News
Black Friday Deals from Scuba Travel
Scuba Travel’s Black Friday Offers have arrived – book by 5pm Monday 26th November for all Black Friday Deals… See below for a selection of great offers!
Oman Aggressor – save £1200 only £1195 (excluding flights)
Fantastic Black Friday offer to dive the hot new region in Oman. The Oman Aggressor is a fantastic 45m liveaboard with a range of stylish cabins all boasting aircon and en-suite bathrooms. For relaxation after your dives you have the choice of the large sundeck, with shade, a jacuzzi and bar, or the spacious saloon area. Enjoy a variety of local Omani and international cuisine from the onboard chef. Package is Boat Only and includes 7 nights in a deluxe stateroom on a full board basis inc. soft drinks and local beer and wine with your evening meal, and up to 25 fully guided dives.
Guest feedback so far has been fantastic. The guests love the boat , crew and food! Plus abundant marine life. Reports of snorkelling with baby whale sharks, spotting humpbacks, swimming with dolphins, and diving with huge shoals of fish!
Carpe Novo – save up to £250 from £1845 (excluding flights)
Carpe Novo was new to the fleet in 2016. Over a luxurious 43m and 3 decks, you will find 12 tastefully finished cabins. No matter which rooms you pick, all have smart TV/HD linked to a media centre with plenty movies on offer, AC, storage space, desk and thoughtfully finished en-suite bathrooms. Wifi operates throughout. Communal areas are spacious and relaxing with everything you need to relax after a days diving.
This holiday includes 7 nights full board, up to 3 guided dives daily, diving the famous dive sites of the Maldives, combining channels, drifts and pinnacles and encountering manta, whale sharks and abundant reef life.
Christmas on Whirlwind – 23rd December save £250 only £1545
How about spending Christmas diving in the Red Sea? 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 breathtaking reef dives every day.
You could spend 7 fantastic nights on a full board basis, with up to 3 dives a day on the lovely Whirlwind. Book this for the amazing price of only £1545 which includes return flights from Gatwick, transfers and fully guided diving.
Hurricane Shark Quest – 9th May 2019 save £300 only £1095
Hurricane stands out in the Egyptian Red Sea – and not just because she is one of the few steel hulled vessels. Many Red Sea liveaboards are compared to Hurricane, but few are as enduringly popular. She has won the prestigious “Liveaboard of the Year” award no less than 5 times (including 2017 & 2018).
Shark Quest dives the Southern Red Sea to its seasonal best. The itinerary is built using the local knowledge of highly experienced dive teams to enjoy up to 3 days at the boat’s selected pelagic hotspot, be that Daedalus or the Brothers, you will be at the site where you have the strongest chance to dive with sharks and rays.
Package includes return flights to Marsa Alam, 7 nights full board, free nitrox, and around 18 fully guided dives.
Scuba Seraya, Bali – Best of Bali With Martyn Guess – 17th August save £150 only £2445
Bali is an amazing and relaxed place and Scuba Seraya is a fantastic and well-run diving resort right on the beach. Martyn Guess will give hands-on instruction through evening group image reviews and underwater instruction for those needing it. Martyn says: “The house reefs – Seraya Secrets and Noisy reef – are probably the best that I have dived with excellent macro subjects to photograph; the first early morning dive on the Liberty wreck is superb wide angle and the reefs at Ahmed blew me away! This trip to Bali has been planned to visit Bali at its seasonal best.”
Package includes return flights, airport transfers, 9 nights on a full board basis (excluding drinks) 10 boat dives plus 5 afternoons unlimited, unguided shore diving, also included is 3 full days diving at Ahmed (wide angle).
Photo FINish Malapascua 13th September 2019 – save £200 only £1695
Join photo pro Mario Vitalini on this Philippines workshop to hone your images of the biggest sharks to the smallest critters at Exotic Resort Malapascua. The diving in Malapascua is most famous for its thresher sharks and the experienced dive team have an impressive reputation for finding the sharks. You can also 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.
Your holiday includes return flights, transfers, 7 nights full board in a deluxe room, 20 Nitrox boat dives and daily presentations covering all aspects of underwater photography.
More deals are being added all the time so for all offers click here!
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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