|
18 February to 3 March 2008
The Cocos Islands, Costa Rica
An incredible electrifying, once-in-a-lifetime experience! The trip to the Cocos islands was a huge success, with groups of large paleagics a common site - sometimes numbering in the hundreds!
The group were diving off the Okeanos Aggressor and dived with shoals of Hammerheads, manta rays, dolphins, and reef sharks.
See the Latest News page for trip reports.
14 to 21 May 2008
Shams Alam, The Red Sea
A return trip to this fantastic Red Sea resort. Shams Alam is one and a half hours drive south of Marsa Alam and is a perfect 'get away from it all' destination for divers. Based in Wadi Gimal National Park there is access to more than thirty dive sites by day boat or rib, and last year we hardly saw another boat all week!
The diving is suitable for all levels of qualification, from Dolphin Reef, which is situated at the southeast tip of the well known Fury Shoal reef system and offers several sheltered turquoise lagoons that are frequented by dolphins, to Sha'ab Sharm, a large, kidney-shaped reef lying atop a vast undersea mountain. This site is well known for its dramatic, sheer walls swept by strong currents. An exhilarating drift dive on which you will be almost certainly accompanied by large schools of jacks and barracuda. This is also the patrolling ground of grey reef sharks, hammerheads and tuna.
We are diving with Wadi Gimal dive centre, a very friendly professional centre who looked after us very well last year, and staying at Shams Alam Resort hotel. This is a well maintained hotel situated on its own private beach with beautiful snorkelling from the beach and a great house reef for night dives or early morning dives. Half board is recommended due to the remote location and consists of buffet-style evening accommodation. See the Regal website for further information
Price: £559 (plus £63 half board supplement). Diving on top.
|
12 to 15 June 2008
Porthkerris, Cornwall
We are going to Cornwall to dive with Porthkerris diving, a well established and respected dive centre. The diving here offers great visibility and a wide range of wildlife - including the chance to see basking sharks!
Porthkerris operate a catamaran and two ribs and dive the wrecks and reefs along the coastline from Falmouth bay down to The Lizard.
The number of basking sharks visiting the area generally increases from April through to August, and are often found on sites such as The Manacles.
We are travelling to Cornwall on the Thursday and then diving on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (2 days on the catamaran and 1 day on the rib / shore diving)
Price £240 (includes accommodation and boats, air fills on top)
We are staying at The Top House hotel in Lizard village, Helston, TR12 7NQ.
|
|
17 to 20 July 2008
The Farne Islands, Northumbria
Following the success of the last 2 years trips up to The Farnes we are running another long weekend with experienced local dive charter company Lee Hall diving services. Expect to see lobsters, crabs, urchins, starfish and corals as well as those playful seals! See the recent photos page for pictures from the last trip.
Price: to be confirmed
Upgraded accommodation is available and transport is on top
See Lee Halls website for details of the boat and dive sites. www.farnedivingservices.co.uk |
13 to 20 September 2008
Sharm el Sheik, The Red Sea, Egypt
Sharm el Sheik still offers great Red Sea diving, and can access amazing dive sites like Tiran, Jackson and Woodhouse Reefs and of course the wreck of the Thistlegorm.
We are staying at the Rosetta hotel in Naama Bay and diving with Emperor Divers.
This hotel is very popular with Regaldive guests and is situated next door to Emperor Divers centre. The shops and restaurants of Naama Bay are only a few minutes' walk away and the beach area is just a short distance from the hotel. The Rosetta hotel represents good value with comfortable standard rooms. The hotel has been recently renovated and offers a good range of facilities.
Price:
1 week hotel-based: £469 (Bed & Breakfast). Diving costs on top.
|
7 to 21 November 2008
Atlantis Dive Resorts, The Philippines
A two week tailor-made trip to two separate dive resorts in the Philippines: Puerto Galera and Dumaguete. See their amazing website http://www.atlantishotel.com/
PADI 5* Dive centres based on marine reserves boasting pristine coral reefs. Particularly famous for critters and great for macro photography they also offer spectacular drop offs at Balicasac and Siquijor islands. Further details on the dive sites and the wildlife is on the website.
Dumaguete is set in the tropics, surrounded by magical lagoons, and tropical gardens, and offers a harmonious blend of tradition, culture and luxury. Unwind with stunning sunsets and relaxing massages after a day of unbelievable diving topped off with the famous Filipino hospitality and charm.
