News
Experience new dive trends in the Indian Ocean with Dive Worldwide
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Sri Lanka Emerges as a New Dive Destination, with Launch of First Ever Liveaboard
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Island Hopping with Diving Becomes Available on Local Islands in the Maldives
The tiny island of Sri Lanka may be best known for its Buddhist ruins, but it is also an emerging dive destination. A sure sign of this latest trend is the arrival this September (2016) of the island’s first ever liveaboard, the Sri Lanka Aggressor, to be introduced by Dive Worldwide. Another first for Dive Worldwide, and never seen before, is an authentic Maldivian island-hopping dive experience with stays in local guesthouses.
From bespoke holidays to expert-led small groups, the leading specialist in scuba diving trips offers underwater escapes for all budgets including diving holidays for clubs or groups of friends. Regardless of diving ability, whether travelling solo or with a buddy, choose from resorts and iconic liveaboards in over 45 countries from Malta to Tahiti and plenty in between.
WHAT’S NEW FOR SUMMER 2016 & BEYOND
ISLAND HOPPING & LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN THE MALDIVES
Dive Worldwide is first to encapsulate a new dive trend for living like a local while diving the famous sites in the Maldives’ South Malé Atoll. Its brand new island hopping adventure for summer 2016 includes stays in small guesthouses on two lesser-known Maldivian islands.
Until now it has only been possible to dive the Maldives from a liveaboard or stay in a single resort and, while island hopping is popular in the Philippines and Thailand, it is virtually unheard of in the Maldives. Tune into a slower pace with a morning dive, followed by a relaxing afternoon, enjoying the local food and culture, with the chance to rub shoulders with local people during the evening.
Time is divided between two islands on the South Malé Atoll, diving popular sites such as Embudhoo Kandu, Guraidhoo Thila and Kandooma Caves, including those in marine protected areas. Underwater highlights include drift dives, soft corals, caves, turtles, wrasse, grouper, sharks and eagle rays. The journey begins on Maafushi, a tiny island with a thriving community before moving further south to Guraidhoo, a small island with a 2,300 strong fishing community, renowned for boat building. Importantly, the island hopping is by ordinary day boat which is so much more economical than the usual sea plane transfers on offer to other visitors.
Price: A 9-day dive trip costs from £1,725pp based on 2 sharing, including return flights from the UK, accommodation, transfers and diving.
SRI LANKA – AN EMERGING DIVE DESTINATION
Once an extension to the Maldives, Sri Lanka is an emerging dive destination in its own right, with its offer of tropical waters and teeming sea life. The year-round destination also provides an array of topside attractions from ancient architecture to palm-fringed tropical beaches, temperate tea plantations and jungle habitats. From September 2016 Dive Worldwide is to offer the first ever (and newly built) liveaboard, the Sri Lanka Aggressor, with three separate itineraries available: whale and dolphin snorkelling, recreational diving, and technical wreck weeks.
The inaugural whale and dolphin snorkelling trip begins from Trincomalee encountering up to 13 species of whale and eight species of dolphin under the expert eye of world-renowned naturalist Howard Martenstyn. Recreational diving trips depart from Colombo and offer tremendous variety from local wreck to drift dives. Wreck diving enthusiasts can enjoy technical diving on world-class wrecks such as the HMS Hermes, the first ever British-built aircraft carrier, now lying at a depth of 54 metres.
The Sri Lanka Aggressor is a purpose-built, 44-metre yacht that is accompanied by two launches. Generous on board facilities include 13 air-conditioned cabins, a dive deck lounge, wet bar, BBQ grill area and a swim deck. A four day extension is available staying in a 5-star tented camp with big game viewing at Minneriya and Wilpattu parks, and the opportunity to spot leopard, deer, monkeys and birdlife. There are also side trips to two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Sigiriya Rock Palace and the ancient city of Anuradhapura.
Price: A 10-day liveaboard costs from £2,455pp based on 2 sharing, including return flights from the UK, accommodation, transfers and diving. A 4-day safari extension costs from £1,100pp. A 50% discount is offered on the cost of the liveaboard on all departures from 10-17 September 2016.
SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES
For those who prefer to join like-minded souls on their underwater adventures, there are a host of opportunities to buddy-up with group diving experiences for 2016 and 2017. Among them are:
Great for experienced divers, join these special weeks in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal coast and at Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique to see as many different shark species as possible, while learning to understand their behaviour and how they see divers.
Price: 9 nights’ B&B costs from £1,535pp inc all flights, 14 dives, weights and transfers. Selected departures.
Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia is widely considered to offer the most spectacular and varied diving on earth. Join a 10-night liveaboard adventure on the elegant S/Y Indo Siren and, with marine Biologist Dr. Richard Smith, take in the finest dive sites at the epicentre of the Coral Triangle.
Price: 15 days from £4,350pp inc flights, mostly full board, transfers, expert leader and up to 4 dives per day. Depart 28 Feb 2017.
Book now for June 2017, joining instructor Neil Bennett at the very pinnacle of his sport to explore this incredible WW2 underwater battle site in Micronesia, with countless wrecks at diveable depths – a region that is without equal in the world of wreck diving.
Price: 13 nights’ full board from £3,495pp inc diving, transfers, expert instructor, Truk diving permit, Nitrox up to 30%. Depart 28 June 2017.
For more information, visit www.diveworldwide.com or call +44 (0)1962 302087.
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
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 2: Wall to Wall Wrecks
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
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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