Oonasdivers

Ocean Optics and Mavericks Diving are delighted to announce a special introduction to marine biology course for divers with Jamie Watts on 7th & 8th June. As well as working with leading scientific bodies, Jamie writes for one of the world’s leading natural history titles, “BBC Wildlife Magazine” and Michael Aw’s acclaimed magazine “Ocean Geographic”. Jamie's day of marine life presentations and workshops is intended as an introduction to marine life worldwide. The objective is to inform, to build an understanding of the living
marine environment, and to inspire an ongoing fascination with, and understanding of, the world we dive in. As an optional extra, there will be a guided visit of the London Aquarium the following day.

The fee for the day is £99.00, which includes lunch and teas, coffees and soft drinks. The course is held at the new location with Action Underwater Services. The optional day at London Aquarium includes entry, but not refreshments.
To book your place get in touch with Mark or Steve:
(Phone 01268 523 786 Email: optics@oceanoptics.co.uk)

SHARK RAVING MAD!

JUNE - JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
We have a "Whale of a Special" with 10% off our Mozambique tour!!

Whale Sharks, Manta Rays,
plus the Humpback Whale migration
- Regular daily Whale watching from boat and from shore
- Whale song heard on most dives
- Chance for Humpback Whale encounters on scuba

Also, Whale Sharks Guaranteed On Any MozDivers Tofo Dive Tour 2008 or your Money Back!! CALL US NOW!

Maldives - New Destination!

Oonasdivers are proud to announce the launching of Dream Catcher II, the latest liveaboard to cruise these pearls of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives.

Catering for up to just 17 divers, Dream Catcher II offers you an intimate charter. Diving is undertaken from a dedicated dive Dhoni that escorts her throughout her cruise, and there are opportunities to explore uninhabited, inhabited and resort islands along the way.

Contact us at info@oonasdivers.com or 01323 648924 for further details and our Dream Catcher II brochure full of photo's, routing and specification information.

St Kitts - New Destination!

In keeping with the tradition of offering small, intimate boutique resorts, Oonasdivers Limited are excited to announce our latest diving adventure to the Caribbean island of St Kitts, staying at the Bird Rock Beach Hotel. The Bird Rock Beach Hotel captivates you with its tranquil setting and warm hospitality. Rooms and suites open on to terraces or patios overlooking an azure Caribbean Sea.

Book now for Shark School 2008

After a very successful program in 2007, we are now taking bookings for this years Sharks School which takes place on 23 - 26 November. Flights depart from Gatwick to Hurghada on 21 - 28 November. The cost cost is £995. The package includes flights from Gatwick to Hurghada, transfers, 7 nights accommodation in tents (upgrades available), 4 daily workshops about sharks by Dr. Erich Ritter, 6 boat dives to Elphinstone by daily boat and/or speedboat, plus SHARKSCHOOL workshop documents and certification. (Please note price may vary according to flight price at time of booking).

To join SHARKSCHOOL and dive on Elphinstone you must have at least Advanced Open Water level and 50 logged dives.

Dr. Erich Ritter is Chief Scientist of Shark Research Institute, Princeton, NJ, USA and has his own research and diving centre on the Bahamas.

During the 4-day program you will learn all they needed to know about the behaviour of different species of sharks and how to be a safer diver while diving with them. Key goal of the program is to make the participants aware that there is no such thing as shark attacks, only shark accidents. There are no dangerous sharks, only dangerous situations, knowingly or unknowingly created by humans because they do not understand shark behaviour. Ritter therefore focuses on understanding of shark behaviour and “just having fun and enjoy hanging out with the great buggers (sharks)”. The workshop program covers:

    * Evolution,
    * Biology (senses, mating, birth and juveniles),
    * Ecology & Food Chain
    * Shark-Human Interaction ADORE-SANE (Interaction concept of Dr.
      Erich Ritter) http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI1_01e/communication.html
    * Myths, fears and phobias
    * Longlining, Finning, Nets, Trade & Sales / Stop Finning, Stop Sales
    * Longimanus special

New Waste Facility for Eco-Villages

HEPCA's new solid waste recovery and recycling plant is now open in Marsa Alam! This is a major step forward in the Red Sea Diving Safari's efforts to preserve the delicate eco-system of the region. The facility is part of HEPCA’s solid waste management strategy for the Red Sea.

