| A Dive newsletter by Dive Fish Snow Travel |
April 2010 |
Hi there,
What an amazing summer we’ve had! The blue water hung around the Northland coast for months and the scallops and crays have been plentiful. It has really been a great time to get out there and enjoy the fantastic diving New Zealand has to offer.
Summer is now coming to an end with daylight saving ending this weekend. It's nearly time to clean and cover up the BBQ. Then begins the slide into a gloomy winter…..
If the thought of cold, wet, windy weather depresses you, let us put some sunshine, warmth and clear blue water back into your life.
NOW is the time to talk with your dive buddies about this Winter’s diving escape, and start planning your next tropical dive adventure.
WHY?: because planning early has its rewards; huge savings, cheapest flights and best availability.
So extend your summer diving with a well earned tropical dive holiday this Winter
The Warm Tropical South Pacific Ocean
- Dive among pristine, untouched tropical reefs with outstanding visibility.
- Dive on hundreds of WWII ship, submarine and planes wrecks: history you can see and touch above and below the water.
- Snorkel with humpback whales
- Dive with sharks, manta rays, orcas and BIG fish.
- Dive with hundred of species of fish, soft coral and marine life unique to the South Pacific / Asia.
- Experience professional land-based and liveaboard dive operators.
- Small groups of divers leave the dives sites crowded by fish, not people.
- It’s warm and sunny there right now
- It's time to plan that Mid Winter Escape
Consider the benefits of getting your reservations in place now:
- You’ll get the Early Bird Specials, for resorts and dive operators
- You’ll get the cheapest international flights
- You’ll get the best domestic flight connections
- In many cases you’ll get last year’s prices if you book early.
- You can organise dates around the best moon phase/currents
- You’ll have time to budget and save for your holiday
- You get to book in your annual leave before everyone else does.
- Best of all, you’ll get to dive in an exotic location this Winter, and have time to look forward to it, and save for it.
It all adds up to great savings |
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Here in New Zealand we are so lucky to have so many of the world’s best diving locations only a short flight away.
So, which is the best diving destination ?
This is an often-asked question, and the answer is always: It depends on YOU! Are you into wrecks, big pelagic fish action, wide angle or macro photography, deep walls, pristine hard/soft corals, whales, sharks or mantas? What’s your budget? Do you want a full on diving holiday or are you taking a non-diving partner or the kids with you?
 Within these categories we can help you find your “World’s best dive destination”. From our vast experience and in depth personal knowledge, above and below the water, we can give you an unbiased recommendation on all locations and dive resorts.
As the winter cold bites in, what better time is there to head off to the azure blue waters of the tropical South Pacific to find your slice of diving paradise? If the freezing temperatures, ice and snow aren’t enough to send you scurrying off somewhere warm and tropical, then check out our website – the images on there should do it! It is full of great information, interactive maps, virtual tours, videos, and loads of awesome photography above and below the waterline.
Plan your 2010 dive holiday now.
Don’t be left out in the cold this winter. Try one of these hot holidays:
- Swim with humpback whales in Tonga or Niue
- Dive with manta rays in PNG, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Fiji or Micronesia
- WWII wrecks in the Solomons, PNG, Philippines, Vanuatu or Truk Lagoon
- Soft corals and shark feeds in Fiji
- Big fish action on remote offshore reefs like Sipadan, Layang Layang, Solomon Islands.
- A liveaboard adventure that dives the best sites & locations.
Your next Dive Holiday starts here » |
| Can't Decide Where to Dive? Here's a helpful guide. |
 One of World's best dive locations on the newest liveaboard
Maldives – MV Orion
Only 4 places left on August 2010 departure
With a formation of 19 Atolls consisting of outer & inner reefs, The Maldives is the most diverse diving destination in the World. Amazing channel dives featuring oceanic wanderers of the deep, and a diversity of marine life will leave you spellbound.
The Maldives features rich Marine life with coral reefs sprouting with activity, schools of fish, playful dolphins and shark and manta ray encounters.
Experience Diving from the most exclusive and luxurious safari cruiser. Cruising on MV Orion is the ideal way to discover the magic that surrounds The Maldives.
