After several setbacks: people dropping out, Jim Molyneux breaking his ankle, and it snowing in Ibiza the day before we arrived, we finally got the very early Easyjet flight from Gatwick. We were met by a very chirpy talkative character named Jeff Richardson from the Seahorse diving centre, who transferred us to a small resort (Las des Torrents) where our excellent self catering accommodation was located. We settled in very quickly and went to a large supermarket to stock up with food and refreshments for the week and then found the best local bar for the cup final! The holiday started well with Chelsea completing the double, England winning the 20\20 cricket world cup, and the sun coming out very hot immediately we landed. After all that excitement and with an early diving start on the Sunday morning we were fairly early to bed that evening.

The next morning we met at the dive centre on the local beach and were transported to San Antonio by van to meet the dive boat (Lil Pegasus) to start kitting up, watched by the passing wearied eyed clubbers making their way home from the clubs the night before. The usual 1st day kit faffing ensued: forgotten masks, dry suit hoses left at home, and 1st stage adaptors not thought of, mainly done by the same nameless person. Jim came along for the boat ride and with only 3 club members diving – myself, Kevan and Nick Tulip – and a local PADI diver called Charlie we set off in bright sunshine for 2 good 1st day dives. Nick immediately became the butt of most jokes being the new boy, especially from the skipper Jeff, with things like “can he dress himself”, “boy and lad”, “sit down you’re blocking the sun out” and inquiries as to whether he had “pulled” the previous evening. But he took it well and gave as good as he got with his diving and air consumption improving all week.

The diving also got better as the week went on, with the Don Pedro and the Margueritas caves the highlights of the week, closely followed by a sheltered wreck called The Noseque, which was so good we dived it twice. Jim managed one day’s diving (on one leg) on the 4th day although he needed a tow by Nick on the second dive in a slight current and a full butler service (fins, weight belt and BC removal) before climbing the ladder back onto the boat for both dives.

The visibility and sea life was good all week and consisted of Barracuda, Cuttlefish, Morays and Congers, various types of Wrasse and millions of Jellyfish. The water was a balmy 18°c so no gloves or hoods were needed if you didn’t want them but we all wore dry suits. We dived most dives without a guide and still managed to find our way back to the dive boat. We didn’t manage the proposed 2 night dives because of the temptations of San Antonio nightlife and its various types of bars, especially Sgt Peppers (don’t ask about a broken hearted Jennifer). We were joined one evening by the Monmouth Rugby club on tour and their forfeit games and almost ended up having a late night bungee jump.

There were 2 non-diving members of our group (Mary Hards and Audrey Molyneux) – our catering managers – who must have covered most of the Island on the local buses during the week. Many thanks to them for doing the shopping. We all had a great time and will go back there again soon. We were very well looked after by Jeff and Therese from the Seahorse diving centre and I thoroughly recommend them for a good week’s diving. They are located on the beach with two excellent restaurants either side of them, in a very nice little sandy bay and have a very fast hard boat that gets you out to most dive sites within half a hour.

Good holiday!

All prices are per person per day

There are also 2 Self-catering apartments that sleep 4/5 persons at 710 Euros per apartment per week. These may not be available for long.

Flights will be in the region of £180 but I cannot be certain until I have some idea of numbers and can talk to British Airways

There will also be a cost for a coach to and from the airport but that will depend on numbers and hence the size of coach.

There will probably be a reduction for children but I have not had that confirmed yet.

Please can you let Brian know as soon as possible if you are interested as he needs to start giving the hotel and dive centres some numbers. He will be away for a week from the 31st january and will need to have an idea of numbers soon after I return.

The check in at Singapore Airlines, Heathrow, Terminal 3 is the most painless I have ever experienced – no queue, straight in, no quibble about weight allowance. We are all up to the usual tricks, regulators in rucksacks etc. No fuss, waived through as royalty, the beginning of how it was to be, fabulous!

Enter the biggest plane I have ever been on – a double Decker A380 Airbus with upstairs and downstairs – I was ushered through to a bucket seat with personal TV screen, there must be a mistake… I’ll just keep quiet. Service with a smile, steaks, curries, meal after meal, snacks, complimentary wine, latest selection of new film releases, TV shows, a blanket, a pillow, a smiling air hostess… Wow! Economy took on a whole new meaning!

