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Hot News & Dive Specials June 2008

HOT NEWS New group Trips: two unique destinations, one fantastic new book!

MANTHIRI LIVE ABOARD, November 25 - 30 2009: Divers aboard our 85 foot motor yacht MANTHIRI get the unique and exciting opportunity to experience the many breathtakingly beautiful pinnacles, sea mounts, walls and channel dives where pristine soft and hard corals are abundant. Sighting of whalesharks aboard Manthiri are now around 70% year-round. Giant mantas are seen on every trip in groups of six or more off various cleaning and feeding stations throughout the year. Large aggregations of schooling mantas are seen June to mid November.
Maldives is one of most exciting places for marine life photography with opportunities for macro and wide angle on almost on every dive.
• (an extension option - 5 nights diving in Maldives on Manthiri) $1675.00 Per Person Twin Sharing

TIGERS & TEMPLES SAFARI IN LUXURY, November 16 - 24 2009: Madhya Pradesh is known as the “Tiger State” of the Indian sub-continent, and has the best surviving jungle cover contributing to the survival of all central India’s flora and fauna – especially most this most magnificent of the world’s Big Cats. MP is also undoubtedly has the most opportunities and chances for meetings with Tigers that are still high. The ‘meetings’, (for you don’t see Tigers, or look and them - you meet them), of Tigers with humanity that have occurred in all of these reserves over the years have fuelled passion in the hearts of many, many, men and women to ensure Tigers survive to silently protect the natural green world of purity and calm. However, the pleas for even stricter protection laws, and even more severe punishment for the poachers, simply have to become more effective, and a global demand if Tigers are to win the right to survive. You shall go for your first game drive inside the national park.
• $7400.00 per person / twin sharing. Single supplement for lodges 50% more.

SEVEN SEAS LIVE ABOARD, JULY 23 - AUGUST 4 2009: 12 NIGHTS BEST OF KOMODO ITINERARY. Join us for this special charter created for Dive Discovery. This is the best time to dive Komodo and surrounds. We fly Bali to Labuan Bajo and begin our diving in the best spots immediately, no wasted time steaming to/from Bali. Seven Seas is a lovely well designed local luxury vessel, dive director Mark Heighs is the most knowledgeable in the area with 18 yrs experience in Komodo.  See the map and dive areas we will visit below and you can click onto the dive sites to really get a feel for what Komodo has to offer. Since it has become a World Heritage Site for many years now, lots of great pelagics have reappeared!! Get ready for a fantastic dive trip full of diversity small and large!
• $3924.00 per person twin share, plus 175.00 port fee per person

Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island, Mexico Nautilus Explorer Live aboard in Luxury and comfort!, September 2-7 2008: Join me on this fabulous experience to see Whitey and get some awesome photo’s in crystal clear water with several ‘whites in one frame’! Warm water and sunny skies aboard my favorite live aboard!!! GREAT food, excellent wine list and hot tub, and Great Whites! What more can you ask for? It is only a 5 day trip with 3 full days of Shark diving, arrive San Diego the same day Sept 2 and fly home when we get back to San Diego, a quick fun adrenaline trip!!! Let's go!
• $2785.00 per person twin share (65.00 port fee to be paid on board)

NAMIBIA & SOUTH AFRICA EXPEDITION, July 21- August 5 2008:
• $10,496.00 per person twin sharing. Based on 10 people traveling.

FIJI- Beqa Lagoon, staying at the Lagoon Resort near Pacific Harbour.
Gotta do this one! Especially if its been a while since you have been to Fiji and you love sharks! They have created a shark reef marine reserve.

With a regular shark population consisting of Blacktip Reefs, Whitetip Reefs, Grey Reefs, Silvertips, Sicklefin Lemons and Tawny Nurses; what truly differentiates The Big Fish Encounter from other comparable locations in the world (where the other species can be encountered, though not on one dive) is the large aggregation of Bull Sharks, a large and rarely encountered species. Furthermore, very fortunate divers can experience a visit from large Tiger Sharks.

