Irish Dive Show 2009

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at "Dive Ireland 2009" in Dublin, on the 7th and 8th of March 2009. - the fourth All-Ireland dive conference.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the draws, for two x £100 Oonasdivers vouchers were Damien Mellett and Sinead Burke. Congratulations to you both!

We look forward to seeing many of you again soon. Don't forget we'll be at The London Dive Show on 28th & 29th March where we'll have some fantastic Dive Show discounts!

New Wadi Lahami - "Fury Shoal Explorer"

In the true spirit of our ongoing commitment to offer the very best in diving, Southern Eco Village Wadi Lahami is introducing a ‘Mini Safari’ with their new boat, ‘The Fury Shoal Explorer’.

This program can be pre-booked with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 18 guests. The mini safari lasts 3 days and 2 nights with the Fury Shoal Explorer cruising dive sites and routes unknown to many other operators.

Guest from Marsa Shagra and Marsa Nakari can also take full advantage of Lahami’s unique mini safari programs as RIB’s can transfer guests to the boat no matter where she is within the Fury Shoals – meaning they can be flexible on when you would like to start your adventure.

For more information give us a call 01323 648924.

Diver Medic Courses

 

The London Diving Chamber will once again be running the Diver Medic Course that has been put together to create a practical dive medicine course that is ideal for Dive Guides and Dive Instructors. The course is particularly useful for people who work, or intend to work in remote locations or on liveaboards. The course will give the participants: Guidelines on using a recompression chamber Information on the many issues concerning Decompression Illness Information on other Non-Decompression Illness Dive Medicine Practical Field Medicine Training CPR Training The London Diving Chamber has brought together a number of experts in specialised fields, to provide the best teaching for a practical dive medical course. COURSE DETAILS Duration: 3 days Dates: Friday 24th - 26th April 2009 Cost: £375 Minimum qualification level: Divemaster / Dive Leader (or equivalent) For further details or to register your interest, please click here

Scubasure Calenders

Scubasure Calendar 09/10

Want something stunning to put on your wall?  Want to do your bit for charity?  Own your very own copy of the gorgeous exclusive limited edition April ’09 - April ’10 Scubasure calendar for the bargain price of £6 inc. P&P*! 

Scubasure has been providing divers with specialist and highly competitive dive insurance since 1982.  To celebrate their success they decided it was time to do something different and the idea of the Scubasure Calendar was born!  The calendar is a beautiful and classic celebration of the female form wearing the smallest article of clothing you can wear in public – the swimsuit!

The Scubasure calendar will run April ’09 to April ’10 in line with the typical UK dive season and will feature useful dates for Oonasdivers!  The calendar will be donating 10% of the proceeds to dive related charities so for a small outlay people can get something that will cheer them up every day for 12 months in this gloomy economic climate and do their bit for charity! 

Please click here www.scubasure.com to buy one of theses stunning calendars!  If you have any queries please e-mail charlotte@scubasure.com or call 01905 612944.

Rare treat at Sharks Bay Umbi Dive Village

 

The Ornate Ghost Pipefish "Solenostomus paradoxus" belongs to the family Solenostomidae, they're usually found in the Western pacific and Indian ocean along reef edges that are prone to strong currents. These little guys were snapped in the bay at Sharks Bay Umbi Dive Village yesterday (11th February).

The Ornate Ghost Pipefish reaches a maximum length of 12cm, this would make the juvenille in the picture around 4-5cm. They vary in color from red, yellow to black and are almost transparent. They feed mostly on mysids and benthic shrimp. Females carry thier eggs in their pelvic fins that are modified to form a brood pouch, it really is a rare treat to see one in the Red Sea, let alone seeing parent and young.

Thanks to dive guides Adel & Wael - Sharks Bay Umbi Dive Village for finding these wonderful little critters and sending us the pictures, see, sometimes it is good to dive with your guide, they know where to find these little treats.

Mummies found in newly discovered tomb in Egypt

 

 

A storeroom housing about two dozen ancient Egyptian mummies has been unearthed inside a 2,600-year-old tomb during the latest round of excavations at the vast necropolis of Saqqara south of Cairo, archaeologists said Monday.

