage, hopefully the above destination descriptions will provide some useful insights!

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Chad Sinden: Diving into the Gift of Choice

Photography by PADI

Chad Sinden is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Instructor™ and owner of Ocean Fox Dive Centre, a PADI ® Dive Centre in The Bahamas. His journey to becoming a diving professional has been anything but easy, yet despite all odds he continues to choose to dive-in to seek adventure and save the ocean every single day. Here is his story.

“My mission is to inspire others to feel good about themselves regardless of their challenges and to fall in love with the ocean. An ocean full of magic and wonder. If I can inspire just one person with my own challenges and failings, then I have succeeded.”

While I have been a PADI Open Water Dive Instructor since 2009, a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer since 2019 and the proud new owner of the PADI Dive Centre Ocean Fox Dive Centre, I wasn’t born loving the ocean.

I’ve been lucky enough to introduce a wide range of people to the beautiful underwater world. Regardless of age or ability, my goal is always the same with my diving students—to teach them to love the ocean and encourage them to explore and protect it. I am a firm believer that there truly is nothing more magical than the planet we live on and the contributions you as an individual make to it.

My love for sharks and the underwater world, that I am blessed to explore as a diver, arose from a time in my life where the world held no magic, wonder or mystery above the surface.

In fact, my journey to get to this point has been anything but magical. But my challenges and choices have led me to find sanctity at sea.

Learning to Love the Water, and Myself

I was born with a rare medical condition called ‘Poland Syndrome’, which left me without my right-side pectoral muscle or lateral muscle, made my right hand smaller than the left and gave me webbed fingers on my right hand. My medical condition also left me with severe depression, anxiety and a lack of confidence for most of my young adult life.

I also grew up with a fear of water. I nearly drowned three times before I was 16 and didn’t learn to actually swim until I was 25. And getting in the water with sharks? No thanks!

At the age of 11 my family moved to Australia. While we were surrounded by the New South Wales oasis of green valleys, I remained scared of the ocean and life there was anything but easy. We were illegal immigrants and were very poor. We first lived in a 30-foot-long caravan before moving into a small house that didn’t even have a real toilet. But looking back I realise this prepared me to deal with less than ideal living conditions in years to come.

When I moved back to the UK as a young adult, I got run over by a drunk driver and was left with severe brain swelling, amnesia and post-traumatic stress that took me three years to recover from.

But my time at hospitals also led to my journey as a PADI Professional. It was at a hospital in Northampton that I did my first PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience. Shortly after I went on to become a PADI Open Water Diver at Stoney Cave near Leicester. My instructor on that course inspired me to start my own journey to become a PADI Open Water Instructor. I had discovered a whole new world beneath the surface and had fallen in love with the ocean.

The ocean and all its inhabitants accepted me without question. I found home. I found peace. All the struggles I went through did not define me underwater.

Chad Sinden

A World of Underwater Adventure

Soon after diving into life underwater, I discovered my passion for megafauna.

I remember the first moment a huge shark glided past me and looked me straight in the eyes. At first, I felt completely powerless and all I could do was stare back. But then that transformed into a beautiful moment of mutual curiosity and respect. A moment of connection between two species who realise they don’t want to harm each other. It is a moment that I will remember forever and I never felt more alive.

I eventually quit my full-time career as an electromechanical engineer to pursue ocean conservation. This led me to the beautiful Fiji Islands, where I volunteered for four years teaching reef conservation and scuba diving to international volunteers and indigenous locals. I was also there in 2016 when the devastating Category 5 Cyclone Winston devastated the island nation. But I will never forget the hospitality and kindness that was given to me by people there who lost everything. They taught me a valuable lesson in hope and kindness.

After continuing to work for many dive centres around the world, I found myself in the Bahamas in 2018. I invested my small life savings into 10% of a dive centre on the beautiful island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It was the biggest financial risk I had ever taken.

Finding Shelter and Hope in a Dive Centre

After two years of working at this dive centre, and for reasons beyond my control, the relationship with the other owner had taken a turn for the worse and I was looking for ways to get out of my partial ownership.

At the same time, the global pandemic upended the dive industry and my livelihood. Tourism was shut down in the Bahamas and we entered one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. From Monday to Friday each week we were not allowed to leave the house, not even for food or medical care. The hospitals were simply overrun and the beautiful beaches we were surrounded by were now off limits.

After five months of zero income, a depleted savings account and a maxed-out credit card, I had to give up the small house I was renting and moved into my trusty 22 yr. old Toyota Rav4. It then dawned on me that the dive centre I used to work at was empty. The company couldn’t close or function due to all facilities being shut down.

The wetsuit racks became my wardrobe. The retail floor of the shop became my bedroom. And the occasional crab would become my roommate while the crickets sang to me all through the night. I lived off the generosity of friends, family and locals. And I reminded myself how lucky I was in comparison to those who suffer worse than me.

However, I would still cry myself to sleep wondering if I would ever see my family again. I wondered how on earth I would pull through. I hit rock bottom, but reminded myself that I don’t go down without a fight, ever.

