Saving the Ocean for Children

The Taiwan Dive Center (TDC), founded in 1980, got its start by taking on marine engineering projects. Only later did it gradually transform into a company devoted to recre­ational diving. From a very young age, company CEO Dylan Chen accompanied his father working on marine engineering contracts. At the time he disliked the ocean and wanted to escape that career path. However, after graduating from university with a degree in economics, he didn’t pass the license exams to work in the insurance or financial industries, but only succeeded in getting certified as a diving instructor. As a result he founded a sea-based business, and through the ocean his life has linked up with the wider world. Chen, who often says that the only thing he has mastered in life is diving, has dedicated his life to doing this one thing well and on the largest possible scale.

Dylan Chen wants to be a diver who protects the ocean for the next generation. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Gaining influence with scale

In 2005 Chen got certification as a diving instructor from the Pro­fessional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s largest dive training organization, and began to operate a one-man diving workshop. His business was stable enough for him to make a living at it, but he changed direction in 2009. That year, as a result of an invita­tion he got over the telephone, Chen packed his bags and went for a working holiday in Cairns, Australia, where he saw the complete line of services offered by the local ocean holiday industry. He was impressed by the solid training of personnel, the impeccable service procedures, the career development opportunities for instructors, and even the concern for environ­mental protection. Chen consequently hoped that after returning to Taiwan he could turn his company into a large-scale operation. “The first reason is that this was the only way to make a profit; the second reason is that this was the only way to get a place at the table and have enough influence to engage in dialogue with the govern­ment and stakeholders; and the third and most important reason is that this was the only way to look after my employees.”

After returning from Australia, in 2011 Chen gained certification from PADI as a course director, which meant that he was qualified to train diving instructors and could build his own team. In 2014 he took the next step to become a “platinum” course director. The years 2012 to 2015 saw vast numbers of travelers coming to Taiwan from mainland China, and during the ten-day “Golden Week” holidays around China’s October 1 National Day, the TDC took up to 1000 customers on dives. Thanks to these favorable circum­stances and their own diligent preparation, the TDC’s revenues surged, and Chen took the opportunity to build the TDC Resort at Houbihu in Heng­chun Township, Pingtung County. This is an environ­ment­ally friendly green building, with “caring about the ocean” as the starting point for every detail of its design. “Because it carries the name ‘Taiwan Dive,’ naturally we have to do things properly so that people won’t look down on Taiwan’s diving industry,” says Chen.

The TDC Resort is a green building, with “caring about the ocean” as the starting point for its design. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Saving the ocean for children

Starting in 2016, a deterioration in cross-strait relations caused the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan to plummet, and Chen, unwilling to cut his prices to stay competitive, had to think about how to restructure his business. He started with branding and states frankly that when he first began to create a “green” image for the firm, he wasn’t really acting from the heart. “The real transformation came when my child was born.”

Originally Chen felt that he could proceed slowly to achieve “sustainability”; he thought that ten years was a sufficiently long time and there was no need to hurry. But a question from a friend gave him a wake-up call: “At what age can children learn scuba diving?” “Ten years old.” “From that moment on there was a connection between the ten-year sustainability plan and a ten-year-old child.” “We can leave our children money, a house, and even a job, but can we leave them this ocean?” “In ten years will my child be able to see such a beautiful sea?” When their thoughts reached this point, Chen and his wife just hung their heads and cried.

With this new motivation, Chen began taking action. He made a rule forbidding his employees to bring any disposable products into the company, while at the same time he began to devise accompanying measures, providing breakfast from the restaurant and offering self-catering students reusable utensils for dining out. Chen also dedicated himself to transforming TDC into Asia’s first diving instructional center to be certified as a Benefit Corporation (B Corp). A so-called B Corp is an enterprise that does not care only about profit, but also devotes attention to fulfilling its social responsibility in order to make a positive impact on the world.

To this end, Chen set a new tone for the company: “The focal point of TDC services is ‘the ocean’ rather than ‘people.’ We do everything possible that is beneficial for the sea, and we don’t do anything harmful to the sea.” TDC donates 1% of its diving tourism revenues each year to do something positive for the ocean. It has also set up a fund with 20% of its profits to invest in marine environ­mental protection and support ocean-related non-profit organiza­tions, becoming a proponent of a sustainable sea.

Twin Peaks Blue Caves, Hengchun. (photo by Yuhan Ghost)

Diving deeper

In 2019, through AVEDA Taiwan founder Chu Ping, Chen invited the internationally known diving travel expert Simon Pridmore to come to Taiwan for a round-the-island diving tour and to write the book Dive into Taiwan. The group traveled to the Northeast Coast, Hengchun, Orchid Island (Lanyu), the Penghu Islands, Xiaoliuqiu, and Green Island (Lüdao). Chen describes the special features of these six major diving locations in Taiwan: The Northeast Coast is ideal for short-term business visitors to Taipei, as it is easy to get there and back in a day. Hengchun is the place with the greatest abundance of tourism resources, as visitors can see nature and visit historic sites, and there is fun for both young and old. “The headline at Xiaoliuqiu is that there is a 90% chance of seeing sea turtles,” he says. Meanwhile at Orchid Island there is visibility of 40 meters to the ocean floor, and there is a rich local indigenous culture that will give travelers a new perspective on Taiwan. The Penghu Islands have extremely high coral reef coverage, and there are many sunken vessels to dive down to, so that these islands are suited to multiple dives. Finally, Green Island was once ranked as one of the world’s top ten diving sites, so it is also a can’t-miss destination.

