News
Big Blue savings… book up now for 2022/23 Red Sea liveaboard adventures
The Scuba Place, the UK’s exclusive Travel Agent for MV Big Blue, are delighted to announce its post-Covid relaunch with huge savings for 2022 and 2023.
Having been completed in early 2020, immediately before the global lockdown, the British owned and operated Big Blue was launched in Egypt’s Red Sea as Covid decimated the dive travel industry. With Egypt now firmly placed on the ‘Rest of The World’ list, and with the all clear given from the FCDO, travel is now GO GO GO!
Big Blue – she is BIG! At 42m length, she is one of the largest vessels offering Red Sea safaris there is, but space doesn’t mean hundreds of divers! Built by divers for divers, she sleeps a maximum of 24 people in 12 large, air-conditioned cabins. No more squeezing past your room buddy or banging knees as you squeeze into the bathroom sideways!
There are also accessible cabins on the main deck, with doors in and out that are wide enough (and level enough) for wheelchair access.
Then there are the deck areas – the dive deck itself being deliberately over-size, a huge kitting up area that can accommodate twin-set and rebreather divers, camera tables, rinse tanks – all designed for maximum space. For the sun-lovers and for between dives, the other decks are super-spacious too – no jacuzzi taking up unnecessary space, but comfortable loungers, bean bags and cushioned seating, both under cover and in the sun.
The boat is important to all liveaboard divers – there is nothing worse than being crammed into dated, damp and tiny cabins with dodgy blankets and leaking air-conditioning units. Big Blue fixes these issues, but there is then the question of food. As Big Blue is British built and owned, expect quality food, ample quantity, and lots of snacks available between dives too. All soft drinks are provided, including on-demand tea, coffee, juices and sodas. The bar? An important part of any trip, it offers a selection of local and well-known beers and wines at very sensible prices – if you want the hard stuff, bring your own from Duty Free and let us know in advance what mixers you want – they will be provided!
The most important part of a liveaboard trip is of course the diving. Operated by Pharaoh Dive Clubs, owned by the 30+ year experienced Steve and Clare Rattle, you need to expect the totally open and flexible approach to diving. No rigid itineraries, no dictated dive times, no forced guiding – wherever possible, Big Blue operates a ‘Pool is open’ approach – grab your buddy, tell the deck manager, and dive!
The itineraries offered are special too – there is always a plan but the plan is flexible, based not only on the Captain’s decisions and the weather as per normal, but based on you, the diver! Staying on the Thistlegorm for an extra day, following dolphins, sharks or whalesharks in the South for example – everything, within reason and consensus of course, is an option. And there is normally something different offered to other vessels too on each trip – add in Ras Mohammed and Tiran on a Northern safari, dive the Thor Guardian Support vessel at Tiran, or add in a visit to the Salem Express if you are on one of the Southern itineraries – or, specify your own custom-itinerary, and we will build it!
Nitrox is of course included and 15l, extra tanks for sidemount, twinset and even support for rebreather and tech divers can be provided.
Available for part and full charters, and with some sailings for individuals, Big Blue will set the standards for liveaboard diving in the Red Sea. To celebrate the ‘post Covid relaunch’, the team are keeping full charter prices at 2020 levels all the way through to 2023, subject to bookings being made by the 1st December 2021. A sensible deposit secures your charter, so grab your Club or build your own gang of buddies, or even join on of The Scuba Places’ hosted trips – but do it soon!
As a guide, prices start from Just £695 (plus flights) per person in Low Season, including Port Fees, Marine Park Fees, Government Reef Protection fees and Nitrox, based on a full charter for Northern Wrecks itinerary, rising to £925 for a Deep South itinerary, again including all fees and in High Season. Book after the 1st December, and prices will have increased by at least 10%.
See The Scuba Place website for itineraries, or their e-brochure – or even better, just get in touch with the team at The Scuba Place (0203 515 9955 or john@thescubaplace.co.uk) and get planning your trip! They will build your trip to include flights if required, and offer full ATOL Protection.
- Link to 2022 brochure: https://bit.ly/BigBlueBrochure
- Website: www.thescubaplace.co.uk
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
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.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 1
For a week at the end of February I was invited to sample the diving with Orca Dive Club based at the Breakers Diving and Surfing Lodge by courtesy of SOMABAY.
Somabay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds. Somabay caters for scuba diving as well as many other sports, including windsurfing, golf, sailing, go-carting, horse riding and many other activities.
All the activities are of a world-class standard and any or all of these can be booked directly from The Breakers.
I took Easyjet from Bristol (UK) to Hurghada. Easyjet are not by any means my favourite airline but the flight was cheap and direct (except for the surprise extra £48 I was charged at the gate for my carry-on bag).
I was met at Hurghada airport by a driver and car and taken to the Breakers 28 miles (45Kilomaters) south along the coast. Once at the hotel I was too late for an evening meal and so a basic meal was delivered to my room. That and a beer from the fridge and I was fast asleep.
Early the next morning after breakfast I arrived for my rep meeting at the Orca Dive Center for 8.00am. I was immediately made to feel welcome, and after brief introductions I got some dive gear from the store, had a chat with my dive guide Mohamed and got ready to try the house reef situated at the end of a very long wooded pier where all diving gear and divers are taken out by buggies.
Once at the end of the pier, a helping hand from staff makes sure your gear is set and then it’s a short walk to the very end where you can either climb down a ladder of simply jump in the water next to the reef. The house reef extends both north and south giving a very easy and safe dive with plenty to see. At this time of the year the water temperature was a constant 22 degrees Centigrade and there was little or no current, so there were no issues in swimming back to the pier.
Quite a few divers were in dry or semi-dry suits, but being from the UK and used to the cold I found a 3mm wetsuit with a 3mm neoprene vest quite comfortable. Even after 50 years of diving I still find that first dive of a trip slightly nerving until I am actually underwater and then all becomes relaxed and I ease into auto diving mode. There was plenty to see with many of the Red Sea favourites along the way.
After the dive and a buggy ride back to the hotel for a very good buffet lunch I was back in the water, once again on the house reef for an afternoon dive.
Check in for part 2 tomorrow when Jeff gets on a day boat and dives a few of the off-shore reefs.
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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