All of us compared reading material – I had Dan Brown’s recent publication, ‘The Lost Symbol’, the girls had various trashy novels, Bret was reading this huge book about 4 inches in depth with a massive title ‘Hitler’. He was boning up on a subject his daughter is studying at school!! Thank goodness the passenger next to him wearing the skullcap did not notice.

The flight was on time, thirteen hours later we arrived at Singapore – the cleanest and tidiest airport in the world. Ninety minutes later and we were on our connecting Silk Air flight to Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. A seamless and efficient journey.

We arrived at Manado Airport and gathered our luggage. The one and only hitch of the entire holiday came to the fore. Kevan’s dive bag was missing, all the passengers had left the airport and one identical dive bag bearing the name Peter Garrett remained. Fortunately, a couple of phone calls and an hours delay led to the retrieval of Kevan’s bag. Mr Garrett continues to receive travel advice text messages to this day; I made it a priority to send him a friendly greeting the moment I got back from holiday. What a buffoon!

I was feeling rather chipper when I arrived as I was now a millionaire having changed £100 sterling for one and a half million Indonesian rupees. The 50K notes were burning a hole in my pocket. The wad was bulging in my trousers – the cash that is?

A smooth transfer and 40 minutes later we arrived at the Santika Hotel, Utara, North Sulawesi. The hotel’s natural surroundings and beautiful greenery create a serene ambience for leisure travellers. Holidaymakers wake up to a breakfast of warm pastries and espresso from the coffee shop and can spend a relaxing day by the outdoor swimming pool and have cocktails delivered from the bar. There are plenty of diving and snorkelling opportunities at the nearby beaches. The Santika Hotel has its own Thalassa Diving Centre and is the ideal base for divers. The resort and dive centre can be found on amongst waving palm trees and lush mangrove forests, in the middle of the famous National Park of Bunaken which is one of the most diverse areas in the world in terms of underwater life. We just dropped off our dive equipment and their staff did the rest. Our diving holiday in North Sulawesi was unforgettably wonderful; whether diving in Bunaken and Lembeh Straits or just making a short trip to the Bangka Archipelago, with our experienced and hawked-eyed dive guide, ‘Fat James’ who appeared to be about 16 years of age. In fact he was a waif in build and 28years of age, married with a daughter named Floren. Our day boats were spacious and comfortable. Our diving days were full of surprises and encounters with special marine creatures.

Diving in North Sulawesi:

Specialists claim that in Bunaken National Park alone, one can find over 58 different genera of corals and an estimated 2000 species of fish. This count becomes even higher if you add the extra species that can be found in the Bangka Archipelago and Lembeh Straits. Because three big water masses come together; the Pacific Ocean, the Sulawesi Sea and the Indian Ocean, a wealth of nutrition exists to feed the numerous species. The tidal currents and the diversity in underwater “landscape” also contribute to the richness of this underwater paradise. The tidal difference is about 2.2 meters (8 feet) and therefore most dives were drift dives. The temperature of the water ranges between 26 and 29 degrees Celcius (79 -85 Fahrenheit). Lovely and warm uhmmmmmmmmm!

Giant Frogfish, Hippocampus & Mandarinfish

Sightings included: Sharks, Barracuda, Huge Turtles, Giant Frog Fish, Mandarin Fish, Sea Horses, Cuttle Fish, Coconut Octopus, Scorpion Fish, Lion Fish, Porcupine Fish, Box Fish, Puffa Fish, Morays Eels, Ribbon Eels, Manta Shrimp, Eagle Rays, and Blue spotted rays in addition to new variety of Clown fish, damsel and anthias.

During our stay we were privileged to be able to go on a local jungle safari where we saw two rare species of monkey: The Booted Macaque and the Tarsier Spectrum.

The Booted Macaque of the Sulawesi island, Indonesia. The Booted Macaque Monkey is active during the daytime and spends most of the day in the trees. The Booted Macaque is an omnivore and feeds on figs, buds, invertebrates and cereals.

Tarsier Spectrum (the world’s smallest primate). Endangered species.

Well our diving and resort centre holiday passed in a flash and next we travelled to Singapore, a very new and exciting city, and an independent state since 1965, when it became a sovereign, democratic and independent nation, having formerly been a port of Malaya.

