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Book before the end of September for some great holiday deals
Book before the end of September to save on South Africa and Indonesia… plus lots more fantastic diving holiday deals from our friends at UK-based Tour Operator Diverse Travel.
Indonesia: Emperor Raja Laut Special Introductory Offer 2017/2018
Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea | Beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style yacht
Literally just launched, a special introductory offer on the new Emperor Indonesia’s MY Emperor Raja Laut debuting this September.
Emperor Raja Laut is a beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style sailing yacht now under the renowned Emperor Divers’ brand. She has 12 berths and a high level of service with seven crew and two dive guides. Sailing the iconic diving areas of Raja Ampat, the Banda Sea and Komodo National Park. Prepare to dive or snorkel with mantas, hammerheads, whale sharks and macro life. Or combine with land tours to meet the infamous Komodo dragon.
Price from £2999 including:
- 7-night package (also 12-nights available) to Raja Ampat based on twin share
- Return international flights – London Heathrow to Manado
- Return domestic flights – Manado to Sorong
- Airline departure taxes
- 7 nights shared cabin, 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, 1 cocktail party on a local island, unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee, guide, 12 litre air tanks, weights
- 2 nights Half Board – Manado Novotel Airport Hotel
- All transfers according to itinerary
- Full ATOL Protection
Departures between 14 December 2017 and 02 May 2018.
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
Dive Mythical Sudan | 04 – 11 March 2018 | Save up to £125
Plus the first 10 bookers will receive free Nitrox fills (First come, first served basis. Nitrox-certified divers only).
Follow in Cousteau’s footsteps! Dive his Conshelf II underwater habitat and famous Shaab Rumi reef with its sharks and colourful drop-offs and Sanganeb’s northern and southern plateaus. The Umbria, considered to be one of the finest wreck-dives on the planet and then south of Port Sudan where different species of sharks are found.
* Number of dives may vary according to itinerary weather conditions. Minimum diving level: PADI Advanced Diver (or equivalent) with minimum 50 logged dives. Diving is permitted upon presentation of a valid certification card AND proof of adequate insurance covering risks related to diving activities.
Price from £1495 based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return flights from London Heathrow to Port Sudan on Saudia (via Jeddah) or Emirates/Fly Dubai (via Dubai)
- 7 nights’ full board accommodation in shared cabin
- Transfers between Port Sudan airport and liveaboard
- Dives: first day 2 dives; then 3 dives a day; last day 2 dives and return to Port Sudan
- Sodas, espresso, cappuccino, water, tea & coffee
- Robes and towels provided during the safari
Not included: Sudan Visa US$175/person; Government taxes and local agent fee 197 EUR pp; Booking of a specific cabin: 50 EUR pp/week; 15L tank: 40 EUR/week; Equipment rental; Guided dive: 8 EUR/dive; Alcoholic drinks; Crew tip (70 EUR recommended/week).
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
Best of Red Sea | Emperor Asmaa I 9 – 16 Nov 2017 – Save £75
Dive the best top three sites in this area: Big and Little Brothers, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone. These islands offer stunning wall diving and attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagics. Large tuna, jacks and snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional hammerheads, silvertips, silky and oceanic white tip sharks and mantas. Even the rare thresher shark can be found here.
7 nights from £1049 per person including flights from London – save £75!
Price is per person based on sharing a twin cabin and includes:
- Return international flights – London Gatwick – Hurghada
- 20kg hold baggage allowance
- 7 nights in shared cabin (last night either on board or in a hotel)
- 6 day’s diving, guide, 12 litre tanks, weights
- Full board & soft drinks, red wine with dinner
- Environmental tax
- Marine Park fees and port departure fees
- Free Nitrox (subject to availability)
- Airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
Oman Red Dhow | 7 – 14 October | from £1565
Just 80 miles from Dubai is Oman’s little-known Musandam Peninsula – an area of outstanding natural beauty. Dramatic vertical cliffs in meandering bays plunge into the azure seas below, giving Musandam the affectionate nickname, ‘the fjords of the Gulf’. Deep and cool upwelling water provide a rich plankton soup attracting a huge variety of marine life; whale shark, sun fish, pilot whales, lobsters, hawksbill, green turtles, huge schools of snapper, barracuda and jacks. Critters galore are also in abundance making Musandam a macro-photographer’s delight.
