Petition
Lift the UK Travel Advisory on Direct Flights to Sharm-El-Sheikh The UK is one of the only European nations refusing to lift its advisory against 'all but essential air travel to and from Sharm-El-Sheikh'. DIVE Magazine is calling for the restrictions placed on one of the UK's best-loved destinations, especially by divers, to be immediately rescinded. There are far more dangerous places around the world than Sharm and the UK still fly to them, but they are not allegedly in a stand off over the price of a barrel of oil that is written into a contract with UK and Egypt. Please share this link with as many people as you can. Click on the Green below to sign the petition. For the last few years, we have been asked are we going to run a trip to Truck Lagoon, to dive the World War two wrecks and the warm clear water of Micronesia in The Pacific Ocean. We already have six names down for this epic trip. This is on most Divers Bucket list. Going back a few years, Alun went there on a recce but not long after, elite got too busy in Sharm to even look at getting out there again. By popular demand, we are finally looking at putting a trip together to dive there in April 2020 For two days in 1944, Allied bombers rained destruction on the beaches of the Caroline Islands in the South Pacific. During World War II, the lagoon was host to Japan’s Imperial Fleet, which was left destroyed in the wake of Operation Hailstone, often referred to as Japan’s Pearl Harbor. Today, hundreds of Japanese aircraft and other military machines remain at the bottom of the lagoon, making it one of the world’s best World War II wreck dive sites. The islands were once part of the Spanish West Indies, explored by Magellan and later visited by Spanish merchants and missionaries. The low coral islands are surrounded by a remarkable, sheltered reef — ideal for housing a navy. On February 17, 1944, five fleet carriers and four light carriers, along with support ships and some 500 aircraft, descended on the islands in a surprise attack. Just a week before the attack, the Japanese military had moved additional ships to the area, and, as a result, approximately 250 Japanese aircraft were destroyed and more than 50 ships sunk. An estimated 400 Japanese soldiers were killed in one ship alone, trapped in the cargo hold. Most of the fleet remains in exactly the same spot it was left, largely forgotten by the world until the late 1960s. Jacques Cousteau’s 1969 film Lagoon of Lost Ships explored the wreck-littered lagoon, and many of the sunken ships were then still full of bodies. As wreck divers brought attention to the site, Japan began recovery efforts, and many bodies have been removed and returned to Japan for burial. A few, however, remain. Many of the wrecks are visible through the shallow, clear water, making it an accessible dive. The wrecks themselves can be very dangerous, not only because of ragged edges and tangles of cables but because of half-century old oil and fuel leaking into the water, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Up until the 1990s, the lagoon was known at Truk, but it is now called Chuuk. Many maps still show both names. Anyone else who is interested in coming with us to Truck Lagoon, please contact info@elite-diving.com and make your interest known.
Some of you may have met G & V (AKA Gwyn and Valeria) while diving with 'elite' in Sharm El Sheikh. G & V met in Sharm in February 2015 while attending a party to celebrate their success in passing their PADI Instructor exam. They both did their Instructor course the same time but with different companies. For the PADI Exam, official examiners from PADI descend on Sharm to conduct the Instructor exams over two full days here in resort. As they both shared the same passion for the Deep blue and passing on that passion to new and experienced divers alike, they already had something in common. Love blossomed and in January 2018 while on a mountain top in Bali Indonesia on Valeria's Birthday, G popped the question. You can see the answer from the photo above a year later. G for those of you who hasn't visited Sharm in the last four years is now the Manager of elite dive center in Sharm and has a hands on approach where he still gets out on the boat almost every day and leads by example. He is also the son of Alun ad Moyra. Valeria had been working for another dive center in Sharm since early 2015 and it wasn't long before she established herself as one of the leading Instructors with that company. As V was going to be a member of the Evans family, it was only right that she joined the family business (especially as she was such a top Instructor). So now G & V work together, following in the footsteps of both sets of parents who also worked together in their respective family businesses. It was only fitting that they got married on a beach, but where?
The only time they can both afford the time to get away together is in the low season which is January and February, just like they have done for the last few years. Valeria hails from Genoa in Northern Italy and G from Maesteg in the Valleys of South Wales. Neither of them wanted to get married in their homeland, especially this time of year, so they chose a beach wedding in somewhere where it was comfortably warm. Mexico was the preferred location after researching other destinations. It was an idyllic setting, and attended by close family who also took this opportunity to take a holiday in the Mayan Riviera on The Caribbean Coast of Mexico. After the family left for home, G & V stayed on to enjoy a Honeymoon touring the area and staying near more idyllic beaches. They are now back in Sharm and looking forward to take you diving in the awesome Red Sea around Sharm. In November 2018, The UN Biodiversity conference was held in Sharm El Sheikh. The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 14), as well as the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COPMOP9) and the 3rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (COPMOP3) will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 17 to 29 November 2018. During their time in Sharm, many of the delegates of the conference, booked to come diving or snorkeling with us at elite diving. Some were very high profile scientists in their field. Also many were very important lobbyists to help persuade governments to alter their countries policy for the benefit of the environment. We met some very interesting people, many of which, were very impressed with the condition of the reefs here in Sharm. After talking to many of the delegates to find out what the conference was about, we at elite offered our services to help in any surveys or information gathering that would benefit their research. We also offered YOUR services knowing you would be only to pleased to help. To our great pleasure, we have been taken up on our offer, and we have been asked to supply information for the CITES Conference in Colombo Sri Lanka in May of this year. This is where you our divers come in. We've been asked to document sightings of Teatfish sea cucumbers in the Red Sea. Now I know I've seen them here but they need proof that they are still here in The Red Sea. So we are asking for any photos you may have taken of some while diving in The Red Sea. It don't have to be in Sharm. If you have the date, dive site and approx depth, that would be great but not essential. Our Current divers and guides are being asked to keep an eye out for them and take photos documenting where and depth. There are two types. A black Teatfish sea cucumber which is usually seen in the shallow sandy areas and the white version which is more likely to be around the 20 meter mark on a sandy bottom. Please send any photos you have and as much detail as possible such as approx date, location, depth to info@elite-diving.com A Black Teatfish Sea Cucumber We look forward to your help and your photos.
