News
Save £2,300 per couple aboard Galapagos Sky
2018 is a year of big anniversaries for the Galapagos Islands, with it being the 50th anniversary of it being managed as a national park plus the 40th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And UK-based Tour Operator Dive Worldwide is offering big savings too, with a discount of up to £2,300 per couple aboard the Galapagos Sky.
Accommodating up to 16 guests in eight private en-suite cabins, all furnished with modern amenities, the Galapagos Sky is a luxurious liveaboard giving guests a seven night world-class diving adventure.
The week long itinerary offers 17-19 dives (weather dependent) from tenders, plus three land excursions exploring the highlands for tortoises on Santa Cruz, observing the panoramic views and volcanic topography on Bartolome, as well as the Darwin Interpretation Centre on San Cristobal.
Diving highlights include three days spent around Darwin and Wolf Islands where encounters with hammerhead sharks, large pods of dolphins, manta and mobula rays and whale sharks are common. Divers will be mesmerised at the abundance and variety of marine life here including octopus, tropical fish and large schools of pelagic species. Unique to Galapagos is the opportunity to dive with the endemic marine iguanas at Cabo Douglas, a real highlight of this itinerary! Your final dive will be at Isla Pinzon which is alive with an abundance of marine life including fish of all sizes, sharks, rays and sea lions.
Special Offer Price: from £5,045pp based on two sharing (SAVING £1,150pp/£2,300 per buddy pair, boat only), including return flights from the UK, transfers, 7 nights’ full-board accommodation in a deluxe cabin aboard the Galapagos Sky, and 5.5 days of diving with tanks, weights and Nitrox (for qualified divers) with Dive Worldwide. Valid only on 13-20 May, 20-27 May and 27 May-03 June departures.
Further information can be found here: www.diveworldwide.com/liveaboards/galapagos-sky
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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