Emperor Divers News

Meet Marsa Alam's answer to Kermit

2010-08-27T10:38:17Z

Our newest fishy favourite in Marsa Alam is 'Kermit' the Warty Frogfish. First spotted by our dive guide Sarah, Kermit now resides near a table coral in Marsa Mubarak, meaning you can see stonefish, scorpionfish, crocodilefish and a frogfish on one dive!

Over the past two months he has grown from about 5 cm to nearly 10 cm...although being a warty he won't get much bigger!

Dive Marsa Alam - book today!

Buy One Dive Course get One Half Price

2010-08-23T09:05:16Z

SAVE up to 166 Euros when you book a PADI Open Water or PADI Scuba Diver Course

Valid from 01 September - 31 December 2010 in Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Nuweiba & Sharm el Sheikh:

How to book online:

- Select the Open Water or Scuba Diver Course for the first person at standard price (1st Person Paying)

- Next select the Open Water or Scuba Diver Course (shown as '2nd Person Half Price') for the next person separately.

For more details contact reservations@emperordivers.com

Terms & Conditions
Buy 1 get 1 Half Price offer applies to Emperor Dive Centres in Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Nuweiba & Sharm el Sheikh.
Offers are for diving services taken within dates shown and valid on bookings paid prior to arrival only.
Course materials and certification are additional, paid locally.
This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and is valid on new reservations only!

Couple required to work on Emperor Liveaboards

2010-08-20T10:08:10Z

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a couple to join our Liveaboard team, based in Hurghada, Egypt.

We're looking for energetic people who are passionate about diving, living on board boats and can give our guests the best holiday!

As Instructors and experienced divers, you'll be confident in both teaching and guiding guests of all certification levels. We want to hear from you if you have excellent interpersonal skills, a friendly personality and an enthusiasm for diving that will bring our guests back for more.

Where required you may also be asked to work as a Diving Instructor at our Dive Centre in Hilton Plaza, Hurghada.

It is essential that you can speak fluent Spanish and English plus, preferably, German, Dutch or Russian.

The successful couple will be offered a one-year contact and will receive salary and commission.

If you meet the above criteria, please send your CV, including languages spoken and a recent photograph, to Sarah at human.resources@emperordivers.com.

Please quote reference ED086.

Work for Emperor. Diving Instructors required.

2010-08-13T13:02:23Z

Are you a multi-lingual Diving Instructor looking for work?

If so you may be just what we're looking for! An exciting opportunity has arisen for energetic and enthusiastic Diving Instructors to join our Dive Centre in the Hilton Plaza Hurghada. Both singles and couples are welcome to apply.

We're preferably looking for MSDT certified Instructors (with Nitrox), however, newly qualified Instructors are also encouraged to apply even if not yet MSDT.

As well as speaking fluent English you must have the ability to teach in at least two of the following languages: German, Dutch, Russian, Slovakian, French and Spanish.

Emperor will offer the successful candidates a 12 month contract, a monthly salary and generous commission.

If you meet the criteria, please send your CVs including a recent photo and languages spoken to Sarah at human.resources@emperordivers.com quoting reference number ED078.

Love diving or your money back

2010-07-29T05:52:29Z

More and more people are learning the joys of the sport of diving, so it's a win-win situation with Emperor Divers' water-tight money-back guarantee.

We are so confident that you will love diving, and the way your instructors look after you, that we are offering to give you your money back if you find that diving just isn't for you.

Choose any of our dive centres in El Gouna, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Nuweiba or Sharm El Sheikh.

The guarantee applies to the following PADI* courses: Scuba Diver, Open Water, eLearning, Fastrack and Discover Scuba Diving.

*Terms and conditions apply. Check out Emperor Divers' website.

Emperor Hurghada is on the move to Hilton Hurghada Plaza

2010-07-28T17:18:59Z

From September 2010, Emperor Hurghada will be based at the Hilton Hurghada Plaza Hotel.

Close to downtown Hurghada, our new dive centre offers a full range of dive courses, day boat diving, technical diving and snorkelling. There is a dive shop on site, a heated pool for training and fabulous views from the terrace and pool.

Emperor Fleet liveaboards on Hurghada itineraries will also depart from here, giving easy access for guests.

