Buddyline - Autumn 2008

Dear Travelling Diver

What a few months, a new president across the pond, turmoil in the financial markets and anyone caught up in the XL Leisure Group failure understands why you look for the ‘ATOL’ logo before booking a holiday. But not everyone's found it such a chilly Autumn. Those that managed to get out for some warm water diving know the sun is still shining, fish are still jumping and there’s a welcoming smile at the end of each dive.

If you claimed your £50 holiday voucher at the dive show we have some ideas on how to use them. Our Maldives liveaboards itineraries are now well established so in this issue of Buddyline we offer up three superior standard resort ideas. In Sharm we're excited to announce that we're now working with Oonas Dive Club and their accommodation at the Oonas Hotel. Despite recent events Thailand’s Andaman Sea is still a great dive destination with plenty of interest topside. Joining The Junk we have added two excellent shorebased options.

Recent Diver articles featured diving by kayak but some of you already enjoy paddling for its own sake so we take this opportunity to introduce our program of specialist paddle holidays H2Opaddle. Then, as in every issue, we announce the name of the lucky Prize Draw winner for this issue of Buddyline.

We look forward to diving with you soon!

New Maldives Shorebased Holidays

With such varied and dispersed dive sites there are so many options for Diving the Maldives. In addition to liveaboard safaris in the central, north and south atolls we've added the Far North and Deep South. If you prefer to stay shorebased H2Odive offer Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo, Vilamendhoo and Eriyadu, 3 of the Maldives' best dive resorts with unlimited shore diving and exceptional day boat dives. But what if you want a little more comfort or travel with families or non-diving partners?

Kandooma Maldives

Recently reopened as a first class resort Kandooma Maldives is unfussy and, with its contemporary design, stylish. Its combination of great facilities, first class service, an experienced Eurodivers' dive team and a few clever touches are a winning combination and make Kandooma a top choice with our guests. What’s more Kandooma is located right on Kandooma Kandu and the Protected Marine Area of Guraidhoo Kandu probably the best diving in the whole of South Male Atoll. Check out the prize for your next issue of Buddyline.

Cinnamon Island Alidhoo

The small deluxe Cinnamon Island Alidhoo, has just 99 guest villas and is situated in an idyllic, remote, location in the most northerly Maldivian atoll Haa Alifu, 500km north of Malé. The island boasts a pristine beach with a small but teaming house reef. Within reach of the day boats are a whole atoll of dive sites but Haa Alifu has just two resorts so you'd be unlucky to see another dive boat on any of your dives.

Diva Maldives

The island of Dhidhdhoo Finolhu originally housed Ari Beach Resort then White sands. Then two years of work began completely rebuilding the resort while enhancing the natural beauty of this the long thin island. The result, Diva Maldives. Offering truly deluxe accommodation, a relaxed atmosphere and options for your après dive including a full treatment spa and well equipped water sports centre, just incase you decide to sit out any dives. Reached by a scenic seaplane flight it's superbly located close by southern Ari Atoll's incredible sites with seasonal Manta cleaning stations and the whale sharks of Maamigili.

Oonas Dive Club and Hotel, Sharm

Oonas Dive Club is one of the original dive centres of Sharm el Sheikh located right on the water at 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 our own so when we discovered Oonas Dive Club & Hotel would nolonger be represented in the UK we decided to approach them to find out how we might work together. H2Odive is the only UK tour operator working with Oonas. We feel this is a definite benefit. There are plenty of clubs in Sharm where you can get high quality training or get out to the great sites of Egypt's south Sinai. But there are no other operations that offer all this combined with a small divers hotel, right on Na'ama Bay with a roof top bar offering views to die for.

We feel very at home diving with the Oonas Dive Club and staying at the Oonas hotel, we hope you will too.

Thailand's Andaman Sea Focus

For the last couple of years we have only offered liveaboard safaris onboard The Junk if you've wanted to dive Thailand's Andaman Sea. But during that time we have had a lot of enquiries for shorebased options to dive from Phuket and from Khao Lak and for dive courses. We have therefore spent some time finding the right kind of holiday options and we now have them in our:

Shorebased Diving Phuket, Thailand

Shorebased Diving Khao Lak, Thailand

Diving is operated by Olgar and his highly professional team at Sea-Bees who we've known for many years. We have also added a little bit more description of the diving available in Thailand's Andaman Sea. So if you are looking to travel to Thailand or just wanting something beyond the Red Sea take a look at our holidays in Thailand or give us a call (01273 90 69 90)

Introducing H2Opaddle

We know many of you have tried kayaking before or had a go in an open canoe so we thought you'd like to know about H2Opaddle our collection of paddle holidays. Through H2Opaddle we offer holidays across all the paddle disciplines whether your preference is Sea Kayaking, Open Canoe or inland kayak touring or white water kayak. If you just want a taster of the thrills and spills available in the world's great white water rivers then a rafting holiday is for you.

Learn to Paddle and Workshops

Many of our paddle holidays, including our WhiteWater Rafting, require little or no prior experience. But before paddling more advanced itineraries join one of our Learn to Paddle holidays to gain skills and experience under the instruction of a professional coach. Paddle Workshops, lead by expert instructor guides, further develop your skills in a particular discipline or a specific paddling technique.

Buddyline Prize Draw

Congratulations to Autumn's Buddyline prize draw winner, Nick King of Westbury, Wiltshire. This Buddyline prize is an H2Odive T-Shirt and fleece, just in time for a British winter. Next month's prize is a £200 voucher towards a holiday at Kandooma Maldives, the winner to be announced in the next issue of Buddyline, so watch this space.

You could be our next winner. Remember only those guests who have completed our Guest Registration are eligible to win. If you are receiving Buddyline after submitting only your email via the web site, other promotions or following a friend's recommendation, it's not too late to complete our guest registration, either on line or over the phone, to have your details entered as well.

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