Can you spot the fish? Now that's what I call camouflage

This August we asked for your pics of camouflage fish.  There are loads of different fish that fall into this cattegory but they are all distinctive for being.. well hard to spot!  Scorpion fish, stone fish and frog fish are all adept at blending into the surrounding reef so well done to everyone that has managed to get some great pics of these guys.  Chris Frost and David Nurse’s images particularly stood out.

But it is James Bromige that bags the £50 Scuba Travel voucher for this flounder (or is it a plaice…).  It is perfectly masked against the sand.  It took everyone here a moment to find him amid the background which seemed very apt to the spirit of the competition.

Check out our facebook page for all this month’s entries!

If not, then you might have missed their article about Grand Sea Serpent.  Our very own luxury liveaboard hit the press with a  review about the joys of diving with sharks… an experience most divers rate up there with their fave underwater moments.

As the journalist Anna plunged the depths of the Southern Red Sea and the marine parks, she recalls her inspiring encounters with hammerheads.  Just divine!  She also enjoyed being spolit rotten on board Grand Sea Serpent

Follow this link to read the article in full

Call the travel team today on 0800 072 8221

to discuss your next shark adventure

Egypt:  This week is one for celebration!  Martin Warner cunningly enlisted the help of his dive guides on Cyclone to plan a surprise on the Thistlegorm.  With their help distracting his buddy, Martin unrolled an SMB with “Will you marry me?” written across it.  Eileen turned around to find him on the bow of the Thistlegorm with his proposal.  Once she recovered from the shock he got a firm thumbs up.  Congratulations to both Martin and Eileen!

Maldives:  The Maldives has been hot hot hot this week and all of the action has been at Hanivaru.  Monsoon is the only liveaboard to dive this manta filled lagoon every week and Alex Mustard, along with a bunch of talented fellow photographers, enjoyed a special week focusing only on the manta.  The lagoon was the main focus but every diver also enjoyed a close encounter on the surrounding reefs too.  Orion has made a longer than normal trip up from Male to witness the manta action at Hanivaru too.  Their guests found no less than 40 manta and 2 whalesharks waiting.  Does it get any better?

Indonesia:  The guys in Bali are getting very excited.  They are in the process of launching a new catamaran for the diving tours in Bali.  The new boat will make the diving all the more comfortable with better facilities on board and more space than ever.  It is the perfect compliment to the Bali voyage of discovery.  This is a great diving adventure that takes in the real highlights of Bali and from the new catamaran, you can soak up this exotic destination.

Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221

to join these or any of our holidays

The schools are going back, the evenings getting short but the end of the UK summer does not mean the end of the sunny weather… not with Scuba Travel!  We still have a few places left on some mind bending special offers.

So if you want to getaway and top up your tan without hurting your pocket, grab one of our last minute diving holidays before it’s too late!  Pick from the marvelous northern Wrecks & Reefs, thrilling wall dives in the Southern Red Sea or enjoy a relaxing shorebased break at the Marriott.

Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221

or book online today!

It will only take a minute of your time to add your voice to the growing number of people petitioning to protect sharks in Raja Ampat. And it will make all the difference!

Indonesia is famous for it’s unparalleled bio diversity, big and small.  From the decks of sublime liveaboards like Mandarin Siren and Paradise Siren, few destinations can offer so much pristine reef life or heavenly backdrop.

But sadly, the practice of shark fishing still goes on across all of Indonesia. Fishermen target not just the sharks but rays as well. The government has responded positively and created a series of Marine Protected Areas.  Sharks in these areas are thriving, mating and rearing their young in safety.  Individuals are regularly seen by divers in these areas.  However, there is still much of Raja Ampat that falls outside of these no take zones.

Shark Savers were formed by divers to strengthen shark protection worldwide.  They are petitioning the Indonesian authorities to make the entire 40 000 square miles of Raja Ampat a no take zone. Join the thousands of others who have already signed the petition and help protect this incredible marine life for the future.

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY

Egypt: Something new for everyone this week in the Red Sea.  Gushing reports back from a few divers who had never been to the Red Sea.  Even those most seasoned Red Sea veterans were in for a treat.  This week divers from one club got onto the Ulysses for the first time.  Turtles, dolphins and a hammerhead were amongst the goodies up north.  Grey reefs and bumphead parrot fish were the treats for those down south.

