What's a Mola-Mola???

Greetings faithful fans and followers!!!

The reason why so many people come to Bali to dive is the prospect of seeing one of the most amazing fish in sea. The Mola Mola (or Oceanic sunfish, or "mambo") can be seen around the waters of Bali  mostly during the summer months and early autumn. People make the treck to Bali in hopes of being able to spend a dive getting up close and personal with this rare, almost prehistoric looking fish (and then going home and bragging to all their friends about it).


So why is the Mola Mola so cool? Well firstly it looks like no other fish in the sea. Imagine a big flat pancake (and by big I mean 2 meters from top to bottom), now imagine two long fins, one on the top and one on the bottom sticking out perfectly straight from the centre of the pancake. Now, give the pancake and eye and a mouth. Voila! Hello Mr. Mola Mola.


"But where's the tail Joe??? My God! Where's the tail!!!???"


Well curious onlooker, there isn't really one...well there is but for whatever reason, the Mola Mola was left out of the evolutionary "here you go have a tail" party. So now it just has a litttle stumpy that all the other fish make fun of.


"Ha! You call THAT a tail!!" Bah!!


Poor Mola-Mola....
In addition to being the lame kid at the party who shows up with no tail, the Mola Mola also has the unfortunate circumstance of suffering from one of the highest rates of parasitic infections in the sea. Ya, ya I know you're thinking...man, what a catch! No tail, parasites, big, round and flat. This guy is definitely the one at the party who hangs out at the refreshment table, dateless and awkward. 
Unfortunate for the fish yes, but not unfortunate for us voyeuristic divers. You see, the Mola Mola has come up with an incredible work around for his rather unsightly skin issues. As we all know, Bali is famous for its cheap and luxurious spas and skin treatments. Well, the Mola Mola has apparently decided to take part in the action as well.  During Mola Mola season, these fish follow the thermaclines to the shallower waters around Nusa Penida in Bali for a little bit of pampering thanks to the hundreds of banner fish that live in the local reefs.
Once they hit a shallow enough level (often around 20m in Crystal Bay) they stop still in the water and float motionlessly. This allows schools of bannerfish to surround them and get about the business of picking off all their parasites. Not exactly my idea of a tasty meal but the bannerfish seem to enjoy it and the Mola Mola gets a good cleaning. The bonus side effect? If you're lucky enough to stumble by one of these spa treatments in action, you are pretty sure to be able to spend a good chunk of time just floating beside one of these gentle giants. They are truly amazing.


It's no coincidence that the Blue Season Bali logo includes a Mola Mola




It was the Mola Mola that first brought me to Blue Season Bali. I did tons of research on the internet and all signs pointed towards Blue Season  as being the best. Their Mola Mola and Manta Madness dive safaris promised to offer the best chance of seeing not only Mola Mola but also giant manta rays at "Manta Point"
Well I was sold!
And I wasn't disappointed either. Over my three day dive safari I spent 2 days with the mola mola. Up close and personal with the tailess, parasite infested wonderfish!! It was amazing. Yes, I know that it is in Mother Nature's hands what we run across in the sea but Blue Season Bali's dive guides know their stuff and seem to have an uncanny ability to spot what their clients are looking for. I have since been back to Blue Season twice, once in October and once in February. In October I was once again lucky enough to have an amazing Mola Mola encounter. We spent at least 10 minutes hovering within 1-2 meters of a giant Mola Mola in crytal clear visibility. I was truly amazing.


This is just one of the many reasons why I want to win The Best Dive Job so badly. It was after my Mola Mola dive safari that I spoted the poster for The Best Dive Job on the wall of the dive centre. It was calling to me like a lighthouse in the fog of my rather uninspiring life. I had to seize the chance. The thought of being able to spend my working day with these amazing fish is more than I can imagine! The thought of being able to take divers, new and old, out to see them for the first time is even better.

A Mola Mola enjoying one of Bali's famous skin care spa treatments....

Help me win Blue Season Bali's Best Dive Job in the World so that I can live out my dream. I've never wanted anything so badly in my life.


Please take a minute to like my facebook page
and comment on my application page on the Best Dive Job Blog by clicking HERE scrolling down to the bottom of the page and telling Blue Season why I deserve to win.
Please share my battle with all your friends and colleagues. There are only 7 days left in the competition and I am still in it to win it!! Please help me stay at the top!!

Also take minute to check out Blue Season Bali's Website. They aren't just in the business of Mola Mola. They have tons of different dive safaris and dive excursions around Bali as well as internships for those of you who are looking to go pro (like me!!!) Check out the website, find a safari you like, vote for me and then come after I win. I will be your guide!!! :)

Only 7 days until the winner is announced!!!

