News
Merry Christmas from Scuba Travel with the latest diving travel offers
Winter Warmer, introducing Atmosphere Resort, Dewi’s 10th Anniversary, Undersea Hunter and some Early Bird offers… check out these offers from our friends at UK-based Tour Operator Scuba Travel.
The Winter Warmer
Last few spaces available
Join Mario on his Winter Warmer™ tour and beat those winter blues with a week of dedicated Red Sea underwater photography, focusing in particular on the varied macro and wide angle opportunities at Gubal, the Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed.
This trip will focus on the fundamentals of underwater photography – no matter how much experience you have, getting the basics right matters. If you are newer to underwater photography, we will cover the proper camera set up, available light photography then moving on to lighting and lens selection. If you have progressed through the initial stages in your underwater photography already, then you might want to experiment, setting up specific shots and coordinating with models, or try some experimental stuff like snooting, time-lapse or long exposure shots.
This will be a great all round trip, suitable for all abilities, and Mario will be on hand morning, noon and night, dishing out any help and advice you might need. Once you’ve taken the shots you will probably want to tweak and edit them so most evenings there will be assistance with using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop to make the most of your digital creations.
Introducing Atmosphere Resort, Dumaguete, Philippines
Intro offer: Save £200 plus free room upgrade!
Discover macro, muck magic and the turtletastic Apo island with the brilliant team at Atmosphere resort. Enjoy 7 laid back nights diving in the heart of Dumaguete plus 1 night in Manila. The unlimited diving package packs in up to 5 dives a day including night dives for 5 days, plus free nitrox and prepaid park fees. Your accommodation package includes 7 nights on a B and B basis in a deluxe suite (2 people sharing) – half board and full board upgrade plans available. You also have free internet access. Special dives (Apo island, mandarin, night dive and dives with the resident marine biologist), kit rental, spa services, land excursions are all paid in resort. Flights are available with a number of airlines from a variety of regional departure points. Airport transfers are included. Excluded are any excess baggage charges and the Philippines departure tax (750PHP). Please note the final trip cost will depend on flight availability at the time of booking and seasonal resort rates.
Dewi’s 10 year Anniversary deal – Save £1000!
Dewi brings true 5 star liveaboard holidays to Indonesia’s most pristine and remote dive sites. Discover Raja Ampat and Cenderawaish Bay for the creme de la creme of Indonesian dive destinations, visiting regions few other divers will ever see. Despite it’s old world design, echoing the schooners and sail boats, Dewi is a thoroughly modern dive boat with all mod cons and creature comforts. Why not sail into the sunset on Dewi if you long for a Indonesian diving holiday with a true sense of adventure wrapped up in absolute luxury.
Everyone is a VIP on board Dewi! Start your morning with the wake up beverage service. Dining is al fresco, with a mix of international and Indonesian dishes. You might be in a remote location, but you certainly won’t go without on Dewi – make sure to sample from the selection of fine wines on board. Between dives relax in the lounge (TV& DVD player), grab one of the ship’s sun beds or hammocks or even indulge in a full body massage.
Amazing Offers from Undersea Hunter to Cocos Island, save up to £1600!
Think of a liveaboard to Cocos and you will probably think of the Undersea Hunter fleet. Sea Hunter is a part of this outstanding fleet and a luxurious a choice as you would expect from this pedigree name. This sturdy steel hulled vessel makes light work of the long sail out to Cocos. And the diving is well worth the journey when you get there. Jump from the custom-built dive skiffs into a pelagic filled wonderland. Experience the rush of diving with vast numbers of hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, white tips, manta and eagle rays. Nothing quite compares to Cocos or the attentive and welcoming service you will receive on board Sea Hunter.
Plan ahead and bank an amazing deal
Book more than 6 months in advance and benefit from some of our super duper, early bird specials – these are updated daily and are limited by numbers. So if you see one that appeals get your name down quick!
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.
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
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.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
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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