News
Best Liveaboard Trips for 2017
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If you are aiming to pack in more dives in 2017, nothing beats a liveaboard trip for great value and access to remote dive sites. Liveaboard trips are Regaldive guests’ most popular diving holiday option, with options to suit all levels of experience. Liveaboards range from good value choices to luxurious, high spec boats.
If wreck diving is your thing, or if you want to encounter sharks and other large marine life, a liveaboard trip can help you tick off many of the boxes on your diving wish list. If you are travelling as a large group, you could even plan your preferred itinerary. Free group places are also available.
We have highlighted some of our most popular liveaboard destinations in this article. Our other top destinations include: Bahamas, Caribbean, Cocos Island, Djibouti, Fiji, French Polynesia, Oman, Palau, Philippines, Socorro Islands, Sudan, Thailand and Truk Lagoon.
MALDIVES
Diving in the Maldives is influenced by the seasonal monsoons, which in turn affects both the underwater visibility and the marine life. Liveaboards follow these variations, taking divers to the best sites accordingly. The boats generally operate in the central atolls. In recent years access to more remote atolls has become available. Regaldive feature liveaboards that cover these exciting new atolls, ranging from Haa-Alifu in the far north, to Huvadhoo in the far south. These atolls represent the new ‘frontiers’ of diving in the Maldives and lie well beyond traditional tourist maps. Regaldive’s most popular boats include Emperor Serenity, Emperor Leo and Carpe Diem.
RED SEA
Itineraries in the Red Sea usually follow a Northern or Southern itinerary. In the north the reef at Abu Nuhas is accessible from Hurghada with several wrecks resting at its base. You can also visit the Straits of Gubal and the famous Thistlegorm. There are also many world class dive sites in the southern Red Sea including the stunning reefs of Fury Shoal, the wrecks of Big Brother and the amazing marine life of Elphinstone: an ideal site to encounter hammerheads and oceanic whitetips. Regaldive’s most popular boats include Emperor Elite, Emperor Voyager and MY Nimar.
INDONESIA
Liveaboard diving in Indonesia is often undertaken in remote locations. Some of the dives can be quite challenging, suiting only more experienced divers in exciting, bizarre and unpredictable currents. Volcanic in origin, the area is a centre of marine biodiversity and has only recently been recognised for the superb world class diving that it has to offer. Regaldive’s liveaboard itineraries include Komodo, Flores & Alors, Ambon and Raja Ampat. Liveaboard diving does not get more adventurous than this… Regaldive’s most popular boats include Indo Siren, Mermaid II and Dewi Nusantara.
GALAPAGOS
The top of many wish lists, the Galapagos Islands are a diver’s mecca. Isolated from any continental landmass, the Galapagos enjoys a completely unique biodiversity that is simply spectacular. These actively volcanic islands host a distinct and unique flora and fauna, including creatures found nowhere else on earth. The world famous sites of Darwin & Wolf support a large concentration of the amazing marine life that makes the Galapagos the superb dive destination that it is. Schools of hammerheads, dolphins and rays make these islands a highlight for many divers. Another highlight is the whale shark aggregation that occurs in the warmer water surrounding these islands. Hammerhead sharks and other shark species also make regular appearances in numbers year round. Regaldive’s most popular boats include Humboldt Explorer, Aggressor III, Galapagos Master and Galapagos Sky.
Whatever liveaboard destination you choose, you can be sure of a large helping of top notch diving, combined with a friendly, knowledgeable crew and the company of a like-minded group of divers. Liveaboards are a great option to pack in your dives in 2017 and with Regaldive’s Winter Sale already underway this January, your liveaboard trip will be easy on your wallet too. Bon voyage!
For help with planning your next diving adventure, call the friendly Regaldive team on 01353 659999 or visit www.regal-diving.co.uk.
All photos © John Butland
News
Book Review: Fire on Monroe Bravo by Fred Lockwood
![the ship beneath the ice](https://www.scubaverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Book-Review.jpg)
Fire on Monroe Bravo is the latest book in the Jack Collier series by Fred Lockwood. Our story begins with our lead characters, Jack and Sandro, owners of Marine Salvage & Investigation Company, arriving on the Monroe Bravo Oil & Gas Platform in the North Sea. Having secured a contract for their vessel the MV Stavanger to act as support ship to the platform for TransGlobal Oil, our protagonists are on a celebratory visit.
However almost as soon as they arrive a series of explosions rock the platform, causing huge damage, loss of life and the very real danger of a massive human, ecological and financial disaster.
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As the danger mounts for both our heroes and the surviving workers, Jack and Sandro will have to escape the inferno, all while trying to save the platform and the men still trapped unable to help themselves.