We took in a tour known as ‘The City Experience’ which showcases the contrast between old and new and the blend of East and West. We experienced the history, culture and the lifestyle of multi-racial Singapore, the exciting heart of New Asia. We visited the Colonial district for a view of Padang, The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and The Merlion – a mythical beast, Singapore’s original half lion, half fish. Our next stops were Little India, Chinatown and a Gem Factory, to admire the best of Asian craftsmanship. The last stop was a visit to the 52 hectares of primarily jungle and gardens, the famed Botanic Gardens.

Our second jaunt was to the world’s largest observation wheel – The Singapore Flyer.

Standing at stunning 165m, the Flyer is the height of a 42-storey building – that’s some 30 metres taller than the famed London Eye. Taking a flight on this £500m wheel is a one-of-a-kind experience you wouldn’t want to miss. It’s the only place to see Singapore’s magnificent cityscape. As the wheel turns, you’ll be treated to a visual 360° feast of iconic and historical landmarks and views from the Marina Bay to the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Merlion Park, Empress Place and the Padang. There is no other place in Singapore that offers these breathtaking, panoramic views. Besides spectacular views of the entire Marina Bay, visitors are treated to other points of interest around this landscape of water and gardens, such as:

Raffles Place:

Raffles Place, Singapore’s main Central Business District, is situated south of the mouth of the Singapore River. Originally known as Commercial Square, it was named after modern Singapore’s founding father, Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles, in 1858. Retailers in the district soon gave way to the rapid development of finance houses and major banks in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Fullerton Singapore:

An internationally acclaimed five-star luxury hotel located near the mouth of the Singapore River, The Fullerton Singapore was converted from Singapore’s historic general post office building to one of Singapore’s most prestigious hotels.

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Located at the picturesque waterfront overlooking Marina Bay, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is Singapore’s most exciting performance arts venue to date. Housing a 1,600-seat concert hall, a 2,000-seat theatre and several recital rooms, theatre and rehearsal studios as well as outdoor performing spaces, the dome-shaped complex also boasts a shopping mall, cosmopolitan food outlets and an arts library.

Merlion Park

The Merlion, a half-fish half-lion hybrid, is a commanding presence standing 8.6 metres tall on the south bank of Singapore River. The Merlion originates from the legend of Sang Nila Utama, a prince who named this sunny island “Singapura” (Lion City) after sighting a lion upon his first arrival to Singapore’s shores. The majestic Merlion has since become a popular tourist attraction for visitors.

Singapore River

Once Singapore’s lifeline for trade, where early immigrants worked and lived, and stevedores unloaded cargo from ships and bumboats, the Singapore River has been given a new lease of life with the development of art venues, alfresco dining, entertainment and retail in conserved shop-houses. Highlights on the banks of the River include popular tourist attractions such as Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay.

The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by people as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. The food is heavily influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and even Western traditions since the founding of Singapore by the British in the 1800s. It would take me pages of mouth watering explanation to describe the variety of mesmerising dishes on offer. We ate street food one evening and it was excellent and very affordable.

Finally, a huge thank you to chief organiser Ros. An outstanding trip and an opening of eyes for all of us of the opportunities and desirability to travel again to the Far East.

There is plenty to do in this fantastic area, so well worth going up a few days early, as half of us did. We all stay in an award winning caravan site with excellent amenities, with a large indoor swimming pool to retire to after diving if needed and a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi to relax in as well. Also a Health and Beauty shop for the girls, us rugged men divers don’t need it as much!? The rest of the crowd followed us up on Friday 28th at various times with the last 3 people to arrive being Marius, Ian and Gail; they arrived in the early hours. They were our Farnes virgins along with Rory and they all did very well in choppy and sometimes cold conditions and managed 20 dives between them.

