News
Scuba Travel Announce Dive Show Offers
Do you want to take advantage of the amazing offers that our friends at UK based tour operator Scuba Travel have released for DIVE 2018? Read on…
Save £150 – Emperor Atoll 16/12/18 only £1095 (excluding flights)
Discover the Best of the Maldives on this traditional Maldives liveaboard. Come face to face with manta, sharks and schooling fish with up to 17 adrenalin pumping dives. Emperor Atoll is a traditional Maldives liveaboard. If you are looking for an affordable way to access the full range of dive sites in this world class destination, then look no further. She might be smaller than some of her sister ships, but her charm lies in her open, airy layout and warm welcome.
You have 7 nights on board on a full board basis. All trips are fully guided with expert guides and include 12lt tank and weights, as well as FOC nitrox.
Save £300 – Emperor Serenity 2nd or 9th December only £1495 (excluding flights)
Discover the Maldives this December from the contemporary liveaboard Emperor Serenity. Dive the popular Best of the Maldives itinerary exploring the classic sites that made the Maldives so famous. Focus on the hottest sites around Male and Ari atolls, where there are pelagics a plenty, with manta, sharks and even whale sharks.
Package includes 7 nights full board, fully guided diving, marine park fess, 12 ltr tanks and weights.
Save £300 plus deluxe cabin discount Solitude One, Palau from £2395 (excluding flights)
A fresh, new, modern luxury liveaboard in Palau – join Solitude 1 for sharks, walls, channels and wrecks dives as well as the unique jellyfish lake. Experience diving you will treasure for a lifetime. This is a dive boat wholly dedicated to your diving enjoyment. No detail has been overlooked in building one of the regions most luxurious liveaboards.
Your trip starts on arrival in Koror where you will be met and taken to the boat. An average 7 night itinerary on a full board basis, offers between 17-19 dives, with 12lt tanks, weights and guiding. As standard your trip is based on a deluxe cabin space on a full board basis, but a quad cabin or stateroom upgrades are available at the time of booking. At the end of your trip you will return to Koror.
Christmas on Whirlwind 23rd December only £1595 Wrecks and Reefs itinerary (including flights)
Enjoy Christmas aboard Whirlwind one of our favourite Red Sea Liveaboards – dive the Northern Red Sea and fill your log book with Iconic dive sites, the Thistlegorm, Shark and Yolanda and so much more await, with world class wreck dives and breath taking reef dives every day.
Package includes return flights from Gatwick, 7 nights full board, fully guided diving, marine park fess, 12 ltr tanks and weights.
Cyclone Winter Warmer with Mario only £1035 (including flights)
Escape the winter blues with this relaxing photo itinerary. This is a great trip to pin down those skills necessary to allow your underwater photography to progress. A trip like this gives enormous freedom to try out things repeatedly, and this is the best way to ensure that the learning sticks, and with every little milestone your confidence will grow exponentially!
Package includes return flights from Gatwick, 7 nights full board, fully guided diving, marine park fess, 12 ltr tanks and weights.
Save £500 Malapascua from £1395 (including flights)
Exotic Resort Malapascua are the original pioneering dive centre – get closer to thresher sharks and enjoy the warm welcome at this beach front resort. Malapascua Island has an impressive reputation for such a small location. The diving in Malapascua is most famous for its thresher sharks, but it is also one of our staff favourites. Looking for laid back long haul diving at affordable prices? Then look no further! The experienced dive team have an impressive reputation for finding the sharks. Discover beautiful reef diving on the local sites or take a day trip to one of the picture perfect islands of Gato or Calanggaman. Step ashore and forget your everyday stresses and strains as the friendly staff welcome you to their slice of paradise. It’s time to relax!
Your holiday includes return flights, transfers, 7 nights full board in a deluxe room, 10 boat dives.
Save £250 Murex Resort from £1745 (including flights)
Enjoy the best of both diving worlds – with Bunaken national park only a 35 minute boat ride away and the dark Manado sands on your doorstep. Walls meet critters – and all wrapped up with a wide Indonesian smile. Discover the rich coral reefs and magical macro with the welcoming team from the boutique resort at Murex Manado.
The sea is never far away at Murex Manado. The infinity pool boasts ocean views. At the end of each beautiful day, tuck into the freshly prepared Asian and International menu. Meals are served al fresco at the beach front restaurant. Relax with a well deserved massage at the Nature spa. Or take a day out of the water. The resort can arrange a selection of cultural and wildlife tours exploring Manado.
Package includes flights from Heathrow, 7 nights full board including water, tea and coffee, over 15 boat dives and local taxes.
Save £300 – Siladen from £2175 (including flights)
Luxury dive resorts don’t need to cost the earth. Siladen resort sits on white sandy beach in the heart of Bunaken with a 5 star experience at a price that you can afford. Effortlessly combine dive escapism with serious eco friendly credentials.
Holiday includes Flights from Heathrow, airport transfer, 7 nights full board in Garden View Villa, 17 air boat dives and local taxes.
Red Sea 2019 save up to £200
Our Tornado boats are selling fast for 2019 but we have some fantastic offers with savings of up to £200. Whether you want to explore the sublime reef diving in the South or the classic wrecks of the Northern Red Sea we have the trip for you.
All trips include flights, airport transfers, 7 nights on a full board basis with fully guided diving and 12 ltr tanks and weights.
Save up to £1400 Socorro Vortex from £4695 (excluding flights)
5 star diving on the new Socorro Vortex which offers 14 guests first-class, deluxe accommodations over 42m of modern luxury, in Mexico’s pelagic packed destination Socorro & Guadalupe. This modern vessel has all the ingredients you need to make your adventure one you will never forget with encounters of a lifetime.
