Included is shorebased diving in Grand Cayman from Sunset House, professionally run by divers for divers for the last 50 years. For liveaboard die-hards diving on Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac is available aboard the Cayman Aggressor IV. Shorebased diving from Cayman Brac will be added later next year.

On H2Odive’s website www.H2Odive.co.uk there is video available to help guests in making the right choice for their next diving holiday.

To help launch the new holidays, and to announce the sinking of the Cayman islands newest artificial wreck, the USS Kittiwake, H2Odive in conjunction with the Cayman islands Department of Tourism are giving away a signed copy of

Lawson Wood’s ‘Shipwrecks of the Cayman Islands’ …

…and his Guide to Diving The Cayman Islands

Winners to be announced in H2Odive’s Buddy Line Newsletter.

H2Odive’s Daniel Le Merle said:

‘The sinking of the USS Kittiwake will add yet another attraction to this classic dive destination, which benefits from great winter diving and direct flights from the UK.’

Where video is available the new H2Ovideo logo is displayed.

Guests then click on the logo to open a new page with video clips streamed on demand.

H2O’s Daniel Le Merle said:
“So often, our Web site is the only glimpse our guests get into their holiday until they arrive. So, it is crucially important we provide an accurate impression of what they might expect before they book their holiday. Videos are a great way to do this.”

So far video has been added to just over 1/3 of the 60 or so dive holidays currently on sale. H2O paddle & H2O ski will follow shortley.

Some of the videos in the collection are professionally produced, designed to show the holiday in its best light. However H2O are not adverse to using clips from other sources if they help provide a true reflection of the holiday accommodation or diving. They must also be enjoyable to watch!

Oonas Dive Club is one of the original dive centers of Sharm el Sheikh located right on the water in Na’ama Bay. Tarek and his team at Oonas Dive Club & Hotel decided some years ago to keep the operation small and personal. Groups on the day boats are also kept small which creates a more intimate and friendly atmosphere between guides, guests & crews. This philosophy fits well with that of H2Odive.

H2Odive is the only UK tour operator working with Oonas. There are a number of clubs in Sharm offering high quality diver training and well run day diving to the sites of Egypt’s south Sinai. But there are no other operations that offer all this combined with a small diver’s hotel, right on Na’ama Bay plus a roof top bar with views to die for.

Holidays include mid-week and weekend flights from London Gatwick and Manchester plus a number of local airports. Holidays are fully covered by H2O’s ATOL & TOPP Licenses

H2O’s Daniel Le Merle said:
‘When we first heard Oonas Dive Club & Hotel would no longer be represented in the UK we decided to approach them to find out how we might work together. We feel very at home diving with the Oonas Dive Club and staying at the Oonas hotel, and our guests will too.’

This summer has seen the long awaited reopening of, arguably, the best located of all these resorts, Kandooma. Sitting right in Kandooma channel this well loved dive resort has new owner-managers and just about everything is new and improved. Now a stylish yet unfussy first class, four star, resort there are a selection of spacious room types including the duplex rooms with a private rinse tank for you to keep your precious electronic dive gear close to hand between dives or while you cook dinner on a private Bar-B-Q at your room.

The Australasian management want to ‘celebrate life’ so have designed the resort’s facilities with an active guest in mind. At its heart is the brand new dive centre with a beautiful, huge, deck area for kitting up, a state of the art compressor system, from which they offer free Nitrox to qualified guests, and a range of diver training courses. The resort also offers a variety of watersports including snorkelling with the resident marine biologist, beach volleyball & and underwater hockey. There’s also plenty to help you chill out whether that be a quiet spot on the beach or watching a black & white movie on the silver screen.

H2O’s Daniel Le Merle has just returned from Kandooma following its reopening
‘I have been looking forward to this day ever since I heard the plans for the new Kandooma. What I found did not disappoint but I also found many unexpected extra touches that I’m sure our guests will really appreciate. We were therefore very happy to be named as Kandooma’s only dive specialist tour operator for the UK.’
Images (a wider selection of images are available on request)

NB: H2Odive also feature the five star deluxe Diva Maldives, opening 15 September 2008, built on the same island previously occupied by the popular Ari Beach full details will follow.

Normally found sailing Thailand’s Andaman Sea in search of the very best diving this summer she has made the journey through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea into the Gulf of Thailand to the Chao Phraya river and the heart of Bangkok.
Like any great leading lady she arrived early to allow time for a full makeover and to mingle with her co-stars before getting down to filming in-time for the 2009 release date. The name of the film is currently a guarded secret as are those of the leading actor and actress, both household names.