The tomb was located at the bottom of a 36-foot deep shaft, said Egypt's top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass. Twenty-two mummies were found in niches along the tomb's walls, he said.

Eight sarcophagi were also found in the tomb. Archaeologists so far have opened only one of the sarcophagi — and found a mummy inside of it, said Hawass' assistant Abdel Hakim Karar. Mummies are believed to be inside the other seven, he said.

The "storeroom for mummies" dates back to 640 B.C. during the 26th Dynasty, which was Egypt's last independent kingdom before it was overthrown by a succession of foreign conquerors beginning with the Persians, Hawass said. But the tomb was discovered at an even older site in Saqqara that dates back to the 4,300-year-old 6th Dynasty, he said.

Most of the mummies are poorly preserved, and archeologists have yet to determine their identities or why so many were put in one room.

The name Badi N Huri was engraved into the opened sarcophagus, but the wooden coffin did not bear a title for the mummy.

Diving & Yoga

Oonasdivers has teamed with Wenche Beard (pronounced Venka) who launched her own dedicated Yoga Life Studio last year. Wenche can offer you a unique experience and opportunity of Yoga in an amazing location, Marsa Shagra, also renowned for it's world class diving, bringing you the perfect harmony.

Swapping the yoga mat in the studio with the back drop of Marsa Shagra can only improve the connection with your body, mind and spirit. This relaxing environment is the perfect destination and you can even combine these new Yoga experiences with some mind blowing diving.

For a diver, the essential elements of yoga can significantly reduce your likelihood of injury. Specific exercises can improve core stability, working on the lower back to protect it from trauma of twin sets and weight belts. Targeting the legs and hips can improve your fining technique, stamina and your general fitness, improving your flexibility and making diving a whole lot easier, especially for wreck and cave diving.

For those who want to slow down on their gas consumption, the breathing exercises fundamental in yoga are also ideal for improving lung capacity and encouraging effective, steady breathing and ultimately extend your bottom time.

Call us today to register your interest in this tour (01323) 648924. Proposed date is 24 June - 1 July. Prices start at £415 including, transfers, 7 nights full board and daily yoga with Wenche. Flights approx. £350.

BSoUP Print Competition

In recent years Oonasdivers have joined up with BSoUP (British Society of Underwater Photographers) and donated a holiday for their annual print competition. We are pleased to announce this year Oonasdivers are offering a free holiday to the Southern Eco-Villages near Marsa Alam as the top prize. All prints entered in all categories will be eligible for the grand prize.
The London Dive Show will stage this major competition and the London Aquarium for a four-week exhibition of the entries following in the spring of 2009. Of the prints entered into the competition 80 will be short-listed to be displayed at LIDS on 28/29 March and judged by visitors to the show. The best will then be selected by an independent panel of judges.

Entry deadline 23 February 2009

For full competition details and rules click here

Dive Fest 2009

Another date for your diving diary!

DIVE in association with BSAC and SITA is planning a celebration of the great British diving weekend by holding a beach party festival at a holiday park in Cornwall. Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, near Mevagissey in Cornwall over the weekend of 15, 16 and 17 May 2009. It's all been timed to coincide with a diver-friendly neap tide. Boat diving will be available from Pentewan Sands through Sal Diving and BSAC branches and other clubs can bring their own boats and dive as independent groups. There are plenty of good local sites in 10-35m range, including the Hera wreck, Gwineas Reef and the Kanteong Dredger at Fowey. From the Friday night, with a live band organised by the pool side to Sunday at around 5pm there will be diving, guest speakers, competitions and even a treasure hunt on the dive sites! There's a beach party planned for Saturday night, this time with a hog roast, bonfire and more live music. And more events are in the pipeline, including a Splash-In-style photo competition, a BSAC try dive pool, a fashion show and the chance to try out newly launched dive kit direct from the manufacturers. Oonasdivers will have a stand there so don't forget to come and say hello! Dive Fest full details

Maldive Whale Sharks

The Maldives has taken the first steps towards establishing a protected area for whale sharks. The government-backed initiative is being supported by biologists, diving professionals and representatives of the local community.