We always try to take along as many newcomers as possible; it’s a good opening to UK diving and when the seals want to come out to play, as they did again this year, it’s fun as well as a good test of buoyancy skills in shallow waters and some currents. Sunday was especially good with the Seals, with many very close encounters, Gail having to push one over enthusiastic seal away several times and Marcela stroking and tickling one for ages, I thought she was going to take it home with her at one time. Gren was busy filming all of this as usual, assisted by Sarah, as you’ll have seen on the website. One sneaky seal came up behind me and undid my BC pocket and let out my Delayed SMB, it just floated past my eyes to my utter amazement. Unfortunately as a precautionary measure, we had to call out the helicopter on the Sunday for one of our group, who was lifted to the surface by an upward current from 7 metres. He was put on O2 immediately and was taken to the Hospital for further O2 treatment as a precaution after saying he felt sick. They continued his O2 treatment for a further four hours and then he was released later that evening and returned to take part in the BBQ.

We had the usual kit malfunctions and mishaps, not untying tanks first, almost forgotten weight belts, dry suit zips not being done up, torn seals (the drysuit variety), my zip finally decided to give up the ghost ( it’s teeth fell out, that’s what happens when you get old). I had to borrow Duncan’s ( a dive boat crew member) dry suit for the rest of the weekend and the equipment officer ( Bret) decided to go diving with NO neck seal at all, obviously needs more training. Graham found a novel way of wearing his weight belt, round his ankles when he got back on the boat, watched in amazement by his buddy Venessa, good to see her back in the water after James. Graham also forgot to mention his split hose and un-zipped suit as well. He had a good weekend! And that’s just the mishaps I noticed or they owned up to. But we all got in, got out and managed over a hundred dives between us. Many thanks to Gren for yet again organising the 40 plus tanks each evening which needed filling and for sorting the finances for them as well. And thanks to my assistant dive marshall (Marcela) and also to everybody for loading and unloading the boat each day so quickly and efficiently.

We did our customary group meals on Saturday and Monday evenings at the Lodge and only just managed a BBQ on Sunday evening avoiding the showers by the skin of our teeth, many thanks to the chefs Brian D and Chris K and all my lovely lady salad makers and my caravan monitors, who supplied the basics for each caravan. At the BBQ plenty of beer and wine was drunk and then Marius appeared with some Slovakian fire water, which had to be sampled. Everybody then seemed to migrate to my caravan to continue drinking, as there was no obvious party caravan this year, we must be all growing up at last or the bad boys and girls didn’t come this year!?

Most afternoons where spent relaxing in the pool area after the diving, although some people ventured along the beach or toured the village shops. We had several non-diving trip members and children with us, so it was good to link-up with them in the afternoons as well. Seahouses is a lovely village with numerous pubs which always seem to be packed, especially when our crowd get up there, Drinking must be a national pastime up here. We were partly joined by Hampton BSAC, consisting of several ex-K&E members, for a drink one evening. Good to renew old friendships!? Some faces not seen at the club for a long time. On the bank Holiday Monday there was a fair overlooking the sea and a RNLI exhibition and the village was packed with people, with a great atmosphere and lots to do and see. I just followed tradition and went to the Ship Inn with some of the regulars and dive boat crew for a few beers and de-Briefing, I’ve been up here a few times now and I’m starting to understand the locals now. As always it was a great week and the weather just about stayed good for us. I will be doing this trip again next year and the list will be going up very soon, so watch out for it on the board.

You can have two bags if one of them is sporting equipment but you may be charged for the bag (no lies this is what we were told). For example, if you took your golf clubs that would count as sporting equipment and could be in a separate bag, this is a piece of sporting equipment in official terms apparently, but you may still get charged for the bag (confused yet). Otherwise it should all be in one bag, unless it is a piece of sporting equipment. This is the exact explanation given to me and Chris at the check in which drew completely blank stares from both of us at which point she gave up and checked our bags anyway.

A simple departure accompanied by several beers and a snack with the discussion on diving and just how cold the water might be. There was little in the way of expectation of really warm weather (oops). So I’m glad I packed three warm tops! Two and a bit hours later touch down in Split and the group grew by two (my wife and Andy met us there).

We met our congenial host for the week who wasn’t called Borat! Anyway Borko led us to our transport and we started our holiday proper heading for the very pretty Rogoznica.

The group was led by Uncle Len Hards, Dive Marshall and master of ceremonies – He was ably assisted by Marcella (Cousteau) Turanova, Asst. DM. Then the rest of us: Sandra (Barbie) Argent, Glen (you’re all mad), Jim (Octo) Molyneux, Chris (Jordan) Knight, Andy (I don’t need a dry suit anymore) Ethel And me;

And, not forgetting the non divers (the beautiful ladies), Mary, Cathy, Audrey and Rebecca.