Maldives: Manta, manta and more manta.  That has been the most exciting sighting for everyone in the past week.  Hanivaru is officially open and the manta are flocking to this inauspicious lagoon for their seasonal feeding frenzy.  Alex Mustard has gone out on Monsoon with a boat load of keen (and rather good) photographers to catch the action for us.  Orion have made a longer than usual itinerary so that they too can witness this spectacle.  And with great success.  Over 40 manta and whalesharks too feasting on the plankton.  A must see natural event!

Cocos: Did you watch Sharks of Pirate Island this week?  Filmed on board the excellent Argo, divers investigated the deep sea mounts that surround Cocos. Little has been know about what really goes on down there and the resulting video is a must see for anyone who loves sharks.  If you missed it you can still catch the programme on Sky Anytime or repeated on Nat Geo.

Letting your dive kit gather dust?  Why not jump aboard one of our special offers?

Call the travel team on 0800 072 8221 to save pounds!

It is the classic battleground between the sexes and we have all been there.  The night before your holiday, you throw everything into your case, thinking I should have done this sooner!  But who gets it right?  And who packs more… men or women?  A recent survey from Holiday Extras seeks to settle the arguement.

One thing is true apparently – women do take a lot more shoes on holiday!  On average women take between 4 and 9 pairs of shoes whilst men only take an average of 3 pairs (remember if you are going on a liveaboard though, you only need the pair you are wearing for the journey).  This is not the whole picture though.  Whilst women might take more, especially in the footwear department, they tend to actaully wear most of what they take.  Only 10% of clothes never come out of the case.  Compare this to the men, of which over 20% of their packing goes unused!

Let us know, in your experience who takes more stuff?

And who brings most of it home again still clean and pressed?

Have you got a packing trick to share?

Or learned your lesson as you lugged excess kilos around on your last trip?

Take a look at our top tips for keeping your suit case streamlined and within the baggage limits

This week Kiss flights collapsed, much to the disappointment of many travelers whose holiday plans have been thrown into uncertainty.  Many people may have never heard of Kiss flights, let alone realised their flights were booked through them.  3 holiday companies have gone into administration this month alone, reminding us once more why it is so important today to ensure that your holiday is properly protected.

When booking individual elements of a trip yourself, there is often no protection if things go wrong.  Scuba Travel are a traditional tour operator.  We don’t book the bits that make up your trip and sell them as individual segments.  We take care of the whole holiday from take off to landing and protect you every step of the way.  There is no need to skip a holiday in 2010 – with Scuba Travel your precious time underwater is in safe and experienced hands.

So what does “protected” mean?  ATOL protection is one of the most common types of cover and is a must but this alone is not fool proof.   Scuba Travel take your peace of mind seriously and a such we are not only ATOL protected.  We also offer a 100% financial guarantee thanks to our AITO protection.  No matter if it is the airline, hotel or company, if your holiday was booked as one of our packages, we will make sure you don’t end up out of pocket.  We have also been able to ensure that nearly every one of our customers who have been affected by the recent turbulent events, including the Icelandic volcano and Kiss collapse, have still able to get on holiday or refund.  We have a UK emergency contact for everyone in resort and a dedicated team on hand 24 hours a day.

Don’t chance your holiday!  Remember to look for 100% financial protection

Available from Scuba Travel, the diving holiday experts

Put yourself in the picture!

The Philippines is one of our favourite destinations in 2010 with both Tony and Georgie enjoying inspirational trips there this year.  The Kasai Village resort sits on a lovely unspoiled stretch of coastline in Cebu… and is now better than ever with a whole host of improvements taking place.  So all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your stunning holiday.

For divers great care is being taken to ensure your every whim is catered for.  A long pier is being built and now nearly complete  with 110m out of 135m in place, allowing easier and better access to the gorgeous house reef (watch out for dancing mandarin fish).  November will also welcome the arrival of a new dive boat.  This traditional style banca is in addition to the existing boat and will easily hold 12 divers, 3 guides and a mass of kit.  For the camera buffs, there is also a dedicated camera area in the dive shop with an air gun and charging area for strobes and camera batteries.

In the resort, the spa has extended their range of treatments on offer.  We love the sound of the 4 hand massage for those post dive niggles.  Free wifi is being rolled out in whole resort in November (so you can boast to your friends what you have been seeing).  And the improved kitchen competes with the best 5 star restaurants, baking their own breads, pizza and other mouth watering goodies each day.

