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September Savings from Diverse Travel

Published

7 years ago

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Save £££ on your diving holiday when you book this September. Check out the latest diving holiday deals from UK-based Tour Operator Diverse Travel.

Indonesia: Emperor Raja Laut Special Introductory Offer 2017/2018

Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea | Beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style yacht

Literally just launched, a special introductory offer on the new Emperor Indonesia’s MY Emperor Raja Laut debuting this September.

Emperor Raja Laut is a beautiful traditional Dutch schooner-style sailing yacht now under the renowned Emperor Divers’ brand. She has 12 berths and a high level of service with seven crew and two dive guides. Sailing the iconic diving areas of Raja Ampat, the Banda Sea and Komodo National Park. Prepare to dive or snorkel with mantas, hammerheads, whale sharks and macro life. Or combine with land tours to meet the infamous Komodo dragon.

Price from £2999 including:

  • 7-night package (also 12-nights available) to Raja Ampat based on twin share
  • Return international flights – London Heathrow to Manado
  • Return domestic flights – Manado to Sorong
  • Airline departure taxes
  • 7 nights shared cabin, 3 meals a day, afternoon snacks, 1 cocktail party on a local island, unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee, guide, 12 litre air tanks, weights
  • 2 nights Half Board – Manado Novotel Airport Hotel
  • All transfers according to itinerary
  • Full ATOL Protection

Departures between 14 December 2017 and 02 May 2018.

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

Dive Mythical Sudan | 04 – 11 March 2018 | Save up to £125

Plus the first 10 bookers will receive free Nitrox fills (First come, first served basis. Nitrox-certified divers only).

Follow in Cousteau’s footsteps! Dive his Conshelf II underwater habitat and famous Shaab Rumi reef with its sharks and colourful drop-offs and Sanganeb’s northern and southern plateaus. The Umbria, considered to be one of the finest wreck-dives on the planet and then south of Port Sudan where different species of sharks are found.

* Number of dives may vary according to itinerary weather conditions. Minimum diving level: PADI Advanced Diver (or equivalent) with minimum 50 logged dives. Diving is permitted upon presentation of a valid certification card AND proof of adequate insurance covering risks related to diving activities.

Price from £1495 based on sharing a twin cabin including:

  • Return flights from London Heathrow to Port Sudan on Saudia (via Jeddah) or Emirates/Fly Dubai (via Dubai)
  • 7 nights’ full board accommodation in shared cabin
  • Transfers between Port Sudan airport and liveaboard
  • Dives: first day 2 dives; then 3 dives a day; last day 2 dives and return to Port Sudan
  • Sodas, espresso, cappuccino, water, tea & coffee
  • Robes and towels provided during the safari

Not included: Sudan Visa US$175/person; Government taxes and local agent fee 197 EUR pp; Booking of a specific cabin: 50 EUR pp/week; 15L tank: 40 EUR/week; Equipment rental; Guided dive: 8 EUR/dive; Alcoholic drinks; Crew tip (70 EUR recommended/week).

Booking deadline: 31 October 2017

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

Best of Red Sea | Emperor Asmaa I 9 – 16 Nov 2017 – Save £75

Dive the best top three sites in this area: Big and Little Brothers, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone. These islands offer stunning wall diving and attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagics. Large tuna, jacks and snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional hammerheads, silvertips, silky and oceanic white tip sharks and mantas. Even the rare thresher shark can be found here.

7 nights from £1049 per person including flights from London – save £75!

Price is per person based on sharing a twin cabin and includes:

  • Return international flights – London Gatwick – Hurghada
  • 20kg hold baggage allowance
  • 7 nights in shared cabin (last night either on board or in a hotel)
  • 6 day’s diving, guide, 12 litre tanks, weights
  • Full board & soft drinks, red wine with dinner
  • Environmental tax
  • Marine Park fees and port departure fees
  • Free Nitrox (subject to availability)
  • Airport transfers
  • Full ATOL protection

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

Oman Red Dhow | 7 – 14 October | from £1565

Just 80 miles from Dubai is Oman’s little-known Musandam Peninsula – an area of outstanding natural beauty. Dramatic vertical cliffs in meandering bays plunge into the azure seas below, giving Musandam the affectionate nickname, ‘the fjords of the Gulf’. Deep and cool upwelling water provide a rich plankton soup attracting a huge variety of marine life; whale shark, sun fish, pilot whales, lobsters, hawksbill, green turtles, huge schools of snapper, barracuda and jacks. Critters galore are also in abundance making Musandam a macro-photographer’s delight.

Red Dhow is a 76ft boat with 6 standard double cabins (2 cabins sharing 1 bathroom) and two ensuite cabins. She takes no more than 14 guests.