Bourco showed us to our apartments which most of us agreed we would never find our way back to in the dark. Very nice, comfortable well appointed and convenient for the dive centre and the pub (in no order of importance).

At this point I was very glad that I had packed a couple of pairs of shorts!

Needless to say once the kit was dumped we found the bar and found some beer. Borko enlightened us to the joys of Croatian diving and what to expect gastronomically for the rest of the week and said to use his name any where in Rogonica as it might help and, in this instance, genuinely seemed to. Several beers later we retired to bed.

Diving was due to start at 09:00 hours the next day. The sun was shining and it was decidedly warm walking to Dive Pongo (something to do with a dog Borko once owned) with all the kit required. The centre was literally at the waters edge and the boat was moored outside. You couldn’t of asked for a nicer location (unless of course there was a bar and restaurant next door) and the view across the Adriatic was amazing. We met Borkos able assistant, who wasn’t called Gorko (shame really as that would have been too good to be true) and sorted our kit out. Goran went and got the boat and we duely loaded up. We set out at 1000 hours, well we were on Croatian time by then!

You could say the mix of equipment being used was a bit different, wetsuits and twelves through to dry suits and twins but other than Andy and the local boys none of us knew quite what to expect (not exactly sure I came away any the wiser either, it all seemed to work, Borko dived on twins in a dry suit, Andy on twins and a wetsuit and Goran on a twelve in a wetsuit, so take your pick really.

So what was the diving like? All in all pretty good, we knew it would be a little murky and colder than later in the season but it is still pretty spectacular. Lots of big walls, amazing Gorgonia and plenty of critters.

The first couple of dives were the usual adjustment dives, getting back into the swing of things after which we all settled in and took in the scenery. Of note were the Mig site (none of us actually managed to find the majority of the wreck), the fallen lighthouse, the still standing lighthouse and the blue cave (not much of a cave really and I would imagine really spectacular when the water clears). It was octopus mating season so they weren’t in the usual abundance but that made the encounters (ink and all) all the more special. Wrasse and scorpion fish everywhere (including the biggest I have ever seen), John Dory and angler fish making an appearance along with loads of different shellfish.

From a personal point of view I think my favourite was one of the last, the fallen lighthouse. We’re not talking big winding staircase and porthole windows, it was a big concrete block with a big concrete pillar. Blown up in WW2 it sits top end down in about 4 metres of water in its own crater which drops to around the 7 to 8 meter range, doesn’t sound that great but it is so out of place it just looms at you and has a very eerie feeling. Very cool.

Things of note, hmmm! Len won’t be asking me to zip up his dry suit again, Marcella has decided that she either needs a Bathescape or a trimix rebreather, me and Jim did some equipment testing, Glen discovered the joys of being a trainee diver and Chris became Borkos model of choice for the week (he looks good in the water apparently).

Most of the diving will no doubt be reported and debated elsewhere, so on to other stuff!

Croatian cuisine is on the whole simple but very tasty (ask Chris he did the majority of the menu in one restaurant). The fish and shellfish were fresh and wonderful, Audrey has become an addict of the garlic oil (probably more garlic than oil but very tasty), the girls discovered the local wine, served in litre jugs was pretty good (at any time of the day) and Len had chips, a lot. Ice cream is a big thing everywhere in Croatia and can be purchased until closing time (we should know).

Not expecting much from the weather we were more than pleasantly surprised. It was sunny and warm everyday (we measured up to 33° on the boat one day). We did have one rain storm, it lasted what seemed like about 30 seconds (Rebecca stayed on and said that their was what seemed like a monsoon a couple of days after we left but even that didn’t last long). The only drawback to the climate was the mosquitoes, not much of a problem during the day but they liked to bite at night. It didn’t take too much repellent to deter them.

As diving was usually done by three most days there was some down time and we headed for the sea and swimming. You can’t really say headed for the beach as they don’t really have beaches. What they do have are little concrete platforms (left over from the communist days) that reach out a little way into the Adriatic which you can lounge on and swim from, really rather civilised. And there was a lot of them.

