Dust Off Your Kit and Come Dive with Us!

The UK Government have finally relinquished the global travel ban, or so it seems, with the near eradication of the ‘Red List.’ The FCDO have also jumped on board, agreeing to remove the ‘all but essential travel’ restrictions from most destinations.

For vaccinated travellers, the need for a PCR testing before returning to the UK has been eliminated and Day 2 testing is expected to be revised from a PCR to an antigen or lateral flow test, meaning that travel, whilst still a little complicated, is far more realistic than it has been in the last 18 months.

So, the prospects for scuba diving holidays are looking far better than this time a year ago! There is a brighter light at the end of the tunnel – at last!

Not all Countries however want us Brits to cross their borders – our much-loved destinations like The Philippines, Indonesia in general and Thailand are yet to fully open their borders to us, so a little more patience for those big ‘Eastern’ trips is needed.

The best news is however that the Red Sea and the Maldives are open – and let’s not forget the Caribbean and Pacific side of Mexico, where there is some excellent diving too!

For those of you who have missed diving in warm clear waters with lots of pretty stuff, there are numerous destinations that you can travel to. We have travelled to Grenada, the USA, and Bonaire during ‘lock-down’ and next month, we are headed back to the Maldives to check out some new offerings to bring to you.

In the Red Sea, we are delighted to confirm that the new safari vessel, Big Blue, operated by our friends at Roots Red Sea, is now fully operational and taking guests out to the fantastic wrecks and reefs we have all missed terribly.

So, we invite you to read a little further and learn more about where we have been and where we recommend!

Let’s start with Egypt – one of the most popular destinations that it is ‘open’ to us. Currently to enter Egypt you must provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, or 96 hours if flying from Heathrow with Egypt Air. Fully vaccinated travellers will not need to test further before returning to the UK, and it is expected that the current Day 2 PCR requirement will be downgraded to lateral-flow tests by the end of this month.

Red Sea safaris are incredibly special – and ours are even more so! If you want rigid itineraries, daily diving that is policed and regimented with maximum dive times enforced, together with fluffy robes and Jacuzzis, our trips might not be for you.

If, however you want a trip that is all about diving, with a ‘The Pool is Open’ attitude, and on a brand new and very big boat with proper sized cabins, huge dive deck and platform, then read on! If we see dolphins, we will stop. If we have the best dive ever on one site, we can stay there longer and do it again and even again! Flexibility is what our safaris are all about – we offer all the favourite itineraries and work hard to add in a little surprise dive site or two on every trip! We even have an exclusive Three Wars Wreck Safari up into the Northern Suez where you can dive up to 17 different wrecks in one week!

One of the largest boats in the Red Sea, Big Blue is 42 metres long, but only accommodates 24 passengers – the cabins are big, and this is deliberate. Available for half or full charter, and for individual sailings too, the British owned and operated Big Blue is setting the standard for all liveaboards in the Red Sea.

Join us on our hosted charter in May 2022, where we will be diving in the South, taking in the Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone and much more. (click for brochure)

Then in September 2022 we're hosting a Norther Wrecks & Reefs where we blend the fabulous wrecks at Abu Nuhas and the Thistlegorm with the stunning reefs of Ras Mohammed and Tiran. (click for brochure)

And we can always add on a week at our favourite Roots Red Sea in El Quseir if a week isn’t enough.

And the good news keeps on coming – Sharm el Sheikh is once again accessible to us, and we have 7-night packages with 10 dives from as little as £829pp including flights.

Moving further to the East, one of the UK’s favourite dive destinations, the Maldives, is also open. Divers will need a negative PCR test with in 96 hours of departure to enter the Maldives and must book accommodation or liveaboard from a Maldivian Ministry of Health approved list.

We have a huge selection of island resorts to offer that are on the approved list, and there are some great deals about as the hotel industry there is eager for business. Our favourite dive resort, Kuredu Island Resort, has some cracking offers for stays up until early April 2022, saving a least £250pp. Our range of liveaboard options is also substantial, but we do have our favourites of course!

We are hosting trips this November on the award winning Sachika, with spaces on the 5 November 2021 sailing (8-night trip) from £2479pp with all the extras included! (click for brochure)

We also have a handful of spaces on an October half-term trip, departing the UK on 22 October 2021 for 8 nights – again from £2479pp, and this is an absolute bargain given the flight prices for that week! (click for brochure)

Heading West, we took some time out in early 2021 to take in the East coast of Florida, starting in Key Largo then travelling North to Jupiter. You can read our three part Fly Drive Dive blog on our website here but for the sake of brevity, it was phenomenal!!! With the USA opening its borders to UK travellers from next month, those looking for something different to the normal beach resort type trip should be asking us for more information!

The Keys are windswept, bohemian in flavour and laid back to the point of being horizontal – the diving was great, the sunsets spectacular, and the food and drink cannot be beaten! Head North to Palm Beach County and Jupiter, where we experienced not one, but two ‘dives of a lifetime’ both within sight of the urban jungle that makes up the coastline… Blue Heron Bridge and Emerald Charter’s shark dive.

To be honest, we were truly blown away by the diving here – sharks galore, Loggerheads, Green and Hawksbill turtles and goliath grouper everywhere – all in very blue and clear water. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was WOW!

And our final trip in 2021 was to Bonaire in the Southern Caribbean. We have been trying to get there for years but never managed to get ourselves sorted. This September we hopped on a KLM flight to Bonaire via Amsterdam and spent two weeks checking out the island and what it has to offer. You can read our full trip report on our blog here but in summary, there aren’t many places away from the Red Sea that offer such great diving at such a small cost.

7 night itinerary, bed and breakfast, including car rental, unlimited nitrox tanks, and unlimited shore diving plus house reef diving comes in at a smidge less than £1500pp, including flights! And you can dive 24 hours a day – literally!

We managed 29 dives in 12 days while one of our buddies squeezed in 41 dives!!! Up at 5am, one dive before breakfast, 2 shore dives in the morning, one after lunch plus a late afternoon dive or a dusk/night dive! We’re certain he grew gills while in Bonaire, and he certainly enjoyed himself!

October 2021 Newsletter

Dive The Red Sea

Dive the Maldives

Dive the USA - Florida

Dive Bonaire

Hosted Trips