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Dive In & Win with Caradonna Adventures

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Hot off the digital presses, US-based Tour Operator Caradonna Adventures 2018 Mexico and Central America Dive Guide is ready to download. It’s free to Caradonna customers and followers and everyone who downloads it is eligible to win a week-long dive trip for two to Anthony’s Key Resort on the island of Roatán, in the Bay Islands of Honduras.

To qualify for the giveaway, simply download the guide, which is filled with inspirational photos and information to help you start planning your next diving adventure. Then answer five simple questions from the pages of the guide, submit your entry and be in with a winning chance!

For more details and to download the guide and enter the competition, click here.

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Book Review: Amazing Diving Stories by John Bantin

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Review by Fred Lockwood

Amazing Diving Stories (2012) by John Bantin

Published by Wiley Nautical         ISBN 9781119969297        266pps

diving bookFull length novels, with complex and evolving plots, together with twists and turns that keep you page turning, are common. They do, however, require a degree of dedication to continue to the bitter end. Less common are collections of short stories, of a few pages, that invite you to dip in and out; to read as few or as many you want at any one time. Amazing Diving Stories by John Bantin is one of the few collections of short stories, that focus on scuba diving, that have been published.

The author has assembled a collection of sixty-four stories and grouped them into nine parts or sections. Each part contains between four and twelve stories that span a broad range of topics and cater for different interests. For example, there are stories about “Famous wrecks and Other Adventures”, “Treasure Seekers and Finders”, “Deep Diving” and “Tragedies” to name just four parts of the book. He has also supplemented several of the stories with full colour photographs, thirty in total, that are cross linked to actual stories. (However, when colour photographs are at a premium I wonder why as many as seven pictures of sharks are included.)

There is no index to the book, which is a lost opportunity. It could have directed us to detailed accounts upon which several of the short story are based. For example, to The Final Dive: The life and death of ‘Buster’ Crabb (2007) by Don Hale, to the exploits of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler in Shadow Divers ( 2004) by Robert Kurson or the tragic story of the death of Dave Shaw in Raising the Dead (2008) by Philip Finch. Overall there is much to enjoy, and reflect upon, in Amazing Diving Stories.

John Bantin

John Bantin changed careers in the late 1970s when he learned to dive. He subsequently acted as a diving instructor in the Red Sea and ran a diving centre in the Mediterranean. More recently he was technical editor of Dive Magazine and is currently Senior Editor of the US based undercurrent.org magazine.

His books include: The Scuba Diving Handbook (2007) and Shark Bytes (2015)

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Dive Worldwide introduces a pair of snorkelling-only liveaboards for 2025

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snorkelling

In response to a growing trend amongst its customers for snorkelling-specific itineraries, specialist operator Dive Worldwide is introducing two new snorkelling trips for 2025. The new liveaboard holidays, to the Coral Triangle and Maldives, offer the same exceptional marine encounters and adventurous spirit as a traditional diving holiday, but with greater accessibility for those that are unable to dive.

Commenting, Phil North, Dive Worldwide’s Brand Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer these two fabulous adventures aimed solely at snorkelling enthusiasts. From iconic animals like whale sharks and manta rays to vibrant coral reefs, much of the magic in our oceans happens in the shallows, and these wonderful experiences are now as accessible to snorkellers as well as divers.

Dive Worldwide has the largest programme in the UK of tailor-made and small group liveaboard and resort-based diving holidays.  It features over 200 destinations worldwide, catering for beginners and experienced divers alike.

snorkelling

NEW SNORKELLING TRIPS FOR 2025

Coral Triangle Snorkelling Adventure

This small group cruise on Indonesia’s Coral Sea is aboard the new and environmentally-friendly Bugis, which sleeps just eight guests. Made from reclaimed teak and serving locally-sourced meals, the boat aims to have the lowest environmental impact as possible, with no single-use plastic on board, and run by a synthetic fuel made from plastic waste. The Bugis offers different itineraries throughout the year, timed for the best wildlife encounters. From May through to September, the focus is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Komodo. Here, enjoy the kaleidoscopic beauty of shallow tropical reefs, swim with manta rays, and take on land expeditions to see Komodo dragons and Pink Beach. Between November and late March, the vessel is in Raja Ampat, the marine biodiversity capital which is also culturally rich on land. Highlights include colourful reefs bustling with hard and soft corals, and interaction with pelagic species.

Price: from £3,495pp based on 2 sharing, including 8 nights’ accommodation (1n Jakatra, 7n liveaboard), all meals, transfers and return flights from the UK. Departures from March 2025.

Maldives Snorkelling Conservation Cruise

These departures, exclusively for snorkellers, provide the ultimate marine life encounters with a focus on conservation and environmental awareness, all while sailing through the beautiful waters of the Maldives. The cruise’s dedicated itineraries focus on either manta rays or whale sharks, and are run in partnership with the Manta Trust and the Maldives Whale Shark Program. This allows snorkellers to encounter these magical pelagics on an intimate, immersive level, slipping all but silently into the waters next to them, and nimbly following them. Alongside the wonders of the water, there’s the chance to experience the local culture and participate in data collection in Citizen Science projects too.

Price: from £2,545pp based on 2 sharing, including 7 nights’ liveaboard, all meals, activities, guiding, transfers and return flights from the UK. Depart: 2 February, 2 March, 23 March 18 August, 4 October or 21 December 2025.

For further information visit Dive Worldwide (diveworldwide.com, 01962 302087).

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