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Dive Worldwide launches new brochure packed with tempting new holidays

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Dive WW 2Dive Worldwide’s latest seasonal brochure brings the very best new diving experiences to the attention of divers, ranging from an action-packed long weekend in Iceland to a selection of expert-led small group adventures. Outlined in the brochure is a range of new Australian holidays, with recommendations on the best diving locations Down Under and some inspirational new trip ideas. Among other highlights are features by TV presenter Kate Humble who recounts her recent visit with Dive Worldwide to Papua New Guinea where she re-kindled her love for diving; and another by award-winning underwater photographer Jane Morgan who will be escorting a photography trip to Bali for Dive Worldwide on the 4th September.

With 40 of the world’s finest dive destinations on offer it could be a challenging decision to make, but Dive Worldwide, with over 14 years experience, manages to select their Top 5 Diving and Adventure Holidays and their Top 5 Great Liveaboard Diving Holidays. Among the 10, respectively, are a Galapagos Island Dive Adventure (10 days from £4,295 inc. flights) and a Komodo Liveaboard exploring the vast Komodo National Park (11 days, from £2,545 inc. flights).

There is little more magical than discovering the underwater world with all the family. Dive Worldwide picks six dive resorts for families that offer outstanding facilities and safe and colourful diving adventures; indeed everything that a family needs for the perfect diving holiday. Among them are Anthony’s Key Resort in Honduras, Compass Point in the Cayman Islands, Sifawy Boutique Hotel in Oman, Lions Dive Resort in Curacao, a Learn to Dive trip in southern Thailand, and Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire.

Writing in the new brochure about single travellers, Phil North, manager, Dive Worldwide, says: “Single divers do not need to miss out on all the fun or pay twice the price.” A former pro in Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt and Thailand, Phil recommends that singles join one of their liveaboard or small group adventures, or take a look at their top resorts for single travellers which start from as little as £1,655 for a 9-day adventure. Among them are Reethi Beach Resort in the Maldives which waives single supplements in certain months of the year, or True Blue Bay Resort in Grenada which offers superb year-round wreck diving and discounted singles packages in quieter months.

With the long summer months stretching out before us, it’s a great time to be travelling throughout the world, whether making the most of the sunshine or its seasonal marine activity. Over a dozen trips come highly recommended for summer diving.  Among them are:

  • Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica – summer is the time when the Pacific coast comes alive with big pelagic life, including sharks and mantas (9 days, from £1,845)
  • Sardine Run Adventure, South Africa – witness the greatest shoal on earth as millions of sardines migrate along the coastline in July attracting thousands of dolphins, seals, sharks, whales and birds (10 days, from £2,495)
  • Walls, Schools and Critters, Indonesia – the world-class diving meccas of Bunaken and Lembeh are both at their best in our summer months (17 days, from £2,575)
  • Blue Shark Adventure, Azores – the short summer season of this Portuguese archipelago promises superb blue shark and even mako encounters, along with devil rays and manta rays at Princess Alice Banks (8 days, from £1,145)

WHAT’S BUBBLING

Introduced this season to Dive Worldwide’s programme are the following:

Australia – With its vast coastline and wealth of world-class diving opportunities, divers can expect thrilling encounters with whale sharks, dwarf minke whales, great white sharks, huge potato cod, turtles and leafy sea dragons. Choose from a trip to Queensland combining diving with minke whales from a liveaboard with diving with manta rays on the southern barrier reef (22 days, £5,495, inc. flights). Or opt for The Great White Dive Adventure in South Australia, diving with white sharks on a liveaboard trip in the remote Neptune Islands (16 days, £4,095, inc. flights).

Belle Amie Liveaboard, Mexico – Custom built for divers, this boat cruises to two remote world-class diving locations. Socorro is big animal diving at its best where, from November to July, divers experience encounters with giant mantas, numerous shark species and pods of dolphin.  The boat visits Isla Guadalupe from July to November for thrilling great white shark encounters from the safety of cages (10 days, from £2,395, boat only).

Magic Island Resort, Philippines – This small resort on the tip of Moalboal is wonderfully located for the amazing variety of local dive sites. Suited to all abilities, highlights include sardine bait-ball and mandarin fish dives.  Sister property, Magic Oceans in Anda, opens next month (July 2015) making a great twin centre option (10 days, from £1,545).

New Expert-led and Small Group HolidaysA programme of trips that offer a fascinating insight into little-known and far-flung destinations such as the islands of New Britain and New Ireland in Papua New Guinea or Japan’s seldom visited Okinawa islands. Travelling with like-minded individuals, these unique trips allow divers to pick up useful tips and enhance their knowledge through workshops and talks alongside incomparable guided dives with destination experts. Among them is the Dumaguete Dive Festival when divers join photographer and marine biologist Dr Richard Smith on a 10-night adventure to the Philippines’ critter capital of Dumaguete (20 February 2016, from £2,835, inc. flights).

Iceland Diving Weekend – A UNESCO world heritage site, Iceland’s Silfra fissure is a unique phenomenon where it is possible to dive between continents in the mid-Atlantic ridge. Discover numerous tunnels and caverns while diving through the purest and clearest water imaginable, with visibility exceeding 100 metres (4 days, from £995, inc. flights).

All prices are per person based on two sharing.

For further information visit www.diveworldwide.com or call +44 (0)1962 302 087.

DIVE WW

Gear News

Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024

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scubapro

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.

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Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm

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red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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

www.scubatravel.com

Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red

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Experience the Red Sea in May with Bella Eriny Liveaboard! As the weather warms up, there’s no better time to dive into the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea. Join us on Bella Eriny, your premier choice for Red Sea liveaboards, this May for an unforgettable underwater adventure. Explore vibrant marine life and stunning coral reefs Enjoy comfortable accommodation in our spacious cabins Savor delicious meals prepared by our onboard chef Benefit from the expertise of our professional dive guides Visit our website for more information and to secure your spot: www.scubatravel.com/BellaEriny or call 01483 411590 More Less

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