News
Jean-Michel Cousteau to open new dive centre in Petit St. Vincent this year
Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will open a dive centre on the Caribbean island of Petit St. Vincent (PSV) in the southern Grenadines before the end of the year. Following extensive research of the reefs and aquatic life in the region by Jean-Michel and his team, he felt PSV would be a perfect place to share the wonders of coral reefs with guests and locals.
The newly established local company, known as “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Caribbean Divers”, is owned and operated by Jean-Michel Cousteau and long time colleague, Don Santee. The new dive centre will provide guided dives as well as diving instruction and PADI certifications for all levels of divers. Both Jean-Michel Cousteau and PSV management view the dive center as the first step in an ongoing program to protect the waters and aquatic life in the region.
While the dive centre will operate independently of the resort, they will share some facilities including the existing dock and boathouse. An on-staff naturalist/marine biologist will offer guided underwater tours and hikes around the island with the goal of educating and entertaining guests about the area’s rich marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The naturalist will also work with local schools and NGOs on surrounding islands including Union Island, Carriacou and Petit Martinique to develop educational programs and projects.
“This project is personally very exciting for me,” said PSV’s owner Phil Stephenson. “Like a lot of our guests, I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau’s specials every Sunday night on American broadcast television. It’s what got me into scuba diving as a kid and produced a lifetime love of the ocean. Having Jean-Michel and his staff help teach PSV’s guests about diving and the diversity of undersea world is really a dream come true.”
In addition to the new dive centre, PSV is also working with scientists at the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to reduce the island’s environmental footprint and make operations “greener”. For example, the resort has replaced plastic drinking bottles with reusable glass bottles with sealed tops, installed a wastewater treatment plant to reduce the discharge of untreated waters, and planned a retention pond for natural filtration using water lilies, tilapia fish and frogs which will assist in natural mosquito reduction.
PSV will continue to grow as much of their own fruits and vegetables on island as possible, rainwater will be harvested from rooftops for irrigation and a composting system will be put into place. These and many other planned initiatives will help reduce the island’s environmental footprint and create a beautiful and productive landscape.
“We must connect the ocean to the existence of every human being,” said Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. “My father used to say, ‘people protect what they love’, and so it is our hope that by encouraging and enabling divers to explore the waters around PSV, and by initiating sustainability measures on the island, we will be creating ambassadors of the ocean and land for generations to come and share this important message: ‘Protect the ocean and you protect yourself.’”
About Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society (OFS) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization with the motto, “Protect the ocean and you protect yourself.” The mission of OFS is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean’s vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. OFS is based in Santa Barbara, California, with offices in France and Brazil. For more information, visit www.oceanfutures.org.
About Petit St Vincent
Petit St Vincent is a privately-owned 115-acre island in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The island has just 22 one- and two-bedroom cottages dotted along the beaches and bluffs, positioned perfectly for the ultimate in privacy and seclusion. The cottages are free of televisions, telephones and internet connections. A major renovation project was completed in 2011, which included the addition of a treetop spa and beachfront restaurant and bar. For more information, visit www.petitstvincent.com.
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
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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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