ESCAPE TO STINGRAY CITY!

If the financial ‘crunch’ and the onset of short winter days are a daunting prospect – fear not. Dive Worldwide’s 9-day escape to Grand Cayman – an island of pristine beaches and superb marine life - comes with a saving of £150 p/p on the cost of luxurious beachfront accommodation if travelling before 19th December 08! Tours depart London four times a week – best time to go – NOW!

Nestled amongst the calm, turquoise waters of the western Caribbean, Grand Cayman is the largest of three Cayman Islands. Guests stay in luxury beachfront accommodation at The Reef Resort, located on 1,450ft of pristine white sand beach. The resort’s on-site dive operator, Ocean Frontiers, offers boat trips to diverse dive sites including the famous Stingray City - for close encounters of Southern Atlantic Stingray, to the less developed east end and Jack McKenny’s – at 25,000ft it is the northern hemisphere’s deepest drop-off. Bathed by prevailing currents and with visibility of up to 150ft, divers may also encounter sharks, turtles and Moray Eel amongst the teeming marine life. For time on dry land, follow the Mastic Trail through ancient forest where endemic animal species, including rare Blue Iguana, may be spotted, visit the Turtle Farm for further close-ups of Green Sea Turtle or simply relax back at the resort’s hot tub! After a full day’s activities, enjoy freshly prepared meals from Castro's Hideaway Ocean View Restaurant, then take in the magnificent Caribbean sunset from Castro’s Hideaway Beach Bar.

The holiday NOW costs from £1,485 p/p (was £1,635) (based on two sharing) including flights (BA), taxes, fuel surcharges, 7-nights hotel Studio Room accommodation at the Reef Resort (RO) and 5 days of 2-tank boat dives (10 dives), one night dive, plus tanks and weights.

Click here for more dive holidays in the Cayman Islands.

MANTA RAY OR HAMMERHEAD? - TAHITI - RANGIROA

Tahiti and her islands are definitely the underwater destination for observing anything ‘big’ and in large numbers. If the watery depths are calling, join Dive Worldwide on a 10-night dive holiday, based at Kia Ora Village Resort on the Rangiroa atoll, for exceptional year-round diving. From now till mid-October Rangiroa offers peak viewing of Manta Ray, then throughout January and February, large numbers of Hammerhead Sharks congregate to breed. Holidays depart London daily – best time to see Manta Ray – NOW!

The Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the South Pacific, offering a gigantic lagoon up to 28 metres deep, measuring 75km across and 25km wide - so large that it's impossible to see from one side to the other. Rangiroa's most famous diving spots, Avatoru - the best place to see Manta Ray, and Tiputa - also known as the ‘Shark Caves’ for obvious reasons, open on to the Pacific Ocean. Here, twice-daily tide surges allow for exceptional drift diving in crystal-clear waters, known as ‘shooting the pass’. A short distance out into the lagoon, the reef drops to 1,200 metres where sharks and other pelagics congregate, including Eagle Ray, Jackfish, Barracuda, Turtle and Dolphin. Divers are based at Kia Ora Village resort, consisting of Polynesian-style bungalows set amongst a large coconut plantation on the lagoon's edge. Although scuba diving is the major attraction, there are also great sites for snorkelling, swimming and relaxing around the vast lagoon and for time out of the water, choose from tennis, bike rides and glass bottom boat tours.

The tour costs from £4,135 p/p including scheduled flights, taxes, transfers, hotel accommodation with breakfast, plus 16 dives with equipment.

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PNG DIVE PACKAGE – SAVE £710 PER COUPLE

Dive Worldwide is offering a great diving deal in Papua New Guinea based on two divers travelling together. Book two seven-night accommodation and diving packages at the Tawali Resort and get the second one for half price - PLUS each diver receives £100 discount off the total holiday price. Tours depart London daily, throughout the year.

