New Requirements for Diving in Thailand

New industry requirements for the use of Thailand's marine national parks are currently being implemented.

Following consultation with industry players last November, the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department of Thailand (DNP) set out measures, which brings with it certain restrictions aimed at sustainable tourism.

In a document entitled “Control Measures for Tourism Entrepreneurs in Marine National Parks – SCUBA Diving and Related Activities in Marine National Parks”, the DNP states the terms and conditions under which tourism operators, including liveaboards, day-trip dive boats and private dive boats, may operate in the national parks.

Most likely to feel the changes early on are popular dive sites, in particular the Similan Islands, Surin Islands & Richelieu Rock.



The requirement directly relating to divers is the mandatory dive plan to be submitted by dive operators in order to obtain a diving permit. In terms of the control measures, divers have to supply additional information, which includes name, gender, age, nationality, as well as diving qualifications and number of dives logged.

Indirectly, divers will be affected by most other requirements, including a limited number of divers on any site and no more than 3 dives per day, depth restrictions of up to 40m, closure of parts of the park at times designated by the DNP, speed limits for boats and mandatory training requirements for dive masters and other dive operations staff.

Liveaboards are restricted to no dumping of any waste in the park, including mandatory black water tanks. Maximum time in the park is restricted to consecutive 5 days or 4 nights.

Ultimately, the implementation of these measures aims to maintain the natural resources in the park and ensure visitor health and safety.

The result, it is hoped, will be sustainable practices that will enable Thailand to continue to offer some of the world's best dive sites to generations of divers to come.

Click here to download the 9-page, 80kb document from the DNP's website

To discover the splendour of diving in Thailand for yourself call Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

Andaman Islands Single Cabin in February 09

Dive The World has caught something special in our availability net:

1 single cabin for a cruise to the Andaman Islands aboard the Mermaid I on an otherwise fully-booked liveaboard safari.

The itinerary for the Mermaid I over the next 6 months includes a total of 2 visits to the Andaman Islands, and they are fully booked! Fully booked, that is, except for this one space that Dive The World has managed to snag.

If you're looking for a liveaboard diving holiday to the Andaman Islands this February 2009, then you better contact us immediately to secure this spot!



Andaman Islands 25 Feb – 7 March 2009: 11 Days 10 Nights

Price: € 3,110 (US$ 4,570) per person

Includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, fresh coffee, soft drinks, hot chocolate, tea and water, dives, tanks, weights and weightbelts, torches, experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), and return transfers to the boat from Phuket hotels.

Excludes: Park fees where applicable, scuba equipment (US$ 20 per day), nitrox, dive insurance, alcoholic drinks.

Note: Mermaid I applies a fuel surcharge payable on board and based on the fuel price at the time. Please check with us.

Act now to secure your cabin on the liveaboard safari to the Andaman Islands in February 2009. Read more about Mermaid I's other journey's, or to book this deal, call Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

Komodo with Stephen Wong, Takako Uno in Oct

Calling all marine photography fanatics! You can't allow yourself to miss this extremely rare opportunity Dive The World has to offer:

World renowned marine photographers, Stephen Wong and Takako Uno, will be joining the Mermaid II on a special trip scheduled for 18 – 25 October 2008.



Stephen Wong and Takako Uno are marine photojournalists whose work has been published in more than 18 countries and have featured in prestigious media such as National Geographic and BBC Wildlife.

The marine loving couple have won a multitude of awards and acclaim for both their exhibits and books, such as the co-authored Sipadan-Mabul Islands and Celebrate the Sea, as well as their recent publication An Ocean Odyssey.

Now Dive The World offers you the opportunity to join the Mermaid II liveaboard and share a 6 day 7 night Komodo safari with Stephen Wong and Takako Uno.



Price: €1,200 (US$ 1,770) per person in a Standard Cabin

(Budget Cabin also available)

Includes: cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, soft drinks, coffee, hot chocolate, tea and water, dives, tanks, weights and weightbelts, torches, experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), island excursion to see the Komodo Dragons, and return transfers to the boat from Bali Airport and South Bali hotels.

Excludes: Scuba equipment rental (US$ 30 per day), Port Fees and Komodo National Park fees Euro 35 (US$ 55), nitrox, dive insurance, alcoholic drinks.

Note: Mermaid II applies a fuel surcharge payable on board and based on the fuel price at the time. Please check with us.

Ensure your liveaboard safari alongside Stephen Wong and Takako Uno today by contacting Dive The World directly on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

Ondina in Komodo: Trip Report

Dive The World's Sheldon Hey recently went to the far reaches of Komodo to sniff out the best marine life the Land of Dragons has to offer.

On his perilous journey he encountered fabled Komodo dragons, frolicsome dolphins and the fully-informed crew of the Ondina, a purpose-built teak-and-tropical wood Buginese diving schooner that specialises in trips around eastern Indonesia.



Through dive after dive and copious encounters with creatures playful and awesome, both underwater and on land, he finally tells us all about his Komodo liveaboard experience in this SMY Ondina Trip Report.

Read about Sheldon's experience as he plies the Komodo waters with the fun and energetic staff of the SMY Ondina.

Visit the SMY Ondina at Dive The World for more information about this liveaboard, or contact us directly for more information or bookings by calling Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

2 Free Nights Diving in Kadavu, Fiji

If you believe that the only way to make a postcard perfect beach holiday really perfect, is to add diving to the mix, then Dive The World has this to say:

Go to Kadavu!



