February 19, 2004
Emperor Divers voted No 1 Dive Centre and Top Liveaboards
Once again, you have voted Emperor Divers 'Dive Centre of the Year 2003' for the fourth year in succession.
Voted by readers of Diver magazine, the annual awards saw Emperor Divers’ Sharm El Sheikh centre sweep the board with first place, followed closely by Emperor Divers’ Hurghada centre in second place.
In a change to the format, divers were asked to vote not only for their best dive centre overall, but also their best dive centre in resort – Emperor swept the board clean on both counts.
Another new category was Best Liveaboard. Emperor’s fleet saw both Emperor Fraser and Pegasus placed in the top four.
With dive centres in Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Nuweiba, Soma Bay/Safaga, Marsa Alam and Sudan, Emperor Divers continues to hold the coveted title of Best Dive Centre overall, as well as now proving itself exceptional in two Red Sea resorts and in the liveaboard category.
Terry and Theresa Simpson, Directors of Emperor Divers, said, "This is another fantastic achievement for us. Thanks to everyone who dived and voted for Emperor this year. We never forget that it's the guests and our remarkable team of staff that keep us where we are…at the top!"
February 09, 2004
Dolphin House Reef re-opens
Dolphin House Reef has re-opened with new rules and regulations.
No more than 100 divers and 100 snorkelers per day with a maximum of 20 people per boat wil be allowed in the area. Visiting times are from 10am -2pm.
A large area has been set aside solely for the dolphins. No divers, snorkelers or boats are allowed across this line.
Dolphin House is now included in the list of National Parks of Egypt and all people entering are subject to a 105 Egyptian Pound entry fee. A strict protocol, enforced by Red Sea Rangers, must be followed by guides taking people to snorkel with the dolphins.
Emperor Divers applauds and congratulates the Egyptian Authorities for taking these steps to preserve this site and for recognising the necessity of limiting the amount of human traffic at Dolphin House. Emperor usually dives on the outer reef away from the dolphin area and as a result is now advising on future plans for the area, without penalising divers who won’t be diving or snorkeling with the dolphins.
Emperor will be taking its allocation of tickets for people who do want to visit the dolphins, of course, but are equally aware that other divers simply want to dive the area away from the dolphins without paying the entry fee.
February 03, 2004
FREE Nitrox
Book your liveaboard holiday on any of the following boats and take a Nitrox course for FREE!
- Empress Theresa
- Golden One
- Emperor Fraser (also offering new Tech courses, see below)
- Emperor Queen
Just pay 99 Euros per person for materials and certification
The Course includes:
Theory lesson, exam, 2 dives on Nitrox
Student Crew pack includes:
Padi Enriched Air Diver Manual, Nitrox Dive Tables, Padi Certification Fees
For availability or more information, email safaris@emperordivers.com
NEW Tech Courses
Emperor is now offering TDI (Technical Divers International) courses on Fraser.
Choose from Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses, each of which are €200, with €35 for the manual and €35 for the certification, payable extra.
Payment is taken in resort only, but advanced bookings can be made by e-mailing safaris@emperordivers.com
Yet another shipwreck for Port Sudan
2003 has been a year when a number of different vessels came to grief on Wingate Reef.
Earlier this year Emperor Divers reported the loss of the Hassanein, a small ship of the 618grt, which developed a leak and sank in April 2003. A few weeks later, another ship, the Madad, ran aground and remains high and dry on top of the reef. In July, the Annie Sierra out of Limassol also ran aground although she was refloated some weeks later.
The latest wreck, however, is something very different altogether. The SS Jassim was a roro passenger/cargo ferry of 2312grt built in Norway and launched in 1961. Her dimensions are 80.64m x 15m with a draught of 9.3m. She was owned by Al Ramzani Sea Transport of Qatar and registered in La Paz, Bolivia. More recently she became one of the many ships laid up at the Wingate Reef anchorage and it was here that she sank on the night of 1 December 2003.
Emperor Divers, who runs the only shore-based diving facility in Port Sudan, in addition to a day boat and the newly installed liveaboard, Pegasus, has already made tentative enquiries about the wreck with a view to seeing her moved into deeper water. For the moment, however, the Sudanese legal system is trying to determine blame for the sinking of the ship. Definitely an exciting new wreck for the near future.
Emperor takes BOOT Show in its stride
Emperor Divers' sister company in Germany, Emperor Travel and Sport, attended the popular BOOT Show in Dusseldorf in January.
The Show completely lived up to exhibitors' expectations and from the outset the mood in the exhibition halls was upbeat.
A total of 309,000 watersports enthusiasts from over 60 countries streamed to the exhibition to find out about new equipment, products and services offered by 1,650 exhibitors...with much interest shown Emperor liveaboards and Sudan!