Dive Destinations Articles

Bonaire’s Hotels & Partners Plan Huge Splash with DEMA 2011 Show Specials

(Dive Travel Business - October 27, 2011) -- With many of Bonaire’s businesses offering DEMA Show specials, this year’s show floor is the ideal place for attendees to meet with Bonaire’s hoteliers and dive operators to plan and book their group travel for 2012. “We are very pleased to continue Bonaire’s tradition of a strong presence at DEMA,” said Lara Chirino, Director of Tourism. “I would like to welcome everyone to visit the Bonaire Pavilion - you’ll find us under the “Divers Paradise” license plate banners. We’re all looking forward to a very productive and successful show”

Here are some of the money-saving show-only specials available: read more »

Egypt's Tourism is Recovering as Revolution a thing of the past

(Dive Travel Business News - September 30, 2011) -- The Egyptian revolution in January 2011 posed several challenges for the travel industry – evacuating tourists, accommodating media, protecting hotel property from protesters. The most difficult time came when tour operators grounded their planes, stifling the flow of tourists. read more »

Dominica's 18th Annual Dive Fest Scheduled for July 8 - 17, 2011

(Dive Travel Business News - May 28, 2011) -- Preparations are underway for the Caribbean's longest running diving festival — Dominica's 18th annual Dive Fest — scheduled for July 8-17, 2011. Experienced and beginner divers alike will flock to the island, which lies south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean, for one of the most fascinating diving experiences in the Caribbean. read more »

New Packages Could Open U.S. Travel to Cuba

New Two-Destination Packages Could Open U.S. Travel to Cuba

(Dive Travel Business News - May 25, 2011) -- A joint project to develop tourism links between Cuba and Mexico could open the U.S. tour market to the Caribbean islands in the form of vacation packages that combine Mexico and Cuba.

The decision by Cuba and Mexico to work together to promote vacations that combine both countries was unveiled at Cuba’s recent 31st International Tourism Fair in Cuba (FITCUBA 2011). FITCUBA is Cuba’s annual international trade event, attracting travel agents and tour operators from 40 countries, including Western Europe and Canada – but not the U.S.

Cuba is the Caribbean’s third most popular destination, according to Cuba’s tourism ministry, and that’s without benefit of travel from the destination’s number one travel market – the U.S. The U.S. market accounts for more than half of the Caribbean’s annual vacation visitors.

At least one American proponent of opening U.S. travel to Cuba sees the joint promotion with Mexico as a foot in the door for American travelers. read more »

New Itinerary For Dancer Fleet Dive Yacht

(Dive Travel Business News - March 19, 2011) -- M/Y Star Dancer, one of eight yachts in the prestigious Dancer Fleet has completed its first charter exploring the new Milne Bay itinerary in Papua New Guinea. Weekly charters diving the Milne Bay area offer incredible variety including lush tropical reefs, pelagic fish patrolling offshore sea mounts and black sand diving where strange and exotic sea creatures can be seen and photographed. Diving on shipwrecks and aircraft from WWII will also be offered to guests. read more »

Touring and Diving Post-Revolutionary Egypt

Calm and normalcy have returned to Post-Revolutionary Egypt

(Dive Travel Business News - March 24, 2011) -- Learning Through Travel recently sponsored a familization (FAM) trip of US based dive shop owners traveling to Egypt on March 5-19th to tour Cairo, Luxor and to dive in the Red Sea resort cities of El Quseir, Marsa Alam, Safaga, Sharm el Sheikh and Dahab.

The group saw that normalcy has definitely returned for tourism in Egypt and all Red Sea resort cities. The mood in Cairo and Luxor was calm and quiet but tourist numbers were increasing daily. The highlight of the trip was the Red Sea diving. Pharaoh Dive Club in El Qusier, Pharaoh Divers in Sharm and Dive In Dahab took excellent care of the divers. The group also had the opportunity to tour Blue O Two's luxury live-aboard fleet. read more »

USS Kittywake Creates Artificial Reef off Grand Cayman

(Dive Travel Business News - March 4, 2011) -- Often heralded as the top dive destination in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands has sunk the ex-USS Kittiwake off the north end of Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach creating another dive site. The USS Kittiwake, a decommissioned 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, was scuttled on Wed Jan 5, 2011 in the Cayman Islands to create an artificial reef that will attract both fish and tourists.

The former WWII US Navy ship was thoroughly prepared, with the removal of any hazard materials before it was towed from the US to Grand Cayman. The former submarine carrier will become an important artificial reef that provides a haven for local marine life as well as a key dive and snorkel site. The Kittiwake sinking is part of the dive destination’s Dive 365 initiative, an on-going program to develop dive sites across Cayman for every day of the year. read more »

New Sinking Date for USS Kittiwake off Grand Cayman

Artificial Reef to be created Dec 11, 2010

(Dive Travel Business News - November 17, 2010) -- The Cayman Islands will soon have a new artificial reef with the sinking of an old American warship with the upcoming sinking of the USS Kittiwake.

The vessel will find its finally resting place on Saturday December 11, 2010 in the waters off Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman so that there is just 15 feet of water above it. The location will make it accessible to novice divers and snorkelers and create a safe marine habitat for surrounding reef life.

The vessel has already been prepared for safe underwater access by divers and snorkelers, and has been thoroughly scrubbed with all toxic materials removed. The vessel will be towed a distance of approximately 1400 nautical miles along the eastern seaboard of the US from Norfolk Virginia, by Key West Florida, and then along normal shipping lanes around the western coast of Cuba to the port of Georgetown on the west side of Grand Cayman. The tow is expected to take 7-9 days at an average towing speed of 8 knots, weather permitting. read more »

Cancun's Natural Wonders include Crocodiles

(Dive Travel Business News - Nov 3, 2010) -- The Mexican Government is advising Tourists to be careful when visiting lagoons in and around the popular tourist resort of Cancun. The lagoons in the area, including the lagoon in Cancun's hotel zone, are a natural habitat for crocodiles. Cancun's crocodiles (principally American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus) are a non-aggressive species that feed on fish and other small wildlife. Cancun's sprawling 5000 hectare Nicupté lagoon is home to approximately 25 of the species -- though most of them live away from populated areas.

Recently, a US tourist was attacked by a crocodile while attempting to answer the call of nature in Cancun. According to Mexican police, 20-year-old Andrew Dales of Dallas confessed that he had been on a mission to relieve himself at the edge of the local lagoon when a crocodile suddenly snapped at him. He suffered “multiple bite wounds” to his leg and neck and was also left with a head injury after the reptile knocked him to the ground, a police spokesman said.

Lagoons in the area are dotted with crocodile warning signs. read more »