DIVENCOUNTERS, INC
MIAMI, FLORIDA

(formerly the M/V Sky Dancer). This sales and marketing company is based in Miami, FL, and is co-owned by Peter A. Hughes and Santiago Dunn, president of Ecoventura, a leading travel and tour company located in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and established in 1990. DivEncounters mission is to deliver exceptional underwater adventures to our guests, and by teaming up with the M/V Galapagos Sky – we will provide the highest possible liveaboard diving adventures in the Galapagos Islands – one of the top ranked diving destinations in the world. While exceptional diving experiences are DivEncounters first priority, we also feel our guests should enjoy top notch accommodations, first rate food and beverage service, and luxury amenities as they pursue their diving dreams. And the Galapagos Sky is the perfect live-aboard to accomplish these goals. About Peter A. Hughes, President of DivEncounters Peter A. Hughes is an established leader and pioneer in the field of live-aboard dive travel, and spent 25 years building his former live-aboard company, Peter Hughes Diving. Peter brings this expertise to DivEncounters – and will continue to set the bar in the world of live-aboard dive travel. Peter’s vision for DivEncounters is simple – provide guests with exceptional underwater adventures while providing luxury accommodations and amenities topside. About Santiago Dunn, Vice President, DivEncounters DivEncounters was co-founded by Peter A. Hughes and Santiago Dunn. In 2006, Ecoventura became the first Carbon Neutral company in Ecuador. Santiago and Ecoventura have also been awarded the Sustainable Standard-Setter Award by the Rainforest Alliance, and also the recipient of the first annual Sustainable Travel Award by IGTOA. On one level this is self-serving; if the fragile ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands are irreversibly damaged by tourism and visits are drastically reduced or altogether banned, Ecoventura is out of business. On the highest level, this small company is doing its part to raise the consciousness of travelers and demonstrates how collective footprints can either be a disaster or have a positive effect. In 2000, Ecoventura became one of the first recipients of SmartVoyager, a voluntary environmental program developed by Corporacion y Desarollo from Ecuador and The Rainforest Alliance from New York. In order to comply with SmartVoyager, tour boats have to meet a strict set of conservation and social standards that were designed by scientists, conservation experts and tour operators based on principals to conserve natural ecosystems, reduction of negative impacts on the environment, risk of introduction and extraction of species and conservation of Native/ Endemic species, just and fair treatment of workers, community relations and local welfare, control of the supply and storage of supplies, integrated waste management and emissions control, security, quality control, planning and monitoring. In 2005, Santiago Dunn, President of Ecoventura, was presented with the prestigious Individual Sustainable Standard-Setter for making a significant contribution to environmental conservation and sustainability. Santiago Dunn says his goal was to inspire others as well as to be part of the solution for the issues facing tourism in Galapagos. It was a big commitment to participate initially in the SmartVoyager program because it added considerable costs to the operation as well as an initial investment. However, our involvement only motivated us to continue striving to reduce the impact of our operation on the environment. In 2006, Ecoventura became the first Carbon Neutral operation in Galapagos (and Ecuador). Carbon emissions from the company’s four yachts (and offices including business travel) are reduced, then offset by a portfolio of projects through US-based company Native Energy Travel Offsets. Through NETO, Ecoventura is investing in the future of our planet, through the purchase of carbon credits, and bringing corporate travel industry dollars directly to the development of new wind turbines on native lands and other renewable energy sources to help lower global carbon emissions. In 2007, Ecoventura offset 4435 Short TONS of CO2 to lower carbon emissions and help global warming. By 2008, the company had reduced its carbon emissions through high performance oil filters and other methods by 10% and currently offsets 4035 short Tons of C02. What is really significant here is that Ecoventura is not waiting for passengers to “opt-in” to an offset program, rather we are paying the full amount for offsets upfront to ensure the company is carbon neutral. Passengers are also encouraged to offset other portions of their trip and Ecoventura often partners with other sustainable travel providers such as airlines and hotels. In 2006, Ecoventura, together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), established the Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund (GMBF) with the objective to strengthen the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources through environmental education and marine conservation. Since the fund was created, it has raised $171,000.00, of which $160,950.00 directly benefits various projects. Because the Galapagos National Park lacks inadequate funding, trained personnel and equipment, it is challenged to prevent illegal fishing by industrial scale boats. In response, the GMBF together with WildAid supports the maintenance of park patrol boats while also helping to make current small-scale fishing practices more efficient. In May 2007, the fund provided scholarships to local students to attend a two year technical career program at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences (GAIAS), part of the University of San Francisco de Quito’s Galapagos campus located on the Island of San Cristobal. In August 2009, the first graduating class of 14 students completed their studies in environmental management, tourism administration and business administration and are ready to pursue their careers. The objective is to form community leaders to help manage conservation and be prepared to take a stand against illegal fishing that threatens the Islands ecosystem.