News
Island Tour of the Philippines Features the Regions Finest Dive Sites

Dive travel specialists Dive Safari Asia have created an island tour of the Philippines which features a collection of the region’s finest marine environments. Intended to highlight the scope of the Philippines’ rich and diverse marine life, the tour offers the chance to dive over pristine coral reefs, enjoy encounters with elusive thresher sharks, discover black sand ‘muck dives’ and night dive with abundant critters.
En route tour members will dive 7 different islands spread throughout different regions of the country, including Apo Island’s colourful coral gardens, Malapascua and Gato Island for thresher and white tips sharks, and dive the shores around southern Negros, which are home to a rich abundance of invertebrates and critters rarely seen outside the Indo Pacific region.
Tour leaders Ben Stokes and Sarah Kemsley carefully selected a number of specific dive sites to feature in the expedition following over 10 years and thousands of dives throughout the region.
Dive Safari Asia is a UK based company founded in 2008 by Ben Stokes and Sarah Kemsley. The couple spent 8 years working in various locations around the world as instructors and dive guides before returning to the UK to create their own brand of dive holidays which includes a number of exclusive tours through remote areas of Asia.
The Philippines Island Safari takes place between the 22nd February – 7th March 2014 and includes 12 nights full board accommodation, 27 dives, all internal transfers and connections and is fully escorted by an experienced trip leader. Price is £1775.00 per person based on a twin/double share. Atol protected international flights can be arranged by the company from £550.00 per person.
For more information, visit www.divesafariasia.com or contact Dive Safari Asia directly by calling them on 0800 955 0180 or by email: ben@divesafariasia.com
Blogs
My Aruba Dive Adventure: Amazing Reefs, Epic Wrecks, and a New Furry Friend

If you’re new to this blog, then I am Mia DaPonte and I share my life underwater with you after I got certified as the youngest female Master Scuba Diver in the USA! You can also follow me and all my adventures on Instagram: @underwaterwithmia.
Last week my family and I returned from our vacation in Aruba, where we did lots of fun activities, and my mom and I went diving with AJ and Aruba Premier Boat and Dive.
Before you think I’m going to say it’s not great diving—it’s actually amazing! Aruba diving is truly an experience, but it all depends on who you go with. On our first day, AJ took us to the Antilla wreck. It is SOOOO cool—maybe one of my favorite wreck dives yet (but I haven’t seen too many wrecks). AJ told us the story of the Antilla wreck, and guess what? It is the largest wreck in the Caribbean! AJ guided us through the wreck. It was filled with fish and moray eels. We saw a sea turtle! My most favorite part of this dive was getting to go through some of the easier parts of the wreck. I am really liking wreck diving and want to do more!
The second dive that day, I got to choose a reef or a wreck. I chose another wreck that was more pieces than a full ship. It’s so cool to see wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, especially when I hear about why it’s there and can imagine the story while I dive.
For our second day of diving, we met AJ on the other side of the island. The goal for this day was to see some beautiful reefs! Both dives this day were beautiful. There were so many colorful corals. We saw a stingray and tons of beautiful tropical fish.
It was a lot of fun diving in Aruba, where the waters are clear. I would definitely want to come back and dive in Aruba—especially with AJ! He was so fun and told great stories. I learned so much about the island from him. Side note: during surface intervals, AJ served us butter and Gouda cheese sandwiches and they were so delicious! Oh—and he gave me and my mom great tips on how to treat the sunburns we got on our first day on the island. Haha.
The rest of the vacation was family time. We spent time relaxing on the white sandy beaches, went to the Aruba waterpark, ate at lots of delicious restaurants, shopped, and spent whole days swimming. The waterpark was a lot of fun and they had some bigger slides for older kids. My personal opinion is that the waterpark is made more for younger kids than older ones—my younger brother loved it—but it was still a good day.
Diving is always a favorite for me, but on this trip something else was even better. This was my favorite part: We were at the airport on our way home, and we were unusually early for our flight. Anyway, I knew my parents had a surprise for my brother and me, but when I asked them, they told us it was just a painting being delivered (not really a great lie, but it worked). I was just on my phone and my brother was playing video games while we waited. We didn’t even notice at first, but then my mom walked up to us with a little puppy in her arms.
He was a surprise that my mom and dad adopted from the Sgt. Pepper’s Rescue on the island! I was so excited to have a new puppy—and he’s the coolest island cunucu mutt! It was the best surprise ever. Now we have a new family member! I think it’s OK to talk about him in this blog. We, of course, named him “Reef”! It fits with my scuba theme.
Thank you for reading my blogs—this one might just be my favorite. See you next time!
Book your next dive adventure in Aruba with AJ:
Call: +297-7445406 or +297-744-2009
Email: arubapremiere@gmail.com
Gear Reviews
Gear Review: Atomic Frameless Mask (Watch Video)

In a video produced exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the Frameless Mask from Atomic Aquatics.
For more information about products from Atomic Aquatics, visit www.atomicaquatics.com.
Sea & Sea is the home of Atomic Aquatics and other leading diving brands in the UK.
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