Joe Zeiler is the best choice for the final prize!! Let's make sure Blue Season Bali knows it!!!

COMMENT, SHARE, COMMENT, SHARE, COMMENT, SHARE, COMMENT, SHARE!!!

Joe Zeiler - The final countdown to the Best Dive Job in the WORLD!

Being a finaslist in Blue Season Bali's Best Dive Job in the World  takes tireless dedication and training.
Here's a taste ofmy daily training regime as we lead up to the announcement of the winner on March 15th, 2012!

I still need you to keep up the support to push me to the finale. You can help by doing a couple of things

1) like my facebook fan page
2) comment on my application page (you can do this every day
3) spread the word. Get all your friends to do the same!!
4) Take a support picture! Just write " ___________ (you fill in where you are) supports Joe Zeiler for Blue Season Bali's Best Dive Job 2012"

Thanks everyone!! We're almost there, only 7 days left!!!!

The world supports Joe Zeiler for Best Dive Job in the WORLD!!!

Thanks so much to my lovely friend Ms. Carrie Sammut and some of my many international supporters for putting together this little support video for me!


The contest is winding down but my support is still going strong!

Blue Season Bali!! THE WORLD SUPPORTS ME! YOU SHOULD TOOOO!

TOP TEN FINALIST - JOE ZEILER!!!

So the first of the TOP TEN has been announced and guess what! It's ME!!!
This is serious friends and fans. I have made it to the final round, made the final cut, been thrown into the fiery depths of the battlefield. It's time for TEAM ZEILER's last push to victory.

I am so excited and nervous. Over the past 5 months I have battled hard and endlessly with the hopes of being able to finally trade in my mark book for a SCUBA tank. For most of the time, the end has seemed so far away that it wasn't really real. Now, with only 14 days left, all the pressure, expectation and the fear of a possible disappointment have become too real! There is some fierce competition happening as all of us are starting to feel the pull of the finish line and the exhaustion from the long race. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared that all my hard work will not pay off. I am. I want this so bad, I don't think I've wanted something this bad in a very ,very long time. I've pretty much ate, breathed and slept this competition since before it even opened and I've dragged all of you along with me. You've all been so amazing I cannot thank you enough. 

I know you're all tired, I know you all feel like you've done your part, you posted a comment, you've liked my fanpage. But now as we push towards the end, we need to show that we've all still got the desire to win. Please help me get over this last hump. There are people in the competition who have not been involved for nearly as long as me. Their fanbase is still fresh and excited. Let's show them that even though I've been in this for what seems like a lifetime, me and all my friends, fans, supporters and family are just as excited and inspired for me to win as they were 5 months ago. 

LET'S ROCK THIS PEOPLE!!! LET'S MAKE MY DREAM A REALITY!!!

so.... before you do anything else,

CLICK HERE  

and leave a comment telling Blue Season why I need to win. Tell them why I stand out from the bunch, why I would make an amazing ambassador for BLUE SEASON BALI (click the name to see what they're all about), why I deserve this amazing opportunity. I need all of you to get me to the Island of the Gods.

My goal is to get at least 300 comments by the time the top ten finalists are all announced. Please help me not only meet my goals but far exceed it.

Also, please take a support picture for me. You can hand make the sign if you don't have the word version. People have been coming up with all sorts of wacky and creative things to take pictures with .Go for it, try to take the best, wackiest, silliest, most amazing support photo you can.

Just write:

 " ____________________ supports Joe Zeiler for Blue Season Bali's Best Dive Job in the World 2012."

Snap a pic and post it on FB or email it to me. Need my email address? Post it in a comment on this page and I'll send it to you.

Thanks again everyone. This has been the biggest battle of my life and all of you have been amazing people to bring along on the journey!

BATTLE ON TEAM ZEILER!! BATTLE ON!!!

Look how sad I am on the surface!! Help me get under the waves!!!

J

The lowdown

Well the day has finally arrived. Blue Season Bali's Best Dive Job in the World 2012 contest is officially closed. That means that as of midnight last night the folks at Blue Season no longer accepted applications. Starting tomorrow they will release one name on the list of the top 10 finalists a day leading up to the final announcement of the winner on March 15th. Although the contest is officially closed, all of the applicants are going to be continuing to capaign and promote ourselves in the hope of finally convincing Blue Season Bali that we are the one.

