Sons and daughters accompanying paying parent divers are being invited to visit Atlantis Philippines for free or half-price until the end of 2023. It’s a handsome offer, but the operator says it is concerned about the ageing diver population (we’re all doing that) and wants to play its part in helping to encourage younger participants to get involved.
Each paying parent is entitled to bring one child under 18 to the two Atlantis resorts to stay, dine and dive at no cost, while half-price deals are available for those with bigger families.
What’s more, offspring aged 18 to 30 can also get a 50% discount (and their own room) under the deal, and non-divers receive a Try Scuba session at no cost. The offer applies to new bookings taken this year at both the Puerto Galera and Dumaguete resorts, which offer a full range of dive instruction.
In Hurghada this week?
It’s short notice, but training agency PADI says it is organising an underwater clean-up event at Magawish Island off Hurghada on 13 September, as part of PADI AWARE Week.
Any diver who is at least PADI Open Water certified and in the area is invited to participate in the Dive Against Debris event, guided by local PADI dive-centres and marine experts from Red Sea environmental body HEPCA. The clean-up starts at 10am, and giveaways including hats, T-shirts and metal water-bottles are promised.
Sign up here or contact a participating Hurghada PADI dive-centre: Aquarius Diving Club Grand Hotel, Aquarius Diving Club Marriott, Blue Paradise, Chloe’s, Colona Divers, Diving Star or Scuba World Makadi.
A week in Bonaire – with festivities
Also coming up fast, Bonaire has announced its first official Dive Week from 23-30 September, in a partnership formed with PADI and its tourism authority. The event is based at the well-known Buddy Dive Resort, and forms part of the southern Caribbean island’s overall visitor strategy, which is based around a variety of themed weeks from “Yoga & Wellness” to “Rum”.
Guided dives feature along with “post-dive festivities” and presentations from PADI and other speakers. Seven-night stay-and-dive packages start at US $1,739pp (two sharing) and include six days of unlimited shore diving (Bonaire’s speciality), additional boat dives, nitrox, a rental vehicle, three hosted meals and transfers, bookable through PADI Club.
The last day of Bonaire Dive Week is registration day for another specialist week at Buddy Dive, as the resort hosts Buddy Dive TeK, describing it as “the most significant technical diving event in the Caribbean“. The week of dive-gear demos and try-outs, guest presentations and training, including dives such as the 60m-deep wreck of “The Windjammer”, continues until 7 October.
Manufacturer representatives Jared Hires (Dive-rite), Joseph Jonathan Bosquez (Divesoft) and Jose Ventura (Shearwater) will be in attendance, and the event is intended to cater for everyone from beginners to experienced tech divers.
High-end coral lore in the Maldives
Nautilus Maldives is an “ultra-luxury” resort in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in Baa Atoll, close to famed Hanifaru Bay with its population of up to 4,000 manta rays (May to December) and whale sharks. It also has its own resident marine biologist from the UK, Emily Jupp.
Guests can attend educational talks, learn about coral rehabilitation, care and cleaning and participate in a coral-adoption programme, while guided dives and snorkelling highlight local conservation efforts and are designed to raise awareness of complex coral-reef systems.
Access to what is recognised as one of the world’s best marine-life locations doesn’t come cheap, however – the starting rate for seven nights’ B&B is from US $21,000 and that doesn’t include the diving at some 40 sites with PADI dive-centre AquaNautica – a five-dive package costs $1,175pp.
Dive into a missile-silo!
Want to relive the Cold War and explore a flooded Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile complex? There happens to be one near Royal City in the US state of Washington, east of Seattle, and the all-day experience with Kennewick-based UnderSea Adventures includes scuba diving in two missile-launchers and an equipment terminal, plus lunch and a tour of the dry side of the decommissioned complex.
You need “Advanced” or higher certification, and recent experience of coldwater and night-diving. These dives are to a maximum of 33m and there is no ambient light inside. There is also jagged metal and the entry procedure is described as moderately difficult.
Your sort of challenge? Two-tank dives are priced at US $349, and you can claim the esoteric speciality qualification of Missile Silo Diver for another $85.
Sperm whale encounters in Dominica
Spaces are available for anyone interested in (and able to afford) snorkelling with sperm whales in the Caribbean island of Dominica, where Big Animals Expeditions has permission to conduct the activity and is offering five-or seven-night stays at the Coulibri Ridge resort for three / five days of whale encounters.
Five families of up to nine sperm whales, mostly females and calves, are resident off Dominica’s west coast, though occasionally males as long as 17m also show up.
This year’s trips take place between 30 November and 11 December and are priced at US $9,800 / $12,800pp. However, further seven-day trips for next April and November can be booked now for $7,900 – flights not included.
Rebreather specials with Atmosphere
Back in the Philippines, the Atmosphere resort in Dauin, Negros Oriental, is lining up CCR Tech Weeks for next May and June, spread between Dauin, where it has its Atmosphere Tech set-up, and Evolution Dive Resort on Malapascua.
Atmosphere instructs technical divers all the time but these trips are for qualified rebreather divers only, with each dive in the 40-60m range, taking in the deep reefs, walls and giant trevally schools of Apo Island, the thresher sharks of Monad and Kimud Shoals, Manta Point, WW2 wreck Mogami Maru, Sumilon Island, known for its whale sharks and, with any luck, tiger and bull sharks too, says Atmosphere.
Incidentally, while Covid might be becoming a distant memory to many divers, the Philippines has only now removed the last entry requirements related to Covid-19, with all international travellers welcomed regardless of vaccination status.
Also on Divernet: Dive Like A Pro: Packing gear for a dive trip, Travelling light, Red Sea dive-trip: Plane truths, Dive Like A Pro: Which safety gear to carry
