RED SEA – DIVE PACK SAVINGS with emperor divers

5 DAY DIVE PACK OFFER:

• Marsa Alam Buy 5 days’ boat diving (10 dives) for just £164 
• El Gouna Buy 5 days’ boat diving (10 dives) for just £164

Boat diving includes 2 dives per day with guide, tanks, weights, weight belt, transfers to/from your hotel, all port fees and surcharges. 

Valid for diving taken from:

• 1 March 2017 to 31 August 2017 and 
• 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017

These offers are only available for new bookings made from 1-24 February 2017.

BOOK TODAY to benefit from these great savings. 

Call the Regaldive team on 01353 659999 to book your next diving adventure.

Situated 22km south of Safaga, Coral Sun Beach Resort is a spacious hotel with plenty of amenities located on the southern end of a long sandy beach by the beautiful Gassous Bay. The resort provides a relaxing stay with superb views over the bay and to the western mountains. Gassous Bay offers a fabulous house reef; ideal for both divers and snorkelers.

Coral Sun Beach has 110 well-designed, comfortable and spacious rooms, spread over three floors. All rooms offer air conditioning, a mini-bar, satellite TV, hairdryer and safe. Room options include Garden View, Sea & Pool View and Sea View.

Safaga offers some exceptional diving and is still relatively undiscovered.  Tucked in just south of Hurghada, most diving is conducted by boat to reach the spectacular offshore reefs and wall dives of sites like Panorama Reef, Middle Reef and Abu Kafan.

Despite the area’s reputation for exciting wall diving, Safaga is also a good choice for novice divers. Several reefs are situated just 30 minutes boat ride away and offer several sheltered spots ideal for beginners.

As divers head further away from the coast, Safaga offers more challenging and breath-taking sites where the diving is concentrated primarily on three areas: Panorama Reef, Middle Reef and Abu Kafan, or ‘the deep one’.  Abu Kafan is probably the most spectacular dive site in Safaga with stunning, sheer walls plummeting towards the seafloor hundreds of metres below.

Wreck enthusiasts are often drawn to Safaga to visit the Salem Express, an Egyptian passenger ferry that sank on its return journey from Mecca in 1991. This is a stunning site, but a dive that is generally considered one for reflection, rather than pleasure.

To find out more, please call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or send us an email.

New Hotel: Palm Garden Resort Phuket

The Palm Garden Resort Phuket is located in the south-eastern area around Chalong in a peaceful tropical garden. The Resort is just 5 minutes' walk from Sea Bees Dive Centre and a short walk from the new pier, the bay and many shops. The Thai style bungalows of the Palm Garden Resort are ideal for a relaxing stay. 

Nearby Chalong is home to the primary yacht marina and is the starting point for most diving and boat tours in Phuket. South of Phuket there are a number of excellent dive sites scattered over an area that incorporates the islands of Koh Phi Phi, Racha Yai and Racha Noi. These dive sites are accessible by day boat from Phuket. 

Two New Liveaboards out of Phuket

The Similan Islands are located 100km Northwest of Phuket and are best dived by joining a liveaboard out of Phuket. With snow-white beaches set against picturesque granite outcrops above the water and spectacular dive sites in often crystal clear water below, it is not surprising that the Similan Islands are ranked as one of the finest dive destinations in the world. 

The 26 metre steel, mono-hulled MY Genesis 1 liveaboard comfortably accommodates up to 12 divers in 5 twin bed cabins and 2 single cabins. MY Genesis 1 offers 2 night and 5 night itineraries to take in the best diving of the Similan Islands and the north. Divers can make the most of these nine islands and the unique, worldwide recognised dive sites that surround them. Free Nitrox is available on board.

The 23 metre MV Marco Polo liveaboard comfortably accommodates up to 14 divers in twin cabins. The MV Marco Polo offers a 6 night itinerary to some of the best dive spots the Andaman Sea has to offer. The MV Marco Polo regularly tours wildlife-rich dive sites around the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, the spectacular coral gardens of Koh Tachai and the renowned Richelieu Rock.

