News
Diving with… Euro-Divers Vilamendhoo, Maldives
In this ongoing series, we speak with the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Antoine Jegat
What is the name of your business?
Euro-Divers Vilamendhoo
What is your role within the business?
Dive Center & Watersports Manager
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
12 years, OWSI
What is your favorite type of diving?
Drift / wreck / macro / fluorescent night diving.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
Vilamendhoo is simply splendid as white beaches, palm studded gardens, tropical lush vegetation and turquoise blue lagoons surround the island on all sides. The island is situated at the south of Ari Atoll between two channels and is about 900m in length. The transfer takes 25 minutes by seaplane.The 4 star Vilamendhoo Island Resort and Spa has been completely adapted to the needs of our guests and now features 184 single or double bungalows with perfect comfort and integration in the natural ambiance of the island.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
Broken Rock. This is a well known dive site in South Ari Atoll. A 2m wide canyon splits this small Thila (underwater reef) from the west towards the east. The canyon is the main attraction as its is covered with soft corals. On the north side at 25 to 30m, there are two big coral blocks with overhangs and beautiful fan corals. The top reef with intact hard corals is a perfect place to spot the huge variety of marine life present on this dive site.
What types of diving are available in your location?
Drift diving in channels, wreck dives, house reef diving, fluorescent night dives and diving with underwater scooters.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Nudibranches
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Beach and lagoon clean-ups.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
Our diving center is centrally located on a private jetty, a few meters away from the reef on this famous diver’s island. Vilamendhoo is located directly between two channels, making the spectacular house reef very versatile and it therefore ranks amongst the best in the Maldives for diving and snorkeling.
The location on the eastern reef of South Ari Atoll guarantees a good supply of fresh water for excellent coral growth and plenty of fish. With over 50 dive sites and a fantastic house reef with ten entry points, Vilamendhoo is the perfect diver’s paradise for beginners and experienced divers.
Even the wreck ‘Kudhimaa’ is only a 30 minute boat ride away and is one of the regularly visited dive sites. South of the island you find a protected Marine Area, Khudarah Thila, an exceptional place for divers and of course the national park at the outside reef. Three times a week full day trips are offered to search for whale sharks in this area throughout the year.
Find out more about Euro-Divers at www.euro-divers.com. Follow Euro-Divers Vilamendhoo on their Facebook page or email the team at vilamendhoo@euro-divers.com.
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
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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