Red Dhow is a 76ft boat with 6 standard double cabins (2 cabins sharing 1 bathroom) and two ensuite cabins. She takes no more than 14 guests.
Price from £1565 based on sharing standard twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights departing from London to Dubai (flights from other UK airports can be arranged)
- 7 nights’ onboard the Red Dhow in an en-suite cabin with Full Board (breakfast, lunch & dinner), water, tea & coffee, PADI Instructor and/or Divemaster on board (acting as a dive guide) with up to 3 guided day-dives per day and return airport transfers
- ATOL and full financial protection
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
Fiji Volivoli Offer | Book 7 nights, pay for only 5
Volivoli Beach Resort | Fiji | 2 nights FREE
- PLUS 2 FREE dives
- PLUS FREE Nitrox*
Fiji has so very much to offer from the diving to nature, beautiful beaches and welcoming local people. Here lies a perfect blend of white sandy beaches, coral reef, a sunny year-round climate and that friendly Fijian hospitality and culture.
A pearl of Fiji, Volivoli Beach Resort is tucked away on the northernmost tip of Viti Levu and promises guests a welcoming relaxed indulgence. Being just a short boat ride from the enticing dive sites of Bligh Waters the Resort is family-run by the Darling family who have over 20 years’ experience of diving in these waters. Probably one of the best locations in Fiji for a diving holiday, Volivoli Beach is home to Ra Divers, a fully certified PADI and SSI Dive Resort with over 18 years’ experience.
Conditions of offer: Travel dates: Until 31st March 2018
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
South Africa | 9 nights | Aliwal Shoal Diving + Great White Cage Diving, Cape Town
The best of both worlds; diving the iconic Aliwal Shoal and then onto the great magnet of South Africa, cage diving with great whites!
Price – £1999 per person based on sharing a twin/double room including:
- Return international flights to Durban return from Cape Town on Emirates (via Dubai)
- 6 nights’ Full Board in twin/double room, Blue Ocean Resort, Umkomaas
- 8 dives: 6 Aliwal Shoal reef dives (2-tank morning trips) + 2 Baited Shark Dives
- Round trip airport transfers from Durban King Shaka International Airport
- One-way domestic flight Durban to Cape Town
- 3 days’ Cape Town car hire (Avis VW Polo TSI B Plus + GPS)
- 3 nights’ B&B, Mountain Facing Room, Quayside Hotel, Simon’s Town (Cape Town)
- 2 Seal Island Cage Dive Trips
- Government taxes
- Full ATOL Protection
Price does not include daily conservation levy of R114 (approx. £7).
These offers must be booked before 30 September 2017
Travel must take place before 31 December 2017
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
Indonesia I Manado + Lembeh Combo | Last Minute Offer
Eco Divers. From just £1850 with diving, flights, accommodation
Dive two of the world’s greatest dive places with an award-winning dive centre and here’s your recipe for holiday happiness.
Home to a huge concentration of unusual marine species as well as reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, even dugong and orca!
Most sites are within easy reach from your hotel and yet they’re never crowded. The reefs of Bunaken National Marine Park are rich and unspoilt with abundant soft coral and fish life whilst the Lembeh Strait is arguably the best place in the world for macro photography.
10 nights from £1850 per person including:
- International return flights – London Heathrow on Singapore Air/SilkAir via Singapore
- 30kg baggage allowance
- 5 nights’ sharing air-conditioned Superior Room, Mercure Manado Resort
- 5 days’ boat diving Bunaken (up to 2 guided day-dives per day*) with cylinders & weights
- 5 nights’ sharing air-conditioned room, Eco Divers Resort Lembeh
- 4 days’ boat diving Lembeh Strait (up to 3 guided day-dives per day) with cylinders & weights
- Full Board Meal Plan including mineral water
- All local transfers according to the itinerary
- Government taxes
- Full ATOL protection
* Upgrade to 3-dive package: £23/day
Valid for stays between 01 – 30 September and 24 October – 30 November 2017
See all Diverse Travel special offers here
For more information or to book, call Diverse Travel on Freephone 0800 915 4436, email info@diversetravel.co.uk or visit www.diversetravel.co.uk.
