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Check out these great diving holidays from Divequest
Looking for something different from your next dive holiday? Divequest can help.
Over the last few months, the UK-based tour operator has been busy working on some fantastic new trips and destinations to offer you, including:
NAD LEMBEH CRITTER GEEK WEEK, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Just £822 per person twin share
Divequest have teamed up with dynamic photographers Simon Buxton and Serge Abourjeily at NAD Lembeh to offer a Critter Geek Week in the peak of the Lembeh season, September 2016. For just a small fraction more than the cost of a normal stay at NAD you will get inhouse workshops, a welcome dinner, guided tuition, a Critter ID quiz night and an amazing 1 guide to 2 diver ratio.
CRYSTAL BLUE ANILAO CRITTER GEEKS, PHILIPPINES
Just £1455 per person twin share
Situated in one of the macro photography meccas of the world in Anilao, the Philippines, talented photographer and critter identifier Mike Bartick will be hosting a sensational Critter Geeks 10 day trip from his home at Crystal Blue Resort, at the Critter Capital of the Philippines – Anilao. Combining workshops in macro photography, natural history and critter ID, the trip will end with a farewell party at the resort for the group and everyone will get a free T-Shirt. It’s only a tiny bit more than a normal stay at Crystal Blue.
SWIM WITH THE HUMPBACK WHALES, TONGA
Starting this month, Divequest now offers you the opportunity to swim with the incredible Humpback Whales of the Southern Ocean in Tonga. You will never forget the first time you swim with whales, it is a life changing experience. Divequest has teamed up with Tongan Expeditions and the owners of The Reef Resort in Vava’u to offer you a chance to swim with the whales while staying on one of the most secluded, romantic islands in Vava’u.
FIJI and TONGA
From September this year, Fiji Airways are introducing direct flights between Vava’u and Sydney, so why not think about a combined trip to Tonga for the whales and then fly to the soft coral paradise of Fiji to dive after?
Spaces are also filling fast to join Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown from Frogfish Photography in Manado for their Ultimate Manado trip this September. Dive with two of the best underwater photographer guides from the UK on a journey that will take you to the northern reefs of Sulawesi then into the jungles of Tangkoko to view some incredible wildlife including Spectral Tarsiers and Black-crested Macaques.
SPECIAL RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS
CHAMBERED NAUTILUS, AUSTRALIA
Have you ever wanted to join researchers on an expedition to find out more about marine life? Work alongside the researchers of the Central Queensland University in Australia on a unique trip to the Coral Sea tracking and tagging Chambered Nautilus, one of the most iconic cephalopods in the world. Contact Divequest if you want to get up close and personal with these gentle, shy creatures and work alongside scientists at the same time.
MINKE WHALES, AUSTRALIA
Minke Whales arrive in Australia in numbers during the winter months of June and July. Why not join research scientists to monitor their behaviour and movements in the field? During some Minke trips you will also get a chance to night dive the northern Ribbon Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef which teem with fish and sharks.
UNIQUE EXPEDITIONS
RAINE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA
Raine Island in northern Australia is the largest Green Sea Turtle rookery in the world. From 24th November to 1st December, a northern Great Barrier Reef expedition will start in Cairns and end in Horn Island, the Torres Straits to dive some of the most remote reef sites on the Great Barrier Reef, many of which are in pristine condition and offer stunning levels of biodiversity.
SS YONGALA, AUSTRALIA
Classified as one of the best wreck dives in the world, two special charters to dive the SS Yongala will be running in November and December this year and they will combine dives on the Yongala with the superb 1000m plus walls of the Coral Sea.
WORLDWIDE BIG FISH
American Crocodiles, Humboldt Squid, Belugas, Killer Whales and Sawfish are all animals that represent the pinnacle of aquatic experiences any diver can expect to have in the world. Contact Divequest if you are keen to get in the water with any of these creatures.
For more information or to book, contact Divequest now by calling +44 (0)1254 8256322, email divers@divequest.co.uk, or visit www.divequest.co.uk.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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