Tucked away on a volcanic bluff overlooking the clear protected waters of Milne Bay, accessible only by boat, is Papua New Guinea's best kept scuba diving secret - Tawali Resort, Tawali's unique location offers a multitude of attractions; the best exotic 'muck diving' in Milne Bay, reef diving and prolific blue-water diving with schooling pelagics and larger predators like sharks, rays, and even small whales. Big animals often seen include Hammerhead Sharks, Giant Manta Rays, and occasionally Whale Sharks and Minke Whales. There are over 25 dive sites within a 5-minute boat ride of the resort and unlimited shore diving is available from the dive dock. The spacious guest accommodation features two queen size beds and what may be the ultimate private balcony, overlooking a reef-fringed bay framed by tall tropical trees. There is a variety of non-diving activities around the resort, including hiking to waterfalls and caves and village visits.

The holiday now costs from £4,660 per couple including flights and taxes, transfers and a 7-night full board accommodation and dive package.
(The holiday normally costs £5,370 per couple – representing a saving of £710 p/p).

Click here for more Papua New Guinea dive holidays.

MICRONESIA - MANTA RAY BAY HOTEL YAP

Not only is Yap famous for its large population of resident Manta Rays but during filming of the BBC's current wildlife series, Pacific Abyss, new discoveries of fish were spotted including a large, slate-blue Chromis Damselfish, along with other more likely residents such as Silvertip and Grey Reef Sharks, Lyretail Angelfish and Yellow-striped Squirrelfish. For the opportunity to get immersed with some of world’s most spectacular marine life, specialists Dive Worldwide offer 11-day holidays incorporating 7-nights at Manta Ray Bay Hotel in Yap with a 10-dive package – tours depart London NOW!

Guests are based at the Manta Ray Bay Resort, designed by, and built for divers. Choose from elegant and spacious en-suite, air-conditioned rooms complete with mini bar, safe, balcony and satellite television or deluxe ocean view with private roof jacuzzi and sun deck! Enjoy delicious meals and lagoon views at Manta Ray Bistro, the finest restaurant on the island, and a refreshing cold drink by the water’s edge in the Nautical Weaver Bar. Resident 5-star PADI diving facility, Yap Divers, offers world-class diving and a full lineup of diver education programmes along with five radio-equipped twin engine dive boats - to get divers quickly to where the underwater action is - including sharks, turtles, Pipefish, Frogfish, Nudibranches and Mandarin fish. Topside, Yap is the most intriguing of the Micronesian Islands, with its giant stone money, grass skirts and traditional Men’s Houses. Other activities on offer include sea kayaking, hiking and village tours.

The holiday costs from £2,059 p/p including scheduled flights, transfers, 7-nights B&B accommodation at the Manta Ray Bay Resort, 1-night in Manila with breakfast and a 10-dive package, tanks and weights.

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MICRONESIA - 11-DAY BLUE LAGOON RESORT

In a new BBC series, Pacific Abyss, Kate Humble sets sail on a Pacific adventure with a team of natural history filmmakers and deep-water marine biologists to explore the undiscovered depths of the world's oceans – starting in Truk Lagoon. During the making of the series, the team found an environment with a higher density of species than any other known aquatic environment on Earth, including several new fish species. Join tailor-made specialist, Dive Worldwide on an underwater tour of one of the world's remotest stretches of water during an 11-day Micronesian dive holiday, departing London daily – available now.

With more ocean than land, some of Micronesia's best sights are underwater. World-famous, Truk Lagoon is host to an entire Japanese fleet, frozen in time, sunk in WWII during US Operation Hailstone. Complete with sake cups and skeletons, jeeps and tanks tied on board and fighter planes still waiting in the holds, the wrecks have been declared an underwater museum. Incredible corals in a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes along with schooling tropical fish attract divers worldwide for both day and night diving. Nowhere else in the world are there so many wrecks in close proximity, situated in shallow clear water - many visible while snorkelling. Guests are based at Blue Lagoon Resort, conveniently situated on a palm-fringed point of Moen Island offering breathtaking views of the world’s largest lagoon. The resort offers air-conditioned, en-suite rooms, each with a private balcony, an excellent restaurant offering a choice of local seafood and Pacific and Asian cuisine. Local dive operator, Blue Lagoon Dive Centre, conveniently collects divers from the hotel dock – it couldn’t be easier!