Price from £1565 based on sharing standard twin cabin including:

  • Return economy class flights departing from London to Dubai (flights from other UK airports can be arranged)
  • 7 nights’ onboard the Red Dhow in an en-suite cabin with Full Board (breakfast, lunch & dinner), water, tea & coffee, PADI Instructor and/or Divemaster on board (acting as a dive guide) with up to 3 guided day-dives per day and return airport transfers
  • ATOL and full financial protection

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

Fiji Volivoli Offer | Book 7 nights, pay for only 5

Volivoli Beach Resort | Fiji | 2 nights FREE

  • PLUS 2 FREE dives
  • PLUS FREE Nitrox*

Fiji has so very much to offer from the diving to nature, beautiful beaches and welcoming local people. Here lies a perfect blend of white sandy beaches, coral reef, a sunny year-round climate and that friendly Fijian hospitality and culture.

A pearl of Fiji, Volivoli Beach Resort is tucked away on the northernmost tip of Viti Levu and promises guests a welcoming relaxed indulgence. Being just a short boat ride from the enticing dive sites of Bligh Waters the Resort is family-run by the Darling family who have over 20 years’ experience of diving in these waters. Probably one of the best locations in Fiji for a diving holiday, Volivoli Beach is home to Ra Divers, a fully certified PADI and SSI Dive Resort with over 18 years’ experience.

Conditions of offer: Travel dates: Until 31st March 2018

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

South Africa | 9 nights | Aliwal Shoal Diving + Great White Cage Diving, Cape Town

The best of both worlds; diving the iconic Aliwal Shoal and then onto the great magnet of South Africa, cage diving with great whites!

Price – £1999 per person based on sharing a twin/double room including:

  • Return international flights to Durban return from Cape Town on Emirates (via Dubai)
  • 6 nights’ Full Board in twin/double room, Blue Ocean Resort, Umkomaas
  • 8 dives: 6 Aliwal Shoal reef dives (2-tank morning trips) + 2 Baited Shark Dives
  • Round trip airport transfers from Durban King Shaka International Airport
  • One-way domestic flight Durban to Cape Town
  • 3 days’ Cape Town car hire (Avis VW Polo TSI B Plus + GPS)
  • 3 nights’ B&B, Mountain Facing Room, Quayside Hotel, Simon’s Town (Cape Town)
  • 2 Seal Island Cage Dive Trips
  • Government taxes
  • Full ATOL Protection

Price does not include daily conservation levy of R114 (approx. £7).

These offers must be booked before 30 September 2017
Travel must take place before 31 December 2017

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

Indonesia I Manado + Lembeh Combo | Last Minute Offer

Eco Divers. From just £1850 with diving, flights, accommodation

Dive two of the world’s greatest dive places with an award-winning dive centre and here’s your recipe for holiday happiness.

Home to a huge concentration of unusual marine species as well as reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, even dugong and orca!

Most sites are within easy reach from your hotel and yet they’re never crowded. The reefs of Bunaken National Marine Park are rich and unspoilt with abundant soft coral and fish life whilst the Lembeh Strait is arguably the best place in the world for macro photography.

10 nights from £1850 per person including:

  • International return flights – London Heathrow on Singapore Air/SilkAir via Singapore
  • 30kg baggage allowance
  • 5 nights’ sharing air-conditioned Superior Room, Mercure Manado Resort
  • 5 days’ boat diving Bunaken (up to 2 guided day-dives per day*) with cylinders & weights
  • 5 nights’ sharing air-conditioned room, Eco Divers Resort Lembeh
  • 4 days’ boat diving Lembeh Strait (up to 3 guided day-dives per day) with cylinders & weights
  • Full Board Meal Plan including mineral water
  • All local transfers according to the itinerary
  • Government taxes
  • Full ATOL protection

* Upgrade to 3-dive package: £23/day

Valid for stays between 01 – 30 September and 24 October – 30 November 2017

See all Diverse Travel special offers here

For more information or to book, call Diverse Travel on Freephone 0800 915 4436, email info@diversetravel.co.uk or visit www.diversetravel.co.uk.

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Book Review: Fire on Monroe Bravo by Fred Lockwood

Published

17 hours ago

on

July 26, 2024

By

the ship beneath the ice

Fire on Monroe Bravo is the latest book in the Jack Collier series by Fred Lockwood.  Our story begins with our lead characters, Jack and Sandro, owners of Marine Salvage & Investigation Company, arriving on the Monroe Bravo Oil & Gas Platform in the North Sea.  Having secured a contract for their vessel the MV Stavanger to act as support ship to the platform for TransGlobal Oil, our protagonists are on a celebratory visit.

However almost as soon as they arrive a series of explosions rock the platform, causing huge damage, loss of life and the very real danger of a massive human, ecological and financial disaster.

As the danger mounts for both our heroes and the surviving workers, Jack and Sandro will have to escape the inferno, all while trying to save the platform and the men still trapped unable to help themselves.

