News
Escape to Zanzibar this Autumn
October to December is a fantastic time for a diving adventure in Zanzibar. The Indian Ocean waters are around 27 degrees Celsius and while the seas tend to be calmer, the visibility often exceeds 30 metres. Besides the rich diversity of marine life, there are chances to see migrating Humpback Whales around Mnemba Island.
Local PADI Dive Resort Fun Divers Zanzibar is offering divers a choice of scuba deals until the end of this year. Fun Divers Zanzibar is the only locally owned dive operation in Zanzibar. Their team of friendly Zanzibaris grew up in the fishing village of Nungwi and experienced the reefs around northern Zanzibar as local fishermen for many years before. Diving is offered only in small groups to allow an exclusive and personalised underwater experience.
The following special offers are available for diving until the end of 2020:
Free Scuba Dive
Aimed at certified divers who are keen to do three dives a day! Get an extra dive for free (same excursion) when booking a double dive in 2020.
Diving 2020
Save 20% when pre-booking dive packages, snorkeling trips and PADI courses for 2020. When booking a dive package, certified divers can also enjoy a free dhow sunset cruise from Nungwi Beach as well.
Mnemba, Tumbatu, Nungwi, Leven Bank and more
The marine reserves of Zanzibar Island offer a huge choice of sites to explore and the best dive sites can be reached in 5 to 45 minutes from Fun Divers Zanzibar. Whether you prefer colourful coral walls, sloping reefs, plate corals, bommies or terraced coral gardens, the variety of wall and reef dives suit every level of diver qualification. There is a wide range of hard and soft corals and more than 500 marine species. It is usual to encounter pods of dolphins, sea turtles, tropical reef fish, a large variety of macro marine life, extraordinary sea creatures and, on occasion, white tip reef sharks. You can find out more about the diving in Zanzibar at: www.fundiverszanzibar.com/zanzibar-dive-sites
Find out more about Fun Divers Zanzibar at www.fundiverszanzibar.com and on social media at www.instagram.com/fun.divers.zanzibar and www.facebook.com/fundiverszanzibar. You can also send an enquiry by email to info@fundiverszanzibar.com.
News
Euro-Divers to close dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda
Euro-Divers have announced that as of 15 April 2024, they will no longer be operating the dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda (formerly known as Amari Havodda).
The popular dive centre chain released this statement regarding the closure:
Dear valid customers, business partners and friends,
We are leaving NH Collection Maldives Havodda – former Amari Havodda as of 15th of April 2024.
Unfortunately, the information reached us on short notice that we are no longer operating the dive centre at the resort.
It was a great pleasure to work with the Amari Hotel group and continue to work with the NH Hotel group.
We wish our partners great success with all their new changes.
Thanks a lot for cooperating during our time at the resort. We wish everyone with whom we have worked a good and hopefully successful future.
Euro-Divers continue to operate in several other dive resorts throughout the Maldives in addition to other locations.
To finds out more about Euro-Divers, visit www.euro-divers.com.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Creature Feature: Undulate Ray
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.
This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.
Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.
It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.
Scientific Name: Raja undulata
Family: Rajidae
Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)
Diet: shrimps and crabs
Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.
Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando
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