News
SSI certify first Mares Horizon Instructors in UK
The first week of August saw the first SSI Extended Range Instructors certified on the Mares Horizon Semi Closed Rebreather. The training started at Stoney Cove and moved on to Dosthill, as SSI Horizon Instructor Trainer, Przemyslaw Kacprzak, put the group of 6 through their paces. We joined them for one of their open water training days at Dosthill.
The training included the following a mixture of academic and practical components:
- Equipment configuration session to learn the intricate details, assembly, functioning and maintenance of the SCR
- SCR Dive Planning session to learn how to safely plan SCR dives
- Academic presentations to ensure that our knowledge was instructor level
- Specific program exam
- Confined water sessions to learn the skills
- Open Water sessions to continue skill and instructor development
At the end of the week, the UK had 6 new instructors that will now be focussing on increasing their hours on the Horizon unit. The new instructors are:
Cat Braun – Tekstreme Diving (Egypt)
John Chambers – Cork Diving (Ireland)
Will Cooper – Divemaster Scuba (UK)
Andy Rose – Mares / SSI (UK)
Barry White – Fin Divers (UK)
Adam Wood – Divemaster Scuba (UK)
Cat Braun from Tekstreme Diving (Egypt) said “The training was very in-depth into the most intricate functioning of the SCR. As an instructor it was not only important for us to understand how to dive and teach the unit but more important was to understand the functions, the mechanical components and all the workings of the components.”
- The Mares Horizon SCR is easy to get familiar with and was very comfortable to dive.
- Open circuit divers should take to diving the unit with ease.
- The controller is clear to see (even in UK waters) and easy to follow.
- The SCR is super-efficient on carbon dioxide absorbent gives “real time” duration information.
- Any size cylinders can be fitted to the SCR making it super flexible.
- The flexibility on cylinders and the fact the unit is so light weight will also make it easy to travel with to other destinations.
You can find more information about courses here:
Mares Horizon
Base unit price is £3600 RRP plus £450 for optional deco kit.
For UK and Ireland course prices people should contact the following dive centres. Additional centres will be added during training programmes planned later this year.
Cork dive centre http://www.corkdivecentre.co.uk/
Divemaster Scuba, Nottingham https://www.divemasterscuba.com/
Morecambe area divers https://mad-divers.co.uk
Fin Divers, Stevenage https://www.findivers.com/
For more information about the Mares Horizon visit the website by clicking here.
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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