I think unfortunately the moment has arrived!
the time to tell you my last word,
As hard as that it, It's time to say goodbye.
I always thought that one day you would not come back, that one day you would have your last dive!
here we are!
It's not important for me to know what happened,
the important is that you had your last breath in peace.
That you enjoy this last breath without fear and without pain, looking back with pride
That you enjoy this last breath in peace with yourself .. in peace with your life ...
I will miss you, my friend,
as you have always been united with the sea, now you are part of it,
that's where you are now ...you are part of the spirit of the sea!
Rest in peace, my dear friend…
Thank you uncle Ben. Enjoy your eternal dive
Hoped to meet him again, but this will unfortunately never happen.
He now is where he ever wanted to be.
"Schéine Grouss aus dem Ländchen, Ben!"
Leave a Tribute
Du warst mein Lehrer und Freund, du hast mir vieles beigebracht in deiner immer fröhlichen Art und so manch ein Banana Shake hat es auch gekostet.
Die Wochen 2005 auf Phuket als ich bei Dir den Divemaster Kurs erfolgreich meistern konnte, ebens auch als Du meiner Frau das Tauchen in deiner unendlichen Ruhe bei gebracht hast!
Im Oktober 2016 auf Bali/Tulamben hatte ich das Glück dich nochmal zu treffen und auch nochmal gemeinsam zu tauchen.
Deine Freude über den neuen Reisepass mit dem Wohnort Tulamben war kaum zu Bremsen.
R.I.P wir werden dich nicht vergessen Axel und Alex









Hello Ben’s friends and family,
I wanted to share a project that I have been working on in the Philippines. I currently work as an environmental scientist for a mining company and have been working over the past few years rehabilitating local reefs that have been significantly damaged by dynamite fishing and other bad practices by the surrounding local communities. Last year we were able to establish a 130 Ha marine protected area and have been actively installing Reef Balls and propagating coral. The project has been very successful and we are seeing a significant improvement to the local marine environment which is great news for our oceans. Ben and I would talk about this project and he had a very strong interest in it. He was always interested in marine conservation projects all around the world, and his love for the ocean was an inspiration for me to further the conservation works we have been doing here. My last conversation with Ben was 2 days before his last dive was about this project, and he was very excited to learn more.
Last week we deployed 594 reef balls in to out marine protected area, and this week we have started to recover and propagate corals that have been damaged through dynamite fishing, giving them a second chance. As Ben was so interested in the project I decided to dedicate this reef to our much missed Big Ben. I have made a temporary plaque for now, but a permanent brass plaque will be made soon.
Ben was my instructor, my mentor, my friend and an inspiration for my marine conservation work. Although this reef is in the Philippines I think it shows Ben’s reach around the world, and all of our oceans are connected. I look forward to seeing this reef grow and hope it serves somewhat as a memory to Ben and his love for the ocean.
The Check List
A few years ago at Seraya Secrets dive site, we had just finished diving and Ben was nearby preparing to dive with his student. He approached us quietly so his student didn't hear. He wanted to borrow my jet fins and boots, as he had left his behind at The Tec Room and didn't want to embarass himself by having to drive back to Tulamben and get them! He took the fins & boots and went diving, we then made up a humorous brief dive checklist for him on a piece of cardboard and placed it under the windscreen wiper of his dive van. Every time we crossed paths at dive sites after this, we would remind Ben " Don't forget your fins & boots". He told me a couple of years later that he still kept that checklist as a reminder, as he had never before forgotten his fins and boots!
See you underwater
Hi Uncle Ben,
Today I came to accept the fact that you had left us in this world. After one week of praying for a miracle, we know that you are now in a much happier place where you belong, the ocean you always loved.
We established a work relationship since 2013 and that had grown on to something special. You used to tease me by calling me "Uncle Alex", which I am still trying to find out why. But now I longed for you to call me that once more.
We have much respect and mutual trust between us. So much that I would like Rachel to learn scuba diving from you, if she ever wants to. I trust you to be a better mentor than I will ever be. But now, it seems I have some big shoes to fill.
I still remember doing all those early tech dives with you in Tulamben. You used to joke that crossing the road to get to the dive sites is more dangerous than the dives itself. I will always remember doing a 60m dive early in the morning and all you wanted was to look at some small nudibranches.
But perhaps the best memory I had was doing a Free Diving course with you with the Spanish ladies! A veteran tech diver and a triathlete could not get any deeper than a school teacher on the course. What a joke!
You had spent your last moments in the place you loved most, with you have the biggest smile and all of us covered in tears. In a way, I should not be feeling so sad about it, but I guess everyone you touched in your life can't help it.
As the photo says it all "SEE YOU UNDERWATER". Memories forever.
(Photo taken after Free Diving course, Tulamben 2017)