So far, a database of 100 individual sharks has been compiled and is being used to track the movements of these sharks around the atolls. The group is also investigating stories of other whale shark hotspots across the archipelago: it is thought that the sharks journey around the Maldives in order to find seasonal eddies that concentrate their favourite food - zooplankton - into relatively small areas. The long-term plan is to establish protected areas in which snorkelling and boat activity will be controlled, and the sharks will have a refuge from open-ocean fisheries.

A meeting was held at the end of 2008 to consider ways of protecting the sharks and ensuring that all boats conform to a code of conduct.

Dive Show 2009

 

The Oonasdivers team are looking forward to seeing you all at the London Dive Show on 28/29 March 2009 stand 806. They will have some fabulous dive holiday offers, so don't miss your chance to get some great diving deals on some of Oonasdivers' most popular tours. Also check out The BSoUP stand for the print competition with an Oonasdivers holiday as a top prize! Call (01323) 648924 for details.

Shark School 2009

For the third year in a row, Dr. Erich Ritter’s Sharkschool was again a success with a record number of participants in 2008. Erich had a lot of new information and everyone involved was very pleased with the workshops outcome. Participants experienced 2-days of up-close encounters with Oceanic White Tips sharks, followed by a nightly lecture about shark behavior and the way they interact. Only by understanding Shark behavior can we understand that these animals are not vicious killers, but beautiful giants that play in an integral role in the sustaining of our oceans eco-systems.

If you are interested in joining the 2009 Shark School Workshop on either 13 - 20 November or 20 - 27 November (Gatwick/Hurghada) at Marsa Shagra then call Oonasdivers on (01323) 648924 and visit the Sharks School website.

Extreme Ironing Record Broken !

 

UK DIVERS BREAK WORLD RECORD FOR THE MOST NUMBER OF DIVERS IRONING UNDERWATER AT THE SAME TIME IN AID OF THE RNLI.

128 scuba divers braved the freezing winter temperatures today, 10 January 2009, to attempt to break the world record, currently held by the Australians, for the most number of divers ironing at the same time underwater. The previous record was 72 but the British divers managed to get 86 ironing within a 10 minute period and this also included 6 freedivers. Water temperatures were in the region of 5 degrees Celsius and air temperatures as low as -2 degrees C. Divers covered the full range from technical diving with trimix to 55m to the shallow end at 6m.

The event took place at the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) near Chepstow, Gloucestershire and was organised by Gareth Lock, Morag Ward and John Turnock of the Yorkshire Divers internet forum (www.yorkshire-divers.com). In addition to breaking the world record, the aim was to raise money for the RNLI, the charity of choice for the forum for 2008-2009. At the time of going to press, nearly £6000 had been raised from this event through application fees, sponsorship and a charity raffle.

Well done to everyone who attended, both to participate and to spectate. We are pleased to announce the winner of the Oonasdivers £100 voucher on the day was... Mark Chase - Congratulations Mark!

Don't forget to send in your photos of the event to potd@oonasdivers.com

Phuket - Artificial Reef Project

The 4 planes (Douglas Dakota Skytrains) and 6 helicopters (Sikorsky S-58 T’s) have been sunk towards the northern end of Phuket to form an artificial reef.

The Colona VI crew and customers report that even though the planes and helicopters had only been in the water for a few days they were already attracting a good deal of fish life and this looks like becoming a good dive site and one well worth al visit.

Steve, the tour leader aboard MV Colona VI reports that the site is good overall but there are still some sharp edges exposed and so care must be taken. Navigation around the site may also be a bit hit and miss on days with lower visibility as there is only a single navigation aid at present between the wrecks. Hopefully this will change as the site develops with lines from one to the other being secured to the sea bed. These wrecks are also offered as a day trip by longtail boats, please ask us for more details.

How Exciting - A Mimic Octopus

Whilst diving the sea grass beds of Marsa Abudabab on the hunt for our resident Dugong, our Southern Eco Village regular Yvonne Lode came across the most exciting find, a Mimic Octopus. Laying completely exposed on the sandy bed he allowed her just a couple of photographs before he disappeared.

The Mimic Octopus is normally found living in the tropical seas of South East Asia, it was not officially discovered until 1998, off the coast of Sulawesi. The Mimic Octopus gets his name as he is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, flounders, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp, based on observation, scientists think that the mimic octopus may decide which animal to impersonate based on which predator happens to be closest to it.

