News
Save Big and Win a Holiday with Regaldive at DIVE 2014
With just a few days to go until DIVE 2014 at the Birmingham NEC, UK based diving holiday specialist Regaldive has unveiled a range of exciting new dive show offers. With a great value 10% off diving holidays and liveaboards around the world, in addition to some superb dive pack deals and extra savings, Regaldive’s offers are available from now, and for a limited period after the show.
Anyone booking a holiday or asking for a holiday quote between 20th October and 21st November will also be entered into a free prize draw to win a holiday for two people to the beautiful Caribbean island of Tobago. The prize consists of two return flights from London Gatwick to Tobago courtesy of Monarch Airlines and the Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Board, transfers, seven nights bed and breakfast accommodation for two people sharing a double / twin room at the lovely Blue Waters Inn in the Speyside area of Tobago and five boat dives with Blue Waters Inn Dive’n.
Save 10% on most holidays and liveaboards worldwide
Regaldive have some amazing liveaboard offers including northern Red Sea itineraries aboard M/Y Asmaa starting from just £738 per person, including flights. Trips aboard the popular M/Y Superior start from just £783 per person, including flights and free nitrox, whilst a host of savings on M/Y Blue Fin, M/Y Blue Melody & M/Y Blue Voyager mean discounts of up to £199 and prices from just £796 per person, including flights.
Further afield, divers can save an incredible £500 per person on Galapagos liveaboards and up to £360 per person on Indonesian liveaboards including the stunning sailing yacht Dewi Nusantara. Divers booking on selected departures aboard this vessel in May 2015 also qualify for free Nitrox.
Regaldive’s land-based holiday packages also benefit from the 10% saving. Close to home, Malta and Gozo represent great value for money with packages including flights starting from just £299 per person. Further afield, those looking for a Caribbean escape can take advantage of the amazing shore diving opportunities in Bonaire from as little as £1,410 per person, plus free buddy diving available on selected dates when staying and diving at Buddy Dive Resort.
Divers should book by 7th November 2014 to take advantage of the 10% savings.
£26 per day boat diving
Regaldive is offering boat diving from just £26 per day with Emperor Divers in El Gouna, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam.
For example, seven nights at the Falcon Naama Star in Sharm El Sheikh cost from £499 per person, to include flights, transfers, seven nights B&B accommodation and five days diving (based on two sharing). Valid for selected departures in 2015. Book by 30th October 2014 to take advantage.
£135 per five day special boat diving and unlimited house reef diving package
Regaldive is offering three days boat diving and two days unlimited house reef diving for £135 with Emperor Diving in Hamata. Valid for most departures from January to October 2015. Book by 30th October 2014 to take advantage.
Half price diving for buddies
Regaldive is offering buy one get one half price on five or six day dive packs, and Open Water or Advanced courses at the Orca Dive Clubs in El Gouna, Soma Bay, Safaga, Marsa Alam and Hamata. Divers can also benefit from buy one get one half price on any dive packs or courses when booking with Regaldive at Aquarius Dive Club in Hurghada. Valid for most departures from November 2014 to July and September 2015.
Andreas Elia, Managing Director of Regaldive, commented “The Regaldive Team is really looking forward to seeing guests old and new at Dive 2014. This year we will be on stand 600 in the NEC so please do stop by for a chat and let us help you with your holiday plans. We are delighted to pass on these great savings to our customers in order to bring you the best value diving holidays possible.”
For further information or to book, call 01353 659 999 or visit www.regaldive.co.uk.
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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