News
Regaldive Go on Tour
Over the next couple of weekends, UK based diving holiday specialist Regaldive will be going on tour to showcase its offering at Destinations London, The Outdoors Show and the London International Dive Show. With some exciting new destinations and offerings available for 2014, as well as some fantastic discounts, there’s plenty to whet your appetite on the Regaldive stand this year.
Show discounts
From 1st February 2014, divers can take advantage of a range of show discounts including:
- 30% discount on Red Sea liveaboards*
- Boat Diving in El Gouna, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh from £19 per day**
- Unlimited house reef diving in Marsa Alam and Hamata from £19 per day**
- Red Sea dive inclusive packages from £145 per person***
New destination: Mexico
This January, as a result of high demand for the destination, Regaldive added Mexico to its collection. With new offerings available in two resorts – Cozumel and Playa del Carmen – Regaldive customers now have the exciting opportunity to dive in the world renowned Cenotes; one of the best dive spots on the planet. Prices start from £1,085 per person, to include flights, transfers and seven nights’ all inclusive accommodation at the Allegro Cozumel Resort. A six dive dive pack costs from £184 per person.
New hotel: Atlantis Dive Resort, Philippines
This January, Regaldive added the Atlantis Dive Resort in Dumaguete, the Philippines, to its collection. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, and situated on a long stretch of beach, the Atlantis Dive Resort caters specifically for divers looking to access some of the best diving in the Philippines including the Apo Island and Dauin Marine Sanctuaries, both of which are located close by. A seven night package costs from £2,180 per person, to include flights, transfers, full board accommodation and six days diving.
New hotel: Baumanburi Hotel, Thailand
In January 2014, Regaldive added the Baumanburi Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, to its collection. Located in the middle of the lively Patong Beach area, the hotel offers the ideal location for those who want to maximise their time above and below the water. The popular beachfront with shopping, dining and entertainment on offer is just five minutes’ walk away, while the local dive centre offers free transfers directly from the hotel. A seven night package costs from £942 per person, to include flights, transfers and B&B accommodation. A three day boat dive pack costs from £257 per person.
New liveaboard itinerary: Palau and Philippines Combo, Philippines
The newest addition to Regaldive’s 2014 portfolio is the Palau and Philippines Combo itinerary, which spends time between the SY Philippine Siren and the SY Palau Siren.
Costing from £3,565 per person, the 13 night itinerary combines the very best of the Philippines and Palau. Allowing divers to log up to 42 dives, including seven night dives, wreck dives and drift dives; the liveaboard goes in search of thresher sharks and whale sharks, in addition to fascinating macro life. Highlights include Pescador Island where divers can swim amongst schools of sardines, thresher sharks and giant frogfish, and ‘Blue Corner’, perhaps Palau’s most famous dive site, which has even been judged the top dive site worldwide. The price includes full board accommodation, air/nitrox tanks and weights. Flights are not included but can be arranged through Regaldive.
Andrea Elia, Managing Director of Regaldive, commented “We’re excited to be getting out and about and meeting dive and travel enthusiasts at the upcoming Destinations, Outdoors and LID Shows. Whether visitors have never dived before or have many years’ experience under their belts, then we have something exciting on offer for them”.
He continued, “Please come and say hello to the team on stand AA80 at Destinations, AT242 at the Outdoors Show or 410 at LIDS. We’ll be able to give you more information on the fantastic savings on offer, or if you’re not able to visit the shows, visit www.regaldive.co.uk for more information”.
For further information or to book, visit www.regaldive.co.uk or call +44 (0)1353 659999
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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