April/May 2004 :
Australia
- Spirit of Freedom - 7 Day Special Itinerary
- Reef Encounter - new addition to our liveaboard options
- Spare
time in Cairns ? - Discover our rainforest in the city
Papua New Guinea
- Star Dancer - Southern New Britain itineraries introduced
- Jais
Aben Resort - New management, same great value & service
Micronesia
South East Asia
Other Topics
DIVERSION DIVE TRAVEL Newsletter April/May 2004
Online HTML version (English) | Online HTML Version (deutsch)
April/May
has arrived and here in Cairns, we're happy to now be beyond the time
(January-March) when traditionally not too many people go diving - "the
Green Season"….or so we thought…..
This
January to March "Green Season" has produced some fantastic
diving and critter spottings. Mantas & Hammerheads reported at Osprey
Reef, Mantis Shrimp, Pipefish & Wobbegong Sharks seen at Steve's Bommie,
and the ever elusive Yellow Nudibranch
(Notordis minor) viewed at both Dynamite Pass & Challenger Bay ?!?!
If you can't make it to Cairns in the peak dive season, September to January, don't worry, there's plenty to see all-year-round, including in the "Green Season".
Australia
Spirit of Freedom - 7 Day Special Itinerary
One
of the most luxurious liveaboards in Australia, the Spirit of Freedom
operates great 3, 4 & 7 night combination trips to the Great Barrier
Reef and Coral Sea. Now divers have the chance to join the following two
special 7 night itineraries from Cairns:
- 08-15 November 2004
- 21-28 February 2005
What's unique
about these trips is that they don't return to Cairns in the middle of
the cruise like the standard combination trips do, so you get all the
benefits and extra diving of a full 7 night cruise….and all for the
same cost as the combination trip !
Needless to say, space on these cruises is very limited - Contact us now
!
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/spiritoffreedom.htm
Reef Encounter - new Great Barrier Reef liveaboard option
The
Reef Encounter is the latest addition to our Great Barrier Reef liveaboard
programme. This is a very good liveaboard option for divers constrained
by time and/or budget. Being permanently based out on the reef, trips
of any number of nights duration are possible. On board, the Reef Encounter
offers an outstanding accommodation base for visitors to Cairns to experience
the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef whether they have just 2 days/1
night, or a week to spare.
Reef Encounter is spacious enough to provide all the comforts of larger cruise ships, yet small enough to enable access to spectacular reef locations inaccessible to other vessels. Sybille recently experienced the Reef Encounter at first hand and was very impressed, keep an eye out for her trip report in our next newsletter !
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/reefencounter.htm
Spare time in Cairns ? - Discover our rainforest in the city
Divers
visiting Cairns are very often surprised that there is far more to the
Tropical North Queensland region than the Great Barrier Reef & Coral
Sea alone.
For example, the tropical rainforests that adorn the region are a unique
attraction in themselves and high up on the "must do" list.
For those with very little spare time on their hands, the Cairns Rainforest
Dome offers visitors the chance of an interactive rainforest experience
right in the centre of Cairns !
"The Dome" is a spectacular all weather wildlife habitat encased
by a 20 metre high glass dome on the rooftop of the prominent Reef Hotel
Casino. Situated in the heart of Cairns, approximately 100 species of
animals are able to wander and fly freely throughout the enclosure that
replicates their natural environment.
The Rainforest Dome offers guests a quality interactive wildlife experience
that promotes education and understanding of rainforest ecology. See the
regions first underwater viewing crocodile enclosure, which enables visitors
to view, eyeball to eyeball, a large saltwater
crocodile.
http://www.cairnsrainforestdome.com.au/
Got more
time to spare ?
An even better
option is to experience our World Heritage listed rainforests at first-hand
by taking a full day's safari into the lush Daintree or Wooroonooran National
Parks. For a great extended tropical experience, the 3 day Great Cooktown
Safari takes in the both the rainforest and cultural attractions of the
region.