Our team has already built waste rooms near the villages. Separated waste items will be collected and transported by trucks to the waste management center twice a day. Organic waste will be used as animal feed for the local community. Non-organic waste will be sorted, processed, and traded through to recycling firms where possible, or otherwise placed into a managed dumpsite for non-recyclables.

We thank all the individuals who have made this possible including USAID, the EEAA, the National Parks of Egypt and the Association for the Protection of the Environment.

BDMLR Prize Draw

This year, in support of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Oonasdivers have donated a free place on board M.Y. Juliet, exploring the wrecks and reefs of the northern Red Sea. To find out how to enter the raffle, just log onto their website www.bdmlr.org.uk and click here to find out more about M.Y. Juliet This raffle will be drawn at The Birmingham Dive Show on 2nd November.

Dive Medic Course

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.
Duration: 3 days Dates: Friday 25th - Sunday 27th April 2008
Cost: £375 Minimum qualification level: Divemaster / Dive Leader (or equivalent)
For further details or to register your interest please click London Diving Chamber.

Lovely LIDS

Well we have to say we thoroughly enjoyed LIDS at the weekend 8th/9th March. Thanks to everyone you came to see us! Big congratulations to Jess Weller of East Sussex who won the Oonasdivers competition prize of 2 free places to the Umbi Village in Sharks Bay, Egypt. Kindly picked by Jacques Cousteau's Grandson, Fabien. This was an extra special win as Jess is just 12 years old!

Sharks at Shagra!

13 March 2008. The plankton season has just arrived and we have seen some unusual phenomenon rarely witnessed before.
Our first Manta has already been spotted in the house reef. The same day we saw 13 Black Tip Reef sharks circling over the reef top very close to shore. This is very early timing for them to say the least. And finally, our resident Dugong in Abu Dabbab has been seen with a female companion, which is the first sighting of them together in many years. Spring has just begun and it's already looking like a great year.

Webster Workshops

Mark Webster's Photographic Workshops are open to anyone who owns an underwater camera and has a desire to improve the quality of the picture they are taking. You don't need to own thousands of pounds worth of lenses and strobes to benefit from Mark's years of professional underwater photography. You never know, you could have the front cover of the Oonasdivers 2009 Brochure as many of Mark's current and previous workshop participants can lay claim to.

1st place winner, Austin says "Marks technique is very relaxed, so it is possible to approach him at any time and discuss what I needed to do to improve my photo's".

Irish Dive Show 23/24 Feb

Well we were certainly made to feel welcome in Belfast at the weekend. Thanks to everyone who came to see us and for the organisers of the show who really did make us feel at home! Recovery time before the London Dive Show: 12 days!

BSoUP 2008

The quest is on again to find the UK’s top underwater photographer. The title will be decided at the second annual British Splash-In championships being staged at Plymouth on Saturday, July 12, 2008 by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) in association with the National Marine Aquarium. This year, for the first time, the event will be entirely digital.

Running alongside the championships is a print competition that will be judged by the thousands of visitors flocking to the Aquarium from June 21. They will be invited to vote for their favourite pictures in four different categories. An independent panel of judges will also award the top prize of a Red Sea Eco Village diving holiday donated by Oonasdivers.

Excel on board service

From 1st May Excel Airways are changing their flight number system. This is how it will work...

If you have a 3 digit number after XLA (previously with a 'V') you wil get a buy-on-board service and those with 4 digits after XLA will have a fully catered service included. If you are unsure, please call Oonasdivers on (01323) 648924.

