Egypt: The Southern Red Sea has been a hive of activity this week and the divers on Miss Nouran have spotted just about everything you could want.  A baby whaleshark has been hanging around Daedalus for the past 3 weeks now and the hammerheads are still being seen.  Divers got up close and personal with dolphins whilst St Johns was home to grey reef sharks and manta.  A big week with big encounters for everyone!

Manado: Just announced!  Oxygene Manado and Kima Bajo are playing host to a very important guest in October – Anna and Ned DeLoach.  This duo have co written one of the best selling marine ID series and will be running a Critter Hunt along Bunaken’s shores.  The aim is to find the most elusive and strangest critters – something Manado has plenty of!  There will also be a photo workshop running alongside.  So once you have found that hard to spot marco life, you can get a photograph you will be proud of.

Philippines:  Malapascua has been packed with thresher sharks sightings at Monad of late.  Not one or two but multiple threshers have been seen.  More impressive for these timid and shy sharks are that they have been coming close enough for divers to get a really good look in person.  Exotic Divers are thrilled at all of these sightings.  They have worked tirelessly to protect Monad and have together, the islanders have put a stop to illegal fishing.  Great news for divers but even better for the thresher sharks.

Call the travel team 0800 072 8221 to discuss these or any other holidays for your next diving thrill

We have all seen tekkies about to go off for a dive (usually the guys with a lot of tanks and a serious look).  Be it on a boat or lakeside or on the decks of a liveaboard in a far flung country, you can find technical divers everywhere.

UK divers are very much at the forefront of technical diving.  Our wreck laden costal waters hold many treasures below the 40m recreational limit.  So perhaps it is no surprise that many divers convert to mixed gasses.  The advent of the rebreather too has revolutionised technical diving.  No bubbles, even longer bottom times and substantially less gas to carry… what’s not to like?

Well for some people, it is just a bit too much faff!  You have to be a meticulous person to dive tech as there is a lot to check.  Top notch training is critical, as is the gear you carry.  The deeper we dive and more decompression we log, the greater the risk.  Our technical knowledge has come at a cost.

Are you content to grab a single cylinder and roll into the sea? ?Does technical diving seem just too risky to contemplate?

Or does the lure of the deep call you down?  Are you in love with the bubble free dive?

Do you fancy going tech?  Not sure about which training agency to use?

Let us know your thoughts in this week’s discussion topic!

Traditionally the summer months are quiet in the Maldives.. but not if you are heading up to the northern atolls!  Hanivaru (or Hanifaru) leapt into the headlines in 2009 as the place to be to see huge congregations of manta.  And we don’t just mean 5 or 10.  In the height of the summer anything up to 100 manta can be found gorging on the plankton rich waters. This spectacle continues right through to November.  Diving bliss (and the snorkeling is pretty mind blowing too!)

It is an incredible sight and Monsoon is the only liveaboard that goes there every week.  Alex Mustard is off on a special photo trip to see the marvel for himself – watch this space for some incredible pics!

But the manta do not end in Hanivaru.  ProDivers at Kuredu and Komandoo have had a bumper start to their summer, logging over 100 manta sightings at Dhanivaru alone!  The manta have been logged as traveling over 200km away.  As individual manta are identified by their unique belly markings, they also get a name.  This is an invaluable record to help everyone understand these gorgeous beasts all the more.

Join the manta mayhem in 2010

Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221

In an amazing one off, we are asking for your offers!  The top 20 bids entered into the auction will bag a spot on this fabulous trip.  Auction closes on Monday 26/7/10 at lunch time so the only question left… how much is your bid?

Maldives:  Our summer months are undoubtedly the best months for manta sightings in the Northern atolls.  As Hanivaru gets under way, guests in Kuredu have also enjoyed a bumper month of sightings.  Dhanifaru has seen over 100 distinct mantas at this one site alone in 2010, each individually identified.  Tracking their movements, a single female has traveled from the north to Ari atoll (250km away!) whilst another pair were later seen at Haa Alifu atoll (over 170km).

Cocos: This is a tiny island with a huge reputation and the guys on Argo recently saw just why.  A phenomenal trip packed with hammerheads, black tip, manta and mobula.   But this is just an average day in Cocos!  The really special sightings this week were a humpback whale (wow!) and a tiger shark that suddenly appeared amid a group hunting whitetips.  Serious adrenalin diving.

It's never too late to book your next diving thrill!

Will yours be the winning bid?

This is a one off special offer where you can decide the price!  Take a trip on board the luxurious liveaboard Sea Serpent whilst she cruises the Southern Egyptian Red Sea.

Visiting Daedalus and Rocky this itinerary has it all, from plunging walls to intricate shallow caves.  Meander between soft coral pinnacles or gape at the enormous hard corals that flourish on healthy and vibrant reefs.  The Daedalus and Rocky itinerary mixes up big fish encounters with plenty of macro and reef fish to interest even the most seasoned diver.

HOW IT WORKS

To make us an offer simply give us a call on 0800 072 8221 or email us on dive@scubatravel.com with the subject ‘Sea Serpent Auction’. Let us know you maximum bid per person and how many spaces you would like to bid for.

