News
Reef-World & Paralenz launch environmental scholarship for deserving dive guides
The Reef-World Foundation – the international coordinator of the UN Environment’s Green Fins initiative – and Paralenz are proud to announce the launch of a scholarship campaign to help scuba diving guides receive vital environmental certification. The Dive Guide e-Course Scholarship Fund, which was created by Reef-World and has been kicked off with a generous donation of £1,000 from Paralenz, as part of a wider partnership with the charity, which will enable 50 dive guides to receive their Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course environmental certification.
The Scholarship Fund has been created in response to feedback from dive guides who have passed the course and are keen to download and display their personalised electronic certificate but are not financially able to cover the associated cost (£19 / $24 USD). Reef-World and Paralenz are now calling for dive guides who meet the criteria (outlined below) to submit their application.
Dive guides in need can apply for the scholarship at any time through the Green Fins website and funds will begin to be allocated once 50% of the campaign goal has been reached. To be eligible for the scholarship, guides must: have completed and passed all modules of the Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course; be able to demonstrate they or their employer are not financially able to purchase the certificate; and be a national of a country which receives official development assistance from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Diving related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, is becoming an increasingly significant issue. This damage makes them less likely to survive other local and wider stressors, such as overfishing or run-off from land containing pollutants and plastic debris as well as the effects of climate change, such as rising sea temperatures. The Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course, created with the support of Professional SCUBA Schools International (PSS), teaches dive professionals how to prevent diving-related damage to coral reefs by following the highest environmental standards and better managing their guests to prevent damage to the reef. On completion of the free course, dive guides can opt to donate £19 ($24) to receive a personalised electronic certificate. The certificate can then be displayed to entice eco-minded guests by informing them the guide is aware of how to reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with diving.
Chloe Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “Since the launch of the Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course earlier this year, hundreds of dive professionals around the world have taken the course and learned how to minimise the negative environmental impacts associated with diving. But now we need your help. Our ethos at Reef-World, and the purpose of the Green Fins initiative, is to empower and educate ALL dive professionals – no matter what their background or financial status – to protect coral reefs. We’re so grateful to the team at Paralenz for funding 50 dive guides to benefit from a Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course certificate which proves their status as an environmentally conscious dive professional. Please give generously and help support a dive guide in their sustainability journey today.”
Jacob Dalhoff, Partnership Manager at Paralenz, said: “To build meaningful and impactful partnerships is a big part of our ethos. As a company with a passion for the ocean, we need to do everything we can to raise awareness about how to preserve it – Our partnership with The Reef-World Foundation and the Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course initiative is contributing a lot to this mission.”
Supporters who are interested in helping additional dive guides receive their certifications can also donate to the Scholarship Campaign. Donors who support the Dive Guide e-Course Scholarship Fund will receive thanks in the form of their name (or that of their business) mentioned:
- Between £20 and £79 – as a thank you in Reef-World’s 2019-2020 Annual Report
- Between £80 and £229 – on Green Fins social media (once on the channel of your choice: Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) and in Reef-World’s 2019-2020 Annual Report
- Between £300 and £699 – on Green Fins and Reef-World’s social media (two mentions in total across Reef-World/Green Fins’ channels) and in Reef-World’s 2019-2020 Annual Report
- Between £700 and £1,399 – on Green Fins and Reef-World’s social media (two mentions) and your name, logo and company website included in Reef-World’s 2019-2020 Annual Report
- Above £1,400 – 1) Promotion on Green Fins and Reef-World’s social media (two mentions across Reef-World/Green Fins’ channels); 2) Your name, logo, company website and 100 words about your business included in Reef-World’s 2019-2020 Annual Report; 3) Your company logo included on the Reef-World and Green Fins websites for one year; 4) Opportunity to provide a guest blog post for the Reef-World or Green Fins website.
Dive guides who want to be considered for scholarship can visit www.greenfins.net/green-fins-dive-guide-scholarship-applications to apply. To donate to the Green Fins Dive Guide Scholarship Fund, please visit www.greenfins.net/appeal/sponsor-a-dive-guide.
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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