News
Diving Holiday Escapes from Blue O Two in their Summer Sale
Dive the Red Sea from just £1079 and discover the magical Maldives from just £1699. In addition to these great offers UK-based Tour Operator blue o two has sensational savings in their Summer Sale where you can save more than £1000 on holidays per person.
RED SEA
M/Y blue Horizon
22 Dec – 29 Dec 2017: Northern Wrecks & Reefs – £1169 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR)
M/Y blue Melody
18 Aug – 25 Aug 2017: Any Southern Itinerary – £9995 (FULL CHARTER – BOAT ONLY)
25 Aug – 01 Sep 2017: Rocky, Zabargad & St. Johns – £1199 (MAN ONLY)
22 Dec – 29 Dec 2017: Strait of Tiran & North – £1169 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR)
29 Dec – 5 Jan 2018: Northern Wrecks & Reefs – £1079 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR)
M/Y blue Fin
25 Aug – 01 Sep 2017: Strait of Tiran & North – £1199 (MAN ONLY)
15- Dec – 22 Dec 2017: Best of Wrecks – £1099
22 Dec – 29 Dec 2017: Any Northern Itinerary – £11495 (FULL CHARTER – BOAT ONLY)
M/Y Red Sea Adventurer
25 Aug – 01 Sep 2017: Northern Wrecks & Reefs – £1199 (MAN ONLY)
MALDIVES
M/V Sea Spirit
18 Aug – 26 Aug 2017: Central Atolls (7 Nights) – £1699
01 Oct – 08 Oct 2017: Central Atolls (7 Nights) – £11995 (FULL CHARTER – BOAT ONLY)
M/Y blue Voyager
01 Sep – 09 Sep 2017: Magical Maldives (7 Nights) – £2095
28 Oct – 05 Nov 2017: Magical Maldives (7 Nights) – £1995
05 Nov – 13 Nov 2017: Pelagic Encounters (7 Nights) – £1995
12 Nov – 20 Nov 2017 Pelagic Encounters (7 Nights) – £1995
20 Nov – 28 Nov 2017: Magical Maldives (7 Nights) – £1995
19 Dec – 27th Dec 2017: Magical Maldives (7 Nights) – £2695 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR)
27 Dec – 07 Jan 2018: Best of the Maldives (10 Nights) – £2875 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR)
14 Jan – 21 Jan 2018: Pelagic Encounters (7 Nights) – £1995
FRENCH POLYNESIA
M/V French Polynesia Master
09 Aug – 19 Aug 2017: Tuamotu Archipelago (10 Nights) – £3558 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
10 Sep – 20 Sep 2017: Tuamotu Archipelago (10 Nights) – £3558 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
27 Sep – 07 Oct 2017: Tuamotu Archipelago (10 Nights) – £3558 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
06 Dec – 16 Dec 2017: Tuamotu Archipelago (10 Nights) – £3558 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
27 Dec – 06 Jan 2018: Tuamotu Archipelago (Rangiroa to Fakarava) (10 Nights) – £5070 (CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS HOWEVER BLUE O TWO WILL CONTRIBUTE £450 PER PERSON TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS)
27 Oct – 03 Nov 2018: Fakarava and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (7 Nights) – £3750 (BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
FIJI
S/Y Fiji Siren
25 Aug – 04 Sep 2017: Beyond the Bligh (10 Nights) – £2820 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
09 Dec – 16 Dec 2017: Beyond the Bligh (7 Nights) – £2035 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
GALAPAGOS
M/V Galapagos Master
04 Sep – 11 Sep 2017: Master the Galapagos (7 Nights) – £3410 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
11 Sep – 18 Sep 2017: Master the Galapagos (7 Nights) – £3410 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
18 Sep – 25 Sep 2017: Master the Galapagos (7 Nights) – £3410 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
25 Sep – 02 Oct 2017: Master the Galapagos (7 Nights) – £3410 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
INDONESIA
S/Y Indo Siren
10 Aug – 20 Aug 2017: Komodo National Park (10 Nights) – £2915 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
12 Sep – 22 Sep 2017: Komodo National Park (10 Nights) – £2915 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
MICRONESIA
M/V Truk Master
23 Jul – 30 Jul 2017: Truk Lagoon (7 Nights) – £1474 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
30 Jul – 06 Jul 2017: Truk Lagoon (7 Nights) – £1843 PLUS 6TH SPACE FREE! (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS) GROUP DEALS – BOOK FIVE SPACES AND RECEIVE THE SIXTH FOR FREE!
*MINIMUM BOOKING OF 6 SPACES FOR SPECIAL GROUP OFFER TO APPLY TO THIS SAILING.
06 Aug – 13 Aug 2017: Truk Lagoon (7 Nights) – £1843 PLUS 6TH SPACE FREE! (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS) GROUP DEALS – BOOK FIVE SPACES AND RECEIVE THE SIXTH FOR FREE!
*MINIMUM BOOKING OF 6 SPACES FOR SPECIAL GROUP OFFER TO APPLY TO THIS SAILING.
16 Aug – 26 Aug 2017: Truk Lagoon (10 Nights) – £2070 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
06 Sep – 16 Sep 2017: Truk Lagoon (10 Nights) – £2070 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
PALAU
S/Y Palau Siren
26 Jul – 01 Aug 2017: Palau Islands (6 Nights) – £2140 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
02 Aug – 12 Aug 2017: Palau Islands (10 Nights) – £3255 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
13 Aug – 20 Aug 2017: Palau Islands (7 Nights) – £2344 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
21 Aug – 28 Aug 2017: Palau Islands (7 Nights) – £2344 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
01 Sep – 11 Sep 2017: Palau Islands (10 Nights) – £3255 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
12 Sep – 19 Sep 2017: Palau Islands (7 Nights) – £2344 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
PHILIPPINES
S/Y Philippine Siren
06 Aug – 16 Aug 2017: Malapascua & The Visayas (10 Nights) £2371 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
19 Sep – 29 Sep 2017: Malapascua & The Visayas (10 Nights) £2371 (SUMMER SALE – BOAT ONLY, PACKAGE EXCLUDES FLIGHTS)
To book or for more info contact blue o two now on 01752 480808, email info@blueotwo.com or visit 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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