I began to formulate a plan to borrow money to buy the remaining assets of the dive centre. Since the banks were not lending, I made a list of every person and company I knew of affluence who I had met over my career that could be in a financial position to help me. I created a business plan for the dive centre and pitched it to everyone on the list. I expected zero response, but to my surprise I had three offers within a month! People recognised the importance of continuing shark interac-

tion training and, more importantly, the excellent professional reputation I had attained from years in the industry.

But the hard times weren’t quite over yet. I managed to return to the UK after eight months of solitude, only to be put through another fourmonth lockdown with my family. In total, I had now spent more than 12 months without a single paycheck. But hope in my dive centre kept me going.

Diving into New Opportunities

I eventually returned to the Bahamas and reopened the dive centre in March this year. Things were slow at first. I found myself having to apologise to guests as they entered the dive shop and saw my bed leaning up against the wall and my clothes next to the wetsuits and a gas cooker in the corner. But my guests were very understanding. In fact, the tips this year have been the best ever! 2021 has turned out to be one of our best years ever! I’ve moved out of the dive centre and into a new home. The bills are paid. The dive centre has teamed up with the beautiful Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina and we are now a PADI 5 Star Resort and Dive Centre.

Since taking over this dive centre, life has been on the up for both myself personally and professionally. After a whole year out of the water, I am now back diving with my favorite animals on the planet—sharks—and teaching others to love these beautiful creatures as well.

From humble beginnings I am now the proud owner of Ocean Fox Dive Centre in the Bahamas. I am a PADI Master Scuba Diver Instructor who gets to introduce people of all ages and abilities to the magic that lies beneath the surface of the ocean. I get to dive with sharks and be inspired by them every single day.

Life is about choices. What choices will you make today?

The Nine Ultimate Balearic Experiences to Tick Off

Your Bucket List in 2023 By Stephanie Skinner

Our expertly curated list includes sipping a G&T in Spain’s best cocktail bar, jumping off a vertiginous cliff, and devouring the most succulent deep-fried prawns in the Med.

Jump off a 10m-high cliff

Imagine standing on the edge of Mallorca’s Cala Varques cliff with nothing but thin air and a 14m-long drop into the Balearic Sea in front of you. Cliff-jumping is spectacularly life-affirming, and Cala Varques is one of the Balearics’ most beautiful and best spots to do just that.

Spot a hot-pink flamingo

Ibiza’s Ses Salines nature reserve comprises shimmering salt pans, secret beaches, and pine-cloaked coastal cliffs. If the park’s otherworldly vistas and World Heritage Status haven’t convinced you to visit Ses Salines, then maybe the promise of seeing flamingos will do the trick — they gather in their hundreds!

Sink a G&T in Spain’s best cocktail bar

While any bar in Mallorca worth its juniper will offer you a decent G&T, Ginbo’s gin-based beverages take craft cocktails to another level. If your primary pursuits are sampling exquisite drinks and people-watching, you’ll love Ginbo (declared Spain’s best bar by FIBAR) and its lively location.

Marvel over a pastelcoloured sky

Visit Formentera’s Es Cap de Barbaria, the Balearics’ southernmost point, at the day’s end for a unique sensory reward. Feast your eyes on a captivating seascape (next stop Algeria!); and a sky lit into peach, lemon, and mauve, and all to the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs to boot.

Experience a cliffhanger, literally

If you’re seeking to tick off an activity that scares the heck out of you, then Deep Water Soloing is for you. Mallorca just so happens to be the Med’s best place to experience exhilarating traverses at water level, all with the brochure-blue Mediterranean Sea as your safety net.

Stop and smell the wildflowers

The 700-year-old Camí de Cavalls is a bridle path that covers Menorca’s entire coastline and goes right through S’Albufera de Grau, a Unesco biosphere reserve. Whether you’re into birds, butterflies, wildflowers, or hidden coves, every section of the path will leave a lasting impression.

As a boutique charter agency, we offer a personalized service and a smooth negotiation process. In a nutshell: we’re great at doing big things with less.

Captains keen to hear about our various management options or owners wanting to know more about the benefits of putting their yacht on the charter market are invited to get in touch via phone/email or to drop into our Palma office. www.snsyachtcharter.com

Flap fins alongside a seahorse

From Punta Malgrats to Cap de Llebeig, seasoned scuba divers know there’s no shortage of excellent dive sites in Mallorca. However, the one that blows misconceptions about Med diving out of the water is El Toro. Descend and be dazzled by anything from scarlet scorpionfish to long-snouted seahorses.

Visit the world’s largest club

Given that it’s the world’s clubbing capital, it is no surprise that Ibiza comes into its own after sunset. Visiting perennial favourites like Hï Ibiza, star-studded and with a slide to the dancefloor, or Privilege, officially the planet’s largest club, is an Ibiza must-do.

Pair deep-fried prawns with coastal views

Head to Restaurante Cap Roig in Menorca for a sea view that will leave you positively speechless. Fish is as fresh as can be here, and every single dish on the menu hits the spot. Try the deep-fried prawns — they’re so juicy you can eat them whole, head, tail, and all.

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