To find out more, please call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or send us an email.

John shares his Socorro Islands trip report with us here:

There are times when all of us will realise that we have witnessed something very special indeed. One of those times for me was my recent trip to The Revillagigedo Islands, 250 miles into the Pacific off the west coast of Mexico. The name might not mean too much to you, don't worry I don't know how to pronounce it either, so they are more often referred to by the name of one of the four islands, Socorro. 

Now, like a lot of locations where we divers want to get away from the rest of the non-diving world, they do take a bit of getting to. It started with a flight from the UK to the tip of the Baja peninsula, via Mexico City, which was overnight, so no worse than getting to other worthwhile places, like Indonesia. After an overnight in a harbourside hotel, I joined the Nautilus Under Sea, my home for the next eight nights. It proved to be a very comfortable boat with a friendly and knowledgeable crew. I was very happy as it had great food too!

The journey to the islands takes about 24 hours, so all of the first night and all of the following day, so there was plenty of time to get to know my 13 companions for the week. But that's what makes it so attractive. These are uninhabited islands (apart from a small Mexican Navy outpost), with no hotels and no airport, so only divers can go there! 

The first dive was at The Canyon, at our first island, San Benedicto. We all knew straight away that it was going to be a great week for sharks, as we saw four different species on that first dive, Silkies, Whitetips, a couple of Silvertips and a lone Hammerhead patrolling the reef edge. Not bad for a check dive!

We were all pretty pleased that the crossing had been nice and calm. This meant that we also could make another, shorter, transit to an even more remote location, Roca Partida. Just a lump of rock sticking out of the ocean, 300 miles from the mainland. Not much to look at above the water, with no vegetation and white with bird deposits, but its beauty lies beneath. The rock continues almost vertically downwards for about 80 metres, it's like diving an underwater church spire. After we descended to about 25 metres we got our first glimpse of two huge Manta Rays heading our way, they came in nice and close and demanded our attention for at least 20 minutes of our dive. Luckily for us, we were the only boat at Roca that day, so did three further dives. In all, four dives on the same site in one day, but every one was different. The second we came very close to Whitetips on the ledges, resting in packs of eight or 10. Then, what I'd been waiting for, my first look at a Galapagos Shark, well three actually, circling with a huge school of Jacks. That's the 28th species of shark I've seen, so I'm really pleased another one has been added to my list.

After an overnight return to the main islands, we awoke to find ourselves moored at Socorro itself. It's a lot greener than the previous two islands, as its volcanic activity was a lot further in the past. After a few formalities from the reasonably friendly Mexican Navy it was off for our dives. It seems incredible to think that today's dives were the my least favourite of the trip, even though by normal standards we saw loads of great stuff, Hammerheads, Whitetips, Silkies, Octopus, Lobsters, a Stingray and a Manta. But this day was sandwiched between three truly amazing days.

For the following day we moved to the other side of Socorro to a site called Cabo Pearce for four more dives. On the first and second we encountered our first Black Mantas, not as big as they come, but they still looked great gently gliding around us. Also a lone Tiger Shark passed by a couple of times, not the biggest I've seen, but still a lovely sight to see and the talk of the dive deck when we got back on the boat. What can I say about the third dive that day, to give you a clue my dive log starts with "Best Dive Ever!!". That's from nearly 500 dives and 15 years of diving. We had two big Mantas interacting with us for 20 mins, a huge Galapagos shark cruising around, lots more Silkies and even a playful Dolphin. 