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INDIAN OCEAN LIVEABOARD
The Kairos Company (better know to some of us as the Red Sea Surveyor- loved that boat)! Yes she has been purchased by a French company who have vision. The dive vessel runs like Jacques Cousteau used to, "A True Expeditionary" vessel. She is now based out of Dar es Salam in Tanzania and operates mostly in the Mozambique Channel.

They have a large range of professional equipment on this boat: Rebreathers, microlite, High level video cameras and spotlights, scooters, Nitrox, tri-mix etc. You get the idea. They are very specialized in what they do and offer. It is NOT your average dive trip with planned dives sites 4 times a day. They have diving expeditions throughout the year that offer Sharks and Whaleshark expeditions, Coelacanth Donofish study and watching, and Manta Ray monitoring with Manta Network. The dives are more like 2 very long dives a day as the search out the animals for various trips. If you have an interest in this sort of trip, call me as I have not put this up on our web site as yet.

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MALDIVES
Several nice boats here now, including my trusty favorite the Manthiri. They claim to see whalesharks 95% of the time. This is a great fishy destination and worth considering going to or going back to. They have recovered from the El Nino of 1998!

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PNG
Craig of Golden Dawn has a great itinerary for BIG stuff for those of you into the BIG STUFF of PNG! From about June through September he goes north. This will be next for me when I go back to PNG (after Febrina this October of course).

~~ Madang directly north east to Western Manus and then go back NW to Hermit Islands, then W to the Ninigo Group and then finish in Wewak. I choose Madang to start as we have a good chance of Hammers there, a little north of that we have another site where I have good Bull Shark encounters as well as Java Sharks and the usual Grey Reefs, Western Manus has fantastic fish action, Hermit has the best Manta site I know of on this planet and then Ninigo Group to get some very good Eagle Ray sightings and Silver Tip Sharks and Dolphins.~~

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RED SEA
For those of you who have always wanted to go to the Red Sea but political issues have stopped you. I have some lovely boats that do what they call 'Simply The Best Cruise" 6nights/6 days to St. Johns or the Brothers for sharks and pelagics. Best time for Red Sea is June thru mid September. They depart out of Hurgada or Masa Ghalib. Then you MUST see the antiquities of the Nile and Cairo.

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PHILIPPINES
Phillipines is back in favor with Americans again. This is macro haven here! And a GREAT price! Puerto Gallara and Dumagette are still divers favorite with Atlantis Resorts. They take great care of you, offer a lot of diving and excellent pricing!

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THAILAND
Still one of my most favorite dive destinations of all time!!! The greatest country for site seeing in Bangkok and further north to the Golden Triangle. The primary Buddhist people of Thailand make this a safe and peaceful destination for divers! Great for big and small critters!

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AFRICA
Remember we also offer AFRICA DISCOVERY at www.africa-discovery.com we offer safaris to all of East Africa and all of Southern Africa. We have put a lot of time and energy in updating our Africa web site, please have a look. We have something for everyone in Africa and all budgets. Also great diving to be had in Zanzibar/Pemba and the east coast of South Africa! Check it out. I also lead groups to Africa, read the latest amazing trip a small group of us did to Kenya and Rwanda! You won't believe it! Kenya Migration and Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Trek trip report

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Thanks again for being our valued clients, we so appreciate your business and friendships over the years!

To life!
Cindi LaRaia and the staff of Dive and Africa Discovery Travel

DIVE DISCOVERY TRAVEL and AFRICA DISCOVERY TRAVEL are full service, wholesale travel agencies, specializing in scuba diving, Africa and adventure travel all over the world! We do best at customizing tours to suit your budgets and needs. Let us provide for you the best service and pricing we can offer.

NOTE: Please be advised that all prices, schedules, package inclusions, and product descriptions in the mailing are subject to availability and subject to change without notice. Most of our pricing is per person based on twin sharing. Single rates will apply.

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