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Head to DIVE 2017 for first class photo & video inspiration
DIVE 2017 is just a matter of days away! If you’re a Diver who uses a camera or camcorder, you’ll want to make the PhotoZone a key part of your visit and indeed, you might find it hard to drag yourself away…
Head to the PhotoZone for the latest camera gear and specific advice, whether on hardware, software or technique. The PhotoZone will be packed with experts all weekend ready to offer one-to-one guidance and solutions to your photo and video needs. Set yourself new targets or simply enjoy the views of all the images on display. And don’t forget to vote – all visitors are invited to contribute to the judging of the annual British Society of Underwater Photographers’ Print Competition.
This year’s photo & video talks are on the nearby Centre Stage and the mission of all the speakers is to both inspire and inform your underwater image-making. Get your morning off to a great start at 9.50am with photo pro Mario Vitalini who shares his stress-free packing tips in The Travelling Photographer: kit essentials Within the Weight Limits. Scubaverse’s very own UWP Editors Nick & Caroline Robertson-Brown present The Bigger Picture at 11.10am – a guide to travel and wide-angle photography that is sure to get you champing at the bit to book your next dive trip.
In the afternoon on Saturday, star billing goes to Alex Mustard & Martin Edge at 2pm as they reveal previously Unseen Images, discuss experimentation and how to create exciting new work. Be sure to get your seats early for that one! Martin returns at the same time on Sunday for a solo presentation entitled Shots in the Shallows – exploring the pros and cons of shallow-water environments for underwater photographers.
Other speakers on the Centre Stage include Paul Colley, David Diley, Paul ‘Duxy’ Duxfield, Keith Hiscock, Ellen Kuylaerts, Jane Morgan, Saeed Rashid and Richard Smith. Take a look here for the full line-up.
Have you got your DIVE 2017 tickets yet? Book in advance and save money. Advance tickets cost just £9.50 (plus booking fee), saving you £5 per ticket. Booking in advance also entitles you to one FREE Show Guide (worth £2.50) per ticket order. And remember, Under 14s accompanied by an Adult go FREE!
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
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.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 1
For a week at the end of February I was invited to sample the diving with Orca Dive Club based at the Breakers Diving and Surfing Lodge by courtesy of SOMABAY.
Somabay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds. Somabay caters for scuba diving as well as many other sports, including windsurfing, golf, sailing, go-carting, horse riding and many other activities.
All the activities are of a world-class standard and any or all of these can be booked directly from The Breakers.
I took Easyjet from Bristol (UK) to Hurghada. Easyjet are not by any means my favourite airline but the flight was cheap and direct (except for the surprise extra £48 I was charged at the gate for my carry-on bag).
I was met at Hurghada airport by a driver and car and taken to the Breakers 28 miles (45Kilomaters) south along the coast. Once at the hotel I was too late for an evening meal and so a basic meal was delivered to my room. That and a beer from the fridge and I was fast asleep.
Early the next morning after breakfast I arrived for my rep meeting at the Orca Dive Center for 8.00am. I was immediately made to feel welcome, and after brief introductions I got some dive gear from the store, had a chat with my dive guide Mohamed and got ready to try the house reef situated at the end of a very long wooded pier where all diving gear and divers are taken out by buggies.
Once at the end of the pier, a helping hand from staff makes sure your gear is set and then it’s a short walk to the very end where you can either climb down a ladder of simply jump in the water next to the reef. The house reef extends both north and south giving a very easy and safe dive with plenty to see. At this time of the year the water temperature was a constant 22 degrees Centigrade and there was little or no current, so there were no issues in swimming back to the pier.
Quite a few divers were in dry or semi-dry suits, but being from the UK and used to the cold I found a 3mm wetsuit with a 3mm neoprene vest quite comfortable. Even after 50 years of diving I still find that first dive of a trip slightly nerving until I am actually underwater and then all becomes relaxed and I ease into auto diving mode. There was plenty to see with many of the Red Sea favourites along the way.
After the dive and a buggy ride back to the hotel for a very good buffet lunch I was back in the water, once again on the house reef for an afternoon dive.
Check in for part 2 tomorrow when Jeff gets on a day boat and dives a few of the off-shore reefs.
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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