MALUKU DIVERS PRESS RELEASE
Maluku Divers has always tried to be a reputable and honourable operator, striving to achieve high standards and being respectful of others.
From humble beginnings in basic government owned rental offices, the company has evolved, redeveloped and upgraded. In 2009, the company was reformed and a new group of shareholders invested and joined the previous owners. The group then took a huge step and purchased land, to begin construction of the purpose built dive resort. Our incredible team of Indonesian employees followed the move, and have grown from 16, when we purchased the company in 2009, to over 45 in 2018. That is over 45 families we are supporting in this remote part of Indonesia, along with countless other drivers, suppliers, and other service providers that are directly benefitted by the company operations.
The shareholder’s continued reinvestment in the property, resulted in office and staff back of house facilities, new garden rooms, a jetty, improved dive facilities, boats and transfer vehicles – all with the aim of improving the facility for a better experience for our visiting divers. Overall development of the product has resulted in what we believe is a fantastic facility. We are so proud of what our team have built over the past decade.
It is with great dismay that we have to announce that the Maluku Divers Resort will close 31 May 2018 due to a long standing legal battle involving a disputed land ownership claim. Despite multiple attempts to negotiate a fair settlement, we have been unable to reach a compromise.
It is a sad fact that Maluku Divers cannot afford to fight on. Legal bills and recent rulings have made it clear that it is not possible for the resort to continue to operate and provide services for which divers have paid.
All deposited bookings for 2018 / 2019 season will be refunded in full, our reservations team will be in touch with every guest to coordinate these refunds.
As always with this kind of situation, there will be rumours and opinions in the industry, this we understand. Everyone will argue that there are two sides to every story. However, Maluku Divers shareholders have taken no profit in over 10 years of operation, and consistently re-invested in the business at the location as the property owners. Unfortunately, others have taken advantage of a vigorously disputed claim to ownership of the property, and due to legal technicalities we have been unable to properly defend the resort.
We sincerely thank all of you who have visited and enjoyed our resort, we can only apologise that we won’t be able to continue what we have worked so hard to build. Our sense of injustice is overwhelming.
Finally to our incredible team. You are amazing, your effort and responsibility for representing, developing and protecting the company has been phenomenal. It has been an honour to stand behind you and watch the dedication and pride you showed welcoming divers to our resort. We are devastated at how it has ended. Please know you will forever be in our hearts. We love you all and we will miss you terribly.