Our last day’s diving was spent back at San Benedicto and at an iconic site, The Boiler. We had four dives there and all were different. We were informed by the dive guides (who were very good by the way) that the Mantas more consistently turn up at the first dive on this site and sure enough they did. I am tempted to write in my dive log "No, this was the best dive ever!!", but cannot decide between the two. First two large Mantas arrived and at one point there were four. They moved back and forward between the two groups of divers that were 30 metres apart and spent the whole dive ducking and diving around us. As I'm sure you have heard about the Mantas at Socorro, they seem to love playing in the exhaled bubbles of the divers, just hanging above you, letting the bubbles run over their bellies and wing tips. Often close enough to touch (but we obviously didn't) and eye to eye, you can't help wondering what they were thinking. 

I suppose I should mention that the last three dives of the trip were pretty spectacular too, with another Manta, two Dolphins, three Hammerheads and a big Tiger Shark on the 2nd and a school of 40+ Hammerheads on the 3rd dive. I'm very pleased to say that I had a great bunch of fellow divers from around the world to share this with and we had a lot to talk about and plenty of impressive pictures and video to go through on the trip back to Baja.

Needless to say I've hardly stopped thinking and talking about this trip since I got back and among my ramblings to other divers. I will finish by saying "Whatever you do, you have GOT to go to Socorro". 

Regaldive offer a variety of liveaboard trips to the Socorro Islands with the Nautilus Fleet, including trips aboard Nautilus Explorer, Nautilus Belle Amie & Nautilus Under Sea.

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999, or visit:  Diving the Socorro Islands

South Africa

If you want some great shark action, what could be better than the shark hotspots of South Africa and Mozambique? Although there's always plenty to see including Hammerheads, Tigers, Blacktips and Bulls, May is the time that the Ragged Tooth Sharks take up residence on Aliwal Shoals. A shark to impress your non-diving friends, as with their mouth full of big teeth, they look far scarier than they actually are. ‘Raggies’ usually stay until at least the end of November, so now's the time to plan your visit.

Maldives

The Maldives is a popular location for seeing a few varieties of shark, most commonly Whitetips and Grey Reef Sharks. Although the Whitetips are usually very calm and lethargic during the day, they certainly get a bit more active at night. Often seen darting around the reef, trying to beat each other to the next unsuspecting fish to snack on. 

Our guests returning from Maldives Liveaboards are giving enthusiastic reports from of a very interesting night dive they took part in. Many of them have greatly enjoyed doing a night dive with Nurse Sharks. Although one of the most docile of sharks, it turns into a very exhilarating experience when you get 40 to 50 Nurse Sharks swarming all around you! Just hang onto your gear and prepare for the odd nudge.   

The Bahamas

The Bahamas are justifiably famous for their shark diving. Some sharks can be seen very close and personal, mainly Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Lemon Sharks, but others such as Bull Sharks, Hammerheads and even Oceanic Whitetips can all be found, with the waters of Nassua and the Exuma Cays being the most easily accessible areas. 

A famous location that is worth a visit in June, July & August is Tiger beach. So called because of the numbers of Tiger sharks that turn up in the warm shallow waters at that time. Known for coming in nice and close, some of the sharks such as Emma are famous the world over. With years of experience the operators that visit the area will provide you with an experience that you will have difficulty finding anywhere else.    

Galapagos

The seas surrounding the Galapagos support a large concentration of the marine life that make these islands a superb dive destination. Certainly no dive itinerary to the Galapagos is complete without a visit to the remote outposts of Wolf & Darwin to the north. Schools of hammerheads, as well as dolphins and rays make these islands a highlight for divers visiting the Galapagos. The whale shark aggregation occurs in the warmer water surrounding these islands. Many other shark species also make regular appearances, including species that you are unlikely to see elsewhere, including the Galapagos Shark. Although Hammerheads are seen year round, the biggest aggregations are usually in the Autumn. 

Red Sea

The Red Sea has always been good for sharks, but the last couple of years have been exceptional, especially the 'Simply the Best' itinerary. Maybe it's because there are less divers about. We are hearing feedback such as "saw hammerheads on every dive at Daedalus" and "great to get so close to so many Oceanic Whitetips" from those on our Red Sea Liveaboard trips. The best times for these encounters now seems to be starting a bit earlier too, around June, and running right through to November. 