Paradise is only a phone call or click away!

Speak to the travel team to discuss your ideal holiday at the Kasai Village in 2010/11

Lovely shot from Ray Harding, one of my favourite Nemo pics ever!

Everyone paid attention the briefing, and within mere moments all were in the water and having a pleasurable swim around.  All, that is, but Jason, who had booked himself an Advanced Nitrox course and was condemned to the Skills Circuit with Chrissie as his task-mistress.  Valiantly he struggled, doing things with his mask off he no longer cares to remember, whilst all around him the rest were looking at fish and generally having a good time, then deploying their delayed SMBs in practice for any necessity that might arise in the more challenging dives that were to come.

With everyone safely out of the water we crossed to Abu Nuhas to stop all that fish nonsense and go wreck diving.

There was a bit of a swell on the reef as the zodiacs motored out to Carnatic.  Quite a lot of swell, actually.  Up and down and side to side and corkscrewing something ’orrible it was, but it was OK under the surface and the grand old dame of Abu Nuhas was her usual ravishing self.

Carnatic’s prop by Phil Mountford

Greg, twinset firmly in place, squared his mask and led the rest of Team Deco (Paul, Chris and Lewis, plus their twinsets) on an intensive exploration of her boilers and the remains of her engine.  He’s done a fair bit of research on both Carnatic and her builders, Samuda Brothers of London, and was on a bit of a mission to see the handiwork of these Victorian engineer-entrepreneurs, and he wasn’t surfacing until he was happy he’d seen everything there was to see.

Next up was Giannis D, and a good deal of wreck penetration took place.  And I mean a lot.  Lets just leave it at that.

Jo, framed by the collapsing hull of Kimon M, pic by Ray Harding

Day Two started with a long, bumpy zodiac ride to Kimon M, and the steel of her fast-collapsing hull was reportedly trembling in the surge, despite which everyone enjoyed the dive. 

Glassfish on Kimon M, by Phil Mountford

Next up came Chrisoula K.  I may have mentioned wreck-penetration in connection with Giannis D, but it was nothing to what happened when we got to Chrisoula K.  Matt was back in the land of the living and he and Deb were the first around her engine room, then Jane waved a temporary goodbye to Ray, Jo and Sam for a swim into the darkness, then the Danish team of Lisabeth, Michael and Soren, and finally Team Deco, who decided to pioneer a new route to open water, only to be foiled by the width of their twinsets.  ‘Curses!’, they cried, as they surfaced.

By the time we reached Gubal the wind had dropped away nicely, and the afternoon and night dives on the barge went very smoothly, with George and Georgina Moray both making a visit to say hello.

Octopus on the barge, by Phil Mountford

Then it was Rosalie Moller Day.

As ever, groups based on level of qualification, depth of insurance and gas of choice quickly emerged and we were good to go.  Touring the deck was Chrissie with Jackie, Dianne, Ray and Jo.  Linda and Mike and Jane and Sam took a tour of the interior with me, and everyone else did their own thing.

We had a new strategy for this week on Rosalie Moller.  In the past we’ve got up at the crack of dawn (Or earlier, usually!) and headed around to be first on the wreck.  This week we had a bit of a lie-in (Our second!) and motored around for ten o’clock.  Thing is, most groups do just one dive on her, so by the time we arrived the early birds had had their worm and were away, leaving her to us and us alone for the rest of the day.  Kudos to dive-guides extraordinaire Chris and Chrissie for this cunning plan.

At this point it seems fair to point out that Serious Divers use VR3 computers.  Unkind people like me, see these as marginally less reliable than chocolate teapots, but at least when they go wrong they can be used in place of lead on a weightbelt.  When they do work, however, they feature a games function to enliven those tedious decompression stops.  Team Deco do not need this function, being capable of entertaining themselves and everyone else in sight, with an inventive array of hand signals.  The problem was three divers with VR3s and one diver with a Suunto, which uses a different decompression algorithm.  Do you remember clockwork watches and clocks that run too slowly when they need winding up?  The Suunto in question needed winding up, so a degree of, ahem, artistic temperament was on display.

Not from this week, but this will bring back memories to anyone who has ever dived Rosalie Moller

None of which took anything away from a total absence of current and excellent visibility, not to mention the profuse schools of glassfish covering her from stem to stern.

