News
Reef-World named in Escape the City top 100
The Reef-World Foundation – the international coordinator of Green Fins – is delighted to announce it has officially been chosen as one of The Escape 100: Best Companies to Escape to 2019.
The Escape 100 is a campaign by Escape The City, which set out to find the most progressive organisations to work for. 13,000 organisations were nominated, more than 2,000 took part, over 4,000 employees voted and Reef-World’s score of 130 and 10/10 employee rating put it an impressive 16th (tied with Terracycle and Keep Cup) in the top 100 list.
Escape The City used a number of criteria to measure the nominees against each other. Each criterion has its own scale and corresponding score, which is weighted relative to its importance.
Mission – what is their reason for being?
Reef-World’s mission is to inspire and empower people to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources, particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems.
Impact – the scale of the organisation’s work
Despite being a small charity with five full-time members of staff, Reef-World successfully operates on a large, global scale by training and supporting autonomous national teams in active Green Fins countries. Reef-World’s Green Fins initiative is currently active in the following 10 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Innovation – how unique is the concept?
Reef-World’s Green Fins initiative provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling based on a 15-point Code of Conduct which measurably reduces environmental impact.
Environment – how positive is the organisation’s impact on the planet
Reef-World’s work has been proven to reduce threats to, and protect, one of the world’s most valuable ecosystems: coral reefs. By inspiring, educating and empowering the people who live with and rely on coral reefs to take a stand in the front lines of ocean conservation, we are making a tangible difference to the protection of these delicate ecosystems.
James Macdonald, Special Projects Coordinator at Escape The City, said: “On behalf of the whole team at Escape The City, I’d like to congratulate The Reef-World Foundation on making it into the top 100. This is a real testament to the charity’s progressive and forward-thinking nature, especially considering the staggering number of nominations we received during this campaign.”
Chloe Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “As a small charity, we were surprised to say the least when we found out we’d been selected as one of the top 100 companies to work for – especially considering the number of entries and stiff competition. That said, we’re so pleased to have been recognised by Escape The City for our team’s passion for the ocean and hard work in protecting coral reefs for future generations. We’ve already sourced a few fantastic team members through Escape The City and, as the charity grows, hope our mission and ethos will resonate with other motivated individuals. I’d like to say a huge well done to the team here at Reef-World as well as all the other worthy nominees. Congratulations everyone!”
The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity leads the global implementation of the UN Environment’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally.
To see the full Top 100 list please click here.
To find out more about the Reef-World Foundation visit their website by clicking here.
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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