Divernet Xtra - Late January 2012 Edition

DIVE IN THE RED SEA
Underwater Museum

Our choice for January focuses on the northern tip of the reef called Sha'ab Abu Nuhas in the Straits of Gobal, which is in the Northern Red Sea and can be reached from Hurghada. This reef is home to several wrecks, including Chrisoula K and Giannis D which were covered in November. This time we are looking at the Carnatic and Kimon M. .

Carnatic

Employed between Suez, Bombay and China, the Carnatic set sail for Bombay in September 1869 with 176 crew, 34 passengers, a general cargo, Royal Mail and £40,000 specie (unfinished coins) destined for the Indian Mint. Early on the morning of 13 September, the ship struck Sha'ab Abu Nuhas reef and became firmly stuck. Two days later, she suddenly broke in two and sank.

Lying parallel to the reef, the ship is on her port side with bows facing east, stern west and keel towards the reef. The wreck is a fairly constant 25-27m to the seabed throughout. Her wooden superstructure and planking have rotted away leaving a steel hull with iron cross-members which allow entry to the wreck itself.

Kimon M

Wrecked more than 100 years later on 12 December 1978, Kimon M was loaded with 4,500 tons of bagged lentils in the Turkish port of Iskenderun destined for Bombay. The initial impact drove Kimon M hard on to the northeast corner of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas reef where she stayed for some days, allowing that part of the cargo which was not contaminated with seawater to be salvaged. The ship itself, however, was then declared a constructive total loss and abandoned.

Over time, prevailing winds and currents began to push the ship hard over on to her starboard side. The front section, as far back as No 2 hold, is now reduced to a debris field scattered across the reef. The remainder provides an excellent series of dives but entering this shipwreck must be viewed as dangerous, due to continued deterioration.

Wreck details by Ned Middleton who is an award-winning, best-selling author. For more information about these wrecks and other shipwrecks found within the Egyptian sector of the Red Sea, his book "Shipwrecks from the Egyptian Red Sea" (ISBN 1898162719 and 1905492162) is readily available. Illustrations by Rico Oldfield. The book was voted "DIVER Magazine Publication of the Year" for 2007.

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A long weekend for two on the Côte d'Azur with Diamond Diving, worth £720

Spectacular wall dives, deep pinnacles, swim-throughs, caverns, a decent wreck, superb macro life, loads of fish, and over 30 dive sites with frequent excellent visibility, all less than a 20-minute journey from port by RIB. That's what Diamond Diving offers from its Golfe Juan base on the Côte d'Azur, South of France.
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From sharks, to solo diving and Drake's fleet

Divers wanting to get a heads-up on all that's new in diving will be in for a treat at the forthcoming London International Dive Show (LIDS 2012).
Taking place at ExCeL on 31 March/1 April, the show will play host to a wide range of top diving speakers.
Among these will be:

Record-breaking free-diver Fred Buyle, who swapped competition diving for freediving with great white and tiger sharks, and on deep wrecks!

Technical Instructor Mark Powell - re-examining the subject of solo-diving in the light of PADI's new Self-Reliant Diver course

Rico Oldfield - describing Deeptrek dive-team exploits including the search for Ben Franklin's Black Fleet off Wales and Sir Francis Drake's warships off Panama.
AND DON'T MISS:

Monty Halls on his Great Barrier Reef TV series.

Paul Rose on Antarctic diving

Alex Mustard on "How to Win Underwater Photography Contests".

Mark Dixon and Jeff Cornish on diving deep wrecks around UK and Ireland

BOOK NOW AND SAVE!
Booking LIDS 2012 tickets in advance saves you cash.
You pay just £8.50 in advance instead of £11.50 on the door (children with an adult enter free).
Book for six people or more, ...and it works out even cheaper at just £7.50 a head - a 35% saving!
Book your tickets here

Which underwater camera?
Underwater photography's moving fast! In February's issue of DIVER we look at camera, housing and flashgun options that could be right for you. Also in the same magazine:

World-beating UK big-animal encounters

28 Apps for divers reviewed

Disinterring Sir Francis Drake

Scottish reef diving - with leaping dolphins thrown in

Is 15 litres of air enough for diving Cyprus's amazing Zenobia?

47-dive portfolio from prize-winner photographer

PLUS: Diver Tests - John Bantin dives with new kit including DUI's CXO drysuit, a lightweight BC from Scubapro, and Predator's much-vaunted Power Fins; Wreck Tour targets a WW1 U-boat victim off Anglesey; Andy Blackford gets in trim for the new season; Louise Trewavas looks at dangerous sea creatures; "Recompression is not 'pick a table, any table'!"

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January discount on holidays worldwide

An 'extra' 5% discount off 2012 dive holidays is being offered by specialist tour operator Regaldive for divers who book by the end of this month. "This great deal is available for almost every destination, hotel and liveaboard we feature around the globe departing in 2012!" says Regaldive. "What's more, the promotion can be used in conjunction with many other great discounts, such as dive pack offers and extra nights free."
Regaldive offers liveaboards and resort-based holidays in more than ten Red Sea resorts, and a large range of destinations around the world, including the Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia.
Holidays must be booked by 31 January 2012.

Experience DIVER on your device!
Already available as an app designed for Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices via iTunes, DIVER Magazine can now also be downloaded to Android mobile phones or tablets through the Android Market application at a price of just £1.99.

£185 Red-Sea saving

A saving of up to £185 per person off a dive holiday in Marsa Shagra dive village in southern Egypt is among current special offers from dive tour operator Oonasdivers. "Marsa Shagra is one of three natural bays, which also include Marsa Nakari Village and Wadi Lahami Village, which essentially put the region of Marsa Alam on the map," says Oonasdivers. "This unique tour gives divers exclusive access to many outstanding reefs including Elphinstone and Samadi. Our guests say these villages are the best value and all-round diving experience you will find in the Red Sea."
Priced from £620 per person, the holiday includes flights from Gatwick, transfers, 7 nights' full board in a tent (upgrades available) and 5 days' unlimited diving. Dates are 26 January to 2 February.

22 high-spec fins tested for speed
When the fin-makers sent DIVER what they considered to be their most efficient fins, John Bantin and his test-dive team set about speed testing them all in the water.
See how they scored on the DIVER Group Tests pages of Divernet, the website for scuba divers.

Please remember...
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It is easy to register and costs nothing. Click here!

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