The disaster sets the scene for the unfolding story lines following the fate of the platform and our main characters, the police investigation into a suspected terrorist act and the actions of TransGlobal Oil as they attempt to navigate the pubic outcry and financial repercussions.

In his eighth book, Fire on Monroe Bravo, Fred Lockwood delivers an explosive thriller, with plenty of above and in-water drama, and our heroes fighting for survival, what more can you ask for?  

We thoroughly recommend this read and look forward to the next in the series. For more information about his book series, you can check out the reviews of his previous books here on Scubaverse.

  • Title: Fire On Monroe Bravo
  • Author: Fred Lockwood
  • ISBN: 979-8325324536

Available in a paperback version and for Kindle from Amazon and book stores.

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Blogs

Alonissos: The complete diving destination (Part 1)

Published

5 days ago

on

July 22, 2024

By

In June we were incredibly fortunate to be invited to dive in Alonissos, a small Greek Island in the Sporades island chain located in the North Aegean Sea.  While I have long been a big fan of the Greek Islands as a great holiday destination, I had not had the opportunity to do any diving on previous visits and Mike and I were extremely excited to see what Alonissos had to offer both above and below the surface!

The Sporades are easily accessible via the airport in Skiathos (the first island in the chain), which is served by Jet2 flights from all major UK airports from May through October.  Numerous ferries and charter boats make island hopping from Skiathos Town a breeze.  After an hour boat ride, the picturesque port of Patitiri was a wonderful introduction to Alonissos, where we were met by our gracious hosts Kostas of Albedo Travel and Dias of Alonissos Triton Dive Center.  Mike and I were delighted to be staying at the Paradise Hotel, aptly named for its stunning views over the sea and great location for walking to the waterfront.

Alonissos is beautifully situated in the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, the largest marine protected area in Europe.  The surrounding seas offer fabulous marine life, including incredibly rare species such as the Mediterranean monk seal.  They boast deep walls covered in gorgonians and sponges, stunning topography with caverns, swimthroughs and pinnacles, and the first accessible ancient shipwreck from 500BC!

In locations where historical sites have been reported, the waters are largely restricted, but with collaboration between government, underwater archeologists and dive centres, incredible underwater museums are being created for a truly unique diving experience.  Alonissos is home to the first of these, the Ancient Shipwreck of Peristera Accessible Underwater Archeological Site.  The chance to dive into history (along with reports of healthy reef life and amazing underwater topography) meant Mike and I were keen to get in the water.

Our introduction to the diving around Alonissos was at the Agios Georgios Pinnacles, in the channel between Alonissos and Skopelos.  This fantastic site was named “The Chimney,’ and proved to have a huge amount to see.  We got to a decent depth here (over 25m), and marvelled at a colourful reef wall with a wonderful swim through whose rocky walls were absolutely covered with life.  As well as brilliant topography there was no shortage of macro life here.  We saw numerous nudibranchs, five different species in total.  The second dive at Mourtias reef nearby was a shallower dive along a nice wall with lots of crevices. Several moray eels and grouper called this site home.  We enjoyed looking in the crevices for lobster and smaller benthic life, such as cup corals and tunicates.

Our itinerary allowed us two dives a day with afternoons left to explore the island with our hire car and evenings to enjoy the famous Greek hospitality.  This proved to be a lovely mix of in-water and land based diversions.  

The next days diving to the Gorgonian Gardens and Triton’s Cave was to be even better!  These two stunning sites are nothing short of fabulous.  The Gorgonian Gardens was a deep wall near to the Agios Georgios islands.  The ever-present currents in this deep channel meant that the sea life was amazing … the namesake Gorgonian sea fans dotted the wall at a depth of 30 to 50 meters, getting ever larger the deeper we went.  Above 30m was by no means less beautiful, with sponges, corals, scorpionfish, moray eels and some rare and colourful nudibranchs.

The second shallower dive of the day was to Triton’s Cave or the Cavern of Skopelos, on the east side of that island. The spectacular rock formations had wild striations both above and below the water making a truly epic topography.  The cavern entrance was at 14m, and big enough for a buddy pair, winding up to 6m and passing two beautiful windows out into the blue.  Emerging from the cavern, the light at the shallower depths and the incredible rock formations made for a fantastic gentle swimming safety stop and we all surfaced by the boat with massive grins. 

Check out our next blog :Alonissos: The complete diving destination (Part 2)” to hear about our amazing dive on the 2500 year old Peristera Wreck!

Thanks to:

Alonissos Triton Dive Center https://bestdivingingreece.com/

Albedo Travel https://alonissosholidays.com/activities/

Paradise Hotel https://paradise-hotel.gr/

Alonissos Municipality https://alonissos.gr/en/

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