Puerto Galera is built by divers for divers and is one of the most popular resorts in Asia. Divers return time and time again to explore the thirty plus dive sites just minutes away from the resort. It is often quoted as one of the most outstanding resorts in the Philippines.
All hotels, diving and internal transfers are included in the price, but the flight to Manila is on top. We are leaving on Friday 7 November and arrive in Manila on Saturday 8th. We then transfer by coach and boat to Puerto Galera resort where we have 6 days Full Board accommodation with 5 days unlimited boat diving. The dive boats run in and out of the resort all day, with most dive sites being only 20 minutes ride away, and you can easily fit in 4 dives a day. Included in the 5 day dive package is a full day trip to one of the marine reserves further afield. The last day is a non-dive day prior to the transfer back to Manilla and the flight to Dumaguette resort.
Once in Dumaguette we then have another 6 days Full Board accommodation and 5 days unlimited boat diving, including a day trip to one of the further afield marine reserves. Again, most dive sites are within easy reach meaning you can do 4 dives a day. There is then a non-dive day prior to the transfer back to Manila and home.
Price: £1,500 (discounted from brochure price for this trip of £1,543). Return flight to Manila on top (approx £600) Please call Chris for further details on 01603 629444.
January 2009
Liveaboard and resort, the Seychelles
The Seychelles are a beautiful collection of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean that offer some amazing diving and the chance to join the whale shark tagging project.
Situated just 4 degrees south of the equator and a thousand miles off the East coast of Africa, the Seychelles are scattered across over 500,000 square miles of ocean.
The inner island plateau is characterised by impressive granite formations, encrusting soft and hard corals, schools of fish and an assortment of wreck dives. The outer islands are an amazing mix of caves, tunnels, untouched reefs and fearless fish, rays and sharks. The faar flung island of Aldabra has been designated as World Heritage Site and is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises as well as a host of rare animal species. Diving on Aldabra's terraced walls is dramatic and you can expect to see dozens of Green Turtles on their habitual pilgrimages to the beach to nest. But the diving highlight of this atoll is the stunning drift diving through the channels into Aldabra's vast lagoon: join shoals of snappers, surgeon-fish and stingrays as they drift effortlessly into the lagoon at speeds of up to six knots! Most of the area is completely uninhabited so the lands and the seas are pristine and virgin. Aldabra is a unique place, only visited by approximately 200 divers a year.
The trip will involve land-based stays on the islands of Mahe, La Digue, Desroches and Alphonse before the liveaboard trip to Aldabra.
Price is approximately £3,000 for an 18 day trip. Includes flights, accommodation and diving.
28 March to 17 April 2009
Truk Lagoon and Bikini Atoll
A trip to visit the wreck meccas of Truk and Bikini is being tailor-made and booked for Christal Seas Scuba by Divequest holiday company.
Seven degrees north of the equator lies the famous Truk (or Chuuk) Lagoon. Truk has long been acknowledged as ‘the world's ultimate wreck site' for, amazing as it seems, almost 70 charted wrecks lie inside the lagoon! The calm waters hold the remains of the Japanese fleet that was targeted by Operation Hailstone in February 1944 during World War II. The resulting battles led to the numerous wrecks now found within the lagoon. Some 275 Japanese planes were downed and over 60 ships were sunk! These amazing wrecks, which have been protected from plunder and still contain the remains of those who died in them, are now enrobed in coral.
Bikini Atoll, just about as isolated a place as it is possible to be, is one of 29 atolls and five islands that comprise the Marshall Islands, which are scattered over 357,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator. Seriously remote, and with some seriously incredible wrecks, this holy grail for wreck divers is well worth the effort. There is simply nothing to match it, anywhere in the world.
By 1946 the Americans had amassed an incredible assortment of vessels in Bikini Atoll: submarines, landing craft, a WWI Dreadnought Battleship, a German battle-cruiser, the battleship Nagato (Japanese Admiral Yamamoto's flagship) and the immense USS Saratoga (an aircraft carrier with the capacity to carry 90 aircraft). Eighty four vessels were gathered to form this impressive but doomed fleet. They lie waiting in the deep for the intrepid wreck diver.
Further details are available on the Divequest website, who this trip is being booked through. However this is a tailor-made package for Christal Seas Scuba, so please see this link for a draft itinery.
Price approximately £4,500
|
