News
Regaldive launches into Fiji with £450 saving per person
Regaldive is pleased to welcome Fiji to its portfolio. The diving holiday specialist is offering two liveaboard itineraries on the new S/Y Fiji Siren – one of seven nights’ and the other of 10 nights’ duration. Both itineraries allow divers to sample some of the best diving on offer in Fiji, and see why it is renowned as the soft coral capital of the world. To celebrate, Regaldive is offering a launch discount of up to £450 per person for those booking selected departures* before 30th April, 2014.
With over 4,000 square miles of coral reef, including the Great Astrolabe Barrier Reef, Fiji offers unparalleled marine biodiversity and a unique dive experience. Offering the ideal destination for underwater photographers, Fiji’s soft corals and techno-coloured tunnels make for fantastic shots, while manta rays; teeming anthias; hammerhead, blacktip, whitetip, silvertip, grey reef, lemon, bull and tiger sharks; blue ribbon eels and black and white banded sea snakes bring the experience alive.
Regaldive’s seven night Beyond the Bligh itinerary, on board the S/Y Fiji Siren allows up to 22 dives including three night dives. Itinerary highlights include Bligh Waters where stunning coral pinnacles can be explored; the Vatu-I-Ra Passage and Namena Marine Reserve, home to beautiful coral gardens, steep walls, macro species and large palegics, and the Lomaiviti Island Group where divers can enjoy drift dives, explore coral gardens and admire manta rays, hammerheads, ribbon eels, leaf fish and numerous other smaller creatures.
The 10 night version of the itinerary allows up to 34 dives including five night dives. In addition to the sites visited on the seven night itinerary, the 10 night version also visits Taveuni Island, Savusavu, Koro Island and Naigani Island. The sites allow divers to admire many more fascinating corals, spot reef sharks, barracuda, whale sharks and eagle rays, and enjoy fast fish-filled drift dives.
The S/Y Fiji Siren offers spacious accommodation for 16 divers. The boat benefits from an indoor air-conditioned lounge, cocktail bar, outdoor dining area, spacious dive deck, an upper-level unshaded sun deck and air-conditioned en-suite cabins. For those looking to stay active when not in the water, divers can take advantage of kayaks available for customer use, the yacht boutique and massage service.
With discounts of up to £450 per person, the seven night Beyond the Bligh itinerary now costs from £1,765 per person, while the 10 night version currently costs from £2,431 per person. Both liveaboards include full board accommodation and refreshments, three to four boat dives per day, equipment, air/nitrox tanks and weights, based on two people sharing. Flights are not included but can be arranged through Regaldive.
Andreas Elia, Managing Director for Regaldive, commented: “We are very excited to be adding Fiji to our liveaboard collection. Fiji is well known for its beautiful corals and world-class drift diving, which is always a popular offering with our customers. Fiji offers drift dives for all levels of experience, with as much to see in the shallows as the deeper waters.”
For further information or to book, visit www.regaldive.co.uk or call +44 (0)1353 659999.
* Strictly limited availability. Valid for selected departures on S/Y Fiji Siren until 31 July 2014. Book by 30 April 2014.
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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