News
Make Plans for PADI® Women’s Dive Day 2017
As momentum for PADI Women’s Dive Day 2017 swells, stakeholders across the dive industry are invited to take part in this growing event. For the past two years, divers from every corner of the globe have come together on PADI Women’s Dive Day to bond over their love of the ocean and a passion for diving. Gaining in popularity year after year, this budding tradition will continue on 15 July 2017 with aims to further strengthen and support the dive community by attracting new divers and bringing inactive divers back to the sport.
Since its launch in 2015, the PADI Women In Diving initiative has gained widespread adoption and support. By the second year, participation had doubled, growing from 335 events in 2015 to 703 events in 2016. PADI Dive Centers and Resorts hosted a range of activities across 77 countries, including everything from high tea on the high seas to shark dives and underwater cleanups.
“All our female PADI Instructors get just as excited about this event as the women divers who join us,” says Hayley-Jo Carr of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. “The day is about getting together to learn and share our passion for exploration, education and conservation.”
Worldwide media also championed the cause, garnering nearly 400 million media impressions for PADI Women’s Dive Day 2016, with inclusion in outlets such as The New York Times, Huffington Post and The Boston Globe.
“By coming together to celebrate women in diving, we’re seeing a tangible increase in the number of women learning to dive and their level of engagement with the dive industry. We’re attracting new customers for PADI Dive Centers and Resorts and the industry as a whole,” says Kristin Valette, PADI Worldwide Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer. “As a female dive industry executive, my personal desire is to champion a female-friendly dive community that will empower and inspire women of all ages to become divers for life and lifelong advocates for the ocean.”
You’re encouraged to take part in PADI Women’s Dive Day 2017 and there are a number of ways you can get involved:
- Contact your local PADI Dive Center or Resort or visit com/women-dive to find an event near you.
- Follow PADI’s social channels to get inspired and share stories of women making an impact on the sport and the planet, like those of the Inspiring PADI Women Contest Winners. Use #PADIWomen and #PADIWomensDiveDay be part of the conversation and share the excitement.
- Plan an event. PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can add events to the PADI Women’s Dive Day 2017 event locator. If you aren’t affiliated with a PADI Dive Center or Resort but would like to host an event, share your event information with your PADI Regional Headquarters (PADI Americas: womendive@padi.com; PADI Asia Pacific: marketing@padi.com.au; PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa: emea@padi.com).
For additional information about PADI Women’s Dive Day 2017, visit padi.com/women-dive.
Source: divenewswire.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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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