More information and photos coming soon!

When is a male a female? When it's a Clownfish!

2010-07-26T11:47:26Z

By Sarah Wright

Clownfish became every child's favourite fish (and also mine!) following the release of Disney's 'Finding Nemo'.

There are 28 known species of clownfish. The Red Sea Anemonefish (amphiprion bicinctus), which is native to the Red Sea, lives in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the anemone.

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The clownfish feeds on small invertebrates, which could otherwise potentially harm the sea anemone, and the faecal matter from the clownfish provides nutrients to the sea anemone. Clownfish are omnivores and eat live food such as algae, plankton, molluscs and Crustacea with algae accounting for around 20 to 25 percent of its diet. It has also been suggested that the activity of the clownfish results in greater water circulation around the sea anemone. In addition to providing food for the clownfish, the sea anemone also provides safety due to its poison.

Clownfish live in small groups inhabiting a single anemone. The group consists of a breeding pair, which cohabits with a few non-reproductive, "pre-pubescent", and smaller male clownfish. When the female dies, the dominant male changes sex and becomes the female, a change which is irreversible. This life history strategy is known as sequential hermaphroditism. Because clownfish are all born as males, they are protandrous hermaphrodites. This phenomenon is also found in other species of fish in the Red Sea.

Clownfish lay eggs on any flat surface close to their host anemones. They spawn around the time of the full moon and the male parent guards them until they hatch about 6 to 10 days later, typically 2 hours after dusk.

SAVE 28% on day diving & dive courses - NOW until 31 August

2010-07-22T10:18:35Z

Emperor's Great Summer Bonanza Extended
Available on dive packages and dive courses

22 Jul 10 - 31 Aug 2010

Hurghada, Marsa Alam & Sharm El Sheikh

Offer applies to:

    * Daily Dive Packages
    * PADI Open Water
    * PADI Scuba Diver
    * PADI Fastrack
    * PADI Referral Course
    * PADI Advanced Open Water
    * eLearning Open Water Dives
    * Scuba Reviews
    * Discover Scuba Diver Programmes
    * Selected other courses

How to book online:

* Select the Diving Package or Course you require
* Your 28% discount has already been automatically deducted

For more details contact reservations@emperordivers.com

Terms & Conditions:
Saving of 28% applies to Emperor Dive Centres in El Gouna, Hurghada, Nuweiba, Marsa Alam & Sharm el Sheikh
Offer is for diving services taken within dates shown and valid on bookings paid prior to arrival only.
Course materials and certification are additional, paid locally.
Diving includes 2 dives per day with tanks & weights.
Extras in resort (special trips, third dives, night dives etc), equipment, fees & taxes are additional, paid locally.
This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.

My favourite fish - the eighties retro-style goby

2010-07-15T11:16:25Z

By Elise Watling

The little citron coral goby or lemon coral goby has to be one of my favourite fish. Why? Check him out. He's cute, tiny, bright yellow with white Adam Ant stripes down his face. Yes, he is an eighties retro fish!

The little chap actually belongs to the Gobiodon genus of the Gobiidae family, which is THE largest family in the marine world and with over 200 genera of them you can see why! The citron coral goby is the smaller of the species and only grows to a length of 4cm in comparison with some of his other family members reaching over 50cm!

He has two dorsal fins and is often found lurking with others of his kind in the acropora table corals that are readily found here in Ras Mohammed. The rest of his clan tend to be found burrowing in the sand but not this one. He stands loud and retro-proud on the table corals! They give off a noxious body slime so not many other fish will play ball with them and they tend to stick to their own kind. Those that don't seem to mind, though are small damsels and juvenile hawkfish that will share the same acropora.

This goby feeds mainly on zooplankton, small crustaceans and algae. And if that fails they'll eat the Acropora coral or skeleton that he inhabits.

In small groups they readily form pairs and mate. The genus are hermaphrodites (meaning they have both male and female organs) with females turning into males. The female deposits circular bands around a branch of host coral that are immediately fertilized and subsequently guarded by the male. Alas, because of the goby's small size, they have a lot of problems fending off larger predators when rearing their young.