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re taking a look at the Dusky Shark, a highly migratory species with a particularly slow growth rate and late age at maturity.
Dusky sharks are one of the largest species within the Carcharhinus genus, generally measuring 3 metres total length but able to reach up to 4.2 metres. They are grey to grey-brown on their dorsal side and their fins usually have dusky margins, with the darkest tips on the caudal fin.
Dusky Sharks can often be confused with other species of the Carcharhinus genus, particularly the Galapagos Shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis). They have very similar external morphology, so it can be easier to ID to species level by taking location into account as the two species occupy very different ecological niches – Galapagos Sharks prefer offshore seamounts and islets, whilst duskies prefer continental margins.
Hybridisation:
A 2019 study found that Dusky Sharks are hybridising with Galapagos Sharks on the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Pazmiño et al., 2019). Hybridisation is when an animal breeds with an individual of another species to produce offspring (a hybrid). Hybrids are often infertile, but this study found that the hybrids were able to produce second generation hybrids!
Long distance swimmers:
Dusky sharks are highly mobile species, undertaking long migrations to stay in warm waters throughout the winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, they head towards the poles in the summer and return southwards towards the equator in winter. The longest distance recorded was 2000 nautical miles!
Very slow to mature and reproduce:
The Dusky Shark are both targeted and caught as bycatch globally. We already know that elasmobranchs are inherently slow reproducers which means that they are heavily impacted by overfishing; it takes them so long to recover that they cannot keep up with the rate at which they are being fished. Dusky Sharks are particularly slow to reproduce – females are only ready to start breeding at roughly 20 years old, their gestation periods can last up to 22 months, and they only give birth every two to three years. This makes duskies one of the most vulnerable of all shark species.
The Dusky Shark is now listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), but further action is required to protect this important species.
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus obscurus
Family: Carcharhinidae
Maximum Size: 420cm (Total Length)
Diet: Bony fishes, cephalopods, can also eat crustaceans, and small sharks, skates and rays
Distribution: Patchy distribution in tropical and warm temperate seas; Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean.
Habitat: Ranges from inshore waters out to the edge of the continental shelf.
Conservation status: Endangered.
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Images: Andy Murch
Diana A. Pazmiño, Lynne van Herderden, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Claudia Junge, Stephen C. Donnellan, E. Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, Clinton A.J. Duffy, Charlie Huveneers, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Paul A. Butcher, Gregory E. Maes. (2019). Introgressive hybridisation between two widespread sharks in the east Pacific region, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 136(119-127), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.04.013.
3rd AUGUST 2024 – 1 or 2 WEEK PROGRAMMES
Daily water programme with Snorkelling & Scuba Diving.
Beginners or qualified, something for all.
Leave the kids with the Splash Team for days of Excitement, Fun & Adventure!
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
There are various options for accommodation with options for 2, 3, 4 or 5 guests.
Eco Huts provide accommodation for families of up to 4. The best option to enhance the adventure and closest to camping with basic facilities. For August we will provide central air cooling for all the Eco Huts.
Deluxe Chalets are only suitable for 2 guests. Fully air conditioned rooms with private bathroom and other facilities.
Boutique Rooms are available for families of up to 5.
Individual bespoke rooms fully air conditioned with private bathroom and other facilities.
Eco Huts: £675 per adult / £425 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
Deluxe Chalet: £830 per adult / £505 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
Boutique Room: £925 per adult / £550 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
This is a truly unique opportunity to have a Family Desert Adventure totally away from it all! You will be based at the remote Roots Red Sea on the coast of the Egyptian Eastern Desert, 140km south of Hurghada city.
Red Sea Splash main focus is Snorkelling & Scuba Diving but that’s not all, we provide a rounded week of activities in support.