The holiday costs from £1,930 p/p including flights, transfers, 7-nights hotel accommodation at Blue Lagoon Dive Resort (plus 1-night in Manila with transfers) with breakfast, and a 5-day dive package (2 boat dives per day, tanks and weights).
Chuuk State Dive Permit fee, currently US$30 p/p (~£16) is payable locally. A drinking permit is available at a cost of US$15 (~£8) also payable locally.

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HA’APAI ENCOUNTERS WITH HUMPBACKS - TONGA

Swim and dive with Humpback Whales during an 11-day exploration of the Ha’apai Islands, part of the South Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga, with diving specialists Dive Worldwide. Departures are available from Heathrow weekly from now until October, coinciding with peak season for Tonga whale watching.

The Ha'apai group of islands is Tonga's best kept secret, with friendly people, an uncanny sense of timelessness, white sand beaches, balmy breezes and warm waters teeming with tropical fish. There are 60 small islands of which only 17 are inhabited. With virtually no tourism, these small islands with traditional fishing villages and fantastic beaches are truly enchanting. A highlight of the diving in Ha'apai is the geography of the reefs themselves. There are caves, canyons, caverns and tunnels to explore on just about every dive with probably many more yet to be discovered. There are also vertical walls, fast flowing passes and colourful coral gardens. Hard corals dominate the reefs but there are also gorgonian fans and soft corals to be found. From July to October Humpback Whales pass through the Ha'apai group, migrating from their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic. The whales come to the warm protected South Pacific to mate and give birth and are often spotted from the diving boat - the very lucky may even get a closer encounter during a dive. Guests are accommodated at the Sandy Bay Resort, situated on a long stretch of secluded white sand beach with all tide swimming and an excellent snorkelling reef. The onsite dive centre, Happy Ha’apai Divers, caters for both novice and experienced divers. Many of the dive sites are within the shelter of the islands and barrier reef, but there are also a number of dives that are in more open water providing opportunities for pelagic animal encounters, including sharks, tuna, trevally and barracuda. During whale season, through passive observation and interaction, the dive team aim to provide divers with a unique opportunity to share an extraordinary Humpback Whale experience.

The holiday costs from £1,995 p/p including flights, taxes, transfers, accommodation at the Sandy Bay Resort with breakfast daily and a 10-dive package (tanks and weights included).

Click here for details of other Dive Holidays in Tonga

***STAY 7-NIGHTS – PAY FOR 5*** CARIBBEAN CALABASH - GRENADA

With the UK weather front remaining unsettled why not dive into the guaranteed warmth of a Caribbean island, surrounded by striking reefs, spectacular walls and wrecks - perfect for all levels of diver, AND save £200 p/p on a 7-night holiday. Dive Worldwide offers 2 FREE nights at Grenada’s elegant Calabash Hotel & Villas available now until 14th December 2008.

The Spice Island of Grenada lies at the southernmost tip of the Windward Islands, just 100 miles from Venezuela. With over 40 picturesque white sand beaches, turquoise waters, cultural and historical sites and a pleasant year-round average climate of 23°C, it’s the perfect destination for a relaxing, tropical holiday. For divers, Grenada is known for spectacular walls and wrecks, with sharks, turtles, lobsters and giant Moray Eels gliding against the backdrop of soft coral forests, striking reefs and sponges. There are a wide variety of dive sites including the Bianca C, known as the ‘Titanic of the Caribbean’, representing an ideal challenge for technical wreck dives. Other famous wrecks include Shakem, Buccaneer and San Juan. The Calabash Hotel & Villas offers every luxury from breakfast on a private balcony prepared and served by a personal waiter to the culinary creations of the hotel’s famous Gary Rhodes Restaurant. Scubatech Grenada, located on site, offers a full range of PADI courses and is one of only three centres in the Caribbean offering Rebreather training, so divers of all abilities are well catered for. Complimentary watersports (non-motorised) are available from the beach and for time out of the water, tennis, snooker, billiards and fitness room are also on offer.

The holiday now costs from £1,120 p/p (based on two sharing) including flights (XL Airlines), taxes, 7-nights B&B accommodation in Westside Suite at the Calabash Hotel & Villas and a 10 dive package with Scubatech Grenada.

Click here for details of Diving Holidays at Calabash Hotel & Villas in Grenada.