News
Fabulous Autumn Sale diving from Diverse Travel – Book by Tuesday 31 October
There’s just a few days left to book your next diving escape in the great value Diverse Travel Autumn Sale. Check out just some of their special offers below:
Red Sea Day Diving: Marsa Alam and El Gouna – Just £40 a day
Book your Red Sea diving with the experts! Dive in with Emperor Divers for just £40 per day:
- Includes 2 dives a day, guide, tanks, weights, weight belt, transfers to/from your hotel, all port fees and surcharges.
ADD more value to your diving: add ‘All-In’ to 5 days’ boat diving for just £90:
- When you book a 5 day dive pack, add an ‘All-In’ package and your lunch and drinks on board, 3 x 3rd dives, the daily Environmental Tax and even included 12 litre Nitrox for FREE are included
Valid for diving: November 2017 to August 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Red Sea: 7 Nights Marsa Alam 5* Resort + Diving Special Offer
Marsa Alam is perfect for learning to dive and for the more experienced diver. Explore the shallow wreck near shore, enjoy the house reef, snorkel with dolphins, dive with turtles or even an occasional dugong. Combine this with a stay at the 5* Sunrise Marina Resort and you have the recipe for a perfect diving holiday!
© Sunrise Marina Resort
From just £645 per person based on sharing a twin/double room including:
- Return flights from London Gatwick to Marsa Alam
- 15kgs baggage allowance
- 7 nights’ accommodation at Sunrise Marina Resort
- All Inclusive meal plan
- 5 days’ boat diving, up to 2 guided day dives a day
- All transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates between December 2017 and May 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Red Sea: MV Emperor Echo Dive 2017 Offer
Jump on board the latest addition to the Emperor fleet and enjoy diving the famous sites of the Red Sea with this fantastic special offer. Great value for money and perfect for small groups of buddies with a ‘Book 5 and 1 dives for FREE’ offer all year round.
Price from just £945 per person based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights from London to Hurghada
- 20kgs baggage
- 7 nights in shared cabin
- 3 meals a day, soft drinks, red wine with dinner
- 6 days’ diving, guide, 12ltr tank & weights, Marine Park fees and port departure fees
- Free Nitrox
- Return airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates in 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Red Sea: MV Emperor Elite – Dive 2017 Offer
Emperor Elite takes you to the most iconic of dive sites in the Red Sea in comfort. Dive the famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, Fury Shoals and the remote St Johns, Big and Little Brothers, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone.
From just £995 per person based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights from London to Hurghada
- 20kgs baggage
- 7 nights in shared cabin
- 3 meals a day, soft drinks, red wine with dinner
- 6 days’ diving, guide, 12ltr tank & weights, Marine Park fees and port departure fees
- Free Nitrox
- Return airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates in 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Maldives: MV Emperor Atoll – Traditional Maldivian Diving
This traditional liveaboard is perfect for small groups of friends and families. Dive the famous sites and experience the majestic mantas, night dive with sharks and, if you’re lucky, a whale shark or two! Personal service with just 12 divers.
From just £1795 per person based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights from London to Male
- 30kgs baggage
- 7 nights in shared cabin
- 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, unlimited drinking water, tea & coffee
- 6 days’ diving – total of 17 dives (incl. 1 night dive), guide, cylinders & weights
- Free Nitrox
- 1 BBQ dinner on uninhabited island (weather allowing)
- Malé city tour (on request)
- Return airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates in 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Maldives: MV Emperor Voyager – spacious comfiness
A luxury modern, spacious liveaboard built to a high standard, Emperor Voyager takes you to the most iconic dive sites of the Maldives. Spend your days diving these wonderful atolls and your evenings relaxing with a cocktail watching the sun go down.
From just £1825 per person based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights from London to Male
- 30kgs baggage
- 7 nights in shared cabin
- 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, unlimited drinking water, tea & coffee
- 6 days’ diving – total of 17 dives (incl. 1 night dive), guide, cylinders & weights
- Free Nitrox
- 1 BBQ dinner on uninhabited island (weather allowing)
- Malé city tour (on request)
- Return airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates in 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Maldives: MV Emperor Orion – Fresh new look
Always a firm favourite with guests, she looks even more the part now with a ‘facelift’ both inside and out and is brighter, lighter, fresh and ready to sail those magical Maldives dive sites. Book your place now and take advantage of the special Dive 2017 offers.
Price from just £1975 per person based on sharing a twin cabin including:
- Return economy class flights from London to Male
- 30kgs baggage
- 7 nights in shared cabin
- 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, free red wine with dinner, unlimited drinking water, tea & coffee
- 6 days’ diving – total of 17 dives (incl. 1 night dive), guide, cylinders & weights
- Free Nitrox
- 1 BBQ dinner on uninhabited island (weather allowing)
- Malé city tour (on request)
- Return airport transfers
- Full ATOL protection
Valid for travel on certain dates in 2018
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Komodo | Beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style yacht
Emperor Raja Laut sails the nutrient rich waters of Komodo between July and October, and offers opportunities to dive reefs, small islands and the Sangeang Volcano, with its critters and bubble flows, manta action in the south. Add to this the famous Komodo Dragon, beautiful beaches, look-outs to climb and you have a paradise both below and above the water.
Price from £2925 including:
- 9-night package to Komodo based on twin share
- Return international flights – London Heathrow to Bali
- Return domestic flights – Bali to Komodo
- Airline departure taxes
- 7 nights shared cabin, 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, 1 cocktail party on a local island, unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee, guide, 12 litre air tanks, weights
- 2 nights with breakfast – Peneeda View Hotel
- All transfers according to itinerary
- Full ATOL Protection
Price based on August and October 2018 departures. Alternative dates are available.
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
Raja Ampat | Beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style yacht
Emperor Raja Laut is a beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style sailing yacht delivering divers to one of the most appealing and dreamed-of dive destinations in the world. Sailing the iconic diving areas of Raja Ampat, which in Indonesian means the Four Kings, you will dive the Marine Park world renowned for being the epicentre of marine biodiversity.
Price from £2725 including:
- 8-night package (also 9 & 14-nights available) to Raja Ampat based on twin share
- Return international flights – London Heathrow to Manado
- Return domestic flights – Manado to Sorong
- Airline departure taxes
- 6 nights shared cabin, 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, 1 cocktail party on a local island, unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee, guide, 12 litre air tanks, weights
- 2 nights Half Board – Manado Novotel Airport Hotel
- All transfers according to itinerary
- Full ATOL Protection
Price based on 20th February 2018 departure. Alternative dates are available.
Booking deadline: 31 October 2017
Call Diverse Travel on 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk.
For more information or to book, call Diverse Travel on Freephone 0800 915 4436, email info@diversetravel.co.uk or visit www.diversetravel.co.uk.
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.
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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