Tucked away in the southern part of Fiji, Kavadu is the island that most modern-day, clichéd descriptions for idyllic, tropical islands are copied from. The rugged beauty of green wooded hills merge into grassy meadows and valleys, which spill onto fine white sandy beaches splashed by turquoise waters, which in turn hides spectacular wall dives, home to pelagics, sharks and a surfeit of other marine creatures found on the Astrolabe Reef.

A short 10 minute boat ride from the island's airport Dive The World discovered Dive Kadavu Matana Beach Resort, an authentic Fijian scuba dive resort. The friendly and welcoming Fijian atmosphere is the first thing you will notice about Dive Kadavu Matana Beach Resort.

Aside from perfectly picturesque, the resort is also modern and comfortable with a diver's paradise starting right on the resort's beach through easy access to Kadavu's nearby, northern dive sites. Best of all, Kadavu Matana Beach Resort constitutes great value for money.



The time to take advantage of this tropical treasure trove is March and April 2009, when Dive The World offers you a special deal that will make your dream diving holiday to Fiji possible.

Pay Stay Special: Get Two Extra Nights
Stay for 5 nights and get 2 extra nights FREE

Price: US$1,099 per person diving
Normal Price: US$1,519 meaning you save US$840 per couple!

(or pay US$815 per person for non-divers)

Includes: Traditional Bure accommodation, 3 meals per day, 3 dive excursions, return boat transfers from the airport, taxes, tanks and weightbelts;

Excludes: Scuba equipment (available for rent on arrival)

Note:
This offer is only valid on a twin sharing basis for stays taking place in March and April 2009. Single stays and additional nights are possible, so contact us for a quote for your requirements.

Set the boat afloat to your dream diving holiday in Fiji. To book or for more info, call Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com

North Sulawesi's MY Liburan

In our quest to bring you the best the dive industry has to offer, Dive The World has unearthed the MY Liburan, a liveaboard gem in Indonesia, operating out of Manado, North Sulawesi.

As the latest addition to the Dive The World Indonesia liveaboard line-up, MY Liburan is a quality operation that specialises in relatively small groups of maximum 14 divers. The MY Liburan's itinerary includes Bunaken, Lembeh, Bangka and Sangihe.



You will find air-conditioned, en-suite cabins on this vessel along with many of the facilities and modern equipment found on more expensive competitors. Although not the height of luxury, the MY Liburan provides all the comfort most divers would need.

Dive The World offers you the MY Liburan as a very good value-for-money option for an Indonesian liveaboard, also perfectly suited to groups or whole charters.

Find out more about the MY Liburan by going to Dive The World's
MY Liburan pages, or feel free to contact us directly for information or bookings by calling Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

Baby Green Turtles released in Phuket

Over 300 baby green turtles were released in Cape Panwa in the south-east of Phuket last week, in celebration of HM Queen Sirikit's birthday and Thailand's Mothers' Day.



Led by naval officers from the Third Naval Area Command, municipality officers, staff from local resorts and students from schools around Panwa released 337 turtles.

The green turtles, whose population has been dwindling in the region, were raised by the Third Area Naval Command's turtle Preservation Centre in a bid to re-establishing their numbers.

Cape Panwa, on the shores of the Andaman Sea, is in the vicinity of some of the most exquisite diving in Thailand, being near renowned dive sites such as Koh Dok Mai, Racha Yai and Racha Noi.

If you want to dive with green turtles in Thailand and experience the wonders of the Andaman Sea, contact Dive The World on
+66 (0)83 505 7794, or email us at Blog@Dive-The-World.com.

Seven Seas to Raja Ampat this Dec and Jan

Dive The World has news for you: Seven Seas, Raja Ampat's most sought after liveaboard, is available this December and January!

We know Seven Seas is booked out for the whole of 2008 and 2009 and you've probably given up hope of joining this spacious and comfortable liveaboard for one of their awesome Raja Ampat liveaboard dive safaris, but Dive The World has sniffed out some last minute availability for you.

And you can have the entire Seven Seas to yourself!



If you act fast, cruising the azure waters of Raja Ampat, witnessing the teeming fish life of Fabiacet, exploring the marvelous tunnels and caverns of Farondi Island, or losing yourself amongst the numerous mantas at Mansuar Island's Manta Ridge can be just some of your diving holiday activities this December or January. Isn't that the perfect way to bid farewell to 2008 and welcome in 2009?

Of course, all your diving exploration will take place from the modern and spacious Seven Seas, one of Indonesia’s most popular liveaboards. Or make your Raja Ampat trip really special and charter the Seven Seas with her 8 cabins and have it all to yourself.

Seven Seas 15D/14N Raja Ampat Safari: 3 - 17 Dec 2008

Full Charter Price: US$ 65,114
Per Person Price: US$ 4,225

Seven Seas 13D/12N Raja Ampat Safari: 21 Jan - 2 Feb 2009

Full Charter Price: US$ 55,812
Per Person Price: US$ 4,296

Includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, candy bars, coffee, tea and water, dives, tanks, weights and weightbelts, torches, experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), and return transfers to the boat from the departure port's nearest airport.

Excludes: Port and national park fees, fuel surcharges, scuba equipment, torch batteries, nitrox (US$ 25 per day), dive insurance, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, flights.

This window of opportunity will close fast, so book now and secure your magical Seven Seas dive holiday in Raja Ampat this December or January.

Get in touch with us this instant to take advantage of this offer. For all the details or to make a booking call Dive The World on +66 (0)83 505 7794, or email: Blog@Dive-The-World.com.