It is with a heavy heart that I report that the MV Empress was lost in a storm yesterday
For those of you fortunate enough to have dived with the worlds best tech dive boat and captain -please do not flood Vidars email system as he is using satelite communications.
Empress mooring line broke in a storm and she was beached.
Some of us are putting together a fund to help them and to replace/rebuild her if possible - details to be posted here later for those that want to contribute.
A major-major loss to local diving and to the many overseas divers who helped keep her charter book fully booked for years in advance - just through word of mouth.
My heart goes out to Vidar Alice and the boys.
http://mvempress.com/
For those who didnt know the Empress and Vidar they found hundreds (and I do mean hundereds) of virgin wrecks over the last 25 years in SE Asia including practically all the ships involved with the battle of the Java sea.
A huge loss - the end of an era. Im going out to get drunk