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Diving with…Simon Mackay, Abyss Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

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In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…


What is your name?

Simon Mackay

What is the name of your business?

Abyss Fuerteventura

What is your role within the business?

Owner / Instructor

How long has the business operated for?

Abyss has been in operation since 2001 and I’ve owned it since November 2012.

How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?

My first dive was at the age of 16 (BSAC course with the Army) in 1988 then became instructor (PADI MSDT) in 2011 and Deptherapy PRO instructor 2012.

What is your favorite type of diving?

Sidemount and wrecks .. it’s a great combination.

If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?

At Abyss we only dive in small numbers (max four per group). The dive centre is run by myself and my wife so we only ever have small dive groups and we try to fit the dives to what the divers wants and needs.

What is your favorite dive in your location and why?

El Jablito is a great site as we have an abundance of wild life. It’s good for beginners to old hands alike, and we regularly spot angel sharks.

 What types of diving are available in your location?

We have both shore and boat diving available here but sadly no drifts or wrecks on Fuerteventura.

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?

I love teaching and each day is different from Open Water one day to Sidemount speciality the next.

What is your favorite underwater creature?

I guess it has to be the Angel shark but barracuda come a close second.

Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?

There has been some chatting among the dive centres here on Fuerteventura about the possibility of our own wreck on the island.. it’s something we really could do with ..

As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?

We strive to ensure we comply with all the Spanish and Canarian Laws and rules but we still see freelancers not abiding by the same laws and still diving in the same locations as us.

Is your center involved in any environmental work?

We actively encourage divers to do clean up dives at least once a month at our local dive site, as well as reporting angel shark sightings to the Shark Alliance so they can build data on why they are in decline. 

How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?

The move to E-learning is a good green initiative to cut back on waste and transportation of materials that get used once and often thrown away. More could be done between the dive industry, government bodies and the general diving public to ensure the industry remains safe and standards are maintained.

What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?

With Fuerteventura only 4 hours from the UK, it’s nearly as close as some UK inland dive sites from your home town .. but the difference is we have year round sun .. with water temperatures of 17-24 degs, and if you have non-diving friends (do they even exist I only know divers lol) then we have miles of golden sandy dunes to top up the tan.

Where can our visitors find out more about your business?

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Euro-Divers to close dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda

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Havodda

Euro-Divers have announced that as of 15 April 2024, they will no longer be operating the dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda (formerly known as Amari Havodda).

The popular dive centre chain released this statement regarding the closure:

Dear valid customers, business partners and friends,

We are leaving NH Collection Maldives Havodda – former Amari Havodda as of 15th of April 2024.

Unfortunately, the information reached us on short notice that we are no longer operating the dive centre at the resort.

It was a great pleasure to work with the Amari Hotel group and continue to work with the NH Hotel group.

We wish our partners great success with all their new changes.

Thanks a lot for cooperating during our time at the resort. We wish everyone with whom we have worked a good and hopefully successful future.

Euro-Divers continue to operate in several other dive resorts throughout the Maldives in addition to other locations.

To finds out more about Euro-Divers, visit www.euro-divers.com.

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Marine Life & Conservation Blogs

Creature Feature: Undulate Ray

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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 looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.

This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.

Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.

It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.

Scientific Name: Raja undulata

Family: Rajidae

Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)

Diet: shrimps and crabs

Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.

Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.

Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website


Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando

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