News
Girls That Scuba visit Cabo San Lucas to celebrate women in the dive industry
Sarah Richard, founder of Girls That Scuba teamed up with Jay Clue, founder and manager of Dive Ninja Expeditions in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for the best Girls That Scuba event yet!. A collaboration that resulted in one of the most rewarding, empowering and inspiring celebrations of women in the scuba diving industry.
On the 2nd March 2019 more than 40 Girls that Scuba members from all around the world, as far as England, Israel and even Australia came together to enjoy a full day dedicated to women that work in the industry. Dive instructors, photographers, scientists, activists, environmentalists, business women and females who just love to dive were all a part of the incredible day.
From GTS: The day started off with a fantastic all-women’s dive at Pelican Rock in the bay of Cabo San Lucas – lead by all female instructors who live in Cabo – where we all braved the 21c waters of Cabo! Then we came back to our venue for the day IGY Marina The Roof to dry off get changed and get ready for our whale watching tour.
It’s humpback whale season in Cabo San Lucas at the moment so spirits were high in hope of spotting these gentle giants. And we were not disappointed! Not only did we spot humpback whales but we also had the privilege of having two grey whales follow us for around 20 minutes!
After lunch at The Roof, we had 5 talks from amazing ocean women including Girls that Scuba founder Sarah Richard, Nakawe founder Regi Domingo, Dani Ortiz from Zero Waste Los Cabo, Tania Pelamatti, Natural Geographic Explorer from Pelagios Kakunja Deni Ramirez director and researcher of Whale Shark México who all inspired and educated everyone watching on subjects like shark and whale research, disposable plastics, species conservation and how to help.
Mexican food and drinks were served for dinner and the day ended with a raffle full of prizes including $250 in Fourth Element gear, Dive Ninja Expedition vouchers and course, Girls that Scuba membership cards, photography sessions, scuba courses and more prizes from Cabo Private Guide, Adventures in Baja, Cortez Expeditions and Cabo Trek.
This Girls that Scuba day was by far one of the most inspiring and empowering women’s diving events to date.
For more information about Girls that Scuba and diving events go to our website or sign up for the women’s-only private group.
For information about diving in Cabo San Lucas and Baja California, or different personalized dive trips and events, head to Dive Ninja Expedition’s website.
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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