Bannerfish (Genus Heniochus)

2010-07-01T12:03:34Z

By Roxy Bezuidenhoud

There are eight known species of the Genus Heniochus, which is a member of the Butterflyfish family Chaetodontidae, meaning "bristle teeth" in reference to their prising snout and dentition. All eight species are similarly shaped with laterally compressed sides, a pointed rostrum and a lengthened fourth dorsal ray.

The Chaetodontidae are very colourful fishes that are popular with divers and aquarists. The family consists of ten genera with about 120 species. They mostly inhabit coral reefs but some have become adapted to temperate and deep waters. The geographical distribution is mainly focused on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea coral reefs, 4 are found in the east Pacific and 12 in the Atlantic. The genus Chaetodon is the largest in the family, with 114 species in 13 sub-genera. Heniochus as mentioned above comprises 8 species, with the remaining genera being single species (monotypic), or with only a few species each.

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Of the eight species of Heniochus, two are common to the Red Sea: the Red Sea Bannerfish (Heniochus intermedius), and the Schooling Bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes). The other species are the Long-Fin Bannerfish (Heniochus acumminatus), Pennant Butterflyfish (Heniochus chrysostomus), Masked Bannerfish (Heniochus monoceros), Phantom Bannerfish (Heniochus pleurotaenia), Humphead Bannerfish (Heniochus varius) and Singular Bannerfish (Heniochus singularius).

The Red Sea Bannerfish can grow up to 20cm and is found also in the western Gulf of Aden. It lives at depths between 3 and 50 meters, feeding on zooplankton during the day. These fish swim in pairs but are also found in groups of up to 24. Juveniles are found primarily at the base of reefs, living in larger groups.

In the Red Sea, these fish feed most actively at sunset and during the night, so divers may be less likely to see many Bannerfish in the daytime, as they may be hiding among corals.

The Red Sea Bannerfish appears to be a generalist feeder. It has been reported as a benthic feeder eating mostly sedentary polychaetes and some corals and other invertebrates off Eritrea, but as a planktonic feeder on larvaceans in the Gulf of Aqaba. It has a short gut, indicating that it doesn't eat algae and corals as much as some other butterfly fish species, but it is likely that it consumes some.

These fish are very territorial, with the territory often having a table coral at its centre. In the late afternoon, pairs of fish move to the borders of the territory to challenge neighbouring fish of the same species, whilst others within the same genus pass across the territory unchallenged.

Schooling Bannerfish grow up to 18cm and are characterised by an elongated 4th dorsal spine. They have two black bands, the second starting behind the dorsal filament, yellow pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins, with a grey spotted snout and nape. They live along the reef front or external reef, in large schools swimming in mid water.

It resembles another Heniochus species, Heniochus acuminatus, but is smaller, with shorter snout, snout and nape spots lighter, and usually lives in large schools.

These fish are found not only in the Red Sea through to the Arabian Gulf, but are widespread also in the Indian Ocean. They inhabit depths from 1 to 210 meters, living in aggregations in the water column above the reef tops, feeding on zooplankton. Juveniles are found living closer to the bottom near reef patches, whilst adults spend the entire day in open water, protected by the schooling behaviour.

Schooling Bannerfish are typical Plankton feeders, with juveniles also acting as cleaners, feeding on parasites collected on other fish skin.

FREE Coral Reef Conservation PADI Specialty at Emperor Nuweiba

2010-07-01T08:29:19Z

Each Sunday in Nuweiba, you can now learn about the area's coral reefs through a 'family fun day' and award yourself with the PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialty.

This weekly event aims to raise awareness in the form of trash dives helping Nuweiba maintain its unspoiled beauty and pristine coral gardens. Organized beach clean ups and underwater clean ups make a significant impact in helping us to preserve the amazing underwater ecosystems.

After the clean up, Emperor's Nuweiba team invites you to take part in the Coral Watch monitoring dive where you learn how to record and monitor corals and return data, all of which helps in preventing the destruction of our world's most fragile environment.

On completion of the day's activities, guests can choose to see a free Coral Reef Conservation presentation by the staff allowing them to earn the PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialty. Here you will learn:

• How coral reefs function
• Why they are so important
• Why many reefs are in serious trouble
• What you can do to prevent further decline

A number of guests have already completed the Specialty, as pictured above.

