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Get away on a Maldives liveaboard next week for just £1195 and other great dive holiday deals from Scuba Travel
Want to get away from it all next week on a luxury Maldives liveaboard for just £1195? UK-based dive tour operator Scuba Travel can make it happen – and they’ve got some other great deals on offer too that’ll make you want to reach for your passport!
Here are the details:
Maldives / ScubaSpa / 16th September / Only £1195
Scubaspa takes Maldives liveaboards to a whole new level. She’s a classy lady with undeniable wow factor. 7 nights full board. Spa / Scuba or Scuba and Spa packages available.
Total relaxation is guaranteed with first class comfort and service. Whether you are there for the diving, spa and yoga or just to get away from it all, this is an unforgettable holiday of a lifetime on board a genuinely luxurious vessel. Discover the divine world underwater or enjoy daily treatments in the sumptuous spa – this is your holiday to enjoy your way. There’s no doubting that the Scubaspa experience will remain with you long after your journey home.
Divers will love ScubaSpa. There are never more than 22 divers on the liveaboard at any one time so you get all the benefits of the vast mothership with small dive groups split between the experienced dive guides. The dive dhoni is second to none, with practical side and rear entry points for ease in and out of the water. Tanks are well spaced, with plenty of room between divers. As you would expect, the boat crew are all highly professional – from your captain to his deck hands, from the cruise manager to your waiter, this elite team is here to help. Snorkelling equipment is available on board.
Find out more about this trip here.
Sri Lanka / Sri Lankan Aggressor / 16th September / £2795
Save £200. During the Whale and Dolphin snorkelling weeks, guests will have the opportunity to snorkel with up to thirteen species of whales and eight species of dolphin. World renowned marine naturalist Howard Martenstyn will be onboard the liveaboard.
On arrival at Colombo, collect your baggage and proceed to your domestic flight to Trincomalee. Trincomalee harbour is approx a 45 minute land transfer from the airport, where you will board the Sri Lankan Aggressor. You have 7 nights booked in a deluxe cabin (full board, 2 people sharing). The whale and dolphin itineraries are snorkelling only experiences from the 2 zodiac tender boats. The zodiacs will be launched several times a day, with each trip lasting between 1 and a 1/2 and three hours.
Sri Lanka’s coastline is a haven for big marine mammals and you will have the chance to snorkel off shore with these behemoths from the comfort of your liveaboard. The Sri Lankan Aggressor goes further afield than before for the best and most reliable encounters. Here the water is clearer and the sightings even more impressive. Come face to face with the world’s biggest whale, the Blue whale, as well as dolphins and smaller whales.
Find out more about this trip here.
Red Sea / Hurricane / 19th October / Only £1175
Save £150. Sublime reef diving in the southern Red Sea on board the stable steel hulled Hurricane. Avoid long transfers with Scuba Travel’s direct flight to Marsa Alam. Dive the famous Daedalus Reef, Rocky Island and St Johns – 18-20 dives over the week.
To create the Daedalus, Rocky and St Johns itinerary, Scuba Travel have scoured the vast miles of Southern Red Sea and picked out the creme de la creme for your personal diving enjoyment. If you love reef diving then you are guaranteed to fall in love with the variety on this classic Egyptian liveaboard itinerary. Stretching south from Marsa Alam to within a breath of the Sudanese border, get face to face with the remarkable diversity that makes the deep south so rich and rewarding for divers. Walls, shallow caves, softly draped pinnacles are all on the menu alongside pelagic encounters. Marvel at the beauty and splendour on one of Scuba Travel’s favourite southern Red Sea liveaboard holidays.
Find out more about this trip here.
Red Sea / Whirlwind / 15th October / Only £995
Save £280. Sail away on the ever popular award winning Whirlwind. Departing from Hurghada, you will spend 7 nights on board on a full board basis (twin share cabin). Classic Northern Red Sea Itinerary with up to 22 dives over the week.
The Wrecks and Reefs itinerary gets to some of the most iconic dive sites Egypt has to offer, as well a few of lesser known beauties. After the check dive, this tour starts in style. Tiran and Ras Mohammed are rightly two of the best known areas for diving in the Northern Red Sea. The coral gardens play host to hundreds and thousands of candy coloured fish. The deep walls of Tiran mirror the startling drop offs of Ras Mohammed. Blue spotted sting rays, eagle rays and manta abound and the summer months see large pelagic sharks gather on the drop off. Hammerheads, Black Tips, leopard and even tiger sharks all visit the region. Cruising past Shark and Yolanda, Wrecks and Reefs takes in the Alternatives, Small Crack and Bluff Point before moving onto the wrecks. The Northern Red Sea is a wreck diver’s delight. The almighty Thistlegorm is the setting for unforgettable diving, day or night. The Kingston, Dunraven, Giannis D and Carnatic only add to the excitement. These 19th and 20th century wrecks have, over the course of time, formed artificial reefs but each is still packed with unique artefacts that tell their story.
Wrecks and Reefs is the ideal itinerary whatever your experience level. A popular route for those new to the Red Sea, the varied depths across dive sites suit all abilities – from novice to tekkie.
Find out more about this trip here.
To find out more about Scuba Travel and the dive holidays they offer, visit www.scubatravel.com.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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