I am pretty convinced that it is still anyone's game at this point. There are so many cool and interesting people who have applied and all of us have our own little niche. One applicant has made dozens of super cool posters about diving and Blue Season Bali, another has managed to get all her friends to log swimming miles that equal the entire coast of Bali, another has a smile that seems to know no end and organized a very cool looking party to promote her and Blue Season in her hometown. Others are travellers, bloggers, divers of all levels of certifications, university students, people looking for their second career, people looking for the first career they always wanted but never had the opportunity to pursue. It clear from this contest that diving is something that appeals to people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. It's something that pulls people together through a common language (hand signals!!) and a common interest. When we are all underwater we are all speaking the same language and we're all on the same level - visitors in a world that inspires, intrigues us.


But in the ends, we need to realize that this is a competition and it's a competition that I am desperate to win. Considering the diversity and the dedication of all the applicants, I thought I would give everyone the lowdown as to why JOE ZEILER is the one that should be handed the golden regulator and welcomed into the fold at Blue Season Bali.

1) I have been in the contest for the entire 5 months. I first heard about the competition when I saw a poster for it on the wall of Blue Season's Sanur dive centre when I was diving there last July. I returned to Bangkok with one goal and one goal only. Enter, campaign and WIN! I have been capaigning tirelessly the entire time, I have never given up, never taken a break, never stopped promoting Blue Season Bali and myself around the world. Even through difficult times (my evacuation from Bangkok due to floods) and distracting times (transglobal holidays, work stress, deadlines) my capaigning has never wavered and neither has the support of my many fans. If this doesn't show how dedicated and passionate I am about winning this thing, I don't know what does.


2) I have a pretty impressive fan base! At the time of writing my facebook fan page had a total of 604 fans. Not too shabby! That means that every time I post about my battle for Bali and Blue Season 604 people hear it and potentially share it with their friends. Even more exciting is that of the 604 fans I have, only 208 of them are my personal friends. That means that I have been able to pass the word out far beyond my own group of friends and have inspired people I've never met to support me and Blue Season. I've also managed to get over 1300 comments on my Blue Season application page - not too shabby either!

3) I'm a passionate writer. I started this blog not long after I joined the competition and have tried to use it as a platform to promote myself and my love for diving, but more importantly all the cool stuff about Blue Season and their partners. Not only do I love to write but people actually enjoy reading it! Just check out my hit map in the top right hand corner. At the time of writing I have over 720 hits from 35 different countries!!! How's that for some global PR?? I spend a lot of my time saying that I wish I had more time to write but work gets in the way. If I win that won't be a problem because writing will be part of my job!!! How cool is that!!!

4) Joe Zeiler's global appeal. As I said earlier, many of the applicants have a particular "niche" that their campaign has revolved around. Something that has made them stick out from the pack. For me, I decided to grab onto Blue Season Bali's desire to choose someone who could get the word out about their company and the amazing diving opportunities offered in Bali. And so, on December 5th "The World Supports Joe Zeiler" campaign was born. Since then I have received 261 photos from around the world showing support for my Battle for Bali. I have received photos from across Canada and America, Spain, Armenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Thailand, Slovenia, Germany, Singapore, Bhutan, Kazhakstan, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Burma, the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Germany, Abu Dhabi and Qatar just to name a few. I've also received photos from tops of mountains, wedding chapels, science labs, jungle retreats, dive shops and spots, boats, beaches, living rooms, bars, backyards and motorscooters, with totem poles, murals, family pets, snow forts, sacred temples and busy streets. Dogs have supported me, hamsters have heralded my talents, cats and fish, girlguides, scientists, babies, toddlers, moms, dads and gramas...even a giant hotdog have supported me throughout my campaign. The photos are still coming in as we speak. New countries and new supporters are being added to the list daily. Months on, the excitement has not died down. Joe Zeiler's global domination continues...if I win, imagine how far I will be able to spread the word about the amazing things Blue Season Bali has to offer!
oh...and let's not forget my amazing Lithuanian musical tribute video!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kPE-MizWL0
and the Vancouver street beat boxers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGNP7nBbTP4

5) Steven Spielberg has nothing on me! Yes, that's right, I am a cinematic genius; master of the silver screen who, armed with my digital video camera and nimble fingers sweeping through the tabs and icons of Windows MovieMaker, have created promotional videos that are beyond compare. Part of the job description for the Best Dive Job is to create a weekly video blog. Just look at my movie mastery!! How could Blue Season say no! Actress, director, producer, editor! I'm the whole package!!
Check out my videos here and be a part of the magic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jApUUCPVu8&list=UUg7-3k_iNVw6QVr_Dt1VTOQ&index=33&feature=plcp


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnwWcYrJYFU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HPm0bPxULo&feature=related


6) I love diving! I have only been diving for 2 years but in that time I have managed to log almost 150 dives. Every vacation I have I can't wait to strap on a tank and hit the deep blue. Even better, I LOVE diving in Bali. For the past two years I spent a full month of my summer vacation in Bali diving Nusa Penida, Amed, Tulumben, Menjangan and Pemuteran. I can't get enough! Every time I descend under the Balinese waves I see something different, I remain completely inspired by Bali's ocean critters and I can't wait for more. I'm incredibly passionate about diving in Bali which I think has become pretty clear through my blog and FB posts. If I win, I will be able to pass that excitement and passion on to my students and guests.

