Abyss, Our story
At 16 years of age, the ocean and wind surfing were pretty much the only things that inspired the spirit of Christophe Paul. Being far from the model student, his mother suggested he go away for a few months to help Patrick Gilleron, who at the time was the owner of the Sea Explorer Dive Shop in the Philippines.
At 17, Christophe took the plane for the first time in his life in the direction of the Philippines. Very quickly he fell in love with both diving and the country and the seed of an idea began to grow. Organise and propose exceptional scuba diving voyages, supported by passionate guides, always respecting the ecosystems and populations visited.
For four years Christophe filled tanks and worked as a guide taking people to numerous dive spots throughout the Philippines. At this time he was also responsible for all the logistics for what at the time were defined as "Dive Camps". Many of the destinations for great diving had no hotels near them and were very remote.
Following the sale of Sea Explorers, and with the help of Agnes and Michel Deville, the association Abyss was formed in 1991. Initially there was one safari, which was conducted in the Archipelago of the Visayas in the Philippines. As time progressed many divers from diverse backgrounds joined this safari and the Abyss concept was refined.
In parallel, the success of the safari gave Christophe the opportunity to contribute both financially and physically to the installation of many mooring buoys at some of the delicate dive sites. This willingness to be involved in conservation and to work with the locals can be seen on a much larger scale with the growth of Abyss and some of the projects in which we are now involved.
With the success of the Abyss formula new destinations were introduced and "Team Abyss" evolved. In 1999 the structure was also strengthened by the simultaneous opening of an office in Cebu, and the head office which is located in Geneva Switzerland.
Today, Abyss Scuba Divers has offices, cruises, safaris and expeditions all over the globe. Abyss is a leader in it's field and concerntrates in the English and French speaking markets with bilingual guides looking after it's valued clients. The love of diving, nature and the search for the best dive sites remains a fundamental core value for the company. We look forward to having you join us on one of our voyages.
