NEWS & SPECIAL DEPARTURES

Manta Heaven in North Male Atoll! (27 Aug 10)
The manta cleaning stations in and around North Male Atoll are busy with hoards of mantas queuing up to be cleaned, putting on fantastic displays for our lucky divers! Check these lovely pictures just sent in by the crew on board...

Manta Madness - anyone for soup?!! (17 Aug 10)
Following on from Sea Queen's amazing manta shots sent in last week (see further down) the Sea Spirit has been enjoying its own manta madness. You might be forgiven for assuming these pictures are out of focus! Wrong, there is just so much krill in the water, swept into the atoll by the tides, that it's Christmas come early for the mantas and whalesharks...and for the lucky guests on Sea Spirit who witnessed this amazing event!!
This sort of activity should continue for a few months more so if you want to see one of the most extraordinary sights in the underwater world, then sign up for a trip with Maldives Scuba Tours. Only in the Maldives can you see this.....we have one last place up for grabs this coming weekend if you fancy it!

Manta Madness Continues! (12 Aug 10)
The mantas are giving lucky divers on board our liveaboards some amazing displays. Over the past few days our guests have enjoyed 2 hours in the water with over 20 feeding mantas. The next day it got even better - 150+ mantas and 3 whalesharks! This amazing spectacle continued for 6 long and glorious hours! For one guest on board celebrating his birthday it was the party of a lifetime! Enjoy these beautiful pictures just sent in by the Sea Queen over the weekend -

It is easy to be so taken away with this kind of manta madness that it can be easy to overlook the varied and wonderful creatures we encounter on other dives - including a very rare encounter with a curious white eagle ray and a very lovely pink frogfish!

Remember, it is not just on the full moon or Equinox that mantas come out to play, we see them throughout the year. But this is a great time of year to be in the Maldives and we are looking forward to many more exciting dives with these wonderful creatures over the coming months. You won't see them unless you are in the Maldives on our boats - so sign up for a great dive holiday in the Maldives! We have a few places open - including the below late bargains. Check with our sales team for more details.

Maldives Departures....

Christmas & New Year Liveaboard + Island Combination Specials: 18 Dec - 02 Jan 2011
Don't miss out on a wonderful Christmas and New Year in the tropics. We still have some availability on the following liveaboard plus island combination holidays -

7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Bandos Resort £3120pp plus GB £104pp taxes
On Bandos it includes return speedboat transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Standard Room with breakfast and New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Kuredu Resort £3275pp plus GB £104pp taxes
On Kuredu it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Garden Bungalow on all-inclusive meal plan and New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Angaga Resort £3530pp plus GB £104pp taxes
On Angaga it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Superior Room with breakfast and evening dinner and New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Reethi Beach Resort £3378p plus GB £104pp taxes
On Reethi Beach it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Reethi Villa with breakfast and New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Vilu Reef Resort £3857p plus GB £104pp taxes
On Vilu Reef it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Garden Villa with breakfast and evening dinner New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Vilamendhoo Resort £3045p plus GB £104pp taxes
On Vilamendhoo it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Beach Villa with full board New Year Gala dinner.
7nts Sea Spirit + 7nts Meedhupparu Resort £3117p plus GB £104pp taxes
On Meedhupparu it includes return seaplane transfers, 7nts in a twin/double share Beach Bungalow on all-inclusive and New Year Gala dinner.
All above prices are per person on twin/double share occupancy and include return economy class flights on Emirates from Gatwick to Male, transfers to liveaboard, 7nts full board accommodation, canned soft drinks, teas, coffees and snacks, drinking water, all diving with use of tanks and weights and various excursions.

New Year's Special 12nts Sea Spirit
26 Dec - 08 Jan 2011 - Just £3080pp plus £104pp taxes!
Price includes return economy class flights on Emirates, transfers to liveaboard, 12nts full board accommodation in a twin/double share cabin, canned soft drinks, teas, coffees and snacks, drinking water, all diving with use of tanks and weights and various excursions.