Your trip starts on arrival in San Jose del Cabo where you will be met and taken to your hotel for the night (all inclusive, twin share). Our liveaboard package is based on in a lower deck cabin on a full board basis with a selected of local beer and wine. Between 20-22 dives which are fully guided with 12lt international tanks and weights, and free nitrox all included. We have also prepaid the Mexican 16% sales tax on your behalf.
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.
As National Safe Boating Week approaches, Save the Manatee® Club is urging boaters, and anyone that enjoys Florida’s waterways, to respect and protect the defenseless manatees that inhabit our shared waterways. From May 18 to 24, leading up to Memorial Day Weekend, the campaign aims to raise awareness about recreational boating safety and the importance of safeguarding imperiled manatees during the summer boating season. This week also emphasizes the importance of encouraging boaters to enroll in a boating safety course.
Manatees are semi-migratory marine mammals that are commonly found in shallow estuaries, bays, rivers, canals, and coastal areas throughout Florida and neighboring states. With some manatees venturing as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts, collisions between these gentle giants and watercraft have become distressingly frequent. Boat propellers and high-speed collisions pose significant threats to manatees, often resulting in severe injuries or even death.
Save the Manatee Club is calling on all water enthusiasts to follow essential manatee safety tips to ensure the well-being of the imperiled manatee:
- Obey Speed Zone Signs: Familiarize yourself with and adhere to posted speed limits to prevent collisions with manatees.
- Reduce Glare with Polarized Sunglasses: Wear polarized sunglasses to enhance visibility and spot manatees below the water’s surface.
- Recognize Manatee Signs: Learn to identify signs of manatees in the area, such as swirls or flat spots on the water caused by their movements.
- Respect Manatee Sanctuaries: Keep a safe distance from posted manatee sanctuaries and avoid pursuing or harassing these marine mammals, as it is illegal and can disrupt their natural behaviors.
- Report Distressed Manatees: In Florida, promptly report distressed, injured, tagged, or orphaned manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Outside of Florida, report sightings to the appropriate state agency or rescue organization. A list of agencies to contact is available at savethemanatee.org/report.
- Protect Seagrass Beds: Avoid boating over seagrass beds and shallow areas where manatees may be feeding. Stick to deep water channels while remaining vigilant, as manatees also utilize these channels during their travels.
- Dispose of Fishing Line Responsibly: Anglers should properly dispose of or recycle used fishing line to prevent entanglement hazards for manatees.
“Each year, National Safe Boating Week provides an excellent reminder for all of us to be aware that we share our waterways with vulnerable manatees,” emphasized Patrick Rose, Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “With the recent Unusual Mortality Event on Florida’s East Coast claiming an alarming number of manatees’ lives, it is more crucial than ever to prevent preventable deaths caused by watercraft collisions. By following manatee-safe boating guidelines, such as obeying speed zones and remaining vigilant for manatees, everyone on the water can contribute to the protection of these gentle giants.”
Save the Manatee Club offers a range of free materials to help safeguard manatees and raise awareness about manatee-safe boating practices. Shoreline property owners and park or marina managers can order aluminum dock signs to alert others about the presence of manatees in their areas. Boaters and paddlers can request packets containing a safety tips card, a waterproof boat banner, and a decal to display on their vessels, providing the number to report manatees in distress. To view and request these materials, visit savethemanatee.org/resources. Save the Manatee Club will also be hosting a live webinar for National Safe Boating Week on Tuesday, May 21st at 6pm EST. To register, visit savethemanatee.org/register.
Shells of the World: A Natural History by M.G. Harasewych
Shells of the world is a guide to the world of marine, shelled molluscs. And what a varied and interesting world it is. Some of my favourite things to find on a dive are detailed in this book, including disco clams (or Electric File Clams as they are correctly names), the cephalopods, giant clams and sea hares. There are also many on my wish list, top of which is the Nautilus.
Each chapter provides a detailed description of the species, along with beautiful images. You can dive deeper and discover where they live, both with global distribution and the habitat they prefer. Learn about their diet, reproduction and diversity.
Having dipped in and out of this lovely book over the past few weeks, it has inspired me to learn more about this group of animals that we see on most divers, wherever we are in the world. Some of the shells are incredibly intricate and beautiful. I have always agreed with never collecting, or touching, marine life. The description of a certain set of cone shells should be a warning to those that are happy to pick up marine life! One of the cone shells has a local name called the cigarette snail. Why? Because once the venom is in your system from this animal, you only have time to smoke one cigarette before the affects of the venom are fatal!
What the publisher says:
Mollusks are invertebrate animals with a remarkable natural history and a rich fossil record, and their shells are prized for their breathtaking variety and exquisite beauty. Shells of the World provides a wide-ranging look at the incredible diversity of marine mollusks. An informative introduction outlines the lineages covered, followed by a directory section, split into classes, that profiles a broad selection of different taxa to give a sense of their sheer numbers and variety.
- Features hundreds of beautiful color photos, depicting both the live animals and their shells
- Discusses mollusk evolution, anatomy, life cycles, behavior, and ecology
- Describes unique characteristics, distribution, habitat, and size
- Provides valuable insights into the conservation of the world’s marine mollusks
- Ideal for malacologists and shell collectors everywhere
About the Author:
M. G. Harasewych is research zoologist emeritus and former curator in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he is the author (with Fabio Moretzsohn) of The Book of Shells: A Life-Size Guide to Identifying and Classifying Six Hundred Seashells.
Book Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Hardcover
Price: £25
ISBN: 9780691248271
Published: 9th April, 2024
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