Jon Wilkenson
Cruise Director and Operation Manager
Born in Sweden, raised in Sulawesi
Founder and Builder of the Jaya concept, The back
bone of the operation
and the old wise man of the tribe.
Specialties: Building Phinisis in south Sulawesi
- Jaya and Jiwa.
100.000 Nautical miles as skipper through Asia.
Active Padi diving instructor and cruise director
since 1997.
Wide knowledge of culture, nature and the ocean
of Indonesia.
David
Curic
Cruise Director and Dive Master
Born in Sweden but with the wild blood of south
Europe.
Joined the tribe in 2005 and is now the co-owner
and Cruise director of
Jaya.
David has the gift of gods to make the trips
pure magic, few people are
loved by so many.
A very skilled free diver down to 45m+ Padi
divemaster and natural born
Adventurer. Has been living on Jaya for 4 years
straight, traveling a distance equal to double
world circum-navigations and 1 year dive mastering
in the great barrier reef.
Sam Kerridge Dive Instructor
Born in England, but forever blowing bubbles all
over the world.
Has been a PADI IDC Staff Instructor for over
5 years and has loads of specialties up his sleeve,
learnt from working in The Red Sea, Central America,
Mexico, Thailand and Indo.
Nicknamed by David as “The Jesus of Diving”
(though he doesn’t walk on water!), he has
a passion for all things wet and slippery. A keen
freediver, photographer and videographer, he’s
the one on the trip to turn you into the best
diver you can be, all with an infectious laugh
can hear through his reg!
Achmad
Captain
Born in Tanaberu, the heart of Indonesian boat
building
The Bugis Captain is a legendin his own lifetime.
After years in east Indonesia captaining fishing
boats and building wooden boats.
Achmad started on Jaya in 2003 and has been our
wise and loyal navigator since then.
His knowledge of the Asian weather patterns, the
boats and the sea is deep and blue.
Galliano
Born in Bira, south Sulawesi, he’s the direct
descent of the Bugis pirates
and part of a legacy of sailors.
Galliano is the steersman onboard and also second
engineer.
He is also a very experienced dinghy driver and
knows where to drop you on the dive sites. Nicknamed
Mr Alright, because with him, everything always
is!
Rizarl
The mechanic, always with a smile on his face,
he’s is both the king of the
engine room and the natural entertainer.
Born in Sumatra and went to sea sailing the Mentawai
islands at a young age.
Rizal is always happy to take you on land excursions
or go snorkeling
between dives.
Putra
The nephew of Achmad and the chef on board. He’s
been with us since 2006 cooking a nice fusion
of Indonesian, Thai and Western cuisine. Great
healthy food served in big portions.
Putra is the ultimate happy seaman and gets involved
in every aspect of the boat trips, especially
the entertainment!
Crew
