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Save on holidays with Dive Worldwide’s January Sale
Book a holiday with UK-based Tour Operator Dive Worldwide before 17 January 2019 and take advantage of a 10% saving on accommodation and diving and snorkelling packages to some of the finest dive destinations on the planet. Destinations featured in the January Sale include Indonesia, the Philippines, the Maldives, Tobago, and Oman.
Indonesia: BIG in Bali
Dive the vibrant reefs of Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan and Penida, enjoying manta ray encounters year-round, but other big marine life sightings too, including mola mola. Spending a week at the secluded small island of Nusa Lembongan, with its relaxed pace and charms, guests spend five days exploring local dive sites including Manta Point and Blue Corner spotting mantas as well as turtles, ribbon eels, puffer fish, scorpion fish, trigger fish, sweet lips and an abundance of reef fish.
Special Offer Price: from £1,295pp sharing (saving £50pp), including 8 nights’ B&B accommodation, transfers, 5 days/10 dive pack, tanks and weights and return flights from the UK.
The Philippines: Big Fish Tour
Covering three locations across the Philippines, this is a dive trip with a focus on big marine encounters. Beginning at the Tepanee resort on Malapascua, guests have three days of diving looking for thresher sharks at dawn and mandarin fish at dusk. Then, after transferring to Ticao Island, there are four days to explore with the chance of manta ray encounters at Manta Bowl. Plus, there are two snorkelling excursions from Donsol floating alongside the huge (and harmless!) whale sharks that congregate there between December and May. In between dives, enjoy the leisurely pace and privacy extended to you at each resort.
Special Offer Price: from £2,075pp sharing (saving £100pp), including 11 nights’ accommodation, some meals, 2 whale shark snorkelling trips, 7 days’ diving, tanks and weights, transfers and return flights from the UK.
The Maldives: Best of Maldives Liveaboard
This classic Maldivian live-aboard itinerary departs from Malé, offering some of the finest dive sites in the central atolls and the chance of a whale shark encounter. This trip concentrates on exploring the north and south Malé atolls and Ari atoll. Trips do not follow a set itinerary, but rely on the expertise of the crew to show case the best dive sites for the time of year. Highlights include manta cleaning stations, whale shark encounters and mesmerising drift dives.
Special Offer Price: from £1,865pp sharing (saving £110pp) including 7 nights’ full-board liveaboard accommodation, 17 dives, tanks and weights, transfers and return flights from the UK.
Tobago: Visit Tobago (South)
At only 8 miles wide and 26 miles long, Tobago is a small enough island to explore in a week and offers a true tropical island escape. Staying at the friendly Shepherd’s Inn, the popular dive sites are just a short boat ride away including Flying Reef and Mt Irvine Wall with its marine critters. Tobago is also renowned for turtle nesting and leatherback, hawksbill and green turtles return annually to the western shores to lay their eggs in the first six months of the year.
Special Offer Price: from £1,235pp sharing (saving £60pp) including 7 nights’ B&B accommodation, 10 dives, tanks and weights, transfers and return flights from the UK.
Oman: Visit Oman
Dive the warm waters of Oman and discover the dive sites and wrecks around Ras Abu Daoud and Fahal Island, spending a week at Jebel Sifah just south of Muscat – a perfect location for sunshine, adventures and diving days away from the crowds. Here diving is suitable for everyone – sites range from shallow reefs to steep walls, with marine encounters including barracuda, reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays. Guests can also dive the Al Munassir wreck, a popular site.
Special Offer Price: from £1,330pp sharing (saving £65pp) including 7 nights’ half board accommodation, 10 dives, tanks and weights, transfers and return flights from the UK.
Prices and savings listed are per person and based on two people sharing. To claim your discount quote DWJAN19 at the time of your enquiry.
Full terms and conditions can be found here: http://www.diveworldwide.com/offers/exclusive-winter-sale
For further information visit Dive Worldwide – www.diveworldwide.com or call 01962 302087.
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.
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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