Plenty more interesting ideas can be found at the following page:
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/tours.htm
Papua New Guinea
Star
Dancer - Southern New Britain itineraries introduced
In January
2005 Star Dancer will commence exciting 10 night excursions to the truly
remote and largely unexplored south coast of New Britain. Unlike some
other areas of South-East Asia where monsoon conditions are usually expected
in the early part of the year, Southern New Britain enjoys it's dry season
from January to March, making it one of the South Pacific's most unique
diving destinations at this time of year. PNG truly is a year-round dive
destination !
Find out more about this unique itinerary at:
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/stardancerpng.htm
Jais Aben Resort - New management, same great value & service
For
a number of years, the Jais Aben Resort in Madang has been one of PNG's
most popular dive resorts.
Recently completed renovations & improvements have ensured that the
resort's reputation remains this way and now we are very pleased to welcome
Ted & Heather Hamilton on board who have taken over as the new resort
managers.
These days, the resort is looking great and offers a range of quality
waterfront accommodation options along with the top class diving you would
expect to experience in this region. What hasn't changed are the accommodation/diving
packages that we offer - they represent excellent value for money that
can be combined with our special air fares from Australia to form a great
all inclusive package:
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/jaisaben.htm
Micronesia
Bikini
Atoll
When
people start to talk about going to Bikini Atoll for a dive vacation,
their friends think them seriously deranged. "You won't need a torch
for the night dives, everything will be glowing green" and "Take
lead underpants and leave your weight belt behind" are some of the
typical comments received.
Fallout from "Operation Crossroads" and subsequent bomb tests
made the islands of Bikini Atoll uninhabitable, but contamination has
now declined to a point where it is once again safe to visit. In July
1996, Bikini Atoll was opened for visitors as "The world's ultimate
wreck diving destination".
In 1946 Bikini Atoll was the location selected for "Operation Crossroads", a sequence of tests designed to investigate the effect of atomic bombs on warships. A fleet of war surplus American and captured Japanese and German ships were moored in circles around ground zero - the point of detonation. All were fuelled and armed to represent the actual state of the ships during time of war.
The
first bomb, "Able", was dropped from the B29 bomber "Dave's
Dream" on 1 July 1946. Lighter ships suffered extensive superstructure
damage, but many of the heavier ships survived relatively unscathed, sinking
to the bottom of the ocean.
Although there are many other diveable ships in the area, the USS Saratoga remains the "mecca" to wreck divers the world over. Where else in the world can you dive an virtually intact WWII aircraft carrier ?
Now lying at
a depth of 55 metres at the bottom of the Bikini lagoon, the Saratoga
is just within the limits of compressed air SCUBA diving. It is a huge
shipwreck. At 33,000 tons and 271 metres long, the Saratoga is just longer
than the Titanic and the largest diveable wreck in the world.
The blast of the "Baker" atomic bomb has crushed the sides of
the hull together leaving a folded valley in the rear of the flight deck.
It is through this crack, or through either of the aircraft elevators
further forward that divers can enter the Saratoga's hanger deck to see
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive-bombers, Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers
and an assortment of live munitions.
Bored with that ? Drop down on a US Submarine, the USS Pilotfish in 40-60
metres of water :
Sounds like your adventurous cup of tea ?
Contact us for details, prices & packages.
Guam
Stopover Hotels
One
of the members of our reservation team, Chrisje Foster, recently visited
Guam to personally check out some of the great Guam stopover hotels available
for our clients in transit to other points in Micronesia & beyond.
For a relaxing stay in a quiet area with great sunsets, Chrisje's favourite
is the Santa Fe Hotel http://www.diversionoz.com/en/santafeguam.htm
If you need
a little more action and would like the downtown area of "Pleasure
Island" (it's not an island, but a downtown district with mall, good
shops, Planet Hollywood, TGI Fridays etc. etc.) then Chrisje recommends
the Hotel Nikko
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/nikkoguam.htm
Please enquire for our excellent special stopover rates.
