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Scuba Travel Black Friday dive holiday deals now available
It’s Black Friday tomorrow and UK-based Tour Operator Scuba Travel has some fantastic holiday deals. All of these offers must be booked by 5pm on 27th November. For all their amazing offers please click here – check below for a select few to get you tempted!
Red Sea I Whirlwind I Daedalus and Rocky I 30 November I Save £255 – £995 inc flights
Come face to face with pelagics in the Southern Red Sea with the most experienced team onboard Whirlwind. The Daedalus and Rocky itinerary mixes up big fish encounters with plenty of macro and reef fish to interest even the most seasoned diver. You get to spend more time than ever exploring these undeniably stunning reefs, avoiding long transfers with our direct flight to Marsa Alam.
Whirlwind has everything the modern diver could want on board. The dive deck is one of the most impressive aspects – no more kitting up in a crowd on this boat! And for your relaxation between dives, there are two sundecks and a jacuzzi. Catch some rays, relax with a book or enjoy the hot tub. The saloon is kitted out with a modern entertainment system and a well stocked bar. Quite simply no element of this liveaboard has been overlooked. From sun up to sun down, Whirlwind is the perfect home away from home in the Egyptian Red Sea.
Package includes return flights to Marsa Alam 18 fully guided dives, all fees, 12 L tank & weights and FREE NITROX.
Bali I Scuba Seraya I 7 nights I 6 January I Save £300 – £1725 inc flights
Dive Tulamben and the incredible critter dives of Bali with the team from Scuba Seraya! Bali manages to deliver Indonesia’s stunning reef systems, packed with critters, at an affordable price. Many divers start with the house reef Seraya Secrets and Noisy Reefs. Drop in and the coral gardens open up. Here you can find a huge range of exotic macro life… frogfish, zebra crabs, ghost pipefish, mimic octopus to name but a few! The house reef is just the start however. Alam Anda, Batu Niti, Jemeluk, Gili Selang – there are sites a plenty. No trip is complete without a dive on the Liberty wreck. This vast cargo ship sits almost on the beach and is perfect for all experience levels.
Scuba Seraya is an intimate resort with only 12 rooms, set in lush gardens on the beach front. This really is a diver’s resort. But you do not have to forgo your creature comforts! There is a freshwater pool and beachside massage service for those chill out days. The beach is for the exclusive use of guests. The restaurant is right by the sea, and serves freshly prepared Indonesian and Western meals. The whole atmosphere at Scuba Seraya is understated elegance. Relax and forget about the world as you dive from your very own corner in paradise.
Package includes return flights, 7 nights full board, 10 morning boat dives and unlimited unguided shore diving in the afternoon.
Maldives I Virgo I Sharktastic itinerary I 7 January I Save £300 – only £1295 boat only
Sharktastic is a special itinerary packed with sharks, manta and whalesharks. Focusing on Male as well as Vaavu, Meemu and South Ari atolls, this seasonal itinerary has been designed with plenty of big fish action as you visit the Maldives’ famous channel and wall dives. Hop your way through these picture perfect atolls, diving with pelagics all the way.
Virgo sleeps only 18 divers over 30m, which has made her popular with those that prefer smaller groups on board. The main deck there is a large air conditioned saloon with welcoming sofas. Meals are served buffet style and seated at a large table. This is a fun, social boat to be on! The bar on board is fully licensed so you can enjoy your favourite tipple as the sun sinks over the horizon. The upper deck is a hub for most people in between dives, with loungers to relax on and enjoy the Maldives drifting by.
This is a boat only price but does include Male airport transfers, 7 nights full board up to 17 fully guided dives and FOC nitrox.
Red Sea I Cyclone I Winter Warmer I 21 January I Save £195 – only £850 inc flights
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 and Tiran. 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.
Cyclone is 32m from bow to stern and her sturdy wood hull is a stable home away from home. Cyclone features the tried and tested lay out of all Tornado Marine Fleet vessels. The all important dive deck is spaciously laid out so everyone can kit up without fighting for space. Head to the main deck dining room at meal times and an outstanding feast awaits. The upstairs saloon is complete with bar and the plasma screen is a focal point at the end of the day or during surface intervals. Or escape from it all on extensive sun deck, complete with sun beds and jacuzzi.
Included in this fantastic price are return flights to Hurghada, 7 nights full board and up to 22 fully guided dives.
Sudan I Royal Evolution I Sudan North I 22 February I Save £350 – only £1545 inc flights
Dive the very best, classic dive sites in Sudan-Sha’ab Rumi, Sanganeb and the stunning Umbria wreck. This 1 week itinerary Sudan North is guaranteed to impress! The walls are deep and plateaus 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. These are classic dives and a must see for any diver in Sudan.
Royal Evolution is a sleek 39m. Between the two sun decks and enormous saloon there is always a peaceful corner for relaxing. The bar and jacuzzi form the social hub. The back dive deck has more space that you could want, with individual cubby holes for storing your gear between dives and charging batteries, as well as a large camera table with air gun in the middle of the deck. Years of hard earned experience led to the conception of Royal Evolution and she welcomes in a new era of Red Sea liveaboards in Egypt and Sudan.
Price includes return flights, 7 nights full board and expert dive guides.
Maldives I Emperor Serenity I Best of the Maldives I 6 May I Save £500 – only £1295 boat only
The Best of the Maldives does just what it says on the tin – you dive the best and most famous dive sites of the Maldives in a single week of sublime liveaboard diving across Male and Ari atolls. This is a dive holiday in the Maldives to remember that hits all the seasonal hot spots of North Male, South Male and Ari Atoll.
Emperor Serenity is a contemporary, spacious liveaboard where fine accommodation and service is standard. This sleek liveaboard features open air dining area at the stern of the main deck. Several sofas and tables await you inside the air-conditioned saloon for relaxing or watching TV. The Upper deck boasts a covered and open area ideal for watching photos and footage from your diving or just relaxing, star gazing and soaking up the wonderful Maldivian atmosphere. The sundeck is perfect for catching some sun or having a nap.
Price includes 7 nights full board including a glass of wine with dinner and up to 17 fully guided dives.
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.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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