New in Shagra : Royal Tents!

A combination of adventure and luxury, that is what the new Royal Tents offer. They are almost twice the size of a normal tent, have a master bed, fan, mini-fridge, mosquito net, wardrobe and table with chairs. Because of the master bed they are the ideal choice for couples and only cost a minimal fee. There is only a limited number of Royal Tents available, so please request upon booking. For further details on this tour go to Marsa Shagra. (Single supplement applies in the Royal tents but not for the standard tents).

PADI courses at Lahami

Oonasdivers are pleased to be able to offer PADI courses from Open water to Dive Master at their special dive location, Wadi Lahami. Check the full details of this tour on the Wadi Lahami Page.

Scuba divers support Sinai schools

An exciting and unusual new project to help local schools is being developed by the diving community on the Sinai peninsular in Egypt. One of the organisers of the project, Mark Fraenkel, explains that divers are being asked to bring all kinds of educational material and equipment out on holiday and to donate it to local government schools in the area.

The project has been initiated by Sharks Bay Umbi Diving Village.Caroline Love, the hotel manager at the Diving Village told us that “thousands of divers regularly decamp to the shores of the Red Sea - yet it is an inescapable fact that many of those travellers know little of the life that exists in Egypt and the Sinai outside of the diving resorts”.

The new project plans to try and change that. The project has been kick-started by Sharks Bay UK agent Oonasdivers, with a donation of ₤500 worth of equipment.

Staff at the dive centre have been in close contact with two local government schools in the Sharm area and they plan to extend the project to cover other schools in the nearby towns of Dahab and El Tur.

Despite the obvious commitment shown by the teachers at both schools it is glaringly obvious that this determination is undermined by the lack of facilities and equipment in the schools. The first two schools that will benefit from the project are Rowayset School, a predominantly Bedouin school in a town about two kilometers inland from Sharm el Sheikh. The second will be the Fayrouz School which is situated between Naama Bay and Sharm el Maya (Old Sharm).

Teachers at the schools told us that there are many things that it would be useful for holidaymakers to bring out. The list is probably topped by English language books for foreigners followed by sports equipment and educational computer games. Other useful items include decent quality drawing paper, crayons, water colours and other arts and craft equipment.

The school in Rowayset was partly refurbished recently thanks to the work of the local Rotary Club. New plumbing, blackboards and fans were installed. The school, with an age range from 4-14, still needs much equipment.

Staff at Sharks Bay have agreed that the dive centre can act as the central collection agency for all the donated equipment and they will ensure that the equipment is transported to the head teachers at the respective schools.

Please bring donated books and equipment to Sharks Bay Umbi Diving Village or speak to Oonasdivers about aranging sending your donations. info@oonasdivers.com (01323) 648924

Tutankhamun Exhibition London

From 15 November 2007 - 30 August 2008 the Tutankhamun Exhibition will be held at the London O2 Centre (Millenium Dome).

Tutankhamun, named Tutankhaten early in his life, was the 12th Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt and began his reign at the young age of 9. He ruled from 1334-1323 BC and lived ca. 1341 BC - 1323 BC. Tutankhamun is now the most famous of the Pharaohs and and the only one to have a nickname in popular culture ("King Tut").

Over 2 million visitors are expected at this fascinating exhibition. Click here for full details. Also click here for our classical Nile cruise tour and your free exhibition ticket!

Travelling to Egypt

If you go to the Foreign Office web site on www.fco.gov.uk and check 'country advice' you will find that Egypt is not listed amongst counties that should be avoided if possible, or not visited at all. We take our instructions from the Foreign Office.

Hand Luggage

Now that security has been heightened in both the UK and Egypt all passengers are requested to keep hand luggage to an absolute minimum. Passport, tickets, money, keys and any essential medicine is all that is allowed and everything else is to go in the hold.

News

Marine Biology Day