News
Bring in the New Year with the fishes (and possible for free) with blue o two
For those who would really rather fly to warm and dry Egypt for the last chance to get some sun in 2013, blue o two have just a few cheeky spaces left on their fleet over New Year. Last year, blue o two customers counted in 2013 whilst diving on the SS Thistlegorm; what better way to see in the New Year but on one of the world’s most famous, and stunning wrecks?
For those among you who would like to go a little further afield in the New Year, there are some amazing deals to Fiji and on blue o two’s brand new fleet vessel in the Maldives – ‘M/Y blue ‘Honors Legacy’.
All the following trips are in the blue o two Winter Sale with a 5% discount (and blue o two Loyalty Club or BSAC members can take ANOTHER 5% OFF!) ; and what’s more, everyone who books a trip in the Winter Sale during December will be put into a draw to WIN THEIR TRIP!
Here are the details:
M/Y blue Fin – Red Sea
03 Jan – 10 Jan: Northern Wrecks & Reefs £745
10 Jan – 17 Jan: Best of Wrecks £745 (No MAN-HRG supplement)
17 Jan – 24 Jan: Best of Brothers £660
24 Jan – 31 Jan: North & Ras Mohamed £806
31 Jan – 07 Feb: HAYAH Reef Clean-up £695
07 Feb – 14 Feb: Best of Brothers £802
14 Feb – 21 Feb: Northern Wrecks & Reefs £945
21 Feb – 28 Feb: North & Brothers £897
07 Mar – 14 Mar: Brothers & Elphinstone £949
14 Mar – 21 Mar: Simply the Best £949
28 Mar – 04 Apr: Northern Wrecks & Reefs – £949
M/Y blue Horizon – Red Sea
14 Feb – 21 Feb: Best of Brothers £945
28 Feb – 07 Mar: Strait of Tiran and Brothers £945
07 Mar – 14 Mar: Best of Wrecks £949
14 Mar – 21 Mar: North & Ras Mohamed £949
M/Y blue Melody – Red Sea
27 Dec – 03 Jan: Northern Wrecks & Reefs £1139 – last few spaces!
21 Feb – 28 Feb: HAYAH Reef Clean-up £799
07 Mar – 14 Mar: Strait of Tiran & North £850
14 Mar – 21 Mar: Best of Wrecks £949
28 Mar – 04 Apr: Northern Wrecks & Reefs £949
M/Y blue Voyager – Red Sea
27 Dec – 03 Jan: North and Ras Mohamed £1087 – last few spaces!
03 Jan – 10 Jan: North and Ras Mohamed £745
17 Jan – 24 Jan: North and Ras Mohamed £660
24 Jan – 31 Jan: North and Ras Mohamed £745
31 Jan – 07 Feb: Northern Wrecks & Reefs £806
21 Mar – 28 Mar: Simply the Best £850
28 Mar – 04 Apr: Daedalus & St Johns £1091
MALDIVES
M/Y blue ‘Honors Legacy’ – Maldives
20 Feb – 28 Feb: Pelagic Encounters (7 nights) £1895* – Last female share!
06 Mar – 16 Mar: Best of the Maldives (9 nights) £2228*
15 Mar – 23 Mar: Simply the Best (7 nights) £2089*
M/V Carpe Diem – Maldives
28 Feb – 08 Mar: Project Shark: Maldives with Nikki Weeden (7 nights) £2180* – Last female share!
WORLDWIDE
S/Y Fiji Siren – Fiji Islands
04 Feb – 14 Feb: Lomaiviti & Taveuni Islands (10 nights) £1895**
*Package price is subject to change due to fluctuations in flight prices. Final package price will be confirmed at
time of booking.
**Excludes flights
To book or for more info contact the blue o two team now on +(0)1752 480808, email info@blueotwo.com or visit their website www.blueotwo.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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