Company Profile of SEAL
 

Our passion for sailing, diving and exploring the remote island archipelagos of Asia, all started back in 1988. We have sailed and explored some of the most remote islands to be found in Asia, exploring above & below the waters. Putting hundreds of thousands of sea miles behind us and thousands of dives under our proverbial weight belts.

Gaining such intimate and valuable knowledge of the regions that we operate our tours in, has really set us up and given us the ability to offer some of the most adventurous and out of the way liveaboard diving trips available anywhere in the world.

Arriving late 1988 in Phuket, Thailand, we started operating dive trips to the Similan and Surin Islands. We still continue these trips today on our sailing yacht ‘Wanderlust’. These cruises are ever popular and prove a favorite with many of our repeat guests.

In 1996 we finally succeeded in negotiations with the Burmese Government, to open the Mergui Archipelago. We had spent many years dreaming of what the area would really be like. There were no reports from any other Adventurers to the region, as it had been closed off to all foreigners for over fifty years. After three years of negotiations we were finally rewarded with the first ever license issued by the Burmese government to run tours to the region. On our initial exploratory trips, we were over-whelmed by the abundance of wild life, above and below the waters, in the region.

We soon discovered that the Mergui Archipelago offered more than just diving. We shortly after, introduced our Sea-kayaking safari trips. These are a real ‘off the wall’ adventure, which are proving to be very popular. We now run three different trips in the Mergui Archipelago. These are our Liveaboard Diving cruise, Adventure cruise and Sea kayaking safari trips.

We have also pioneered other adventures in South East Asia, including surfing and diving charters to the remote Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. This long lost Island chain is part of the Indian sub continent. The Islands still hold long lost tribes of Pigmy Nagritos and Cannibals!

If all that we have accomplished so far, is not enough, we are also operating a liveaboard dive cruise to the Sangihe Archipelago in north Sulawasi, Indonesia and an Adventure cruise to the beautiful Phang Nga Bay in Thailand. Oh, I almost forgot to mention our Dive school, which is a PADI 5 star center of long standing and a BSAC Premier school!

Are our trips for you?

Our trips are for reasonably active, flexible-minded people who enjoy the unusual and the adventurous. We will take you out to some really remote and spectacular spots. We will also get you ‘up close & personal’ to the indigenous peoples and wildlife of the areas that we visit!

There will be times when you will have to put up with temporary lack of small civilized comforts, such as hand phones and cable TV. If you cannot cope with anything unexpected or unusual, or if you have to be waited on hand and foot wherever you are, then our adventures may not be for you!

Group size

All our trips are small, with stated maximum varies from 8 to 10. We feel that small groups provide a better social experience for you and in many cases are essential to preserve the integrity of the more remote places that we visit.

Your travelling companions

People from all walks of life travel with us. They may be 18 or 89 years old, of either sex, alone or with a friend, experienced travelers or complete beginners, but you can be reasonably sure that they will share an interest in travel and exploration, and have a similar attitude of mind. In any group, many participants are likely to have done a SEAL holiday before.

SEAL, the environment and responsible tourism

As tourism becomes a truly global industry, we recognize our obligation to operate our tours in a responsible and sustainable fashion. We view this not only as an environmental issue but an economic and social one as well. Above all we are committed to the well-being of the communities that are our hosts and the natural environment that we are there to experience. We also believe that by following these policies we can provide a more rewarding and interesting experience to you our clients.

Comments from the Directors:

Adam Frost: "After ten years of travels and adventures in the remote archipelagos of South East Asia, the experience we have gained is invaluable. Witnessing the different cultures, as well as finding the islands’ most beautiful bays, beaches and dive sites, has helped us enormously. Our aim is to show our customers the best of what we have seen on our travels and to leave them with unforgettable images and moments which they are able to take home with them, whilst leaving behind only footprints in the sand."

Graham Frost: "Although we have been lucky to achieve a great deal in the past few years, we are by no means ready to leave it at that. More new frontiers are waiting to be bridged. We have another new project in mind, but that’s on hold till 2002. A lot of research and sometimes set-backs can happen when you go for the seemingly impossible. Not to mention the frustrations we try to smilingly endure! The main thing is to be good – really good – the tops in fact – at what you do. We don’t believe in doing things by halves and then rushing into something else just for the sake of doing it. But there are more incredible places that we want to show you!"

Marlene Frost: "I would never have believed how small the world now seems, with people writing to us every day of the year from all corners of the earth. It’s wonderful to meet up with many of them too when they come here to join our trips – just like meeting old friends. Part of my reason for joining SEAL was the opportunity to live on a beautiful tropical island plus the challenge of the unknown. The ‘unknown’ has now become the ‘known’, but the challenge is always there – always new and very exciting – such as visiting the beautiful Mergui Archipelago and meeting the sea gypsies who are the indigenous people of that region. If that’s too tame then there’s always the chance of exchanging glances (from one of our boats I might add!) with cannibals who live on one of the remote Andaman Islands!

A great measure of our success has been the high percentage of return customers we get, many of whom come back year after year for their holidays with us, and some of whom have become our friends. Why not join them? We would love to see you and share our experiences with you."