South East Asia
Mermaid
- Indonesia & Thailand
As originally
stated in our November 2003 newsletter, we are happy to introduce Mermaid
I & II to our liveaboard program.
Mermaid
I runs great itineraries to the Similian Islands & Burma in the Andaman
Sea, Thailand, October to May.
During
the South West monsoon, (July to October) that limits diving in the Andaman
Sea off Phuket, Mermaid 1 relocates to Indonesia.
The great
Bali-Komodo-Bali trips provide excellent diving as well as Mermaid's renown
service.
http://www.diversionoz.com/en/sea/mermaid.htm
Viking
- Thailand - Ken's report
It
is almost 7 years to the day after my first liveaboard experience to the
Similian Islands (my first EVER liveaboard). That first trip was on an
oily, dirty old Thai fishing boat, but how good the diving was always
stuck in the back of my mind.
The diving is still fantastic, but my trip back to the Similans this time was slightly more comfortable. Viking is the custom-built dream of her Norwegian Owner Einar Meling. Einar's background is the medical services and associated safety industries, the hospitality industry, and of course, scuba diving (He's a fully fledged PADI Master Instructor).
These areas
of expertise complement each other nicely for the boat has been designed
for comfort, safety, convenience and service. Experience diving with Mantas
and Whale Sharks, or the great purple soft corals of Andaman Reef. Enjoy
Viking's laid-back, family atmosphere and learn some Thai into the bargain.
The Thai crew charm everyone. Ohhhhhh, and the Thai food - Tom Yam Goong
or Tom Kha Gai for dinner anyone ? Delicious.
If you want a liveaboard with a difference and experience some traditional
Thai culture into the bargain, then Viking is the liveaboard for you.
Did I mention
the Thai Masseuse onboard who will alleviate your post-diving aches &
pains each day for a mere USD$12 an hour ?
Sign me up again…..
Both Viking , Mermaid together with a range of quality live-aboards currently appear on our webpage under the "Dive-the-World" section.
Coming
soon……..
Coming soon
to a Diversion Dive Travel web-page near you is the upcoming "South
East Asia" section. Stay tuned for that soon and Sybille's report
on Sipadan, Malaysia & diving in Manado & the Lembeh
Straits in Indonesia in our next newsletter.
Other topics
Renowned
technical diver John Bennett is missing and presumed dead after a dive
in Korea on March 15, 2004. His friends around the globe mourn the passing
of a true inspiration in the diving world.
John was an integral part of scuba diving in the Philippines for well
over a decade before moving to Port Douglas, Australia in early 2003 and
starting the Tech Dive Academy. During his diving career he shared his
passion for the ocean sense of adventure with literally thousands of people.
Along with a small group of dedicated divers he pioneered deep diving
in Puerto Galera and to a lesser extent, the rest of Asia. He broke the
world record for depth on open circuit the world record on several occasions
before becoming the first man to ever go below 1,000 feet (308 metres)
on an open circuit regulator.
His achievements are known throughout the diving world but what touched
those that he came into contact with was his modesty and personality;
he had time for everyone and never tired of talking about diving.
John's professionalism, dedication and humbleness affected many. He will
be deeply missed. John is survived by his long term partner Gabby and
two young children, Joshua & Katie.
Advertising giants Saatchi and Saatchi help to stop shark finning
Advertising
giants Saatchi and Saatchi have joined the fight to raise public awareness
of the plight of sharks and ending shark finning by generously donating
an advertising graphic to the Shark Trust.
Take a look at the good work of the Shark Trust http://sharktrust.org/cgi/home.asp
The graphic is a sophisticated and satirical take on the classic Jaws poster. The point is not lost. Talk about role reversal.
Thanks to Saatchi and Saatchi on behalf of the sharks !
Specials
Please bookmark the following link for all the latest and greatest specials.
http://diversionOZ.com/en/specials.htm
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