This journey caused Chen to re­assess the scope of “marine tourism.” He concluded, “We have to package Taiwan from a global point of view.” Originally the Northeast Coast was not part of the itinerary, but Pridmore explained that the majority of visitors to Taiwan are business travelers who stop over in Taipei. They only have a day or two of free time, so the Northeast Coast is their best option for trying out diving in Taiwan. Moreover, foreign divers should not only be introduced to Taiwan’s sea, but Taiwan’s customs and culture should also be incorporated into marine tourism.

Pridmore also pointed out that at present Taiwan is only suited to backpack travelers, as there is a lack of overall planning. High-end diving itineraries should include arrangements for transportation, accommodations, food, diving, and marine guide services. Chen also took note of the professional attitude of Pridmore’s wife Sofie Hostyn. She has provided services to high-end diving tourists in Bali, Indonesia, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of marine ecology. Customers can get immediate answers from her to their questions about ocean life forms, satis­fying their curiosity. Only by providing such expert services can one differentiate oneself in the market.

These ideas for upgrading his business have encouraged Chen to think beyond diving to broadening and deepening services for the larger field of marine tourism. Chen is proud of having dived in various countries and seen things like the astonishing barracuda “tornados” in the waters near Sipadan Island in Malaysia. But these days what he enjoys most is playing in the sea with his son. “I hope that Taiwan will become a destination for international divers, so that more foreigners can get to know Taiwan through diving. At the same time this will keep more young people here, and like me they can live and work with peace of mind.” This is what Chen most wants to achieve.

Barracuda off Hengchun. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

The world rediscovers Taiwan

With the Covid-19 pandemic lasting from 2020 through the present day, people have not been able to go abroad, so there has been a boom in domestic travel. “We have been beneficiaries of this trend. In 2020 our revenues grew by 30%, and this year also looks quite good. These three years should all be good ones for the domestic travel industry.”

From chatting about diving organ­iza­tion management and current trends, Chen suddenly changes the subject and starts talking about history. “Do you know what happened in the year 1624?” “That was when the Dutch occupied Taiwan, and when Taiwan was discovered by the world.” “Then what about 2024?” “It will mark the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Taiwan by the world.”

Chen refers to the ideas recently proposed by film director Wei Te-sheng about this 400th anniversary, as well as Silks Hotel Group chairman Steven Pan’s notion of a “Taiwan Renaissance.” Because of the pandemic, talented people, capital, and resources that had long been scattered abroad have all concentrated in Taiwan. There has been a cultural gathering in Taiwan that includes domestic and overseas elites, so that conditions are similar to those at the time of the Euro­pean Renaissance.

The tourism industry estimates that Taiwan’s borders will not be completely opened for the next three years (through 2023). “If Taiwan is able to change over these three years, then the travel business can perhaps shift from being a victim of the pandemic to seeing its finest hour.” During this three-year period, Dylan Chen plans to devote effort to investing in himself, investing in reform of the industry, and acting on several fronts (a diving school, a restaurant, and the TDC Resort) to prepare the systems and facilities that will make him ready to meet the challenges of 2024. “We have three years to make ourselves ready as we wait for the reopening of the nation’s borders in 2024. That year will be the 400th anniversary of Taiwan being discovered by the international community, and will offer an opportunity for Taiwan to be discovered again.”

Sea apple off the Northeast Coast. (photo by Kyo Liu)

Independent Reef at Dabaisha, Green Island. (photo by Kyo Liu)

A sunken vessel in Badai Bay, Orchid Island. (photo by Kyo Liu)

Twin Peaks Blue Caves, Hengchun. (photo by Yuhan Ghost)

Green sea turtle off Xiaoliuqiu. (photo by Jason Lee)

Penghu’s undersea Lavender Forest. (photo by Kyo Liu)

The focal point of the services provided by the Taiwan Dive Center is “the ocean.” Their mission is to only do things that have a positive impact on the sea, from beach cleanups to seafloor graduation ceremonies. (photo by Willy Hsieh)

Global warming and manmade pollution are the main reasons for coral bleaching. (photo by Yuhan Ghost)

The instructors at the Taiwan Dive Center not only ensure the safety of underwater activities, they want to give everyone the experience of “bringing the ocean into your life.” (photo by Lin Min-Hsuan)

Dylan Chen protects Taiwan’s oceans and hopes that one day Taiwan will become one of the world’s top diving destinations, enabling more young people to stay and work in their local communities. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)