Pool& Field Games – Arts & Crafts
Marine Biology Workshops
Cultural Activities – Orienteering Adventures
Roots Red Sea have established strong links with the local communities of Hamerwain & El Quseir affording our guests to have a true taste of the local culture, SPLASH CAMP embraces this opportunity and bring in the local children to join in the fun with our adventure seekers.
During the day, families are welcome to take part in all activities together or the kids can be left with the SPLASH CAMP team while the parents enjoy the facilities or go diving themselves!
At the end of the day, its family time while the SPLASH CAMP team take a break. For those with the energy, there are family evening activities planned a few evenings.
Open Air Movie Night – Desert Star Gazing Walk & Talk
El Quseir Evening City Tour
The second week is very special, we head off on the Big Blue for a liveaboard safari around Fury Shoals.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
U-8 Splash Club
Sadly we can’t offer Scuba Diving to the Splash Club but we can have lots of fun Snorkelling & Free Diving!
Splash Club includes:
Certified Snorkel Course – Marine ID Games – Intro to Free Diving
Arts & Craft Sessions – Adventure trails – Cultural Playtime – Pool Games
U-12 Explorer Club
In addition to an exciting snorkelling and Free Diving Programme in the Splash Club we can take you under the water on SCUBA to a whole new world of fun and wonder. If you are under 10 your first breath under water will be as a Bubblemaker and continue with daily Seal Team Missions. From 10 we will complete a Discover Scuba Diving experience in the amazing Red Sea. Alternatively we offer a full junior certification programme to become an international qualified Scuba Diver.
U-16 Adventurer Club
For qualified Scuba Divers regardless of age it’s the Adventurer Club and exploration of the local reefs and marine life. There will be 2 dives every day with the Open Ocean marine field station team who will introduce you to Red Sea marine life and workshops on marine research. Alternatively there are opportunities to continue your scuba diving certifications with our instructional team.
Parents are welcome to join the club activities and join the courses.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
Big Blue might seem like the new kid on the block, but the team behind the highly acclaimed liveaboard is far from that. They have been running Red Sea safaris since the late 1980’s and were in fact part of the early pioneers who ventured out to the unknown on vessels that in today’s world, really shouldn’t have left the harbour! It’s that experience and the years of operating the award-winning Roots Red Sea resort which truly set Big Blue apart from the crowd!
Large lounge area, spacious sun deck and terrace deck.
Airy restaurant with five tables with up to six chairs per table, serving a varied and delicious menu with special dietary requirements catered for.
The spacious cabins have side by side beds and a large walk in wet bathroom.
Ample dive deck for divers & snorkelers.
Safety is everyone’s priority, whether you are relaxing on board, swimming, snorkelling or diving.
On board Big Blue is fitted with smoke alarms, emergency lighting and a fire alarm system. The lower corridor has a full-size door fire exit at the bow and open stairs to the stern. There are evacuation plans in each room along with life jackets, glass breaker tool and a fire extinguisher.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
Red Sea Splash at Fury Shoals is a very rare opportunity to get involved with marine biology expedition for children and adults. Open Ocean biologists are on board to provide fascinating and entertaining facts about the marine life you will see. The team will provide workshops on marine life identification and survey methods both of which, should you wish, you will have the chance to put into practice during your safari.
The week is open to snorkelers, scuba divers and non divers too!
Fury shoals is perfect for first time mariners as it offers plenty of protection from the weather.
We board at Port Ghaleb on Saturday evening and prepare to set sail early on Sunday morning.
Heading south, our first day will be diving the reefs of Abu Dabbab before sailing overnight to reach our ultimate destination the Fury Shoals.
Here we will spend four days swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving amazing reefs. This includes guaranteed DOLPHIN encounters at Sataya Reef! After the last dive we haul anchor and head back to Abu Dabbab for our final two dives before disembarking our boat BIG BLUE.
Camp Extension Cost*
Adult £650 per adult
Under 16 £350 per child
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
FURTHER INFORMATION – INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM
TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
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