There has been several reported sightings over last couple of years around the areas of the Southern Red Sea, but just a few have managed to get photographic proof that this wonderful and amazing creature is thriving and doing very well so far from what was known to be be his natural home. Well done Yvonne, and thanks for sending the picture in.

TV presenter travels to Tobago with Oonasdivers

Miranda Krestovnikoff is a regular presenter for wildlife programmes. She is also a qualified diver which has led to co-presenting opportunities in programmes with an underwater element. The channel 4 series Wreck Detectives proved a big success for Miranda. Her diving experience made her a natural presenter both above and below the water and you may have also seen her with her own slot on The One Show recently and Coast. Miranda is one of seven international faces of the new broadband internet site The Underwater channel. She also writes articles for Diver magazine and one of her recent adventures with Oonasdivers to Tobago will be featured in the January edition - so don't forget to grab your copy!

Travelling Diver

Oonasdivers have teamed with 'Travelling Diver' to offer you their fantastic diving guides which are detailed inserts, packed with information which help you enjoy diving a region even more. With an integrated logbook format, they fit neatly into a standard diving binder, and individually detail each of the key diving sites of the region.  If you are diving on holiday, take a Travelling Diver guide with you, to make the most of your trip. Contact Oonasdivers to order any of the guides to match the sites of your next dive holiday destination!

Oonasdivers on Facebook

The Oonasdivers group has now been created on Facebook. Join up and join the Oonas banter, share your holiday snaps or get some diving discussion going!

Go to Face Book and look up Oonasdivers Ltd

Workshop Winners!

We can now announce the Winners of Mark Webster's Photo Workshop which took place on board Blue Planet 1 on 1st October.

1st - Valerie Reid

2nd - Bartek Strozynski

3rd place - Bartek Strozynski

If you are interested in joining in on the workshops for 2009 click here for details

Direct flights from Dublin!

We can now arrange direct flights from Dublin to Sharm. These flights run each Thursday from November - May. So give one of the Oonas team a call to get your free tour plan and price for any of our Sinai tours: Umbi Diving - Sharks Bay M.Y. Juliet Freedom Fleet - mini safari & Dahab

El Hierro News!

In Spring the island is at it´s greenest and ablaze with blossoms and wild flowers; the weather is perfect for walking and the sea is still a balmy 20 degrees for those apres walking swims.

For those of you considering a return trip; Shane has new walks and variations of old walks to give you some new experiences...

The very special 28kms "Camino de La Virgin" or Way of the Virgin pilgrimage which traverses the island is now being offered as an option. It is a long walk of course (up to 7 hours) but not a strenuous one as most of it is along the flat plateau which is the backbone of the island. In Spring this walk along country lanes between dry stone walls and bedecked with wild flowers and with stunning views is more reminiscent of the Arran Islands than of the Canaries. It is also possible to complete part of this walk and be picked up along the way.

Breff and Rita, a very popular walking couple from Newbridge, have completed 5 trips with us and have made many firm friends along the way; those of you who know them and who may be considering a return this Spring may like to join them on 7 March trip.

See our land availability page for all dates.

Additional trips can be arranged if you have a group wishing to travel on other dates. For full details on this tour visit our El Hierro web page.

New Brochure out now!

Grab your copy of the new Oonasdivers brochure! New destinations include The Maldives, Cultural tours in Egypt and trekking in India! - yes that's right, Oonasdivers have got some great new adventure tours to feed your adrenaline needs!

If you haven't yet received your copy, call us on (01323) 648924

 

Oonasdivers are ATOL bonded so when it comes to choosing your next adventure, we not only have the expertise to tailor make your ideal tour, your tour payments on our packages are all financially secure.

 

Diddy Dugong Discovered

Photo by: Austen Bannister

Well, some of us have been luckily enough to dive with the Dugong at Marsa Abu Dubab. Well, it seems the Dugong has had a baby! Come and see the diddy Dugong for yourself by arranging your next visit to the Southern Eco-villages or see November issue of DIVER magazine (page 41) for John Bantin's full report of the Dugong when we sent him down to the Eco-Villages.

FCO website

You can now register your journey abroad on the British Foreign Office web site. Click here to register now fco website