There are around 150,000 active divers in the UK, 40,000 of
whom belong to the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), the UK’s
governing body for diving. Many divers will have qualified overseas
with the American Professional Association of Diving Instructors
(PADI).
| Picture: Image Bank |
Diving holidays are becoming increasingly popular. BSAC director
and Travel Club co-ordinator David Dixon said the mood at last
month’s dive show was very positive.
“More people are travelling and the dive market is no exception,
with divers visiting more remote places and the popular
destinations getting busier. Indications are that diving is
expanding faster than other markets,” he said.
Of note is the Far East, where Dixon said Malaysian Borneo,
Vietnam, the Andaman Islands and even Cambodia are opening up.
“Cuba is developing its diving product too,” he added.
Dixon said diving represents a worthwhile holiday proposition
for agents.
“The dive holiday market is estimated to be worth in excess of
£75 million a year, so it is well worth getting involved in
this growing trade.
Agents can look at the specialist dive travel website, at
bsactravelclub.co.uk, for more information. “It also offers any
advice agents may want to pass on to customers,” said Dixon.
As well as the Red Sea, which remains the most popular spot for
British dive holidaymakers, Dixon recommends agents consider
long-haul options too. Here he shares his top five spots with
Travel Weekly.
| The Maldives |
Why? This is the place to go for a really
relaxing holiday with some excellent and colourful diving. Relax on
the beach, try your hand at watersports, indulge in food and drink
and dive to your heart’s content. Find a sheltered spot on a
house reef close to shore or take a drift dive on an outer reef or
a channel between atolls.
Wow factor: you can see manta rays and whale
sharks at one extreme and delicate and brightly coloured
nudibranch, or sea slugs, at the other. It’s also one of the
few places in the world where you can find whale sharks in
season.
Good for: beginners and snorkellers as well as
hardened divers. You’re literally surrounded by water so
there’s no getting away from it. It’s a very relaxing
dive holiday.
Sample product: a week at the Ellaidhoo Island
Resort in Ari Atoll leads in at £1,029 in January with
Regaldive. The price includes flights, seven-nights’
half-board and seaplane transfers. A six-day dive pack with
unlimited air costs £175.
| Malta and Gozo |
Why? Popular destinations close to the UK, the
islands are warm enough for year-round diving. The rocky islands
are mirrored underwater with exciting crags, caves and arches to
swim through, as well as interesting wrecks for the more
experienced.
Wow factor: Malta offers a combination of
culture and historical attractions above ground, as well as great
diving. There are fewer fish than the Red Sea but the water is very
clear, calm and warm and there are few currents. For a small island
it has lots of dive sites.
Good for: those on a relatively tight budget
and who don’t want to go long-haul. It’s also great for
a family holiday as lots of sites offer créche facilities.
Sample product: Harlequin Worldwide Travel
offers a week at the St Patrick’s hotel in Gozo from
£403 per person twin-share including scheduled flights,
transfers and ferry crossings. Shore dives cost from £13 per
person.
| Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo |
Why? Some of the world’s best diving can
be found in this exotic Asian location. Much of the diving is done
in more remote but enchanting island locations such as Sipidan,
Tioman, Layang Layang, Kapali and Mabul, home to fabulous turtles,
schooling hammerhead sharks and other large pelagics.
Wow factor: this part of the world has the
greatest bio-diversity of marine creatures anywhere in the world.
The diving is extremely varied and new wrecks are being discovered
all the time. Visitors can twin diving with trips into the
rainforest, a visit to the orang utans at Sepilok or climbing
Southeast Asia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu at sunrise.
Good for: more experienced divers and
travellers who are prepared to travel long-haul.
Sample product: a week on board the Celebes
Sea-based liveaboard Celebes Explorer with Dive Worldwide costs
from £800 full-board excluding flights. An add-on seven-day
Sabah Discovery taking in the cathedral-like Gomantong caves, and
two nights at the Sepilok Nature Reserve costs £439 including
transport, hotels and most meals. Flights in January cost from
£625 return plus taxes.
| South Africa |
Why? everything about the country is big
– big surf, big game and big fish. It is reputed to have a
greater diversity of marine species than the Red Sea, though the
density is probably not as high.
Wow factor: great for cage diving with great
white sharks or swimming with fearsome looking ragged tooth sharks
(that are actually rather benign). The annual sardine run, when
billions of sardines are in hot pursuit by sharks, whales and
dolphins, sea birds in huge numbers and bombing gannets, is
extremely exciting.
Good for: families or couples where only one
person is an experienced diver as diving can easily be incorporated
into a land-based safari itinerary.
Sample product: Hayes and Jarvis sells a Cape
to Dyer Island dive safari from £1,787 in January. The price
includes international and domestic flights, four days’
diving in the Cape area plus two days’ cage diving with great
white sharks, and bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
| Oman |
Why? this virgin dive destination is just
opening up and offers several dive centres and a choice of
excellent hotels, all with a flavour of the Middle East.
Wow factor: Oman offers a clean, friendly and
safe location and waters packed with richly coloured coral and
teeming with fish. The Daymaniyat Islands lie 45 minutes off-shore
by boat and offer excellent scenic diving. There are also plenty of
opportunities to explore on land.
Good for: those who want something unusual,
more experienced divers and those interested in history and
culture. It’s a top-end destination with some luxurious
hotels – the Al Bustan is said to be one of the world’s
best and Prince Charles had just been when I last visited.
Sample product: Harlequin Worldwide sells a
tailor-made package with three nights at the Chedi and four at the
Al Sawasi beach hotel from £1,030 per person twin-share
including scheduled flights, transfers and eight dives per
person.