7) I DON'T:
smell, have strange habits, have an annoying laugh, dress like a wierdo, talk too much, think that I know everything, lie, cheat, steal, dance like an old person at a wedding, sleepwalk, pee in my wetsuit, yell at people, make fun of others, take candy from babies, kill spiders because they're creepy, come to work drunk, call in sick when I'm hungover, blame others for my mistakes, take life too seriously, mind the rainy season.

8) I DO:
like to have fun, love to travel, enjoy a few beers with friends, love to dive, know the names of lots of fishies, study hard, love to laugh, have a nice smile, look ok in a wetsuit, have a secret obsession with nudibranchs, admit  when I'm wrong, have a sweet tooth, floss my teeth daily, speak English, French and Japanese, feel fine living amongst spiders and cockroaches and other tropical creepy crawlers, love Bali, love Blue Season, think that Jonathan Cross and Tom West are cool guys, write well, know how to teach, promise to prove that I am the best choice for the Best Dive Job.

So, is there really any question as to who Blue Season Bali should pick for their top prize? I think not. I've got what it takes to make the best of this opportunity. So pick me! There really is no other choice!

Please, please, please continue to support me by liking my FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Joe-Zeiler-for-Best-Job-in-the-World-2012/175807769165257

Leave a comment of support  on my Blue Season application page by scrolling all the way down to the bottom and posting a little note of support:
http://www.bestdivejob.com/2012/?p=90

Take a support picture from where you live. If you dont' have a sign just make one!!! If you're my FB friend and want a copy of the sign you can send me a message and I'll send one along.

Thanks again everyone only 15 days of battling left!

Don't forget to check out BLUE SEASON BALI while you're at it!!

Cheers from the stress zone
J

Help Save the reefs around Koh Tao!!

As part of the Best Dive Job contest, the folks at Blue Season Bali have asked for us to submit a local marine conservation project that could need some support and financial help. They will choose one to support through their media outlets.
Of course, considering it's a contest there is no guarantee that they'll chose my submission so I'm posting it here so that it can get out to the world regardless of whether it makes the cut or not.


The following write up is about the battle to rebuild the coral reefs around Koh Tao, Thailand. I learned to dive there and it holds a very special place in my heart. I want to make sure that the reefs around Koh Tao remain vibrant and alive so that others can learn to dive there and have their eyes opened to the amazing world under the waves.

Help Support the Coral Nurseries of Koh Tao, Thailand!!!

Koh Tao is a small island located off the western coast of mainland Thailand. Known as the diving mecca of the country, Tao boasts good diving and affordable dive certifications year round. One of Tao’s many draws is its close proximity to a variety of excellent dive sites, coral gardens and reefs.  For the people of Tao ,the reefs and the marine life that call them home are not only important for their economy but also for their identity.  Unfortunately, global climate changes as well as local stressors such as overfishing, the pollution from the exponential growth of tourism in the area has resulted in the wide scale degradation of the local marine ecosystem.  Coral cover around Koh Tao is sadly being lost at a rate faster than it can recover and faster than the local business and dive operators can protect it.

 Faced with severe bleaching during the summer of 2010 due to a rise in ocean temperatures and the increasing loss of coral in the area due to the activities of inexperienced divers and tourists, several dive operators on the island have taken action to bring the reefs of Koh Tao back to life.  Big Blue Diving, one of the largest dive operators on the island, is a main player in the island’s “adopt a reef” program.  The program’s aim is to set up coral nurseries around the island’s major dive sites in addition to teaching local dive operators and businesses about data collection, coral transfer and preparation techniques.

Koa Tao currently has a number of coral nurseries around the island utilizing and testing various restoration techniques. The aims of the program are three fold. Firstly, the coral nurseries provide a means for repairing and “replanting” the coral that is being lost around the island. Secondly, these coral nurseries provide an excellent opportunity to test and research various approaches to coral restoration and thirdly, the nurseries provide an invaluable opportunity to educate divers about the fragile ecosystem on which their hobby/employment depends.  By the end of last year, Koh Tao had 48 coral nursery tables in place with very promising results.  For example, the tables tended by the eco staff at Big Blue had several excellent samples of threatened corals growing quickly and even a school of 21 juvenile tiera batfish who have taken up residence in the nursery. These scenes are being played out around the island in nurseries set up by a variety of Tao dive operators.

