News
Latest Worldwide Dive Holiday Deals From Oonasdivers
UK-based tour operator Oonasdivers have released their latest Worldwide dive holiday deals for the remainder of 2015 and beyond.
Here are the details:
Oonasdivers | South Africa from £1255
Shark Diving South Africa – Scuba Addicts Lodge
Get up close and personal with some of the world’s most magnificent creatures…… SHARKS.
October 2015
10 – 17 Oct only £1285
January 2016
23 – 30 Jan only £1255
February 2016
20 – 27 Feb 2016 only £1255
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 6 nights B&B and 10 Shark Dives.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Maldives | Liveaboards from £1540
Explore one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations in comfort and style. Join one of Oonasdivers’ popular Maldives liveaboards and pick the itinerary that suits you.
September 2015
18 – 26 Sep – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1575
October 2015
09 – 17 Oct – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1785
30 Oct – 07 Nov – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) £1680
November 2015
27 Nov – 05 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1680
27 Nov – 05 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1820
December 2015
04 – 12 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1650
04 – 12 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1820
11 – 19 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1950
11 – 19 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £2050
18 – 26 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £2105
18 – 26 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £2280
May 2016
06 – 14 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
06 – 14 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1610
13 – 21 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
13 – 21 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
20 – 28 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
20 – 28 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
27 May – 04 Jun – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1605
27 May – 04 Jun – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1655
June 2016
03 – 11 June – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
03 – 11 June – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights full board, 17 dives and FREE Nitrox.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Caribbean | Tobago from £1240
Fancy a diving holiday with a difference? Sample the true Caribbean in Tobago – soak up the island’s warm atmosphere whilst diving in the colourful waters. Perfect for non-divers too.
Blue Waters Inn
Tobago’s best kept secret, Blue Waters Inn is perfectly located in Speyside. Access the top dive sites whilst enjoying the beauty of your surroundings.
September 2015
04 – 11 Sep only £1265
07 – 14 Sep only £1240
11 – 18 Sep only £1265
14 – 21 Sep only £1240
18 – 25 Sep only £1265
21 – 28 Sep only £1240
25 Sep – 02 Oct only £1265
28 Sep – 05 Oct only £1240
October 2015
02 – 09 Oct only £1265
05 – 12 Oct only £1240
09 – 16 Oct only £1265
12 – 19 Oct only £1240
16 – 23 Oct only £1265
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B and 10 dives including full equipment.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Sudan | Royal Evolution from £2595
Embark on an adventure into the pristine Sudanese waters. Join one of the most sophisticated liveaboards in the Red Sea for her extended 13 day cruise.
November 2015
25 Nov – 09 Dec – Abington Reef, Shaab Rumi & Umbria Wreck only £2595
February 2016
24 Feb – 09 Mar – Abington Reef, Shaab Rumi & Umbria Wreck only £2635
Prices are per person and include 14 nights full board and 12 days diving.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Canary Islands | El Hierro from £665
Dive El Hierro with Shane Gray
El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands, with an extraordinary and captivating landscape both above and below the water. This trip is fully guided by Shane Gray, a well-known figure in the Irish diving community, and his wife Ollie.
November 2015
09 – 16 Nov – Dive El Hierro £670
23 – 30 Nov – Dive El Hierro £665
February 2016
22 – 29 Feb – Dive El Hierro £700
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights self-catering and 10 dives.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Malta & Gozo from £480
The most stunning diving in the Mediterranean, the rocky topography of the Maltese Islands means you can enjoy striking underwater scenery including caves, overhangs and swim throughs.
Combine this with good visibility, warm water, no tides and few currents, and you have a perfect combination for all divers.
Dive Malta
Explore the amazing underwater topography and the impressive collection of ship, plane and submarine wrecks. All with one of the top PADI and BSAC diving centres on the island, Maltaqua.
October 2015
04 – 11 Oct only £660
March 2016
05 – 12 Mar only £480
19 – 26 Mar only £560
Price includes flights, transfers, 7 nights self-catering at the Sands Apartments and 10 dives.
Discover Gozo
One of the most untouched and unique islands in the Mediterranean, Gozo retains its simple rural charm. Your diving will be with the only recognised BSAC and PADI approved centre in Gozo, the Calypso Dive Centre, who have been established for over 30 years.
October 2015
11 – 18 Oct only £715
Price includes flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B at the Calypso Hotel and 10 dives.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Fiji | Save 10%
Fiji is home to the world’s 4th longest barrier reef, the Great Astrolobe Barrier Reef, offering 75 miles of pristine hard and soft corals.
Matava Resort
Find your spirit of adventure as you experience the magnificent beauty of a remote Fijian island. Matava offers a unique blend of eco lodges mixed with a touch of luxury.
October 2015 – May 2016
Save 10% on accommodation, diving and transfers, the equivalent of over £100 per person for a 7 night stay.
Find out more here.
To find out more or to book, contact the Oonasdivers team now by calling +44 (0)1323 648924+44 (0)1323 648924, email info@oonasdivers.com or visit www.oonasdivers.com.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 2: Wall to Wall Wrecks
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
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
Marine Life & Conservation
Double Bubble for Basking Sharks
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
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