News
New Technical Diving trips from blue o two and Tekstreme Diving
Technical diving is fast becoming a popular extreme sport with divers looking to go that bit deeper, for that bit longer and see that little bit more. Divers can now join blue o two with Tekstreme and travel along stunning walls, through deep wrecks and into silent canyons that are teeming with marine life on their new Technical Diving trips.
Tekstreme Diving began in 1997 as a TDI facility, and is run by Cat Braun, a highly respected and experienced individual within the diving world. She has been leading technical diving expeditions in the Red Sea for the past 14 years and is highly qualified. She is currently an International Technical Training Director for SSI and an OC and CCR Technical Instructor with TDI, PADI and BSAC. Tekstreme has grown substantially over the years and is now one of the only active BSAC technical training facilities in Egypt.
blue o two are delighted to offer two new technical itineraries for 2018:
13th April – 20th April 2018: Best of Tec Wrecks: M/Y Red Sea Adventurer: £1279
31st August – 7th September 2018: Rocky & the SS Maidan: M/Y blue Horizon: £1549
The itineraries are purely technical diving safaris and there will be a limited amount of divers per trip to ensure that everyone has ample room for their technical diving equipment.
For all trips with Tekstreme, divers can be assured that a minimum of two highly qualified technical dive guides will be on board, more if courses are being delivered, along with surface support on all dives. The range of dive durations accommodate specific dive sites and all experience levels; entry level technical divers are catered for right through to 100m+ depending on the itinerary.
Custom gas mixes are available to suit specific diver requirements, as well as a range of technical diving equipment – this will be arranged by Tekstreme prior to departure to minimise stress. Divers will also be asked for their technical diving experience to ensure the best dive schedules can be delivered on board and if they would like to undertake any courses during the liveaboard.
Why not begin your technical diving journey in the Red Sea with Tekstreme and blue o two? Start your training, get qualified, and experience the technical diving of the Red Sea in safe hands and in the future, you’ll be able to move on to other adventurous diving locations including the deep wrecks in Truk Lagoon and the nuclear ghost fleet of Bikini Atoll.
A full range of technical courses with Tekstreme Diving (through BSAC, PADI TecRec, SSI & TDI) is available on request. If you would like more information, please contact the blue o two team on +44 (0) 1752 480 808 or divingholidays@blueotwo.com, or visit their website at www.blueotwo.com.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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