News
Latest Worldwide travel deals from Oonasdivers
Hot off the heels of their Red Sea offers from last week (which you can check here), UK-based tour operator Oonasdivers have now sent their worldwide scuba diving travel deals over.
Here are the details:
Oonasdivers | South Africa from £1295
Get up close and personal with some of the world’s most magnificent creatures…… SHARKS.
Shark Diving South Africa – Scuba Addicts Lodge
October 2015
10 – 17 Oct only £1320
January 2016
23 – 30 Jan only £1295
February 2016
20 – 27 Feb 2016 only £1295
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 6 nights B&B and 10 Shark Dives.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Maldives | Liveaboards from £1540
Explore one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations in comfort and style. Join one of Oonasdivers’ popular Maldives liveaboards and pick the itinerary that suits you.
July 2015
31 Jul – 08 Aug – Emperor Atoll (Manta, Whaleshark & Wrecks) only £1815
August 2015
07 – 15 Aug – Emperor Atoll (Manta, Whaleshark & Reefs) £1700
07 – 15 Aug – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1675
14 – 22 Aug – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) £1550
14 – 22 Aug – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1760
21 – 29 Aug – Emperor Atoll (Manta, Whaleshark & Wrecks) £1650
21 – 29 Aug – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1755
28 Aug – 05 Sep – Emperor Atoll (Manta, Whaleshark & Reefs) £1570
September 2015
18 – 26 Sep – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1820
October 2015
9 – 17 Oct – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) £1785
30 Oct – 07 Nov – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) £1610
November 2015
27 Nov – 05 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1650
27 Nov – 05 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1750
December 2015
04 – 12 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1650
04 – 12 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1820
11 – 19 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £1925
11 – 19 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £2025
18 – 26 Dec – Emperor Atoll (The Best of the Maldives) only £2105
18 – 26 Dec – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £2280
May 2016
06 – 14 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
06 – 14 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1610
13 – 21 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
13 – 21 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
20 – 28 May – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
20 – 28 May – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
27 May – 04 Jun – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
27 May – 04 Jun – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
June 2016
03 – 11 June – Emperor Atoll (Pelagic Magic) only £1540
03 – 11 June – Emperor Voyager (The Best of the Maldives) only £1590
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights full board, 17 dives and FREE Nitrox.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Caribbean | Tobago from £1015
Fancy a diving holiday with a difference? Sample the true Caribbean in Tobago – soak up the islands warm atmosphere whilst diving in the colourful waters. Perfect for non-divers too.
Toucan Inn
The friendly and relaxed Toucan Inn provides great value for money. Just a short walk away from the most beautiful beaches in Tobago, and a good choice of restaurants and bars.
September 2015
04 – 11 Sep only £1040
07 – 14 Sep only £1015
11 – 18 Sep only £1040
14 – 21 Sep only £1015
18 – 25 Sep only £1040
21 – 28 Sep only £1015
25 Sep – 02 Oct only £1040
28 Sep – 05 Oct only £1015
October 2015
02 – 09 Oct only £1040
05 – 12 Oct only £1015
09 – 16 Oct only £1040
12 – 19 Oct only £1015
16 – 23 Oct only £1040
Price includes flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B and 10 dives with Undersea Tobago.
Blue Waters Inn
Tobago’s best kept secret, Blue Waters Inn is perfectly located in Speyside. Access the top dive sites whilst enjoying the beauty of your surroundings.
September 2015
04 – 11 Sep only £1175
07 – 14 Sep only £1150
11 – 18 Sep only £1175
14 – 21 Sep only £1150
18 – 25 Sep only £1175
21 – 28 Sep only £1150
25 Sep – 02 Oct only £1175
28 Sep – 05 Oct only £1150
October 2015
02 – 09 Oct only £1175
05 – 12 Oct only £1150
09 – 16 Oct only £1175
12 – 19 Oct only £1150
16 – 23 Oct only £1175
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B and 10 dives including full equipment.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Sudan | Royal Evolution from £2595
Embark on an adventure into the pristine Sudanese waters. Join one of the most sophisticated liveaboards in the Red Sea for her extended 13 day cruise.
November 2015
25 Nov – 09 Dec – Abington Reef, Shaab Rumi & Umbria Wreck only £2595
February 2016
24 Feb – 09 Mar – Abington Reef, Shaab Rumi & Umbria Wreck only £2635
Prices are per person and include 14 nights full board and 12 days diving.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Canary Islands | El Hierro from £680
Dive El Hierro with Shane Gray
El Hierro is the smallest of the Canary Islands, with an extraordinary and captivating landscape both above and below the water. This trip is fully guided by Shane Gray, a well-known figure in the Irish diving community, and his wife Ollie.
November 2015
09 – 16 Nov – Dive El Hierro £699
23 – 30 Nov – Dive El Hierro £680
February 2016
22 – 29 Feb – Dive El Hierro £685
Prices are per person and include flights, transfers, 7 nights self-catering and 10 dives.
Find out more here.
Oonasdivers | Malta & Gozo from £550
The most stunning diving in the Mediterranean, the rocky topography of the Maltese Islands means you can enjoy striking underwater scenery including caves, overhangs and swim throughs.
Combine this with good visibility, warm water, no tides and few currents, and you have a perfect combination for all divers.
Dive Malta
Explore the amazing underwater topography and the impressive collection of ship, plane and submarine wrecks. All with one of the top PADI and BSAC diving centres on the island, Maltaqua.
August 2015
13 – 20 Aug only £755
September 2015
06 – 13 Sep only £770
October 2015
04 – 11 Oct only £650
March 2016
05 – 12 Mar only £550
19 – 26 Mar only £570
Price includes flights, transfers, 7 nights self-catering at the Sands Apartments and 10 dives.