Oh, yes, and much more important were a couple of milestones.  Jackie hasn’t been diving long, this trip more than doubled her total number of dives, and she thoroughly enjoyed her 30m dip, her deepest dive to date, and Linda, who has booked Red Sea liveaboards every year for the last four just to dive Rosalie Moller, without any success, finally got to see the wreck.  Just about all of it, from the interior of the stern and engine room to the bridge and bow, and more. 

Dropping off her bow to the seabed revealed her anchor chain stretching out into the blue.  Worth a quick look next time, I think…..

Day Four started on Ulysses and ended on Thistlegorm. 

Ulysses is a long zodiac ride that’s usually rougher than the Abu Nuhas transfers, but not today.  The sea was flat, the sky was deep, deep blue and all was calm.  Well, it was above water, but there were reports of howling currents on the wreck.  Not that it put anyone off!

And the crossing back was as smooth and calm as I’ve ever known it.

Di making her way to Thistlegorm’s fo’clse

The day boats were still on Thistlegorm when we made our first dive, so she was a bit busy.  There were lots of conversations along the lines of ‘After you with Hold Number Two’,  ‘Oh, no, after you.’  ‘No, after you, I insist!’  ‘Well thankyou, old boy.’  All conducted in sign-language, of course.  But the afternoon, night and early morning dives were completed pretty much alone on the wreck, and the vis on the morning dive in particular was spectacularly good.

Ray manning the aftermost gun, an ambition achieved!

Next came a real treat; we were able to moor directly over Kingston at Shag Rock and avoid a long, uncomfortable zodiac ride, to the relief of Team Deco and their twinsets and Matt and his rebreather.  The quality of the coral garden surrounding Kingston is excellent, and even though there was a lively current running everyone was able to explore the wreck and the surrounding area before surfacing up the line directly back to the boat.

For some odd reason Di and Jackie asked to dive with me, and we spotted a turtle, though I’d forgotten the signal for turtle and resorted to just waving and dashing off, hoping they were following behind.

Jo exploring Kingston, pic by Ray Harding

Dunraven was even more fun.  Captain Mahmoud parked Cyclone inside the lagoon at Beacon Rock.  I’ve never seen a skipper do this before, and neither had either Chris or Chrissie.  Standing on the top deck, Chris and I reckoned that with a bit of initiative it would be possible to navigate back across the fringing reef and the lagoon, but our discussion was interrupted by Phil, who decided to demonstrate jumping in from the top deck.  Before long he was joined by a daring group of fellow-leapers, including Captain Mahmoud who counted everyone down from three and led them into the water.  There was, Jane said afterwards, an awful lot of Cyclone to fall past on the way down…..

Oh, and it was possible to get back to Cyclone across the reef, even if the water was just a metre deep in places.  Kudos to Jackie, Diane, Ray and Jo.

Just to show you it isn’t all hard work!  Jo and Jane in the jacuzzi

Meanwhile, Stewart, who had ear problems from Day One, had been snorkelling to check-out the night dive site, and those who went into the water were rewarded with a Spanish Dancer and a little squid.

Final day, and it had arrived ridiculously fast, was Jackfish Alley and Karaba, after another lie-in. 

Techie Chris at Jackfish Alley – ‘Where’s the wreck?’

Jackfish starts with a cave and ends with a drift along a beautiful reef to a zodiac pick-up, and was absolutely stunning.  A nice little wreck would improve it no end, mind you, so if anyone reading this is considering, say, an insurance scam involving the sinking of a small to medium-sized vessel, why not consider including Jackfish Alley in your plans?

Sorry, fish-huggers of the world.

Karaba is a one-off, a novelty dive, and a serious reminder that not so long ago a shooting war was fought over the dive sites we now enjoy. 

Jason, now an fully qualified Advanced Nitrox Diver, took Chrissie to 40m and brought her back up safe and sound, and everyone else had fun on the pile of trucks and Universal Carriers before navigating safely back across Sharm el Moya bay to climb back on to Cyclone and wash out their kit after a great week’s diving.

At dinner on the last night, as he does every meal, Chris asked if anyone wanted anything, and Ray summed up everyone’s thoughts in two words: ‘Another week’.

All in all, a great week.  Windy at first, it soon settled down, then the vis and the sea conditions were superb.

See you in the Red Sea sometime soon,

www.divewithmike.co.uk