The last day was our down time (break before flying) and it was decided to do some sight seeing so we headed for a rather beautiful little city called Trogir. A walled centre with winding narrow streets, a cathedral, a castle and lots of bars and restaurants. Some of us made our way to the top of the bell tower (no way would the health and safety squad of let you do that in the UK) for some truly breathtaking views. Borko had recommended a restaurant to eat at, the only problem with this being was finding it, talk about out of the way. But he was right, very atmospheric, good service and pretty good food. Len had some chips. Croatian hospitality extends to complementary drinks before or after the meal (or both) and they served some interesting rocket fuel.

The accommodation was pretty good, most of the group in one villa with two separate flats, and Rebecca, Andy and I in a slightly smaller villa round the corner. We had no problems in our little flat and essentially neither did Len and the posse apart from the owner who apparently was a fundamentalist member of the green party (a severe dislike of any unnecessary use of electricity) who liked to go to bed early. Well if you are going to have wild parties you should read the rules first…

No major injuries were sustained, Len and I both got savaged on our toes by the ridiculously high door frames, Glen spent a little too long in the sun (think lobster) and Cathy got ravaged from behind by a rampaging anemone.

Altogether a quite splendid trip, major, major thanks to Len for organising a truly unforgettable holiday.

A trip to the Red Sea has not only become a K&E annual event but is often the highlight of the dive season, and this year was no exception. We flew into Marsa Alam on 10th June and headed for our floating hotel, Miss Nouran. Being a liveaboard virgin I, perhaps naively, expected a sophisticated harbour and easy access to the boat. Instead the coach dropped us at the water’s edge in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by rubbish and half a dozen Egyptian children eager to earn some tips. I immediately spotted a problem: there was no jetty to our boat. My question of how we were going to get ourselves and our luggage on board was soon answered as 2 RIBs appeared. I also now understood how the Egyptian kids were planning on earning some small change! Our luggage was loaded onto the RIBS and, despite being precariously balanced, was transported without incident. It was then our turn and again we were successfully delivered to the boat with nothing worse than wet feet.

Whilst many of the experienced liveaboard divers commented that the boat was smaller than they were used to I was immediately impressed, especially by the size of the cabins and bathrooms. There must also have been almost as many crew as there were guests – I certainly have no complaints about the way we were looked after.

After a greeting from our dive guides, Hanny and Ahmed, we unpacked and settled down for a very welcome evening meal. It was then early to bed, excited about the diving ahead.

The next morning we started with a check dive direct from the boat. Thank goodness for check dives as I had some problems with the deployment of my DSMB at the end of the dive, it got tangled and I didn’t let go of it quick enough.  My buddy, Kevan Tulip, surfaced safely and fortunately there were no ill effects.

The second dive was from the RIB and was excellent – it’s what Red Sea diving is all about: perfect visibility, beautiful corals and an abundance of stunning life including blue spotted rays, puffer and surgeon fish and a massive moray eel.

We headed off to St Johns in the Deep South, our main destination. All we had to contend with was was the oceanic white tip sharks!

I won’t talk about every dive individually but they were all reef or wall dives with a couple of small wrecks thrown in – a sunken liveaboard and a small yacht.

The highlights for me included the Shaab Claudia, the Small Abu Galu, and St John’s Caves where we were guided through wonderful coral gardens and inlets. We were entertained by enormous Napoleon wrasse, moray eels the size of elephants’ trunks, shoals of tuna, jacks and huge barracuda. The beautiful blue spotted rays were seen on many of the dives and those with good eyesight saw nudibranc and octopus. We were surrounded by lion, parrot, surgeon, clown and puffer fish, and so much more stunning and colourful life. We experienced many different hard and soft corals and a brain coral city.

We also did several night dives, which for the novices amongst you aren’t nearly as scary as they sound. In fact I can’t recommend them enough but make sure your torch doesn’t go out the moment you start descending, like mine did. A pretty hard wallop fortunately did the job and I spent the rest of the time trying not to blind my fellow divers!

Perhaps one of the dives that will stick in the memory banks of many for a very long time – particularly Jackie Maskell – was Habily Ga’Afer. Like most of the dives, there was an abundance of life and beautiful corals but we were also accompanied by several oceanic white tip sharks. Jackie was finning along taking in the scenery when something bumped into her. Assuming it was a fellow diver she turned and found herself nose to nose with a 3 metre oceanic white tip! Remaining calm and drifting with the current, her new buddy soon got bored and left her to enjoy the rest of her dive in peace. I suspect her air consumption increased rapidly for a short period!

