News
Love diving with Scuba Travel
UK-based Tour Operator Scuba Travel has some wonderful offers for sea lovers in February.
Book between 1-14 February with your partner, buddy or friend and save extra £££’s on one of their I LOVE specials*:
Book a Bali Holiday with your Partner and Get a Free Ocean Villa Upgrade – from £1495 incl. flights
Quote I LOVE DIVING when you book on one of Scuba Travel’s special offers to Scuba Seraya with your partner and get a free upgrade to an Ocean Villa!
Scuba Seraya is a great resort for divers in Bali which specialises in critter dives, the Liberty wreck and house reef diving. Seraya is an intimate resort with only 12 rooms, set in lush gardens on the beach front. The Ocean View villas are a sumptuous, double bedded option – ideal for couples that want a bit more space or privacy. There is a kitchenette, sofa and even your very own private garden facing a plunge pool.
Includes flights, transfers, 7 nights full board in a maisonette, 10 boat dives and unlimited unguided house reef diving.
Book an Azores Holiday with you Buddy and get a free Whale Watching Trip – from £1045
Quote I LOVE DIVING when you book on of Scuba Travel’s Azores holidays and you and your buddy will get a free whale watching trip!
The Azores is one of the best destinations in the world to dive with Blue sharks and makos out in the blue, plus enjoy some amazing encounters with mobulas, devil rays and more at the stunning offshore banks. There is plentiful marine life throughout the year but June to October is best as that is when the pelagics come in due to the warm currents of the gulf stream.
From £1045 at Hotel Colombo incl. flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B and 10 boat dives.
Whirlwind Red Sea – Brothers Wreck Special 5 May or Get Wrecked 19 May
Quote I LOVE WRECKS when booking either of these trips with your buddy (and sharing a cabin) and save an extra £50 each!
Both these itineraries allow you to spend more time diving the Red Sea’s best wrecks. The Brothers’ Wreck Special takes wreck diving in the Northern Red Sea further. Wide ranging, this itinerary mixes up northern and southern destinations. Each iconic wreck follows another… the Thistlegorm one day… Numidia another. The Brothers’ Wreck Special really does combine unmissable wrecks and astounding diving for a more advanced itinerary that will delight. Get Wrecked covers the amazing quality and scope of wrecks in the Northern Red Sea and will not leave you disappointed. What more could any diver want? Over a week’s diving, the Red Sea’s shipping history is set before you for exploration.
Includes return flights, transfers, 7 nights full board, up to 18 fully guided dives, all marine park fees and 12 ltr tanks and weights.
Join Hurricane on a Shark Quest Adventure – from £1045
Quote I LOVE SHARKS when booking this trip with your buddy (and sharing a cabin) and save an extra £50 each!
Join the award-winning Hurricane liveaboard in the Southern Red Sea for our incredible Shark Quest itinerary.
Come face to face with pelagics in the Southern Red Sea with the most experienced team, on board the stable steel-hulled Hurricane. Avoid long transfers with a direct flight to Marsa Alam. Dive the famous Daedalus Reef, Brothers Islands, Rocky or Elphinstone, dependant on the best shark activity.
Includes return flights to Marsa Alam, 7 nights full board and fully guided diving.
Voyager – Dive Sudan and get a free upgrade to a double cabin or Suite
Quote I LOVE SHARKS when booking Voyager with your partner and get a free room upgrade!
Sha’ab Rumi, the Con Shelf, Sanganeb and Wingate’s Umbria are some of Sudan’s finest dive sites and the Sudan North itinerary focuses on these undeniable highlights. The walls are deep and the plateaus make an ideal stage for shark watching. Add to this the beautiful wreck dives at the unique Umbria and Con Shelf II and you are guaranteed an incredible Sudan liveaboard, packed with excitement and variety. Voyager is operated by an experienced team who have made the Sudan their home and know each reef intimately – there is no one better to guide you through the Sudanese waters. With such an unparalleled knowledge of the dive sites, marine species and their seasonality, it is no wonder that divers flock back to this vessel year after year.
Includes return flights, 7 nights full board and fully guided diving.
Scubaspa – Luxury Maldives Liveaboard from £2195
Quote I LOVE LUXURY when booking a Scubaspa trip with your buddy (sharing a cabin) and save an extra £50 each!
Scubaspa takes Maldives liveaboards to a whole new level. She’s a classy lady with undeniable wow factor. 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 onboard 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.
Includes International flights, 7 nights full board and Scuba Package.
Bunaken Oasis Luxury Resort – Indonesia
Quote I LOVE LUXURY when booking a holiday to Bunaken Oasis with your buddy (sharing a Villa) and save an extra £50 each!
Escape to this stunning 5 star luxury dive resort on Bunaken Island. There are only 12 large, traditionally built private villas. Each boasts its own unique vista out over the beach towards the mainland. The majority of the villas have king double beds, with an additional 2-bedroom family villa. Twin beds available on request. No detail – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant – has been overlooked in the building of Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort.
With easy access to over 50 superb dive sites, the variety of diving at Bunaken Oasis resort is incredible. This is a purpose-built dive resort and as such, everything you need is right here on site. Choose between 3 boat dives per day or 2 morning boat dives and an afternoon spent exploring the house reef (subject to conditions).
Includes International flights, transfers, 7 nights in a traditional cottage, 17 boat dives and free Nitrox & free house reef diving
Join Martyn Guess on the Anilao Critter Hunt – Book with your buddy and get an extra £100 off the special price per person
Quote I LOVE PHOTO when booking a holiday to join Martyn Guess on an amazing critter hunt in Anilao in the Philippines. Book with your buddy and get a further £100pp off the advertised special offer price!
Join photo pro Martyn Guess on this dedicated photo workshop in the heart of Anilao at Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort with world class critter diving on your doorstep. The workshop boasts 21 boat dives and 2 night dives, plus free nitrox over 8 nights in a casita room on a full board basis – optional room grades available.
To find out more about Scuba Travel and the dive holidays they offer call 0800 0728221, email dive@scubatravel.com or visit www.scubatravel.com.
*Available on new bookings only; no groups; terms and conditions apply. Loyalty discounts (if applicable) still apply.
News
Euro-Divers to close dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda
Euro-Divers have announced that as of 15 April 2024, they will no longer be operating the dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda (formerly known as Amari Havodda).
The popular dive centre chain released this statement regarding the closure:
Dear valid customers, business partners and friends,
We are leaving NH Collection Maldives Havodda – former Amari Havodda as of 15th of April 2024.
Unfortunately, the information reached us on short notice that we are no longer operating the dive centre at the resort.
It was a great pleasure to work with the Amari Hotel group and continue to work with the NH Hotel group.
We wish our partners great success with all their new changes.
Thanks a lot for cooperating during our time at the resort. We wish everyone with whom we have worked a good and hopefully successful future.
Euro-Divers continue to operate in several other dive resorts throughout the Maldives in addition to other locations.
To finds out more about Euro-Divers, visit www.euro-divers.com.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Creature Feature: Undulate Ray
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.
This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.
Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.
It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.
Scientific Name: Raja undulata
Family: Rajidae
Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)
Diet: shrimps and crabs
Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.
Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando
-
Blogs3 months ago
‘Simply the Best’ – Quintessential Red Sea Diving
-
News2 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News1 month ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs3 months ago
Creature Feature: Nurse Sharks
-
News2 months ago
Join Lembeh Resort’s Macro Photography Workshop with Scott Gutsy Tuason this April
-
Miscellaneous Blogs3 months ago
Book Review: The Lives of Seaweeds
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs1 month ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs2 months ago
A day in the life of Marsa Shagra with Sea to Sky