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We all at elite diving Sharm el Sheikh wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2019. We hope to see you here in Sharm sometime soon. The divers who have dived in Sharm el sheikh for the past few years, have been treated to some awesome encounters with some of the big creatures that grace our waters. Here are just a few of the video clips taken in Sharm recently. Whale Shark at Marsa Breika swims past our divers, then turns around and comes back for another look!!! Hammerheads Back of Jackson A dive with the usual suspects.Dive Briefing on the Boat Summer at Jackfish Alley A Manta in The BlueNot one but Two Manta's at Ras Zatar How can you not want to be in the water in Sharm? We have to thank all our loyal divers for insisting on visiting us in Sharm, even without direct flights. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to stay open and maintain our level of service. We are still here and waiting to take you diving in this diver's paradise. Contact: info@elite-diving.com
The diving in Sharm is as good now as it ever was. The divers that have made the effort to get here since the direct flights from UK ceased will bear testament to that. The ebb and flow of the tide that brings the concentrated nutrients to the area, due to it's geographical position in The Red Sea, keeps feeding the reef, and in turn produces a favourable habitat for the marine creatures that make this place their home, and also provides a great pit stop area for passers by such as the Whale Sharks, Manta's and other pelagic's. We have had one of our best ever year for spotting these big creatures this year. Although the restriction on direct UK flights remains in place, more and more British divers are getting here by other means as many European countries have lifted their restrictions, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine, as well as other countries outside of Europe such as Turkey and Jordan.
For those UK divers interested that hasn't yet visited Sharm since the flight ban, and are able and wanting to visit Sharm and its most wonderful dive reefs, which have experienced an unprecedented resurgence during the quiet spell, indirect flights are the only way to return to Sharm's never-ending sunshine and diving, so here's the most comprehensive travel advice available on getting to Sharm. Click on HERE to read the original article from DIVE Magazine about ways to get to Sharm from UK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. A massive thank you must go out to our loyal Divers and supporters. You have once again put us firmly on the map of BEST DIVE CENTERS. You voted us 6th Place in The World, against very strong opposition. The best in The World outside Indonesia. And definitely The Best Dive Center in The Red Sea Once Again. It was very pleasing to see that the editor of DIVE Magazine has praised our loyal divers for the effort they made to put us so high up in the rankings. All the credit goes to you, our divers and of course our loyal Team that keep you wanting to come back to dive with them. From the office staff who deal with your bookings, to the tank lads who look after your kit and wash it for you to take back with you clean and dried, the Boat crew of captain Yahia, Zinger and Top Chef Shadi, to of course our wonderful Instructors and guides, who you all mention in person when writing Trip Adviser reports. Some of you will recognise our first Dive Center where it all started but had to move to bigger premises. Click on the link below to see the full results from DIVE Magazine but no doubt you will get an e.mail form them thanking you for your vote. divemagazine.co.uk/travel/8331-dive-travel-awards-top-10-dive-centres-and-resorts Thank you once again and don't forget to come and visit us in Sharm El Sheikh soon. Contact our office for advice on how to get here. info@elite-diving.com
Our three planned Shark Safari's to Egypt's South Red Sea in the Summer of 2019 are all confirmed Sailing's on M.Y.Bella. We will depart from Hurghada and head South to the Shark area further down South. Our shark Safari's have had Shark bonanza's for the last three years and we can't see why 2019 will be any different. The main objective of these Safari's is to dive and see as many shark species as possible. Although we are planning the Simply The Best Itinerary as this gives us the best chance of seeing more shark at that time of year, we will leave the final decision and advice down to our very professional guide Kalil and our very own G, who has found us sharks for the last three Summers. Kalil works in that area all year round. He knows too well where the sharks are at given times, through first hand experience of diving that area for years, and also keeping his ear to the ground and gathering information from other guides diving in that area. G has also worked on the Shark Safari's for the last three Summers and together Kalil and G make up a winning team. There are some places left on three different confirmed sailings. 21st June to 28th June (4 places left) 29th June to 6th July (6 places left) 6th July to 13th July (6 places left) On one dive in Summer 2018 and 2017 we had five different species of shark on the same dive. White tip reef shark. Grey Reef shark, Hammer Head shark. Thresher Shark and Oceanic White Tip Shark not to mention the Eagle rays Manta's and Whale sharks, silky sharks we saw. Take a look at the report of June 2018 Shark Safari. Click here Dining room for breakfast Lunch and Dinner. Snacks are served on the sun deck. En suite twin cabin. Spacious dive Deck and Kitting up area Front Sun Deck Area A very comfy and luxurious Safari boat. If you would like to join us on one or more of our Shark Safari's on any of these dates or find out more, please contact us by e.mail: info@elite-diving.com A brief Video of our last Shark Safari Summer 2018.
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Alun EvansOwner of Elite Diving with Divers United, has a wealth of diving experience and has been diving since 1984. Archives
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