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MCS UK launch Sea-inspired Christmas gifts for coastal lovers

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The Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the UK’s leading marine charity has launched a brand new online range of Christmas gifts all with a marine theme.

The charity has partnered with organisations who all have an affinity with the sea and whose products reflect a love of the oceans.

MCS RizRiz Boardshorts: Get set for the sea with stylish swim shorts made from recycled plastic by Riz. The perfect gift for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts from www.rizboardshorts.com.

MCS tide clockTide clocks: Brighten up anyone’s home with these wonderful hand-built Tide Clocks by Bramwell Brown. £275 – £360 direct from MCS www.mcsuk.org/shop.

MCS saltwater sandalsSalt-Water Sandals: Made from hand-stitched leather, Salt-Water Sandals are an excellent gift for beach lovers and they can get wet too! Get a pair at www.salt-watersandals.com.

MCS Beachcomber JewelleryBeachcomber Jewellery: Inspired by beautiful local beaches, Beachcomber Jewellery is designed and individually handmade from recycled Silver in west Wales. Originally supporting MCS through their ‘Coast’ collection, Beachcomber is now donating 10% across all their ranges www.beachcomberjewellery.co.uk.

MCS BeerFrom the Notebook: You can raise a glass to MCS this Christmas with the help of Nottingham based beer producers “From the Notebook” who produce beers inspired by British wildlife. MCS benefits from ales in their Seabird Series of beers which are brewed in Northumberland: Arctic Tern (IPA), Kittiwake (Golden Ale), Puffin (Best Bitter) and Eider (Dark Beer). The beers can be bought online individually or gift boxed at hopsinabottle.co.uk.

MCS watchShore Project watches: The perfect time piece inspired by the British seaside from Shore Projects. Waterproofed to 100m with vintage styling alongside modern day build quality, so you can swim in the sea and never lose track of time! Shore Projects donate £1 per watch to MCS. The watches can be bought online at www.shoreprojects.com.

MCS Calendar CoversBeautiful sea inspired calendars: Keep track of who’s where and when, who needs picking up and who’s coming to stay with this marine themed calendar. The calendar costs just £8.95. Buy online at www.mcsuk.org/shop.

MCS note cardsNote cards: Say ‘thank you’, ‘congratulations’ or simply ‘hi’ with these set of 8 blank greetings cards and envelopes featuring four different marine animals. Pack of eight is £5. Buy online at www.mcsuk.org/shop.

MCS clothingMCS clothing range to save our seas: Wrap up warm with a brand new range of marine themed Christmas hoodies and sweatshirts designed especially for MCS by Rapanui. 50% of sales go directly to saving our seas, shores and wildlife. Prices for both hoodies and sweats are £40 and can be bought online at www.mcsuk.org/shop.

MCS kids t shirtKids t-shirt: Kit out your kids in this lovely marine themed t-shirt from our partners Mantaray at Debenhams. Not only will they look great but MCS will receive 100% of the profits too! www.debenhams.com.

MCS Pin badgesPin badges – Our sets of marine pin badges are back due to popular demand. And now even more species are available. Buy online at www.mcsuk.org/shop.

Set 1: CLASSIC – Set of 4 (Loggerhead, Orca, Seahorse and Puffin) for £5

Set 2: NEW – Set of 6 (Dolphin, Whale, Seal, Shark, Crab and Starfish) for £8

Set 3: COMBINED – Set of 10 (Loggerhead, Orca, Seahorse, Puffin, Dolphin, Whale, Seal, Shark, Crab and Starfish) for £12

MCS Green PeopleGreen People: Want your skin to have a healthy glow this Christmas? Try Green People’s award winning organic Self Tan Lotion to give you a healthy looking tan with no nasty chemicals and no streaks, just natural ingredients and lightly scented with essential oils. www.greenpeople.co.uk/self-tan-lotion-200ml.

Adopt-a-Turtle or Adopt-a-Seahorse: Adopt a turtle or seahorse and receive your very own fluffy turtle hatchling or cute little seahorse, a newsletter full of great stories and fantastic photos. Turtle adopters get exclusive access to our website which includes satellite tracking, UK turtle sighting pages and some turtley amazing activities! Our seahorse adopters will also receive a pin badge and fact sheet full of fascinating facts about this mysterious little animal. Adopt at www.mcsuk.org/support_mcs.

MCS adopt_banner

MCS tablewareTableware: Spruce up your home with Richard Bramble’s beautiful Seabird range of ceramic tableware. Starting at £7.95 from www.richardbramble.com.

MCS lampshadeLampshade: Supporting MCS with its Fish Deluxe lampshade, the creative force behind Scabetti is the English design duo Dominic and Frances Bromley. www.bromleyandbromley.com

MCS OhyoOhyo: Ohyo bottles are the ideal stocking filler that collapses to fit in a handbag or pocket – great for lunch boxes or when you’re out and about – tested to 10,000 squeezes! www.mcsuk.org/shop

MCS will be launching their Christmas shop on October 9th. To see the full list of gifts available, visit www.mcsuk.org/shop.

Gear News

Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024

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scubapro

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.

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Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm

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red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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.

red sea

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

www.scubatravel.com

Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red

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Experience the Red Sea in May with Bella Eriny Liveaboard! As the weather warms up, there’s no better time to dive into the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea. Join us on Bella Eriny, your premier choice for Red Sea liveaboards, this May for an unforgettable underwater adventure. Explore vibrant marine life and stunning coral reefs Enjoy comfortable accommodation in our spacious cabins Savor delicious meals prepared by our onboard chef Benefit from the expertise of our professional dive guides Visit our website for more information and to secure your spot: www.scubatravel.com/BellaEriny or call 01483 411590 More Less

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