1. Introduce yourself and briefly describe your background.
Hi, my name is Naysan Munusamy and I’m one of the Managing Directors at Great Ocean Divers which is a fun loving and awesome dive travel agency based out of Malaysia but we do many trips to far flung destinations like Palau, Maldives and Layang Layang. My own background is that I was in the banking sector for many years but my hobby and passion has always been scuba diving to which I’m now living my dream and running this dive travel agency along with my partner John Ung.
2. Why did you decide to go into this business? How long has it been established?
Great Ocean Divers was established about 7 years ago by my partner John Ung and has build up a great loyal customer base here in Malaysia. I’ve just joined recently to help boost our marketing efforts with a focus on one of Malaysia’s best hidden diving destinations Layang Layang.
3. Can you describe your services (and products etc)? What is your top offering?
Great Ocean Divers offers many trips throughout the year from Palau to Maldives to Malapascua but our favourite diving destination has to be Layang Layang Island. It’s right off the coast of Sabah and its seclusion and distance from the mainland is what makes the island so attractive and the diving there is truly world class with a smorgasbord of pelagics available each dive.
Layang Layang is a truly rare diving destination and probably the only diving destination in the entire of South East Asia where divers can consistently find large schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks roaming the ocean undisturbed. Just last month we caught on video a school of 60 hammerhead sharks congregating in a large school and it was a truly magnificent sight to behold. On top of that, the occasional thresher shark can be found along with white tip and black tip reef sharks a common sight. Schools of striped barracudas are also common and another main draw are the large schools forming tornadoes of big eyed and giant trevally fishes. It’s every underwater photographer’s dream to capture such magnificient pelagic marine creatures and the underwater visibility in Layang Layang is truly spectacular with visibility usually nothing less than 30 meters and usually well over 50 meters in the un-polluted and pristine waters of Layang Layang.
4. Who are your clients / customers? Why do they select you over others?
Our clientele are Malaysian divers who love the fun loving atmosphere that we create during each of our dive trips. People always associate our Great Ocean Divers dive trips with awesome dive destinations and a crowd of really fun loving Malaysian divers.
5. How has technology, such as computers and the Internet, impacted on how you serve or conduct business?
The diving travel industry is one that has welcomed the digital age with a multitude of digital innovations with mobile apps and such. At Great Ocean Divers, we do keep up with technology with an updated website and plans for our own mobile app in the near future but at the same time we are very focused on providing our customers with a real human touch by ensuring we have cool and fun dive guides accompanying our dive trips.
6. Do you plan to expand (range of offerings, service areas, geographical reach etc.)? If yes, how? If no, why not?
Yes, we certainly intend to do so with increased diving destinations and recruiting non Malaysian divers to come join our dive trips as well.
7. What are the biggest issues (serving your clients, running your business etc)?
Unfortunately there are two big issues currently facing our business. Firstly is the economy and the ever weakening Malaysian currency. This makes our overseas dive destinations more and more expensive to Malaysians. Secondly would be mother nature in terms of typhoons and natural disasters hurting the coral ecosystem in specific locations in South East Asia thus harming the coral population and making the dive sites no longer attractive.
8. What do you wish you’d done differently?
Well I certainly try my best not to live my life with regrets so I have to say that as of right now, I don’t wish to have done anything differently.
9. What are you glad you did?
Well I’m glad that I took the plunge to leave the safe banking career I had and venture into business particularly a business in an industry which I’m really passionate about.
10. Where do you see yourself and your business in a year’s time?
Well I would certainly like to envision that in a year’s time, both myself and Great Ocean Divers would be able to increase our dive trips as well as increase our customer base to include non Malaysian divers as well
11. Words of wisdom
There comes a time in everyone’s life where they should stop to take measure of where they are in their career and life. Be daring, be bold and take the leap. Always remember that life is not worth living if you’re not doing something that you’re passionate about.
12. Please give your contact details so that your target audience will know how to reach you.
Naysan Munusamy
Great Ocean Divers
Mobile: +6012 338 7037
www.greatoceandivers.com