News
Help Blue O Two raise $15,000 for the Hurricane Dorian relief aid
Two weeks ago, the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian made landfall in The Bahamas; the strongest to ever hit the region. The impact has been devastating. There are now over 50 confirmed fatalities, with 1,300 people still listed as missing.
When Hurricane Dorian hit the north of The Bahamas on 1st September 2019, wind speed reached up to 185mph (298km/h). The main towns were flooded by storm surges, metres above normal sea levels. The powerful winds and water ripped houses apart, tore boats from moorings and dragged vehicles and debris across the islands.
Dorian’s slow progress (only 1mph at times) concentrated the storm over the islands, increasing the extent of the damage. It’s the fifth Atlantic hurricane to reach the highest category in the last four years.
Blue O Two has pledged to raise $15,000 to aid the relief efforts in The Bahamas. They plan to purchase a Watermaker, with all remaining monies donated to Bahamian charitable organisations and local businesses.
To achieve this fundraising target:
- £5,000 has already been donated by Blue O Two’s Directors & Investors
- Blue O Two can now accept donations from customers. Any donations made will be matched by Blue O Two, up to a value of $200 per transaction.
- Some upcoming trips are affected by this disaster aboard M/V Bahamas Master. For all customers choosing to rebook for a later date in The Bahamas (rather than cancelling), Blue O Two will donate $200 towards the target.
- Blue O Two staff are being actively encouraged to suggest fundraising ideas – more on this to follow.
What else can you be doing?
- MAKE A DONATION. Even if you’re travelling with Blue O Two elsewhere, they will match every single donation pledged, up to $200 per transaction.
- KEEP BOOKING HOLIDAYS. The Bahamas has already been decimated. The worst thing to happen now for the local economy is for tourism to falter too. Whether you come diving with Blue O Two, or book with another tour operator, really doesn’t matter. They WILL rebuild, and they need visitors to keep coming next year.
- DON’T CANCEL YOUR TRIP. If you’re given the option, please consider moving to a later departure date in The Bahamas. As mentioned above, for everyone who does, Blue O Two will donate $200.
Together, with staff and customers, Blue O Two hopes to make a big difference for the people of The Bahamas.
Find out more at www.blueotwo.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.
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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