Mixing it up in the Maldives
Regal Dive is offering “learn to dive” and ”family weeks” this August to encourage existing scuba divers and those newer to the sport to spend some time in the water together in the Maldives. The offers cover what the tour operator says is affordable diving certification, and liveaboard trips that don’t exclude younger divers or snorkellers.
One example is a 10-night liveaboard trip around remote atolls in hopes of encounters with manta rays, sharks, turtles, dolphins and whale sharks. The 31m Keana takes up to 18 guests in upper-deck cabins and the trip costs £3,015pp, with under-11s travelling for £2,735. Departure is not too far off, however, on 8 August.
Also read: Booking Now: 6 more dive-trips to consider
For beginners, five days later a seven-night trip on the Amba gets underway. Guests will have completed their diving theory course before embarking so that they can tackle the dives leading to Open Water Diver certification onboard, and then be ready to explore Vaavu Atoll, with its possibility of shark sightings.
Also read: Booking Now: 6 ways to dive
Experienced divers will meanwhile be enjoying more challenging dive-sites from the liveaboard’s dhoni. This trip costs from £2,400pp, and £2,210 for 11s and under, including flights. Departure is 13 August, with bookings through Regal Dive.
Savings on Palau liveaboard trip
Dive Worldwide is offering a saving of more than 21% on the 17 October departure for a week’s Pacific diving from the Palau Aggressor II liveaboard, bringing the price down from £5,675pp to £4,475.
Three ocean currents converge in Palau’s waters, bringing with them what the tour operator describes as “some of the most varied and dazzling marine life in the world, alongside a fascinating number of wreck dives”.
The 33m liveaboard can accommodate up to 18 passengers in nine cabins and the price is based on two sharing. It includes seven nights’ full-board, 25 dives, three nights in Palau, a night in Manila and return flights from the UK. Details from Dive Worldwide.
Time to sample Porto Santo
There is still plenty of time to visit Porto Santo this summer, says Portugal Dive, referring to the Atlantic island in the Madeira group that has been growing in reputation among divers in recent years. In any case, the climate is pleasant year-round.
The company has packages for two people from 1,680 euros pp (£1,410) for an eight-day holiday that includes 10 dives over five days. You fly into Porto Santo’s international airport and spend seven nights in a hotel or apartment on the island.
The “Diving from Porto Santo Island” package teams you with what are said to be expert dive-centres and includes exploring “vibrant coral reefs, shipwrecks and underwater rocky seabeds teeming with marine life” conveniently accessible from those centres, says the operator.
Additional attractions are 9km of golden sandy beach and natural sites to explore, and the option of a stay on Madeira itself, which has its own set of diving attractions.
Disconnect in the Bahamas
Club Med Columbus Isle is located on San Salvador in the Out Islands, a marine reserve protected since 2002 by the Bahamian government, and is the island’s only all-inclusive resort, promising pristine beaches, “world-renowned” diving, wellness experiences, children’s clubs and more.
“With no other large hotels in the area, guests get a sense of seclusion, privacy and disconnection,” we’re told, which sounds promising for those who like to be properly disconnected on holiday. There are no large buildings, only two-storey bungalows, and divers are promised 35 sites accessed via the new hybrid-electric boat of partner dive-centre Only Blue Diving.
Family fun at Atlantis
The two Atlantis beach-front dive-resorts in the Philippines are offering “Family Week” special offers include free stays, free meals and free diving places for children (one free child per paying adult) this year.
Puerto Galera Resort, set in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, offers accessible diving, diverse coral reefs and exotic marine life while Dumaguete, in the Visayas region, is home to a diverse range of macro species and provides access to the Dauin Marine Sanctuaries and Apo Island.
On selected dates in August, November and December a seven-night stay at Atlantis Puerto Galera is priced at £3,593pp and £1,375 per teenager, including flights, through Regal Dive, while the equivalent at Atlantis Dumaguete charges £3,895 and £1,475 respectively.
Magic package deal
Elsewhere in the Philippines, stay at one of the two Magic Resorts before the end of October and you can get a second pre-booked dive package free. It’s welcome news for solo travellers too, because they get a 50% discount on their room rate.
Magic Island, with its 10 bungalows near Moalboal on Cebu, is available only in October, because of renovation and maintenance, but Magic Ocean near Anda on Bohol is available right through the offer period.
Book early for Sardine Run
The Sardine Run, where vast shoals of predator-attracting baitfish make their hazardous annual journey north from the Agulhas Bank, has been and gone off the South African coast for this summer but you could always enjoy the thrill of sweet anticipation by reserving a slot for next year’s natural spectacle now.
Big Animals is planning one-week expeditions from 12 and 18 July, in peak season, or you could opt for the entire two-week experience to boost your chances of capturing maximum action.
The trip to KwaZulu Natal Province is led by Amos Nachoum, the award-winning wildlife and underwater photographer with more than 45 years of experience. You will be based at the N’taba River Lodge and on daily trips out to sea can hope for close-up interactions with dolphins herding sardines, sharks in hunting mode and diving birds. Nachoum offers guidance on using your cameras to best effect.
The single-week trips cost US $6,300pp (£4,860, two sharing) but you get a 25% discount on the fortnight, making it $9,600pp (£7,410).
Snorkelling at the Outrigger
The Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort in the Maldives’ South Ari Atoll wants to make sure that no one is left out when it comes to exploring its house reef, recognising that not everyone in the party might be ready to embrace scuba diving straight away. The reef is accessible directly from the beach or overwater villas, or via five channels scattered around the island.
The possibility of sighting whale sharks or manta rays is always there, according to the resort. Starter lessons cost US $80 (£62), an hour’s instructor-guided house-reef snorkelling costs $70 and a $90 snorkel safari takes you on a boat-trip to a more remote site. There is also guided night snorkelling ($110) and taking the next step via Discover Scuba Diving ($195) or a private scuba experience ($225).
Also on Divernet: Tall tails of Malapascua, Booking Now: 6 wildlife dive-trip ideas, Vanuatu beyond the Coolidge, Charter your own EYOS expedition – in Melanesia, Dive-trip: Musandam to Muscat