First group charter Sold Out
Second group charter Limited Space
Only 4 spots remain for the second trip
Group Departure August, 2010
Includes
– Return Airfares, 10 nights accommodation,
27 dives, on board meals.
Amazing Manta and Whale Shark Video taken at Hanifaru in Maldives
Join us and experience it yourself on our August 2010 Group Departure. Don't miss out: only 4 spaces left. This trip will dive the same atoll where this footage was taken last August
Check out some of the best Manta Ray and Whale Shark footage we have ever seen, taken at Maldives. Yes this could be you diving in the same action packed spot. Video on Youtube » |
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Liveaboard diving:
1 Liveaboard trip will change the way you think about diving forever. |
 Why is it that once our clients have dived from a liveaboard dive boat they seldom go back to land based options ?
The avid diver knows the advantages of liveaboard diving - you cruise to remote unspoiled reefs to find superior marine life, big pelagic fish and undamaged reefs. Since the big liveaboards anchor at the dive sites, you can do up to four dives per day, including a night dive.
With air-conditioned cabins, sumptuous chef-prepared meals, hostess in attendance and unparalleled crew service (up to one crew member for every three passengers), liveaboards are the easiest & most luxurious way to dive some of the remotest locations.
Experience exciting drift and wall dives, superb fish life with BIG schools of pelagic fish, night dives, soft corals & shark feeding. On a liveaboard trip you will see more spectacular marine life in the course of one day than you would see on a whole 7 day diving trip elsewhere.
Set departures
All liveaboards have set schedules, mostly 7, 10 or 14 days, although some offer 3 or 4 days in Queensland.
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| Featured Liveaboard Boats |
SS Thorfinn, Truk Lagoon.
The Ultimate Wreck diving location
The SS Thorfinn is a 58 metre steam powered vessel with 11 air-conditioned state rooms. The diving programme offers up to 4-5 dives per day with as many as 37 wrecks to choose from, so you could get up to 28-30 dives during 7 full days of diving. Thorfinn has weekly departures. Dive Fish Snow Travel has 2 group departures; one in August and another in November 2009
More information on SS Thorfinn, Liveaboard »
 Great Barrier Reef Liveaboard Diving with "Spirit of Freedom"
Australia 's tropical northeastern town of Cairns is the gateway for two of the world's greatest diving icons, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Coral Sea. It is to these destinations that the live aboard "Spirit of Freedom" will take you to discover what diving dreams are made of. The diving is out of this world & the facilities and service on board Spirit will complete your ultimate liveaboard experience.
We are running a Group Departure on "Spirit of Freedom"
from NZ$3550 pp ex Cairns
All inclusive package
Departing 25 October 2010 for 7 days, including up to 30 dives. Enquire here
 MV Bilikiki, Solomon Islands
Bilikiki Cruises Ltd is the premier dive operator in the Solomon Islands, operating two liveaboard ships, "MV Bilikiki" and "MV Spirit of Solomons". Experience wrecks, big fish action, pristine Reefs, and meet the local village people. Bilikiki have regular 7, 10 & 14 day departures. Dive Fish Snow Travel has 1 group departure in August 2009.
More information on MV Bilikiki, Livaboard »
 Mike Ball, Great Barrier Reef
Cruise the Ribbon Reefs with pristine coral gardens up to the world famous Cod Hole where you will dive with a family of giant potato cod, or venture out to the amazing coral sea reefs where 60 mtr visibility, and expect the unexpected is the norm.
More information on Mike Ball, Liveaboard »
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| Single and don't want to go it alone? |
| Locations Suitable with Non Diving Partners on your Dive Holiday |
| Tonga: Snorkel with Whales |
 Availability Running Out
Imagine yourself snorkelling in the cobalt blue tropical Tongan waters this winter with lots of humpback whales and their newborn calves, while listening to their haunting whale songs.
Every diver should do this in their lifetime. It’s one of life’s great adventures. Gazing into the eye of a humpback and the sound of the whales songs are memories that will remain embedded in your mind forever.