Above flights and accommodation subject to availability at the time of booking and prices may change.

Spinner dolphins by the Sea Spirit in the Far South

Worldwide Departures....exclusive Scuba Tours Charters

Cocos Island: - Amazing £600 off per person!!
2nts San Jose + 10nts Sea Hunter Liveaboard
14 - 27 September 2010 - Now just £2635 plus international flights - Hurry last cabin!
Price includes two nights bed and breakfast in San José (one night before and one night after the liveaboard), transfers, 10 nights on board the Sea Hunter in a shared cabin with full board, soft drinks, water and local beer, Cocos Park Fees and use of Nitrox.
Take a look at our Cocos section for more information.

Galapagos Islands: 2nts Ecuador + 10nts Deep Blue Liveaboard
05 Jun - 17 Jun 2011
Lower Deck cabins £4141 / Upper deck cabins £4313 + international flights
Prices include two nights bed and breakfast in Quito or Guayaquil (one night either side of the liveaboard), return domestic flights from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands, transfers and 10 nights on Deep Blue, soft drinks and water aboard the boat. All prices are based on sharing a cabin/hotel room.
Not included: Galapagos Park Fee of approx US$100, Ingala Tax approx US $10, Recompression Chamber Fee approx US $35, Ecuador Departure Tax of approx US $31.50.
Take a look at our Galapagos section for more information.
All prices are guide prices based on US$/£ exchange rate of 1.6 and are subject to rate fluctuation.

Truk Lagoon:
We at Scuba Tours Worldwide have strengthened our Micronesia program offering fantastic group deals on wreck diving in Truk Lagoon. Working with the Thorfinn liveaboard we are able to offer fantastic group discounts; book 6 one goes free, book 12 and 2 go free, book 17 and 3 go free! And there is more! We will be giving a presentation on the Thorfinn and diving in Truk Lagoon at the Birmingham Dive Show in October. Book and deposit before the show, or during, and receive an additional 5% discount! Offer applies to boat only price and conditions apply. Call our sales team for full details of the offers we have. For more information on Thorfinn and Truk Lagoon check our Truk Lagoon section.

Maldives News....

Sea Spirit returns to the Central Atolls after her adventures in the Far South
The Sea Spirit has now finished her season in the Far South Atolls and is now back in the Central Atolls to enjoy the manta season there. Our remote Far South program has been another great success with sensational diving and not another liveaboard in sight! Our guests have seen some wonderful things during the trips - including a mola mola and a sperm whale. Even at anchorage our guests have enjoyed some thrilling spectacles - our lights on board always attract fish at night and we have had feeding dolphins at the back of the boat, a feeding manta and a feeding whaleshark..!

We will once again spend a season in the Far South during 2011. Take a look at our Far South & Far North Atolls section for more information on these remote areas and our schedules page for all dates and prices throughout the year.
Our Trip Reports section from previous seasons is a great way to plan your trip with us and to give you an idea of what amazing diving you can expect when you travel on a Maldives Scuba Tours holiday.

More Maldives islands and worldwide destinations to choose from
Our database of carefully selected Maldives islands continues to grow, ensuring our customers get the right island for their needs. Our islands section features some of our most popular choices, but our team in the office have experience and information on many, many more. Over the coming weeks we will be slowly adding new pages to our website, so please do check regularly. For first-hand advice and information on what's right for you, please contact our sales team who will be happy to help. We can take care of everything for you to make your dream holiday a reality.

We will also be introducing on our website an international holiday combinations section. A cultural tour of Sri Lanka, or a city break in Dubai, have long been popular add-ons to a diving holiday in the Maldives. Now, with more airlines feeding into the Maldives, we are able to offer other exciting combination packages. Why not combine your dive trip to the Maldives with a visit to India and enjoy a stunning houseboat cruise through the backwaters of Kerala? Or 4x4 wadi-driving desert adventures in Oman..? Give our team a call to find out more about some of our amazing combination holidays.