Please only bid if you are available to travel on this trip date.

WHAT YOU ARE BIDDING ON

This trip departs the UK on the 18th August and returns on the 25th August. This holiday includes flights from London Gatwick, transfers to/from Sea Serpent, 6 nights (full board) on Sea Serpent, Marine Park fees, FREE NITROX and 1 night (half board) in a hotel.

WHEN DOES THE AUCTION CLOSE?
Bids will be collected until 12.00pm on Monday the 26th July and all winning bidders will be contacted on Monday afternoon to confirm places.

Happy bidding!!

If you would like more information about this trip or any other scuba diving adventures please call one of our diving holiday experts on 0800 072 8221 or email us on dive@scubatravel.com to discuss your next holiday.

Have you seen our new look holiday pages?  Now you can see at a glimpse all the stats, ratings and features of every holiday!  You can also find loads of pictures, reviews and video clips of our holidays so you can see exactly what kind of diving and accommodation to expect.

And if there is a hotel or liveaboard you just loved, why not share it with your friends via facebook?  Now you can like and add comments directly to facebook from our website (great for making your friends jealous!).

Want to give us feedback?  Now you can from the comfort of your own home via the reviews section.  Simply let us know your thoughts and you can leave your testimonial for fellow divers to read.

Simples!

Trying out our new liveaboards is one of the favourite parts of our job here at Scuba Travel.  And Georgie was super excited to be jetting off for 10 nights on the luxurious Philippine Siren to try for herself the Southern Visayas tour.  This is the ideal itinerary for anyone who has never visited the Philippines before and Georgie loved it! Well, read for yourself her trip report…

“After dropping my car off in Heathrow long stay car park (prebook parking with Scuba Travel)  and hopping onto the bus to terminal 3, the check in was quick and very straight forward, which left plenty of time to SHOP…..

The flight with Qatar Airways was very comfortable and had a wide choice of entertainment. You have to think that when you are sat on a plane for 16 hours you need a good choice of films to keep you entertained.  And if you want to splash out to fly Business class you get a flat bed which is great for such a long haul flight.  After the first leg of the flight we arrived in to Doha where I met the lovely Cathy and Owen whom had flown in from Manchester and had been using the Qatar lounge (well worth the £26).

Upon arrival into Cebu the temperatures where in the mid 30s.  I was first out of the airport and met up with the Worldwide dive and sails rep who arranged the taxis to the Philippine Siren.  The transfer time is approximately 10 minutes and I got my first glimpse of the Philippines.  Our bags were then taken to the boat and put into the correct cabins.  Bliss!  This was indicative of the whole week – the crew worked tirelessly meaning we could really put our feet up and relax.  Thanks guys.

Once onboard the Siren we all received a full briefing on how everything worked in the cabins, were given a guided tour of the boat and  of course introduced to the 13 man strong crew.  Lee and Marco are the dive operations managers (normally you would only have one or the other onboard). Marco is a local from Manila and Lee is from the USA.  Both are very experienced divers and know the area like the back of your hand.  We also met the 2 dive guides for the trip, Jo and Don.  It was shaping up to be a fabulous trip already and we had not even left the harbour yet!!

On the Southern Visayas itinerary you can expect to dive 3 main areas –Apo Island, Dauin and Balicasag.   Each area has a lot offer and no one place is the same.  All the diving is done from the 2 RIBs and we were divided up into 2 groups for the week.  Jo and Don switched between the groups over the whole trip.

Apo Island is made up of rock formations with an abundance of hard corals this dive site can be known for its fast currents which also means large fish schooling the area regular ones to watch out for is big eye trevally and barracudas.  You can also find here trigger fish (one of which chased me!)  and large napoleon wrasse.  This is a protected site and diving here is strictly controlled but boy, you can see why it is so keenly conserved!  I headed ashore here with Peter and David for a wander round the island.  I would certainly recommenced getting off somewhere on this trip just to get a real feel for the local people and culture.

After diving at Apo the boat normally heads to Dauin for some muck diving.  Now if you have never tried your hand at muck diving Dauin is a fantastic place to try it out.   The dark volcanic sands here are teaming with life and you are guaranteed to discover  loads of different types of species that you did not know even existed!  I never thought muck diving was my cup of tea but I was surprised how satisfying it is to come back to the boat after each dive having found something new for my logbook.  One of the first critters I came across was the Pegasus sea moth which always travel in twos crawling along the bottom of the sea bed at their slow pace.  You can also expect to find here wasp fish (leaf fish), flying gurnards and mantis shrimp.

Here there is also a dive site here named Cars… for the obvious reason they have sunk some cars which in turn have grown into artificial reefs!  There is a pickup truck and little boat that lay at around 24 meters and make for a fantastic night dive.  Undoubtedly one of the best on the trip with porcupine fish, mantis shrimp, frog fish to name but a few critters.  Definitely a dive not to be missed!!!