So fulfill your dreams and snorkel with the whales while the opportunity is still there. But to make sure you get your spot on the boat in the best time, you need to act now as whale watch boats and best accommodation sell out fast, during Whale season mid July to early October.
Visit our Web pages on Tonga Diving »
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| Diver's Guide to South Pacific |
We have created these informative dive guides and hope you find them useful.
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Fiji is often referred to as the “Soft Coral Capital of the World”, and is deservedly rated as one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. And all this is only 3 hours away from Auckland!
Fiji’s reefs are exceptional, offering divers drama and diversity, brilliant lavish underwater panoramas, deep water rich with food and hiding places for the mysterious and shy.
It is a vast, varied and colourful underwater playground that boasts something spectacular for divers of every skill level… breathtaking hard and soft corals, wall dives, caves, grottos and shipwrecks, one of the best shark feed dives in the World, and all in 26-30º water with 20 – 30m vis.
Launch Fiji Dive Guide » |
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 The Solomon Islands are comprised of more than 990 islands just south of the Equator. Virtually untouched by commercial development, the island group remains a natural paradise. Most of the people still practice a traditional way of life, shunning the hectic pace and material concerns of the outside world.
The climate is tropical. The average daytime temperatures are usually 26-33°C and drop down to 22-26°C at night. The light south east trade winds blow from April to November. This time of the year is characterised by fine dry weather.
Launch Solomons Dive Guide » |
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Only 3 hours 20 mins from Auckland and 2 ½ hours from Brisbane, Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands lying peacefully in the warm waters of the South Pacific. It is a country full of surprises and diversity, from active volcanoes to stunning tropical rain forests, from breathtaking jungle waterfalls and hot springs to stunning underwater scenery and a diversity of marine life, plus the world's largest WWII wreck "SS President Coolidge".
Diving in Vanuatu opens up a World of underwater excitement in tropical temperatures. Untouched kaleidoscopic coral reefs and stunning drop offs, crystal clear waters teeming with a variety of exotic marine life, a marine sanctuary with hundreds of tame tropical fish, and spectacular wreck dives are all there, just waiting for you!
Launch Vanuatu Dive Guide » |
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One of the World's Premier Dive locations just got a whole lot closer, and cheaper!
With new airlines and better connections from NZ
 Micronesia has it all:
- Truk Lagoon is heaven for shipwreck junkies,
- Palau is a “Living Eden” paradise of stunning natural beauty, white sandy beaches and a dazzling diversity of tropical marine life
- Yap: Manta ray heaven and legendary “land of stone money"
- Pohnpei: The diver's hidden Gems of the South pacific.
The Federated States of Micronesia covers a huge area of ocean between Japan and Papua New Guinea, east of the Philippines, and incorporates many different island groups. During WWII, this area was mostly under Japanese control, and many formidable battles were fought in her waters.
Launch Micronesia Dive Guide » |
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Looking for information on a Dive Holiday?
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Don't spend hours trawling through the Internet.
If you want to know where the best dive locations are, which dive operator to dive with, which airline has the cheapest flights, best schedules and how to dive your $ further.
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 All the best Resorts
All the best advice
All the best tips
All the best deals
All from first hand experience |
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http://www.divefishsnow.co.nz/dive/
 Talk to a diver who has been there and done that.
Our team of specialist dive travel consultants are also passionate divers.
We really have "been there, done that". Between our dive team of Ron, Steve, Mike, Christine, Janet & Markus, they’ve dived over 100 resorts and 30 odd liveaboard boats in 25 different countries. Add this to their years of diving and travel consulting experience. So when you talk to us, you're talking with professionals.
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 Our Service is Free to you
With all our Professional Travel Agent Services, you pay no more than booking direct. Plus we do all the work for you and guide you through choosing the best diving destination that suits your personal needs and budget.
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 Regards
- "THE DIVE TEAM" - Dive Fish Snow Travel
Auckland
PHONE: (09) 479 2210 -
TOLL FREE: 0508 348 334
EMAIL: divetravel@divefishsnow.co.nz
©Dive Fish Snow Travel 2010
www.divefishsnow.co.nz - all rights reserved
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