The Junk will be back in the Andaman Sea in time for our first scheduled safari of the new diving season in October. Before that however she will go through a full refit with many additional features including WiFi in the salon for digital photographers/videographers to display their work on the ship’s monitors.

H2O’s Daniel Le Merle believes The Junk is the only way to dive the Andaman Sea

‘Hollywood chooses The Junk because she offers them something quite unique. A combination of the romance of a bygone era with modern day amenities. These are the things our diving guests experience on every safari.’

We now have so many options to fly from your local airport and dive Egypt’s Red Sea that you no-longer have to travel to London Gatwick, unless it is your local! From November 2008 we’ll also be offering two flights from Manchester to Marsa Alam each week.

Summer 2008 (May-October)
Sharm el Sheikh
Birmingham – Monday, Thursday & Sunday
Bristol - Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Cardiff – Thursday
Dublin - Thursday & Sunday
East Midlands – Monday & Thursday
Glasgow - Thursday & Monday
Luton - Monday & Friday
Manchester – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Newcastle - Monday & Thursday
Marsa Alam
Manchester – Wednesday

Winter 2008 (November-April)
Sharm el Sheikh
Birmingham – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
Bristol - Saturday, Thursday, Monday & Wednesday
Cardiff - Thursday
Doncaster-Sheffield – Monday
East Midlands – Monday, Wednesday & Thursday
Glasgow - Sunday, Thursday & Monday
Luton - Monday & Friday
Manchester – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday
Newcastle - Sunday, Monday & Thursday
Stanstead – Sunday (December to April 2009)
Marsa Alam
Manchester – Monday & Wednesday

Summer 2009 (May-October)
Sharm el Sheikh
Birmingham – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday
Bristol - Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
Cardiff - Saturday
Doncaster-Sheffield – Monday
East Midlands – Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday
Manchester – Daily
Newcastle - Thursday & Saturday
Marsa Alam
Manchester – Monday & Wednesday

All flights are suitable for groups or individuals wanting some shorebased diving or groups looking for a liveaboard charter. Flights on Saturday or Sunday meet our scheduled liveaboard sailings for individuals. It is also possible to combine days of the week to stay more or less than the standard 7 nights (subject to availability, prices may vary).

There are still spaces available on H2Odive’s first Maldives Wreck Expedition which will go on sale at the London International Dive Show this weekend. The 2 week holiday, aboard liveaboard Happy Days, is operated by H2O dive and escorted by Peter Collings, better known for his exploration of the wrecks in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Truly a Wreck Expedition, many of the Maldivian wrecks Peter has researched have still to be formerly ‘found’ and identified, so there is always the chance of discovering a new wreck. The Maldives cover a vast area and its wrecks are widely dispersed so the wreck dives will be mixed with dives on sites good for exciting drift dives, Mantas or various shark species.

During the 14 nights Peter Collings shares his knowledge and research findings, providing first hand advice on diving the wrecks as well as their photography and marine life living on and around them.

Expedition Details:
17October - 01November 2008
Price £2150 inclusive of return scheduled flights from the UK, airport tax & fuel surcharges, 14 nights onboard with up to 3 dives per day & night dives, tanks & weights, 3 meals per day, water, tea, coffee, snacks, sunshine & warm coral waters.

Drawing on 15 years experience in the design and operation of active holidays director Daniel Le Merle feels the time is right for a specialist paddle tour operation that can cater for all paddle disciplines to a wide selection of destinations.

‘We could see there was a need for flexible, great value paddle holidays created by paddlers for paddlers. You can’t just add a boat & bit of water to a standard package holiday and think guests won’t see through it. These days guests expect holiday companies to really understand their specific needs, and to have taken these needs into account at every stage of the holiday design process. If they don’t get this they will take on the hassle of trying to buy the bits individually & loose the financial protection provided by the governments’ ATOL licensing scheme’

H2O’s web site www.h2opaddle.co.uk already features the first handful of holidays. Amongst others Turkey, Morocco, Canada and Zambia destinations already on sale. Many more holidays are still to be added including some exciting tours. For paddlers who want more from their holiday there are also options to stay longer with Active, Discovery or Chill-out extensions.

Paddlers can visit the web site and select by their preferred paddle activity, by destination or by a combination of both. Alternatively they can call H2Opaddle on 01273 90 69 90 and speak to a expert in making their holiday happen, without the fuss.