KAREN EARNSHAW
Marshallese citizen Martin Daly is happy to tell the world that Ailinglapalp’s Beran Island resort will be back in action on November 1 with his Indies Trader website announcing that the Marshall Islands’ “border gate is now well and truly swung open.”
CEO of the company, Shane Peel, said in an email Monday that “the news of the opening of the RMI to international visitors has come in the nick of time. Martin Daly, the founder of Beran Island, has mobilized a team to begin preparations for the upcoming season … and bookings are starting to trickle in as the resort springs back to life.”
Indies Trader has a Majuro office, which is headed by Ramsey Reimers, and the island is serviced by the vessels MV Indies Trader and MV Indies Surveyor.
Long-time friend of the Marshall Islands and one of the team’s captains, Chris Abrahams, is now on Beran supervising the re-start of the facility. His job was made easier because of, according to Shane, “the excellent job our Marshallese staff did looking after the resort during the pandemic when none of the management team could access the island.”
While Beran is best known for its world class surfing, generally between October and April, and is a favorite spot for numerous world champions, including Kelly Slater, the Indies team is expanding its activities. “Plans are underway to start operations at Beran Island year round and have a fishing and diving offering ready to launch in May, 2023.”
Shane ended his email with praise for Martin: “Our Chairman and founder Martin was recently inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in the US so this huge honor has all of us in the Indies team smiling as we believe this is the highest surfing honor bestowed on any Marshallese citizen. The Indies Trader group of companies headquartered in Majuro remains steadfastly committed to tourism in the RMI and more than ever believe that the RMI has the potential to become one of the planet’s premier marine tourism destinations.”
Water sports entrepreneur Martin Daly first visited Beran island in 2006 and since then he’s worked long and hard to bring the water sports resort to reality. The island is about 45 acres in size; the main building has eight rooms, which can accommodate up to 16 guests. Power is provided by a 28-kilowatt solar system, a 20-kilowatt wind turbine system, and a back-up generator. Fresh water comes from a massive rain catchment system below the resort.
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