Elphinston, a 300 metre cigar shaped reef with sheer sides, was also a highlight for many, again party because of the shark sightings. It was here that an oceanic had its eye on Marcela Turanova and Len Hards’ rear ends but being camera shy, disappeared into the blue as Kevan Tulip got ready to take a picture!

There were numerous other sightings of oceanics, reef, and hammerhead sharks on several of the dives and the buzz on the dive deck when we all surfaced was fantastic as we all swapped stories and re-lived our encounters.

My own first sighting of sharks was on the 3rd day when I signalled to my buddy that there were 4 big fish several metres above us. My realisation that they were actually reef sharks left me with a mixture of excitement and fear!

Both sharks and dolphins were spotted from the boat when we were enjoying well deserved rests and refreshments – somebody shouting “shark” or “dolphins” is undoubtedly the best way to be woken from a doze in the sun.

Our evenings were relaxed and very short if we’d enjoyed a night dive. We simply chatted over a drink or watched a DVD, including Jaws! John Rapley also managed to entertain us by losing a tooth during dinner one evening!

After our last dive of the week, we packed our bags and returned to shore on the RIBS, again without incident. We were taken to our hotel for the last night and day, which was beautiful. It was great to be greeted by Cynthia and Julie. They’d had a wonderfully relaxing week and had enjoyed the pool, facilities, and entertainment.

In our absence they’d also entered John Rapley into the belly dancing competition to be held that night… being a spoil-sport he refused to participate!

Our pick up wasn’t until 4.30pm the next day so we had plenty of time to relax in the sun but several of the group (me included) were seen sprinting around the complex. It soon became apparent that the run was always in the same direction and followed by a slow stroll back to the sun-bed – yes, Egyptian tummy had hit us with a vengeance! We pooled our supplies of Imodium and the Egyptian equivalents and all succeeded in getting home accident free (I think)!

Despite the episodes of runny tummy don’t be discouraged – it was a fabulous week; the diving and company great; and the service and support we received from the dive guides was excellent. If you haven’t yet experienced a Red Sea liveaboard add it to your to-do list – I’m not sure how it can be beaten.

As always thanks go to the organiser of the trip, John Rapley. Looking forward to next year already!

14 days all inclusive will be approx £1700 plus beer money and food in Singapore. (A 10 day holiday is also possible as there are 4 flights a week). Departure is on 27 September 2009 and they will be  returning on 11 October.

Flig hts are from London Heathrow to Manado via Singapore with Singapore Airlines

UK airport taxes, fuel surcharges, transfers included

They have chosen to do 11 nights at the resort half board. Food is included on the 8 diving days (3 dives per day on average). The are also doing two day trips to the jungle and a volcano with 2 nights in Singapore on the way back.

If you are interested please speak to Ros or Sandra (6 are already booked to go).

Dates: 08/04/09 – 15/04/09 (some of us are staying until 18/04/09)

Open to Sports Divers or above (unless an instructor is on the trip). Non – divers, non-club divers, & children are welcome & there are no number restrictions as we can have extra rooms at the guesthouse if we book early enough.

• Good diving, (20-30metre viz usual)
• Friendly dive centre/guesthouse
• good food and very reasonably priced
• One week half board
• Unlimited shore diving
• Airport transfers
• 12ltr airtanks & weights & one jeep between four

This year we have reserved a refurbished villa with private pool 50 yards from the dive centre (subject to having a similar number to last year).

Each group of four can choose to dive independently or as part of the group, providing they are suitably qualified.

£390.00 half-board (any boat trips extra)

Flights as of October 2008 are around £235.00 – Depending on airlines/numbers/flights

(Prices are based on last year & I have been told by the dive centre that this should be correct). All prices are approx.

Further information:

• www.gozodiving.com
• www.gozo.com

or see me for: CD of 2005 trip or TV DVD 2006 or DVD of 2004 trip

Contact: Tony Colato Tel: 07717 494571 or tonyc@connectionscouriers.co.uk

All diving will be subject to bsac risk assessment & marshalling recommendations.