To find out more, call our friendly team on 01353 659999.

Here we highlight some of our most popular destinations for a good dose of winter sun: 

Red Sea DIVING Adventures

The Red Sea offers a truly unforgettable experience above and below water. Thousands of visitors a year are seduced by this area’s unique combination of spectacular marine life, welcoming climate and stunning scenery.

An infinite variety of marine life attracts divers from across the world to the warm waters of the Red Sea. For UK divers, this world-renowned dive destination is only a five hour flight away. Outstanding water clarity and permanent sunshine affords the chance to discover this magical underwater world all year round.

The sheer volume of colourful marine life and corals is what defines the Red Sea. Divers and snorkellers can experience an impressive spectrum of invertebrates, ranging from over 200 different types of hard and soft corals, to crustaceans, sponges and hundreds of spectacular fish species.

This incredible variety of marine life is coupled with an amazing underwater topography of dramatic walls, drop-offs, wrecks and deep blue canyons.

Find out more about Red Sea diving adventures here 

Caribbean dive trips

More and more divers are choosing to travel to the Caribbean. It's well known as a winter sun destination, but it also offers great all-round conditions above and below the water.

The islands of the Southern Caribbean offer a superb combination of great diving, above water activities and the famous Caribbean atmosphere that ensures a great all round holiday.

With world-class diving, protected coral reefs and year round diving options, the Caribbean is a diver’s paradise. From shallow reef dives, to spectacular wall dives and wrecks, along with superb marine life, including reef sharks, manta rays and sea turtles, the Caribbean has something for everyone.

Find out more about Caribbean dive trips here

Maldives diving escapes

The image of the Maldives fixed in most visitors' memories is an aerial view of an open ocean interspersed by tiny islands surrounded by beautifully patterned lagoons, beaches and reefs.

The amount of land that lies above sea level in the Maldives represents only a tiny fraction of the country’s overall land mass, most of which lies below sea level. The islands of the Maldives are the visible coral tips of an oceanic volcanic mountain range whose outer edge at some points plunge to depths of over 3000m. Deep channels separate 26 atolls that run from Haa Alifu in the North over 800 nautical km to Addu atoll in the South.

The relative isolation of the Maldives, far from any landmass, has led to a fabulous variety of marine species. Seasonal oceanic currents flowing through the country have forged channels from the open ocean into all the atolls. These channels, or Kandu in Dhivehi, concentrate plankton rich waters into and out of the atolls, which in turn support an incredibly rich marine ecosystem. Once inside the atoll, reefs, sandbars, islands and lagoons have evolved over millennia forming the habitat and nurseries for many of the reefs inhabitants.

Find out more about Maldives escapes here

LANZAROTE DIVE BREAKS

Just four hours flight away from the UK, Lanzarote is an ideal destination for UK divers. Lanzarote combines year-round warm temperatures and stunning diving with the convenience of regular flights from most regional UK airports.

Divers are well catered for in Lanzarote with its collection of reefs, caves and wrecks. The rocks are covered in anemones, sponges and soft corals and are home to a variety of marine life, including grouper, tuna, barracuda, monkfish, moray, octopus, rays and seahorses. At certain times of the year it is also possible to see dolphins and whales.

Find out more about Lanzarote dive breaks here

Sunshine, Here We Come!

Whatever destination you choose, you can enjoy warm conditions, terrific diving and flight times that won’t test your powers of endurance.  Sunshine, here we come!

For help with planning your next diving adventure, call the friendly Regaldive team on 01353 659 999 or send us an email

Nestled in Kasawari Bay, Dive into Lembeh Resort has been likened to a comfortable 'land-based liveaboard'. British owned and managed, this lovely small hotel is located on the mainland of the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.  A true macro photographer’s paradise, the resort is just off the north east coast of Sulawesi and is famous for its 'muck diving' on black volcanic sand.  Muck diving is all about spotting weird and wonderful underwater critters, species that you would normally not find during a regular dive.

