News
Save Big and Win a Holiday with Regaldive at DIVE 2014

With just a few days to go until DIVE 2014 at the Birmingham NEC, UK based diving holiday specialist Regaldive has unveiled a range of exciting new dive show offers. With a great value 10% off diving holidays and liveaboards around the world, in addition to some superb dive pack deals and extra savings, Regaldive’s offers are available from now, and for a limited period after the show.
Anyone booking a holiday or asking for a holiday quote between 20th October and 21st November will also be entered into a free prize draw to win a holiday for two people to the beautiful Caribbean island of Tobago. The prize consists of two return flights from London Gatwick to Tobago courtesy of Monarch Airlines and the Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Board, transfers, seven nights bed and breakfast accommodation for two people sharing a double / twin room at the lovely Blue Waters Inn in the Speyside area of Tobago and five boat dives with Blue Waters Inn Dive’n.
Save 10% on most holidays and liveaboards worldwide
Regaldive have some amazing liveaboard offers including northern Red Sea itineraries aboard M/Y Asmaa starting from just £738 per person, including flights. Trips aboard the popular M/Y Superior start from just £783 per person, including flights and free nitrox, whilst a host of savings on M/Y Blue Fin, M/Y Blue Melody & M/Y Blue Voyager mean discounts of up to £199 and prices from just £796 per person, including flights.
Further afield, divers can save an incredible £500 per person on Galapagos liveaboards and up to £360 per person on Indonesian liveaboards including the stunning sailing yacht Dewi Nusantara. Divers booking on selected departures aboard this vessel in May 2015 also qualify for free Nitrox.
Regaldive’s land-based holiday packages also benefit from the 10% saving. Close to home, Malta and Gozo represent great value for money with packages including flights starting from just £299 per person. Further afield, those looking for a Caribbean escape can take advantage of the amazing shore diving opportunities in Bonaire from as little as £1,410 per person, plus free buddy diving available on selected dates when staying and diving at Buddy Dive Resort.
Divers should book by 7th November 2014 to take advantage of the 10% savings.
£26 per day boat diving
Regaldive is offering boat diving from just £26 per day with Emperor Divers in El Gouna, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam.
For example, seven nights at the Falcon Naama Star in Sharm El Sheikh cost from £499 per person, to include flights, transfers, seven nights B&B accommodation and five days diving (based on two sharing). Valid for selected departures in 2015. Book by 30th October 2014 to take advantage.
£135 per five day special boat diving and unlimited house reef diving package
Regaldive is offering three days boat diving and two days unlimited house reef diving for £135 with Emperor Diving in Hamata. Valid for most departures from January to October 2015. Book by 30th October 2014 to take advantage.
Half price diving for buddies
Regaldive is offering buy one get one half price on five or six day dive packs, and Open Water or Advanced courses at the Orca Dive Clubs in El Gouna, Soma Bay, Safaga, Marsa Alam and Hamata. Divers can also benefit from buy one get one half price on any dive packs or courses when booking with Regaldive at Aquarius Dive Club in Hurghada. Valid for most departures from November 2014 to July and September 2015.
Andreas Elia, Managing Director of Regaldive, commented “The Regaldive Team is really looking forward to seeing guests old and new at Dive 2014. This year we will be on stand 600 in the NEC so please do stop by for a chat and let us help you with your holiday plans. We are delighted to pass on these great savings to our customers in order to bring you the best value diving holidays possible.”
For further information or to book, call 01353 659 999 or visit www.regaldive.co.uk.
News
Filming 360 in The Bahamas

In December 2024, the Shark Trust had a very special opportunity to film sharks and rays in The Bahamas. Frogfish Photography are the Bahamas Dive Ambassadors for the UK. And Caroline, Deputy Editor at Scubaverse, is the Marketing Manager at the Shark Trust. So, when the need arose to film footage of several species of shark and ray for a new Shark Trust project, The Bahamas seemed the perfect fit. A huge thank you is needed here to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As they stepped in to fully support the trip both financially and practically. Ensuring that the filming expedition ran smoothly, and that we got as much time as possible in the water with sharks and rays, during the 10 day, 3 island trip.
The Bahamas is famous for its sharks and rays. Divers flock there to experience getting up close to a range of species. Our itinerary saw us visit Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama. It packed in as many in-water experiences as possible and had us dive, snorkel, and even take a submarine to experience them in a variety of different habitats and to capture them on film. We saw 148 sharks and rays from 8 different species (all of which have been logged on the Shark Trust Shark Log!).
But why were we there? The expedition was designed to fulfil the needs of two new projects being launched by the Shark Trust in 2025. The filming done underwater on this trip was the start of creating OneOcean360: A Shark Story. A new 360 immersive experience designed primarily for immersive domes and planetariums. The film will be the nearest experience to getting in the water with sharks and rays without getting wet! It will bring the world of sharks to an audience that may never get the chance to experience it first-hand. A Shark Story aims to deepen people’s understanding of sharks, uncovering and illustrating why they are so wonderful as well as being vital to marine ecosystems.
The film is being made in collaboration with Real Immersive. Also based in Plymouth, they have an immersive dome and are providing the technical expertise behind creating this unique experience. Reviewing the footage in the dome has been an invaluable part of the process. Both inspiring the team and allow us to refine the filming techniques to suit this immersive theatre.
You might imagine that we are using expensive cameras and even more expensive housings. But this is not the case. The entire project is being filmed using Insta360 X4 cameras. With only a few simple additions to the standard dive setup. The INON weight plate allowed us to attach this camera to a dive weight, set it down on sand or wreck, and then swim away and let the sharks be the stars. And the results are very exciting. The film will be ready this autumn. It will be accompanied by an educational pack for teachers to take away after school trips to see the film. Encouraging all those that see it to continue learning about these incredible animals.
You can support the creation of OneOcean360: A Shark Story by heading to the crowdfunder page and donating or selecting a reward.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-shark-story
Read about the shark and ray dives we did on Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama in our next blog post coming soon on Scubaverse.
Blogs
PADI Global Membership Contributes to Study That Indicates Revival of MPAs Would Bolster Billions for the Industry

