| NEW 2004-2005 Regaldive brochure out now!
Exciting
new destinations featured for the first time include
Djibouti, Pemba and the For those looking for something close to home, Regaldive has expanded its Red Sea operations and made it easier for you to get there! Direct flights are now available from Gatwick and Manchester to Sharm and Hurghada whilst a direct flight to Marsa Alam makes it easier than ever before to reach the spectacular reefs of the Southern Red Sea. Also in the Red Sea and of particular interest to learner divers or those wanting to continue their training, are the fantastic Buy One Get One Half Price Dive Pack offers on selected dates. Learn to dive with Regaldive and save money! Regaldive’s new programme has some great offers for groups so club together and take advantage of the best deals on hotels, diving and liveaboards. There are FREE places available (and a free DNA T-shirt for leaders!)…So start planning that group adventure now. Djibouti promises to be one of the most popular of the worldwide options available. Located at the mouth of the Red Sea, Djibouti offers unparalleled opportunities to dive or snorkel with whale sharks particularly during the Autumn. During these months, Regaldive is offering five exclusive whale shark charters aboard the 26M MY Deli. Limited places are available for these dates in 2005 so don’t delay. Booking by the end of this year not only helps to guarantee your place but also saves you money with an early booking discount. Another highlight of the 2004-2005 worldwide dive programme is the re-introduction of the unique destination of Manado in North Sulawesi. To help you take advantage of some of the most bio diverse diving in the world, Regaldive are offering two resorts in Manado. Tasik Ria gives direct access to the award-winning Bunaken national park, whilst Kungkungan Bay occupies an enviable position overlooking the Lembeh Straits. Manado will satisfy even the most adventurous diver and is an underwater photographers’ dream. Finally, there is more choice than ever before if you’re thinking of travelling to the Maldives. With three new liveaboards exclusive to Regaldive and five idyllic new islands available, you can now dive the length and breadth of the Maldives with Regaldive.
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| New dive operation, Pirate divers, Honduras Pirate Divers, British owned & managed, have recently opened as Roatans newest full service SSI & PADI dive operator located at Foster’s Roatan Resort on the beautiful West Bay beach. Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands, around 30 miles off the coast of Honduras, and is blessed with year round tropical diving along miles of unspoiled reef. Walls, shallow reefs, drift, wreck and even shark dives will entertain divers from all levels of experience. Their high-speed twin-engine boats will only take a maximum of 6 guests per trip ensuring the best in comfort, safety and service. Pirate Divers offer up to 3 dives a day and regular 2 tank dives to some of Roatans more remote dive sites. Night dives & wreck dives are also available and the center is fully equipped with new Scubapro rental gear. As an SSI Platinum Instructor Training Facility & PADI Resort a full range of dive courses are available including entry-level, referrals, continuing education, Instructor courses and Internships. With the latest in audio-visual training aids and materials quality diver education is guaranteed. Further information can be found by visiting www.piratedivers.com and www.fostersroatan.com.
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Pirate divers images |
| Diving passport, ESPN's scuba show can now be watched anytime anywhere ESPN's scuba show reaches 127 countries and 115 million potential viewers in four of the five continents. Now they are going one step beyond. Diving Passport has open up to a new dimension. Making use of the latest technological advances, the show can now be seen on the Internet. This means that no matter where you are or what time it is, watching the newest edition of Diving Passport is always possible. The show is presented through a link on their exclusive web page www.divingpassport.com, where you can also find other useful information about them along with TV schedules and comprehensive data about top diving destinations. On the web page, the show is available in both English and Spanish with the same four segment format presented on TV, but here you have the advantage of being able to select which one of them you want to watch. Downloading takes only 15 seconds and the quality of the images is highly remarkable making it an enjoyable experience. This way, Diving Passport has become the first scuba diving show that can be watched both on ESPN and on the Internet, increasing by millions the number of potential viewers in the whole world. |
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Scotland
at the top of the basking shark survey
Scotland is this year's top spot for basking sharks,
according to the results of a UK-wide survey. Marine conservationist Colin Speedie said the cause of the rise might be currents pushing plankton north. The figures were compiled by The Wildlife Trust's Basking Shark Project for 2004. Mr Speedie said: "What is also interesting this year is that the areas which seem really rich in marine life are those within the proposed area for Scotland's first marine national park. "We have also seen quite a few repeat sightings suggesting the sharks are returning to original sites because of the abundance of food." A marine park would allow better planning of activities like fisheries, aquaculture and marine tourism, avoiding damaging competition between user groups for space and resources Dr Rebecca Boyd, of the programme, said the two organisations supported the establishment of a marine national park. "We believe this is an excellent way of giving coastal communities lasting economic support while allowing our unique wildlife to flourish," she added. "A marine park would allow better planning of activities like fisheries, aquaculture and marine tourism, avoiding damaging competition between user groups for space and resources." Scotland has two terrestrial national parks but no marine ones. Recent studies by Cefas (the UK's Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) using satellite tags have shown the sharks tend to move out to deeper water outside the summer months, when they are most likely to be seen close inshore. The sharks are protected within UK territorial waters, though some of the legislation does not cover Scottish and Northern Irish waters.