Diving in the Lembeh Strait means diving with amazing species such as frog fish, hairy frog fish, mimic octopus, blue ringed octopus, banded sea snake, mandarin fish, orangutan crabs, mantis shrimps and many other critters that are hiding on the black volcanic sand, amongst patches of rubble and coral.

Each of the nine sea view private bungalows is equipped with TV, air conditioning, ceiling fan, mini bar and safe. Every bungalow has its own Japanese 'Onsen' (hot tub) on the veranda to warm up in at the end of the day. There are also two Panorama View Bungalows available at supplement.

The Resort has an open air restaurant and bar, sea view fire pit area with comfortable chairs to relax in, a swimming pool and a fully equipped dive centre with a spacious camera room. There is also a lovely resort spa complete with sea views.

The Resort is located at the northern end of the strait out of sight of Bitung Harbor in the south, offering unspoiled views of Lembeh Island. Two of the most famous dive sites in Lembeh (called “hairball" and "aw shucks”) are nearby forming Dive into Lembeh Resort's house reef, with a choice of the black sand of “hairball", or a nice coral reef, suitable for snorkellers. The boat diving is done from newly built speedboats and the furthest dive site is only 12 minutes away. 

We are pleased to offer Twin Centre trips combining Dive into Lembeh Resort and Tasik Ria Resort, Manado. Packages including flights, accommodation, transfers and boat dives are available. Please ask a member of our team for further details.

Trip Report: Roots RED SEA and Coral Garden RESORT

Just one hour and 20 minutes from Hurghada airport lies Roots Red Sea, a small, friendly and relaxed “eco-resort” just north of El Quesir run by two dedicated Brits: Clare and Steve Rattle.

The first thing that strikes me as I arrive is how friendly the greeting is: a refreshing glass of fruit juice and the polite request to put all bags down, as someone will take them straight to our room. Following the usual check-in paperwork, we are directed to our room on the hillside of this cosy resort. A quick shower and then it's time to visit the bar to meet our hosts and fellow guests.

Steve and Clare gave us a warm welcome and shared a few beers with us as we relaxed into the laid-back Roots way of life, whilst eating the Roots’ Friday special: Fish and Chips! 

In fact the food - as with everything else at Roots - has a wonderful Britishness about it: on Sunday we enjoyed a traditional roast meal with a delicious apple crumble for dessert. Bliss!

The following morning after breakfast we visited the onsite dive centre to complete the necessary paperwork and then headed off to the house reef dive complex on the shore. A short walk across the sand and over a quiet road lies the other part of the Roots setup: a furnished kitting up area, complete with showers, benches and a collection of tanks. There are two buildings on this site; the other being the small restaurant where lunch is served.

Our first dive on the house reef was guided, to enable us to get our bearings. Plenty to see, including several large morays and the largest barracuda I have ever seen. 

The freedom to dive as and when we chose was one of the attractions of visiting Roots. Dawn dives and night dives are also available, but you need to request a night dive one day in advance, so the centre can apply for the necessary approval from the local authorities. On our second day we took a jeep trip to some sites up the coast, one of which was a stunning underwater cave system that I would recommend any diver should visit.

Another highlight was our trip to Elphinstone, which is available for a small supplement. A very early start (4:30am alarm!!!!) and an hour’s drive south to join the RIB awaiting our arrival followed. The three of us boarded and in 20 minutes we arrived at one of the signature dives in the Red Sea, hoping to see some sharks for which this site is famous.

A colourful, but shark-free, first dive along the reef followed. During our surface interval moored up to a liveaboard, we noticed an Oceanic White Tip swimming around the back of the liveaboard and directly under our RIB. “This bodes well” we thought…

The three of us dropped back in the water and hung around the back of the liveaboard at 10m, as three white tips took turns to cruise past us. For 50 minutes! And just the three of us were in the water. Simply stunning! This was one of my most memorable dives in many years of visiting the Red Sea.