And then there is the beautiful Balicasag this had to be my favourite part of the itinerary.  The dives here are wall dives and drop offs so you can also get some big schooling fish here swimming by in the gentle currents.  We stopped here first and as well as on the way back to Mactan Cebu.  I loved this area of the Visayas simply because it was so beautiful.  I have never seen the corals look so healthy and vibrant.  Both soft and hard corals everywhere and also such an abundance of fish to be found.   This is where I discovered that the clown fish has such a large family!   At Black Forest and Divers Heaven we saw just how many different types of clown fish there are.  Big, little, pink, purple, orange, yellow, maroon, stripy… endless variety to enjoy.  And how beautiful the anemones are!  Some have bright blue tips where as others have bright pink tips – just so stunning to see.  We also found tobies,  morays, scorpion fish, barracuda and the famous pygmy seahorses.  These really are minuscule and without the dive guides would be easy to miss.  I was proud to spy a giant frogfish all on my own though Other highlights for me were the sea snakes and large turtles.

You might not see big fish every time on the Visayas itinerary but there is a good variety of things to find.   If you love macro, this is the trip for you!  I realised that small stuff is not only beautiful but fascinating.  The fellow photographers on board (yes you Bill & Linda) were in diving heaven and came back with all manner of cool pictures.   I did 40 dives over the 10 days  but in case you fancy trying your hand at something different in between dives, the Siren also has kayaking and water skiing.

Overall I would say that the Philippines has a huge amount to offer underwater and the boat is just lovely.  Food was a scrummy mix of western favourites and some local dishes.  We are all exceptionally well fed on this trip!  The small details really have been thought out to make the trip all the more comfortable.  There are drawers in the Saloon to put your personal belongings in (so you don’t need to keep heading off to your cabins) and clothes pegs around the boat so you can dry your swimwear securely.  All the rooms have computers in for the photographers.  Everyone on board appreciated the free nitrox and beer in the evenings too!   I have to say a huge thanks to the whole group and crew for making this an awesome trip to be on.”

Call the Georgie on 0800 072 8221

to discuss your next adventure on Philippine Siren!

Egypt:  The Chrisoula K was the standout wreck for Whirlwind’s guests this week.  From bow to stern this wreck delivered.  Dolphins came to check out the divers on the Ulysses – close enough to touch!  And hammerheads on the back of Jackson.  Miss Nouran were also lucky to enjoy a whaleshark as it cruised languidly down Daedalus reef.  Summer diving in Egypt scores once again

Philippines:  Exotic Divers in Malapascua have been busy this summer, despite July traditionally being a quieter month in the Philippines.  The thresher shark sightings continue to abound but they have been joined by some huge mantas.  Manta with a wing span of up to 6 1/2m have been swooping past, leaving divers with open jaws.  Just sublime.  The macro too is bountiful with an unexplained increase in frog fish this year.

Canada: The guys at Oxygene Newfoundland have just waived good bye to some very special visitors – Marita and Barry.  Marita is the daughter of the Captain Rolf Ruggeberg on Uboat U513, which was responsible for sinking the vessels that today are the famous Bell Island wrecks.   On September 5th in 1942, the SS Saganaga and SS Lord Strathcona met their watery end at Bell Island to become the wrecks we love to dive today.

It was a chance meeting at a dive show that bought Ocean Quest, Martia and Barry together and the Lodge has long wanted to share the much loved wrecks with Martia and Barry.  Martia has generously shared some of her father’s original documents with the lodge.  It has been an inspirational trip for all involved.

Do you love diving and want to become a part of Scuba Travel’s award winning team?  Then look no further!  We are currently looking for a new Travel Consultant who has a passion for travel (who doesn’t?) and a drive to succeed in a busy sales environment.  Come and join the Scuba Travel team here in our UK office.

Ideally we’re looking for someone who’s an all rounder with solid knowledge of a variety of destinations and who can turn their hand to creating some exceptional diving experiences. You can find a full description in the pdf which you can download here.

It’s a fun environment here but it is essential that you are a motivated individual and driven by the need to offer amazing customer service.

If you think you fit the bill please send a covering letter and CV to george@scubatravel.com or pop a copy in the post to:

George Gray
Scuba Travel
Smithbrook Kilns
Cranleigh, Surrey
GU6 8JJ

Applications must be received by the 31st July for consideration.

Good Luck everyone!

Contessa Mia is the queen of the Sea Serpent fleet - and even better with Manchester only departure 12/9/10

Fancy a Manchester departure for your next Red Sea liveaboard?  At Scuba Travel we understand that not everyone wants to fly from Gatwick.  So this September we have a dedicated MANCHESTER ONLY departure.

Join Contessa Mia departing 12/9/10 on a marvelous Wreck & Reefs tour, only with Manchester flights. Flights are direct to Sharm el Sheikh with Thomsonfly including meals and 25kgs hold baggage and meals included in the excellent price of £1135 per person… with NO SUPPLEMENTS

This is the classic all time Northern Red Sea routing that hits the mark each and every time.  Weave the decks of the Thistlegorm or speed along Shark and Yolanda reef.  Escape the day divers in Gubal or explore the famous wrecks of Abu Nuhas.  All diver experiences are catered for and the beautiful Contessa Mia is the perfect diving platform for a week you will never forget.

Why wait?  Book your space today!