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PADI
to Debut Revised Rescue Diver Course at DEMA Show PADI announces revisions to the Rescue Diver course will debut at DEMA Show 2004. The primary update to the Rescue Diver course integrates the Emergency First Response program and new course organization. This integration expands diver knowledge, specially applies first aid to diving and provides instructors with a flexible implementation strategy. This new course design allows the instructor and student to accommodate learning styles, personal preferences and logistics while maintaining validity. The Rescue Diver course includes more emphasis on rescue training sessions, specifically targeting the characteristics of scuba divers in distress. New to the curriculum is training students in the proper handling and providing of oxygen to an injured diver. Changes in emergency protocol prompted a revision of the previous course and PADI recognized the need to be up to date with available equipment and incorporate current emergency practices. The revised PADI Rescue Diver course materials follow the same performance based instructional system methodologies that PADI Instructors use and apply in the PADI Open Water Diver course. The PADI course materials will be available in October.
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| Relief
Fund Established for SSI Dealers in Florida Affected by
Hurricanes SSI works together with the industry to lend a helping hand to dive stores hit hard by recent hurricanes in Flordia. SSI Dealers in Florida have been hit hard by multiple hurricanes in a short time span. Scuba Schools International has established the "Hurricane Charley and Frances Relief Fund" on their behalf so the SSI family can offer their support. "We got the idea while watching (hurricane) Frances devastate Florida," said Gary Clark. "We knew some of the SSI Dealers down there were having a rough time. We wanted to let them know that the rest of the SSI family was thinking about them and that they weren?t in this alone." To contribute to the fund, please make checks to "Hurricane Charley and Frances Relief Fund." We recommend a donation of $100, but anything you can contribute will be greatly appreciated. You can mail checks to Scuba Schools International, 2619 Canton Court, Fort Collins, CO 80525; or First National Bank, PO Box 578, Fort Collins, CO 80522. The deadline for donations is September 30, 2004. In early October the funds will be distributed equally to SSI Dealers affected by hurricane Charley and Frances (and perhaps hurricane Ivan). According to Kirk Mortensen, SSI's southeastern Business Consultant, some SSI Dealers in Florida have been seriously impacted. They sincerely appreciate the support and assistance of the SSI family during these difficult times. For more information, go to the following website: www.divessi.com |
Hurricane
Ivan Brushes Bonaire; Minimal Damage Reported
Bonaire officials report minimal damage from latest hurricane. Hurricane Ivan passes North of the island. Waters Declared Safe for Diving at 1400 EDT Thursday Kralendijk, Bonaire N.A. (September 9, 2004) -Bonaire's residents and visitors alike woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise. Overnight fast-moving Hurricane Ivan passed north of Bonaire, brushing the island and causing moderate rainfall, rough waves and strong winds. Although the southern coastline of Bonaire took the brunt of the storm due to 14 hours of southwesterly winds, with additional swells forecast to continue into this afternoon, only limited damage is being reported. All of the residents and tourists that remained on island are safe, with minimal damage being reported by hotels and dive shops. Hotels with very few exceptions are expecting to resume full dive operations . Electricity, telephones and water are all operational and no damage was reported on the landing surface and apron at Bonaire's Flamingo Airport. As of 8:00 a.m. AST on Thursday Bonaire remained under a hurricane warning and was still experiencing some high waves. Jack Chalk, president of STINAPA, the organization that oversees the Bonaire National Marine Park, stated that "within 24-48 hours of having divers in the water, we expect to have an assessment of the conditions of the reef. As the sea conditions were not as severe as initially predicted, we are expecting that there was minimal impact on the reef." While Bonaire was mostly unscathed other islands were not as fortunate.
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DIVE show 2004 30/31 OCTOBER, NEC, Birmingham This year’s ‘divefest’ at the NEC will house over 300 suppliers of the very latest diving equipment, dive and leisure wear, training organisations, holiday resorts, destinations plus much more. Packed full of ideas and inspiration, the show will give seasoned and wannabe divers the chance to see what’s hot, what’s on the cards for next year and where to go for the best dive thrills. The popular Try Dive pool will again provide the opportunity for visitors to get hands-on experience, and for divers who can’t get enough of the underwater world there will be one of the largest, stand-alone aquariums in the UK full of fish and marine life. More intrepid visitors will be able to hear first-hand about diving wrecks such as the Scilla and the Britannic, and for those who want to learn how to bring back images of what they see underwater, there will be photographic and film presentations on the free seminar programme. Tickets to the show cost £7.00 each if booked in advance (£9.50 on the door) and £2.00 for children under 12. Visit www.diveshows.co.uk to buy tickets online or call the advance booking line 020 8977 9878.
Great prices from the companies present
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Big crowds expected again
Why not try a dive at the show?
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