Unfortunately, these nurseries cannot flourish without consistent care and tending by individuals who are dedicated to repairing and revitalizing Koh Tao’s ecosystem. The program is also always in need of publicity and financial donations which can be used to build more nurseries and fund larger research projects in the area.

Koh Tao is a “gateway” into the world of diving for thousands of people every year. With every new diver certified, another pair of eyes is opened to the beauty of the sea and the fragile ecosystems that exist there.  Unfortunately, as Koh Tao certifies more and more divers, the reefs that have been their classrooms are slowly fading away.  I am submitting the coral nurseries of Koh Tao (under the umbrella of the Save Koh Tao Group) for consideration because I believe that the first step to conservation is creating an awareness of and appreciation for the beauty of what is being destroyed. We need to keep the reefs around Koh Tao vibrant and alive so that more divers can learn to dive there. I’ve never met a certified diver who didn’t feel passionate about protecting marine ecology. If we can continue to create new divers, we can continue to create new conservationists.  Keeping the reefs of Koh Tao alive is a major step in this battle.       

If you’d like to learn more about the efforts of Save Koh Tao to rebuild Tao’s reefs please visit the following websites:

http://www.marineconservationkohtao.com/

http://www.bigbluediving.com/category/conservation.html

http://www.savekohtao.com/

tending to some little babies on their way

tending to the coral being regrown

given a second lease on life - Koh Tao coral nurseries

The new guards of the coral nursery on Sairee Beach - 21 tiera batfish!

Some of the folks at Big Blue Diving building the nursery tables

Grow babies! Grow!!!

Installing the nurseries around Koh Tao

So there you go! Help out my favorite little fishies and coral buddies!!!
Oh, and while you're at it. HELP ME WIN so that I can help the fishies and coral in Bali too!


We're down the wire. I need the big push to the end.
Like my page, post a comment, take a picture, make a video. I need you to help me WIN WIN WIN.


I am leaving in about 6 hors to head to... BALI! ya that's right. Half-term so I'm heading back to my home away from home to get a bit of diving in (with Blue Season Bali of course!) and to see some of my Balinese buddies. Put the Bintang on ice...HERE I COME!!!


Cheers from the Battlefield!
J

SHORTLISTED!!!

Hello fans and followers!!

First off, Happy Valentines Day!!!

Well today has been an action packed day indeed!
Firstly it was Valentine's days and I spent it in the hallowed halls of a high school where we had to continually mop up the hormones and melodrama as roses, chocolates, teddy bears and cliches were delivered by cupids and cupidettes alike. Concentration in the halls of The Regent's School was at an all time low and hormone/chocolate induced squealing was at an all time high. There truly is no better place to spend your Valentine's day than in the halls of a high school. It's truly ridiculous.

Secondly, a crazed Iranian decided to start tossing bombs around in Bangkok. By the time it was all over 3 innocents were injured and the bomber managed to blow his own legs off when a bomb he tossed at the police hit a tree and bounced back towards him. In the land of Karma some things aren't terribly surprising.

But...but...but!!! Most importantly, today is the day I made the shortlist for Blue Season Bali's BEST DIVE JOB IN THE WORLD 2012!!!! Yipeee! That's right ladies and gentlemen I'm on to round 2!! So that means that you have at least another 2 weeks of me harrasing you! JOY!!!

The people at Blue Season Bali have been a bit cryptic about the whole thing so I'm not sure how many of us are actually on this shortlist but I guess they want to keep it a bit under wraps until the competition officially closes on the 28th of February and the finalists are officially announced.

SOOOO!!! Here's the deal. All the amazing members of Team "Joe Zeiler for Best Dive Job" need to kick things up a notch. We need to keep the campaign going, keep the comments flowing, keep the support pictures from around the globe streaming in. It's time to get creative, time to get wacky and time to get serious about getting me into the winner's circle.

So your homework for the next few days is to think about how you can convince Blue Season Bali that I'm the one! Make a video clip? Take a crazy photo? Write a silly/inspiring/unbelievable support comment? Think about how you can help me to get my name and Blue Season Bali around the world. Let's get my campaing rolling even more globally than it already is.

Please continue to post comments on my application page and get your friends to like my fanpage on Facebook. Also remember to keep those support pics coming in from cool and amazing places around the world!!

I can't do it without all your help! Let's do it Team Zeiler!!! Let's get me to BALI!!!!

Cheers from Round 2!!
J