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Follow in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau with these trips from Dive Worldwide
2017 marks 20 years since the death of Jacques Cousteau, whose diving TV documentaries brought life beneath the waves into the living rooms of millions around the world in the 1960s and 70s. In celebration of this life lived to the full, spring 2017 sees the UK-release of L’Odyssée, a new biopic filmed on location worldwide. Follow in Cousteau and the film’s wake by choosing from one of these Dive Worldwide trips featuring filming locations to be seen in L’Odyssée.
Antarctica
The perfect introduction to Antarctica, this 11-day adventure allows guests to experience the flora and fauna of the White Continent both above and below the water. After two days’ sailing from Ushuaia in Argentina, past icebergs and an array of seabirds, the ship, Plancius, moors in the Newmayer Channel, the base camp for the next four days. Here, guests will enjoy exploring Wiencke Island on foot, by Zodiac and in kayaks and, on selected trips, have the opportunity to take part in polar dives, where wildlife encounters might include penguins, sea lions and leopard seals. After sailing through the Lemarie Channel passengers will step onto the Antarctic Peninsula spending a night at a local camp near Paradise Bay.
Price: from £5,695pp based on 2 sharing, including 10 nights’ full board liveaboard accommodation, shore excursions and activities and talks by naturalists. Voyage only, flights extra.
Find out more about this trip here.
Bahamas
With 1,000 recognised dive sites and over 700 islands to explore, the Bahamas are a diver’s paradise. This week-long trip includes six days of diving, with 12 dives in total, and showcases the very finest experiences on offer in the Caribbean. Highlights will include: pristine reefs, multitudes of exciting wrecks, spectacular walls, blue holes, caves to explore and the chance to dive with dolphins. Based in the vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Nassau, guests stay at the Orange Hill Beach Inn, a charming hilltop resort just 50 steps from a white sandy beach. Upgrade the trip to include a shark diving adventure, as depicted in L’Odyssée, for just £155pp and experience the thrill of shark-feeding from close quarters.
Price: from £1,795pp based on 2 sharing, including 7 nights’ accommodation (room only), 6 days’ diving, tanks and weights, return flights from the UK and transfers.
Find out more about this trip here.
South Africa
South Africa’s sardine run is the largest gathering of predators on the planet and one of the world’s most wonderful natural spectacles. Each June, off the KwaZulu Natal coastline where the Agulhas and Benguela currents meets, millions of sardine migrate north, forming a giant smorgasbord that attracts bottlenose dolphins, dusky black-tip and bull sharks, seals and even occasionally orcas. The resultant feeding frenzy drives the shoals to the surface where they fall prey to dive bombing avian predators including cape gannets, skuas, storm petrels and albatross. Guests enjoy five days of sardine run action, getting up close and personal with almost every species of marine animal, and also spend time exploring the Aliwal Shoal, recognised as one of the top dive sites in the world.
Price: from £2,335pp based on 2 sharing, including 7 nights’ B&B accommodation, 2 dives at Aliwal Shoal, 5 days’ sardine run action, tanks and weights, return flights from the UK and transfers.
Find out more about this trip here.
For further information visit www.diveworldwide.com
Photo credit: South Africa Sardine Run – Alex Safonov
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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