News
Marine wildlife experiences you never knew existed in the UK
You don’t need to travel abroad for spectacular wildlife encounters that can also help to protect our seas
When dreaming up your next marine-based wildlife adventure, it’s common that our minds instantly drift to those exotic tropical locations famed for their mystical megafauna and turquoise waters. Marine conservation projects are plentiful and for many, this is a trip of a lifetime.
This year, those unable to travel and desperate for their next ocean adventure have been looking back towards our own shorelines, with many shocked with what they’ve discovered. It’s well known the UK boasts some of the most dramatic and varied coastlines in the world, but what lies beneath the waves is often as spectacular as it is overlooked.
Marine conservation organisation Blue Ventures and marine scientist and presenter Charlie Young are on a mission to change this by launching Saltwater Britain, a series of ocean adventures with impact, showcasing the very best of the UK’s marine wildlife and the chance to help protect the incredible biodiversity found across the British Isles.
Image: Nicki Meharg
Blending science with adventure the Saltwater Britain 2021 expedition series is now running:
- Scuba diving in the Farne Islands – Northumberland, England (September 21’) Home to thousands of grey seals, each autumn hundreds of pups are born here. Scuba diving in the temperate waters around these stunning islands you’re able to get up close and personal with the UK’s largest native carnivore. Read more about diving in the Farne Islands here.
- Cetacean surveying and conservation retreat – Cardigan, Wales (March 22’) A four-day conservation retreat that packs in everything from dolphin surveying to conservation workshops and mindfulness. All based at the breathtaking forest eco-retreat in West Wales this wildlife retreat will live long in the memory. Read more about the cetacean conservation retreat.
Not only can UK marine experiences match those found in the tropics, removing the need for long distance travel cuts down costs, minimises your carbon footprint and supports the local organisations that are integral to restoring healthy marine ecosystems. To ensure its positive impact on the planet Saltwater Britain invests 100% of its profits straight back into fueling conservation that is both urgent and critical.
Blue Ventures is an award-winning marine conservation charity with over 18 years of experience running marine conservation expeditions and rebuilding marine ecosystems.
Visit the website for more information or to talk to the team at hello@saltwaterbritain.org.
Cover image: Charlie Young
Great news for RAID divers around the world: Gozo Diving & Gozo Technical Diving have joined the RAID network and now offer RAID courses, and RAID-quality support in one of the classic Mediterranean dive destinations.
Malta is a well-known and highly rated diving destination. The water is warm (around 28 degrees), the visibility is epic (20-40 metres), and many sites have weak to moderate current. So, there are great dive sites for every level of experience, and these include fantastic and historic wreck dives.
Located on the Island of Gozo, RAID’s new dive centre, offer the complete range of recreational, technical and Instructor courses. The facilities include two classrooms, access to an onsite pool and a full CCR room. So, visiting divers and instructors can enjoy nitrox, trimix, as well as oxygen-compatible air fills, rentals of sidemount cylinders, twinsets, and stage cylinders, DPV rental and of course high-end teaching, coaching and experienced guiding.
Gozo Diving and Gozo Technical Diving has more than 30 years of experience in training, exploration and diving professionalism. Now fully aligned to offer the the complete spectrum of RAID courses, which means both experienced divers as well as those who want to start exploring the underwater world can come and enjoy the dive site attractions of Malta and Gozo knowing they’ll get the fun and full-service experience our agency and network of RAID dive centres are famous for.
To find out more, email: info@gozotechnicaldiving.com or visit their website at: www.gozotechnicaldiving.com
Photos: RAID Blog
International Dive Show DIVING talks 2022 takes place from 6-9 October in Troia, Portugal. Here’s four great reasons why you should attend…
1. The ‘Talks’ and the Speakers
What do you get when you have in the same room Dr Alessandro Marroni, Dr Óscar Camacho and Dr Simon Mitchell? Undoubtedly an incredible amount of knowledge in diving physiology and hyperbaric medicine. If you are a diver, you know the value of such a debate.
What do you expect to see in a Bill Stone presentation?
Wouldn’t you like to discuss with Thomas Stachura, Leigh Bishop or Armando Ribeiro their findings underwater in the expeditions that led to the discovery and identification of new shipwrecks?
2. The Exhibition: brands and trials
It’s about talking with ‘who knows’ and testing that piece of equipment even underwater if you want!
Friday, October 7, is BRANDS DAY. Try dive the Mares SCR Horizon, test your preferred scooter, and more. Bring shorts or a swimming suit. This is happening in the swimming pool. Join us on October 7. Diving Talks is also Brands Day!
3. DIVING talks is a family/ partner friend event
You don’t need to leave your family or partner behind.
If you want to attend, transform this trip into a partner or family trip to Portugal. There are many things they can do while you enjoy the Talks.
It is not that you need to have something planned. The peninsula is such a fantastic site to enjoy; there’s the beach if you want to relax by the sea, there are trails you can check out, or you can relax by the pool.
4. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DIVE!
If you have free time and want to explore Portugal underwater, DIVING talks can be the pretext for a ‘stay and dive’ side-program.
Diving talks partnered with Portugal Dive, a boutique dive concierge that organizes dive trips to Portugal; the mainland and in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
Diving recreational or technical, you can expect the European Atlantic’s most transparent waters full of life, schools of fish, the big pelagic, and even monk seals: all that and wrecks, inland caves, you name it.
Opt to arrive one-week earlier or leave one-week later, and chose the stay and dive program for your type of diving and preferences.
For more information, contact Arlindo Serrão via e-mail: arlindo.serrao@portugaldive.com or check out the following links:
- Website www.divingtalks.com
- Facebook www.facebook.com/divingtalks
- Instagram www.instagram.com/diving.talks
- Twitter www.twitter.com/divingtalks
Gozo Diving and Gozo Technical Diving join RAID
DIVING talks 2022: 4 great reasons why you should attend!
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Jeff chats to… Arlindo Serrao, Founder of PortugalDive.com about diving in Portugal, The Azores and Madeira (Watch Video)
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