The Specialty itself is FREE (within your day's dive pack) and costs just 35 Euro for the Certification fee (+10% tax).

New PADI speciality - Dive with Dugong - exclusive to Emperor Marsa Alam

2010-06-23T07:15:34Z

Your Best Chance to Find a Dugong - New and Exclusive to Emperor Divers, Marsa Alam

Emperor Divers, Marsa Alam, is now offering you the best chance to dive with a Dugong! Learn more about these magnificent creatures by enrolling on our brand new Dugong Appreciation Distinctive Specialty course.

Approved by PADI and taught only at Emperor, this course gives you background knowledge, facts and local information on our Dugongs, as well as teaching you techniques for finding and successfully diving with these gentle marine mammals. What's more, after 2 dives in our local Dugong hotspots, you will earn a full PADI certification that can be credited towards your Master Scuba Diver rating.

The one-day course costs €120* and this includes all materials, dives, equipment and also a free Emperor Divers Dugong T-shirt. So book now and come and join us diving with Dyson, Dennis and friends!

*€35 certification fee payable in resort

Book today - email info.reservations@emperordivers.com

New Ras Mamlach boat trip from Emperor Nuweiba

2010-06-16T06:33:26Z

The team in Nuweiba is delighted to be able to offer guests a memorable day out on their new charter boat - King Sea Star. You can visit Ras Mamlach in the National Park with its pristine coral formations along with an amazing abundance of fish life such as Napoleon wrasse, turtles, milk fish, blue spotted rates and schooling barracuda.

The boat leaves the dive centre at 8am and returns at 5pm, so a full and fulfilling day for all. Divers can do their PADI Boat Diver specialty on the day. Non-diving guests are also welcome aboard.

The trip costs just 45 Euro, including lunch and soft drinks. All trips are subject to weather conditions and minimum numbers.

Email info.reservations@emperordivers.com for more information.

Blame it on the Anthia...Terry Axam shares his knowledge of this Red Sea beauty

2010-06-16T06:25:24Z

Terry Axam, Sharm El Sheikh's popular dive instructor, shares his anthia tales...

At first sight it may appear pretty nondescript, how you might describe your everyday pet goldfish! But take a closer look at this 7cm fish. It has the most amazing violet streak below the eye, which illuminates the surrounding water. On mass the orange/gold colour of their body lights up the entire reef making you think you are surrounded by thousands of stars.

Also known as the lyretail coralfish, the lyretail anthia or the scalefin anthia, anthias are members of the family Serranidae (basses, basslets, groupers) and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. They occur in all tropical oceans and seas of the world from the western Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean as far east as Japan and Southeast Australia. The first species recognized in this group was described in the Mediterranean and northeast Atlantic and was given the name Anthias anthias by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. Pretty remarkable stuff, huh!

Small, peaceful and beautiful they form complex social structures based on the number of males and females and also their position on the reef itself. They are mainly zooplankton feeders and shoal by the thousands. The male, 15 cm in length and a fuschia colour with a very distuinguishing banner, retains a harem of 5-10 females. When the male dies (no surprise there) one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male!

In our local waters they surround coral outcrops, the fringing reef and steep slopes to a depth of 35m. They always point directly into current apart from when they are playing 'tricks' on the dive guide when you will hear that age old phrase, 'well they were pointing the right way when I jumped in and checked.' The Anthia, a dive guide's best friend or his/her Achilles heel...

» Book your diving holiday to Sharm El Sheikh today and enjoy some of Terry's experiences!

Emperor Divers' World Cup - Dive and Win!

2010-06-03T14:06:24Z

Want to dive AND watch the World Cup? Then join Emperor Divers for some football-friendly fun. Your day's diving, where possible, will be worked out around the match you want to watch so you don't miss out on the excitement.

Dive any Emperor Divers' centre in El Gouna, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Nuweiba or Sharm during the World Cup, nominate the team you think will win and if it does you enter the draw to win one of five dive packages with FIVE days' diving FREE at any Emperor dive centre of your choice.

Emperor will also be running World Cup Specials in their dive centres - check them out when you're there!

Email info.reservations@emperordivers.com for more information or visit www.emperordivers.com