Don’t miss summer savings at the London Dive Show!
Are you thinking about what to do this summer? Hankering after a hot diving destination with lavish corals and big fish sightings? Then make sure you come to the London Dive Show and stop at the Scuba Travel stand March 27th and 28th where we will be offering a massive 10% discount on all Red Sea liveaboards booked at the show.
August is one of the most exciting times to dive the Red Sea. A week cruising the Southern Red Sea will bring encounters you will treasure! Last year the diving was off the charts and we are expecting August 2010 to bring another bumper year of shark sightings and sublime dives. And with our fleet of luxurious liveaboards your holiday is in the hands of the experts. Grand Sea Serpent is the largest of our modern fleet and has every creature comfort you could want. Maggie and Mike summed it up perfectly…
“Thank you for arranging our annual dive trip to the Red Sea. Maggie and I have just returned home after a fantastic week diving with Sam and Adham aboard Grand Sea Serpent which we think is still the best dive boat with the best crew operating anywhere in the Red Sea. The highlight of the week was obviously coming face to face with the Tiger Shark now in residence on Elphinstone but this was the icing on the cake for what was a great holiday made more memorable by Sam and Adhams totally professional approach to briefings and when in the water etc along with their good humour after diving. We will remember Sam for introducing his penalty wig award and Adham for his Werewolf game for a long time. Please pass on our thanks to all concerned and we will be back for another holiday in 2010. Maggie and Mike. Yorkshire.”
Stop at stand 727 & 729 to book your next summer holiday!
Join Mike Ward’s Escorted tour of the Bell Island Wrecks
Bored of diving the same old dive sites? Want to get away from the hoardes and enjoy some seldom dived wrecks? Longing for a dive holiday overflowing with an adventure that will get your dive nerves tingling again? Log some dives in 2010 you can be proud of!
Then look no further – Mike Ward’s Escorted trip to Oxygene Newfoundland and the Bell Island Wrecks is the trip for you! The trip is 6 days unadulterated wreck diving in one of diving’s best kept secrets. Departing in May this Escorted Wreckreation itinerary will bring you up close with the great Bell Island wrecks and the Battle for the Atlantic!
Which wrecks?
The Bell Island Wrecks are a phenomenal testament to Newfoundland’s critical role in the Second World War. These massive ships lie upright on the seabed within recreational dive limits and are packed with goodies. Weave around the masts on the Roasecastle or admire the anchor at the PLM. Be one of a handful of divers descending onto the decks, float between the masts and peek through the portholes glass.
The 4 Bell Island wrecks are not only teeming with artifacts, they are home to all manner of marine life and photogenic to boot! The Lord Strathcona and Saganaga are smothered in anemones, lumpfish and sculpin to name but a few of the species to keep an eye out for.
Dive with Mike…
Mike Ward is rarely out of the water and loves wrecks! He is a firm favourite on Scuba travel’s Escorted Get Wrecked Red Sea itinerary. Guests have long enjoyed his sense of humour and insightful presentations that bring alive the stories behind each ship. His book “The Death of Ships” is authoritative and the perfect companion on a Red Sea liveaboard. Mike also egularly writes for the UK dive magazines.
Along with Oxygene Newfoundland, Mike is the perfect guide through this breath taking trip. Bring the Battle for the Atlantic alive with on this wreck lovers dream itinerary – book today before the secret gets out!
Call 0800 072 822 today to join Mike departing on 8/5/10 for a dive holiday with a difference
Scuba Travel’s guests get the best sightings!
Egypt: Splash into Spring! Spring on a Red Sea liveaboards means sharks. Plain and simple. From the Brothers to St Johns divers are seeing more and more of these lovely creatures. Whirlwind and Grand Sea Serpent have reported back big fish in the past week. An unusual sighting of an oceanic white tip was a great bonus but the silky and greys were also not to be missed (top tip – hang near the current split and you are sure to see some sharkies)
Philippines: Tony’s trip to the Philippines on the Magellan tour was a blast and take a look at the pics on our Facebook page. In resort, the Oxygene Cebu are grinning ear to ear. The thresher sharks have returned to Pescador after not being seen for a couple of years. The team are keeping their eyes peeled too for whalesharks. The next few weeks are typically the best for seeing these spotty behemoths
Malta: Oxygene Malta are gearing up for their technical week at the end of March. With a team of highly knowledgeable and experienced technical instructors, Oxygene Malta are focusing on the deeper dives with some cracking special offers on training. Already qualified? You can still join in the fun and explore the deep water wrecks such as the HMS stubborn or Blenheim Bomber.
Thanks Tony for this week's awesome pics!
Don’t let others have all the fun! Call or book online!
The final fling in the Philippines
As Tony’s 13 night tour of the very best that the Philippines has to offer is coming to a close, his final installment recounts the splendid final dives at Bohol and yet another big fish encounter… pilot whales!
“We were checked into Oasis resort at Panglao which is a comfortable resort with great food and a bit of night life on the beach. Next day two great dives of Balicasag Island. Its hard to believe there is such a fantastic wall right of the beach. Again the corals are so rich it’s hard to compare with anywhere else. Great viz and quite a lot of action in the blue as well, schooling jacks and barracuda and turtles. An excellent dinner on the beach rounds off another great day.
Early start next morning we head North to Cabilao Island. En route we run into a pod of Pilot Whales that cruise around the boat for a while, blowing plumes of spray just when the camera is pointed elsewhere! Cabilao Island is just simply a fantastic site, a sheer wall with huge gorgonian fans leading onto a plateau that is a garden of soft corals. Barracuda, cuttlefish, squadrons of squid, schooling jacks. Wow!
After the dives we motor over to Cebu Island where we say a found farewell to to the Bangka, Bruce, Christoff and the team who have looked after us so well. We are off to Kasai Village for a couple of days extension and to dive the famous Pescador Island.”
Tony treks the Chocolate Hills and Panglao
Taking a break from the diving, Tony and the group visit Panglao, a hilly islands in the Central Visayas area. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a day’s exploring.
Day 6
“Christophe our host had heard of some caves up in the hills, so we set off crack of dawn inland on a dilapidated truck for and interesting if rather hairy journey into the interior of Southern Leyte. In places the truck had to reverse up and take a run at the steeper inclines but eventually we arrived at a small village and met with our guide.
We were supplied with hard hats and then set of on foot for quite a hike into the forest. Then we scrambled down a hole in the ground and squeezed into the cave. As we entered the underground world we discovered fantastic limestone formations. We trekked further and further into the bowels of the earth, past huge chambers, lakes and streams. A real adventure!
In central Bohol we visited the famous Chocolate Hills, a curious landscape of brown rounded conical hills, looking as is some giant mole had been at work. A bit touristy but worth a visit.
Further on our way to Panglao we visited a sanctuary for Tarsius Monkeys or Philippine Tarsiers. These tiny rare primates are really intriguing, resembling a cross between a bush baby and ET, and can be approached closely with care. Their numbers have been severely depleted, but the sanctuary is working to increase the population and release more back into the wild. Tomorrow we are diving the famous sites around Panglao. Cannot wait!”
