News
It’s ScubaFest Cornwall this weekend!
What better way to kick start the Great British diving season than to head down to St Austell in sunny Cornwall this weekend with a whole bunch of like-minded people for Cornwall ScubaFest 2016.
For three days over this Spring Bank Holiday – Saturday 30th April to Monday 2nd May 2016 – scuba divers take over the Pentewan Sands Holiday Park and dive, dance, sing and have a good time.
There will be shore diving, RIB diving, hard boat diving, try dives for beginners and rebreather try dives for the more experienced, workshops for divers and funshops for your non-diving families and friends. In the exhibitors village there are all the top name brands showing their stuff and there will be the chance to try out some of the newest gear on the market. Talk to the equipment manufacturers about your current diving and your training agency guys about your future plans.
In the evenings there will be competitions and games for all the family, along with bands playing each night, and a karaoke disco to keep you in the swing of things.
What’s on at ScubaFest 2016
- Unlimited shore diving around the beautiful Cornish coastline
- RHIB shuttle charters straight off the beach at Pentewan Sands
- Hard Boat charters out of Mevagissey, Fowey and Newquay
- Divers ‘Toy Town’ with some of the top names in scuba diving: Apeks Aqua Lung, Fourth Element, Oonas Divers, Sea & Sea, Suunto and many more
- BSAC, PADI and SSI on hand to answer your questions on your diving education
- SSI Rescue and XT Technical Workshops on the beach, with some of the top names in technical diving
- BSAC Pool Dives for beginners – discover what fun diving is
- PADI Tech ‘Experience’ Dives including twinsets, sidemounts and rebreather pool dives
- SSI Freediving and Apnea workshops
- Splash In photo competition and photo workshops from Sea & Sea
- Individual and club competitions with great prizes
- BSAC Beachcomber and Snorkelling workshops for all ages
NEW for 2016
There’s lots of entertainment planned over the weekend, including:
Friday
7.00pm Party dances and games with the entertainments team
8.45pm – 9.30pm Rocking Blues Band – “Cold Feet”
10.00pm – 10.45pm Rocking Blues Band – “Cold Feet”
10.45pm -Disco with Sam and Dale
Saturday
10.00am – 12.00pm Ocean Arts and Crafts
1.00pm – 4.00pm Giant games and face painting
2.00pm – 4.00pm Watersports events
7.00pm – 8.30pm Spangles the Clown Circus Skills Show
7.00pm – 9.00pm Fire Pits / Bonfire
8.45pm – 9.30pm Atomic 80s – Party Band playing hits from the 80s!
9.30pm – 10.00pm Raffle Prize Winner
10.00pm – 10.45pm Atomic 80s – Party Band playing hits from the 80s!
10.45pm -Disco with Sam and Dale
Sunday
11.00am – 1.00pm Sports Day Games with the Entertainments Team
2.00pm – 4.00pm Watersports Events
2.00pm – 4.00pm Giant games and face painting
7.00pm – 8.00pm In the jungle with Cuddles and Lora
7.00pm – 9.00pm Fire Pits / Bonfire
8.45pm – 9.30pm The Mighty Off Beats – Fancy Dress Party (Favourite Book and TV Character Fancy Dress Theme)
9.30pm – 10.00pm ScubaFest Prize Giving
10.00pm – 10.45pm The Mighty Off Beats
10.45pm – Disco and Karaoke with Sam and Dale
To find out more about the event, visit www.cornwallscubafest.co.uk.
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
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.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
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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