Following a final dive at a local site in El Quesir, it was time to say goodbye to our friends at Roots and hello to Coral Garden Resort in Safaga.

North of Roots and only one hour from Hurghada, Coral Garden Resort is a small hotel and dive centre (run by Orca) right on the shore of their house reef: Gassous Bay. This is one of the best house reefs that I have ever dived and I would recommend that any diver spends some time at Coral Garden just to visit Gassous Bay. 

The team at Orca are rightly proud of their house reef and it shows. There are various areas worth exploring, including several purpose built metal frames that are already displaying some impressive coral growth and marine life and a seagrass area with two resident turtles.

As with Roots, you can dive the house reef whenever you feel like it, with dawn dives and night dives also available for the keen diver. In fact the well-run dive centre is set up for this: divers just kit up, collect a full tank from the appropriate area and wander into the sea. On return, simply drop your tank off at the empty area, collect a full tank and set your kit up ready for your next dive.

Coral Garden is a well-designed resort with the dive centre, bar, upper floor restaurant and spa all conveniently located in a central area. Breakfast and evening meals (buffet style) are taken in the upstairs restaurant (complete with cheeky sparrows on the scrounge), with a lunchtime menu available at the beach bar offering pizza, burgers, wraps and toasted sarnies.

Another highlight for us was the big fluffy black and white cat that followed us around and often visited our room in the evening for cuddles and some milk that we saved from breakfast. She probably realised early on that she had encountered a pair of suckers!

Roots Red Sea and Coral Garden lend themselves perfectly for a twin centre holiday which would suit buddy pairs and larger groups. In fact, Roots is already set up for school and university groups, as they host the Marine Biology students from Glasgow University for six weeks every year.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a laid-back diving holiday with no other distractions, then give Roots Red Sea and Coral Garden Resort your serious consideration.

RESORT DETAILS

Roots Red Sea is a small friendly resort ideally suited to divers & snorkellers wanting peace and quiet, but with the convenience of the small traditional town of El Quseir on its doorstep.  The resort is surrounded by magnificent colourful mountains on one side and unspoilt Red Sea beaches on the other, making it a wonderfully relaxing destination. Pharaoh Dive Club has a base both at the resort and on the beach allowing divers to come and go as they please with easy access to a beautiful house reef. The centre runs daily shore trips to over 50 different dive sites as well as having their own zodiac and hard boat for full day excursions.

Roots Red Sea has 29 rooms, consisting of Eco Huts, Deluxe Chalets and Superior Boutique Rooms.  We offer Deluxe Chalets, which can be either twin or triple rooms.  Superior Boutique Rooms may also be booked at an additional supplement. All rooms are built using natural materials, a mixture of wood and local red stone. The wooden furniture and tiled floors enhance the authentic natural feel. The gardens have been cleverly created to minimize water usage, but at the same time with some careful lighting help create a wonderfully relaxing ambience.

Coral Garden Resort is a true divers resort. Situated 22km south of Safaga, Coral Garden Resort is a true divers resort. Located on the northern end of a long sandy beach by the beautiful Gassous Bay, Orca Dive Club is based on site. The resort provides a relaxing stay with superb views over the bay and to the western mountains. Gassous Bay offers a fabulous house reef, ideal for both divers and snorkellers.

Rooms are arranged in a bungalow village style, set in beautifully landscaped gardens. A total of 39 rooms provide spacious and simply furnished accommodation, all with air-conditioning, satellite television, safe, twin beds and a great view. The hotel has a popular beach bar with its own pizza oven, pool and table tennis and a shisha bar. The buffet style roof top Al-Saif restaurant boasts great views of Gassous Bay and serves both authentic Egyptian and Arabic food along with international cuisine.