Scientists, including those from National Geographic Pristine Seas, find scuba divers are willing to pay more to seek adventure in Marine Protected Areas, estimating an additional USD 2.7 billion spent per annum.
11 February 2025 – PADI®, the world’s largest scuba diving organisation, has been working with National Geographic Pristine Seas for the last three years to help identify the positive effects of protecting scuba diving sites around the world – which was recently published in new peer-reviewed research.
PADI’s global membership of 6,600 PADI Dive Centres and Resorts in over 180 countries helped National Geographic Pristine Seas assemble a database that estimated the number of scuba dives annually, the extent to which protection would increase biomass and biodiversity in an area, and a scuba diver’s willingness to pay access fees to dive in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
As a result, the study found that more fully protected dive sites would generate an estimated USD 2.7 billion in additional income globally for the scuba diving industry, most of which would come from access fees paid by divers directly to local communities. This additional protection would also help regenerate marine ecosystems and a new long-term income source for these coastal economies.
“Bottom line, ocean protection benefits marine life, coastal communities and businesses,” remarked Enric Sala, founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas. “Protecting diving sites from fishing and other damaging activities can generate new streams of income and benefit more people. It’s increasingly clear that efforts to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 are even more beneficial than we thought.”
These research findings directly align with the goals of PADI’s Blueprint For Ocean Action– in which safeguarding recreational dive hotspots around the globe would deliver a host of benefits to tourists, local communities, and marine life. In 2022 PADI Iaunched an ambitious new initiative to establish the world’s largest network of conservation sites aimed at protecting ocean habitats and species threatened with extinction. Supported by Blancpain, founding partner of PADI’s MPA Program, the Adopt The Blue™ program activates a global network of dive sites across the planet to establish more Marine Protected Areas to regenerate local economies and coastlines.
“By PADI joining forces with like-minded global partners such as National Geographic Pristine Seas, we will exponentially increase our positive impact for saving the ocean,” said Dr. Drew Richardson, President & CEO of PADI. “With more marine protected areas, we can reinvigorate the diver experience and regenerate hope for the ocean; and with that comes more people who are inspired to explore the ocean and become Torchbearers to further advocate for safeguarding its future.”
Since 2008, National Geographic Pristine Seas has helped establish 29 of the largest MPAs in the world, covering a total area of 6.9 million square kilometers – more than twice the size of India. Their latest peer-reviewed research joins their resume of over 300 that have already been published.
“If you protect a marine area, more recreational divers will show up and they’ll pay more for the privilege of seeing sensational underwater life,” said Reniel Cabral, a Senior Lecturer at James Cook University and the study’s lead author. “Communities and businesses are leaving money on the table by overlooking the benefits of marine sanctuaries.”
Other key findings from the most recent study include:
- Some 33 million dives take place in the ocean each year, but only 15% of dive sites are fully protected from fishing and other destructive activities
- More MPAs estimated to increase the number of dives annually by 32% (10 million + more per year)
- Egypt, Thailand, and the US host the most scuba diving annually (est. USD 3 million annually)
- Indonesia, Egypt, and Australia host the most dives within MPA borders annually
- The Philippines, the US, and Indonesia would benefit the most economically from designating sanctuaries in popular diving spots.
- The Global South — host to some 62% of recreational dives — is poised to gain the most.
“The potential for the recreational diver industry to create positive ocean change is unparalleled,” continues Richardson. “As the only global community to have the superhero skills to descend beneath the surface and both connect with and help the marine world directly, there is a massive opportunity to change the way we all seek adventure. As the world’s largest scuba diving organisation, we can play a key part in reaching the global target of 30% protection by 2030 and enrich both ours and the ocean’s livelihood simultaneously.”
To help PADI advocate for the establishment of more MPAs, visit padi.com/aware/AdoptTheBlue
National Geographic Pristine Seas
Pristine Seas works with Indigenous and local communities, governments, and other partners to help protect vital places in the ocean using a unique combination of research, community engagement, policy work, and filmmaking. Since 2008, our program has conducted more than 45 expeditions around the world and helped establish 29 marine reserves, spanning more than 6.9 million square kilometers of ocean. Pristine Seas is part of the global non-profit, the National Geographic Society. Our mission is driven by science and filmmaking — we are fully independent from National Geographic publishing and its media arm.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organisation with a global network of 6,600 dive centres and resorts, 128,000 professional members, and more than 30 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM www.padi.com
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