British Splash-In Championship winner
Congratulations to Charles Erb, winner of the recent fourth annual British Splash-In Championship, with his image of a diver in the wreck of the James Egan Layne. The event was staged at Plymouth on Saturday July 3, 2010, by the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP). As grand prize winner, Charles will be jetting off to the Maldives with a companion to enjoy a fabulous one-week liveaboard trip on one of our boats Sea Queen or Sea Spirit. Well done Charles - we will look forward to welcoming you on board!
Full details of the event can be found on BSoUP’s website http://www.bsoup.org/splash.php

Total Ban on Shark Fishing In the Maldives
The Ministry of Fisheries & Agriculture has imposed a total ban on all forms of fishing for any species of sharks in the Maldives. In a press release the ministry said that any kind of shark fishing has a negative impact on tourism and added that sharks play an important role in maintaining the underwater habitat, as they are at the highest level in the food chain. This is great news for our sharks and rays and for divers visiting the Maldives to see these beautiful creatures!

Why travel with Maldives Scuba Tours?
Our liveaboards Sea Queen and Sea Spirit accomodate just 12 people giving you the optimum dive experience. Our Cruise Directors have 1000's of dives in the Maldives and we know where to go and when to go to get you the best encounters! Want to see more..? Then check out this sensational video clip that was shot by our cruise directors on board the Sea Spirit:

Airline News....

Oman Air Flights to the Maldives: We have some very competitive rates for Oman Air flights to the Maldives with prices from as little as £370 plus £205 taxes. Oman Air flights have an excellent Business Class service too, with seats that lay completely flat and prices starting from just £1350 plus taxes! All flights to the Maldives are via a transit through Muscat and stop-overs are free! So if you fancy a combination Maldives + Oman holiday then give our sales team a call and we will be happy to give you some information and prices.
Increase in UK departure taxes announced by the CAA: The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that there will be an increase on UK departure taxes for travel made on or after the 01st November 2010. The taxes vary according to the destination but we have been advised that for Maldives travel it will mean an additional £25 tax in Economy Class and £50 for Business Class and First Class passengers. So for travellers on either Emirates or Sri Lankan Ailrines it will mean taxes as below:
£104 per person in Economy Class
£179 per person in Business or First Class.
Sri Lankan Airlines Economy Plus: Sri Lankan Airlines are offering passengers the chance to upgrade to Economy Plus seats on the A340 service. For an additional £80 per person each way passengers can enjoy a seat pitch of 35" in an exclusive, relaxed cabin. Economy Plus passengers also enjoy a fine dining menu with a choice of quality wines, and snacks and refreshments served throughout the flight. There are just 24 Economy Plus seats available on each flight so book early to avoid disappointment.
BA's non-stop service to Male: British Airways non-stop direct service from London Gatwick to Male is giving travellers even more flexibility with their itineraries. The three-times-per-week service departs Gatwick on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, returning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Give our sales team a call for more information.

Maldives Island Offers...

Many of the resort islands have released special offers so please call us for the latest updates. Here are just a few of the current incentives:-
Medhufushi:- Incredible discount of almost 50% on accommodation packages between 01 May and 31 October PLUS free upgrade to Half Board!!
Thulhagiri:- Free nights - stay 7 pay 6 / stay 14 pay 12 (valid 01 Jun - 21 Jul 2010).
Filitheyo:- Free nights - stay 7 pay 6 / stay 14 pay 12 (valid 05 May - 31 Jul 2010).
Angaga:- Free nights - stay 7 pay 6 / stay 14 pay 12 (valid 01 Jun - 21 Jul 2010).
Komandoo:- Free upgrade to Standard All Inclusive when you upgrade to Full Board (valid 28 Apr - 2 Dec 2010).
All offers are subject to confirmation & availability at time of booking.

Check this page regularly for any upcoming specials we are running and our sailing schedules for details of all our trips. There will be lots of good diving to be enjoyed with every trip you choose and we look forward to seeing you all on board !

Happy Diving,
Rob Bryning.