Discover Gozo
One of the most untouched and unique islands in the Mediterranean, Gozo retains its simple rural charm. Your diving will be with the only recognised BSAC and PADI approved centre in Gozo, the Calypso Dive Centre, who have been established for over 30 years.
September 2015
20 – 27 Sep only £755
October 2015
11 – 18 Oct only £670
Price includes flights, transfers, 7 nights B&B at the Calypso Hotel and 10 dives.
Find out more here.
onasdivers | Fiji | Save 10%
Fiji is home to the world’s 4th longest barrier reef, the Great Astrolobe Barrier Reef, offering 75 miles of pristine hard and soft corals.
Matava Resort
Find your spirit of adventure as you experience the magnificent beauty of a remote Fijian island. Matava offers a unique blend of eco lodges mixed with a touch of luxury.
October 2015 – May 2016
Save 10% on accommodation, diving and transfers, the equivalent of over £100 per person for a 7 night stay.
Find out more here.
To find out more or to book, contact the Oonasdivers team now by calling +44 (0)1323 648924, email info@oonasdivers.com or visit www.oonasdivers.com.
British freediver Gary McGrath has set a new national record at the prestigious Vertical Blue freediving competition in the Bahamas.
Using only a monofin for propulsion, Gary swam down a measured rope to a depth of 112m (367ft), returning to the surface to receive a white card from the AIDA International judges to validate his dive.
Gary, 41, held his breath for three minutes and 13 seconds to complete the dive.
Freedivers descend underwater on a single breath of air and the atmospheric pressure on their bodies increases as they go deeper.
At 112m deep the pressure is 12 times greater than the surface, meaning the air in Gary’s lungs would have shrunk to less than a twelfth of its original volume – around the size of a golf ball.
Freedivers train to cope with the physiological strains placed on their bodies by their sport, and Gary uses his background of yoga and meditation to help his physical and mental preparation for deep dives.
He has also had to overcome physical challenges after contracting Covid last year during preparations for a previous national record attempt.
Gary said: ‘Diving below 100m is a totally unique environment, it’s my therapy.
‘This year has been extremely challenging for my mental health and freediving has helped me overcome that for sure.
‘At depth I have complete isolation from the everyday world we live in. Down there it’s just me and nature. It’s that escape that all freedivers crave.
‘There are moments of extreme mental clarity and purity that I can only achieve when underwater. The flow state that a deep dive allows me to experience is unique and addictive.’
Gary, originally from Twickenham, began freediving in 2006 and has been competing since 2008.
A former tree surgeon, he became a professional freedive instructor in 2014, and he and his partner Lynne Paddon run Yoga and Freedive Retreats in Ibiza.
Remarkably, he completed his 112m national record dive on Tuesday (August 9) despite being forced to compete wearing a borrowed monofin which was a size too small for his feet.
His entire kit bag containing his monofin, bifins and two wetsuits was lost by an airline as he travelled to the competition.
Despite his careful preparation, Gary said he suffered nerves on the morning of his national record dive, and relied on a phone call to his partner Lynne, who helped him focus on breathing techniques and visualisation to calm his nerves.
Speaking immediately after his dive, he said: ‘That was all for Lynne – this whole week has been about her. I could not do it without her. I hope that everyone finds someone they can click with, it’s the most magical thing in the world.’
Gary also thanked supporters who helped him to crowdfund to raise the money needed for him to travel to the Bahamas and compete.
Vertical Blue is considered one of the most elite events on the freediving calendar and has been dubbed the ‘Wimbledon of Freediving’.
Owned and run by world record freediver William Trubridge, the event takes place in a 202m (663ft) deep sinkhole known as Dean’s Blue Hole, off the coast of Long Island.
The previous British national record of 111m was set by Michael Board in 2018, also at a Vertical Blue competition.
All Photographs courtesy of Daan Verhoeven (www.daanverhoeven.com)
Ron Howard’s recreation of the 2018 rescue of a Thai junior football team is impressive. Even though we know what happens in the end the tension and drama played out is palpable.
On 23 June 2018, 12 members of a Thai junior football team, the Wild Boars, and their coach became trapped deep in the Tham Luang cave system by rising flood water. The film details the incredible international rescue efforts that ensue. And Ron Howard has judged the tone perfectly. There is no Hollywood glitz and glamour and the two leading actors: Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen, who play John Volanthen and Rick Stanton respectively, capture the intensity of the situation perfectly.
The diving scenes are claustrophobic in the extreme. Although I suspect that the visibility was even worse than the film depicts as you have to be able to see something in the dramatization! All the way through the film I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at the extraordinary feat these divers pulled off. The skill and bravery required still impresses after watching films, hearing them speak in public and reading about the rescue.
I loved that, whilst the divers took centre stage in the film, the heroic rescue efforts of the water engineer and his team was also given the attention they deserve, as well as the incredible Thai Navy Seals and the thousands of people that flocked to the region to help.
Thirteen Lives is a must watch movie about an incredible cave rescue. It’s sober tone hits the mark. The cinematography is skilled and creates an impressively tense experience. It is available on Amazon Prime right now.
WIN a c-monsta Wetsuit Hanger!!!
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WIN a Sharkskin Performance 40L Duffle Bag!!!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Liquid Sports to give away a Sharkskin Performance 40L Duffle Bag as...
Win a Vasili Lights Fish Lantern!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with Vasili Lights to give away one of their beautiful Fish Lanterns! Inspired...
WIN a Beuchat Maxlux S Mask and Spy Snorkel!!!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Beuchat to give away Maxlux S Mask and Spy Snorkel!...
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