The disaster sets the scene for the unfolding story lines following the fate of the platform and our main characters, the police investigation into a suspected terrorist act and the actions of TransGlobal Oil as they attempt to navigate the pubic outcry and financial repercussions.
In his eighth book, Fire on Monroe Bravo, Fred Lockwood delivers an explosive thriller, with plenty of above and in-water drama, and our heroes fighting for survival, what more can you ask for?
We thoroughly recommend this read and look forward to the next in the series. For more information about his book series, you can check out the reviews of his previous books here on Scubaverse.
- Title: Fire On Monroe Bravo
- Author: Fred Lockwood
- ISBN: 979-8325324536
Available in a paperback version and for Kindle from Amazon and book stores.
Blogs
Alonissos: The complete diving destination (Part 1)
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In June we were incredibly fortunate to be invited to dive in Alonissos, a small Greek Island in the Sporades island chain located in the North Aegean Sea. While I have long been a big fan of the Greek Islands as a great holiday destination, I had not had the opportunity to do any diving on previous visits and Mike and I were extremely excited to see what Alonissos had to offer both above and below the surface!
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The Sporades are easily accessible via the airport in Skiathos (the first island in the chain), which is served by Jet2 flights from all major UK airports from May through October. Numerous ferries and charter boats make island hopping from Skiathos Town a breeze. After an hour boat ride, the picturesque port of Patitiri was a wonderful introduction to Alonissos, where we were met by our gracious hosts Kostas of Albedo Travel and Dias of Alonissos Triton Dive Center. Mike and I were delighted to be staying at the Paradise Hotel, aptly named for its stunning views over the sea and great location for walking to the waterfront.
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Alonissos is beautifully situated in the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, the largest marine protected area in Europe. The surrounding seas offer fabulous marine life, including incredibly rare species such as the Mediterranean monk seal. They boast deep walls covered in gorgonians and sponges, stunning topography with caverns, swimthroughs and pinnacles, and the first accessible ancient shipwreck from 500BC!
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In locations where historical sites have been reported, the waters are largely restricted, but with collaboration between government, underwater archeologists and dive centres, incredible underwater museums are being created for a truly unique diving experience. Alonissos is home to the first of these, the Ancient Shipwreck of Peristera Accessible Underwater Archeological Site. The chance to dive into history (along with reports of healthy reef life and amazing underwater topography) meant Mike and I were keen to get in the water.
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Our introduction to the diving around Alonissos was at the Agios Georgios Pinnacles, in the channel between Alonissos and Skopelos. This fantastic site was named “The Chimney,’ and proved to have a huge amount to see. We got to a decent depth here (over 25m), and marvelled at a colourful reef wall with a wonderful swim through whose rocky walls were absolutely covered with life. As well as brilliant topography there was no shortage of macro life here. We saw numerous nudibranchs, five different species in total. The second dive at Mourtias reef nearby was a shallower dive along a nice wall with lots of crevices. Several moray eels and grouper called this site home. We enjoyed looking in the crevices for lobster and smaller benthic life, such as cup corals and tunicates.
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Our itinerary allowed us two dives a day with afternoons left to explore the island with our hire car and evenings to enjoy the famous Greek hospitality. This proved to be a lovely mix of in-water and land based diversions.
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The next days diving to the Gorgonian Gardens and Triton’s Cave was to be even better! These two stunning sites are nothing short of fabulous. The Gorgonian Gardens was a deep wall near to the Agios Georgios islands. The ever-present currents in this deep channel meant that the sea life was amazing … the namesake Gorgonian sea fans dotted the wall at a depth of 30 to 50 meters, getting ever larger the deeper we went. Above 30m was by no means less beautiful, with sponges, corals, scorpionfish, moray eels and some rare and colourful nudibranchs.
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The second shallower dive of the day was to Triton’s Cave or the Cavern of Skopelos, on the east side of that island. The spectacular rock formations had wild striations both above and below the water making a truly epic topography. The cavern entrance was at 14m, and big enough for a buddy pair, winding up to 6m and passing two beautiful windows out into the blue. Emerging from the cavern, the light at the shallower depths and the incredible rock formations made for a fantastic gentle swimming safety stop and we all surfaced by the boat with massive grins.
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Check out our next blog :Alonissos: The complete diving destination (Part 2)” to hear about our amazing dive on the 2500 year old Peristera Wreck!
Thanks to:
Alonissos Triton Dive Center https://bestdivingingreece.com/
Albedo Travel https://alonissosholidays.com/activities/
Paradise Hotel https://paradise-hotel.gr/
Alonissos Municipality https://alonissos.gr/en/
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