News
If you’re feeling a little chilly, warm up with these great deals from Scuba Travel
Fed up with feeling cold? It’s time to book your next diving trip to warmer seas. Whatever time of year you want to make your escape UK-based Tour Operator Scuba Travel have a deal for you.
Whirlwind I Red Sea Liveaboard I 14 April I Save £100, only £1175
Join one of everyone’s favourite Red Sea Liveaboards on the popular Wrecks and Reefs itinerary which allows you to see the best of the Red Sea whatever your level of experience. Dive some of the most iconic dive sites Egypt has to offer alongside a few of the lesser known beauties.
Whirlwind is a generous 36m and there is ample space for all 20 guests. She has everything a modern diver could want including a spacious dive deck for kitting up.
Standard package includes 7 nights full board, up to 22 fully guided dives, 12 ltr tanks and weights, return flights and transfers.
Mermaid II I 18 March I Raja Ampat Discovery I Save £300, only £3850
Grab yourself one of the last three spaces on this Indonesian Liveaboard. Dive the wish list destination Raja Ampat with one of Scuba Travel’s hand picked liveaboards. This is the ultimate Indonesian dive adventure, packed with big fish to macro and mind-blowing bio diversity.
Mermaid is a dive friendly and comfortable 32m steel hulled liveaboard with a highly experienced crew.
Package includes return flights and transfers, 8 nights full board (incl. soft drinks) and up to 26 fully guided dives
Turks and Caicos Aggressor Specials I Save up to £600 I From £1495, boat only
The Turks & Caicos Aggressor offers a special kind of diving holiday in the Caribbean. Sail between the endless cays and islands in complete comfort, breaking up your day only to dive the outstanding deep walls and lavish corals and experience the big and small marine life.
No creature comfort has been forgotten on this boat. With a large saloon, a perfect sun deck for relaxing in between dives and a spacious dive deck, you will not be disappointed.
Package includes 7 nights full board including soft drinks and a selection of local beer and wine, and up to 5 fully guided dives per day.
ScubaSpa Summer Savings I Save £300, from £2195
Welcome to the world of ScubaSpa – a beautifully styled floating resort in the Maldives that welcomes divers and spa lovers alike for the ultimate in luxury cruising and diving. Divers will love ScubaSpa. There are never more than 22 divers on the liveaboard at any one time so you get all the benefits of the vast mothership with small dive groups, split between the experienced dive guides. Spoil yourself by booking a trip today to discover the wow factor of this stunning vessel.
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.
Package includes 7 nights full board, 3 fully guided dives per day, 12tlr tank and free nitrox.
Maldives I Book Now for December 2018
If you’re thinking of escaping to the Maldives this December, then now is the time to book your trip to make the most of one of Scuba Travel’s cracking deals and save up to £300. Flight prices will only go up from now… so don’t delay
There are several boat options to dive The Best of the Maldives Itinerary which dives the seasonal hot spots and aims to mix up big fish, manta and shark dives, with scenic reefs and macro life. This is an ideal itinerary for any first time visitor to the Maldives and yet is a route that can be dived time and time again due to its diversity.
December 2018 Boat Only Prices: Leo from £1245, Virgo from £1295, Emperor Atoll from £1095 – Package includes 7 nights full board and fully guided Dhoni diving.
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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