Next month, the M/V Wind Dancer will return to cruising the Caribbean waters of Grenada and The Grenadines.   This area drew rave diving reviews from our guests last year when we introduced the itinerary, and so we've extended this year's stay from April 28 through Jan. 12, 2008 (with convenient Sat - Sat departures).

Not only is this eastern Caribbean diving at its finest (pristine reefs, steep walls, dramatic wrecks, and towering underwater pinnacles) but passengers also highly endorsed the "scenic cruising" aspect of seeing lots of different islands and landscapes while traveling to/from our dive sites.  Grenada and the Grenadines are one of the Caribbean's most superb cruising grounds (and relatively unknown). 

Plus the photography (as the jawfish/w eggs shot shows) earned very, very high marks, particularly for the Caribbean.  Visitors shot more unusual photo subjects (seahorses, flying gurnards, batfish, blennies, squid, etc.) than the western Caribbean, and saw warm, vibrant colored sponges and anemones on very dense reefs.  Plus the viz is generally good, which compliments the reefs and marine life.    

Grenada and the Grenadines are the perfect fit for a one week live-aboard vacation in the Caribbean.   You'll arrive and depart from Grenada, and will spend at least one day at either end of the trip diving Grenada waters, but after that we'll cruise to Isle de Rhonde, a great diving area rarely visited by any other dive vessels.  Then it's on to Isle de Quatro and Bequia, with lots of small islands and cays, including the very highly praised Tobago Cays, in between.

On the return trip, we'll visit any of the areas we missed on the way out, plus make at least one dive on the legendary "Bianca C", arguably the largest ship wreck in the Caribbean, and the passenger liner wreck (she sank in 1961) was NOT sunk as an artificial reef!  Underwater conditions are always an important factor at the Bianca C (this is an advanced wreck dive), and so we'll be as flexible as possible to insure good visibility and current.

All of the diving in Grenada is done in "drift" diving style from our two 25' Fiber Glass tenders, each powered by twin outboards and outfitted with easily accessible "re-boarding" ladders. 

Underwater, expect the very unusual these days, a rarely touched Caribbean. Even for very experienced live-aboard divers, it will be hard to ignore the call of this unique and unusual diving itinerary...

Want to read more?  Please see Keith Phillips article in Scuba Diving Magazine :
                   
http://www.peterhughes.com/PDFFiles/Grenada.pdf

BELIZE UPDATE, Sun Dancer to Dry Dock in September and October:  The M/V Sun Dancer II, operating in Belize,  is scheduled for regular dry dock maintenance during September and October of 2007. If you want to enjoy the best diving conditions in Belize (summer and early fall) make sure you book your summer trips early and take advantage of this special offer as well!

Several months ago, we invited our readers to send in their best suggestions on the name of the newest PHD live-aboard exploring North Sulawesi in Indonesia. The vessel will now be christened "PARADISE DANCER".

Congratulations to Jeff Stultz , who sent in the winning name, and wins a FREE trip (live-aboard portion only, no airfare) to the new boat!  

There were also SIX other readers who sent in the winning name! 

But Jeff's was received first, and he wins the trip!  The other divers who submitted the winning name were sent $ 250 vouchers for a trip on the Paradise Dancer.

Thanks to all of our readers who sent in names! 

Peter Hughes Diving and our long standing Indonesian partner, P.T. Ombak, are delighted to announce the itinerary of the sister ship to the M/V Komodo Dancer, the newly named M/V Paradise Dancer!  

The Paradise Dancer is aptly named, as she will cruise the incredibly rich waters of the Lembeh Straights, North Sulawesi, and Sangihe Islands. 

And, this luxury motor/sailer will really cruise!  The extensive itinerary (which has already been charted, dived, and explored by our staff) will feature many of the diving hot-spots in this region, and we've found some new ones as well!   Paradise Dancer will cruise all the way to the Sangihe Islands, covering more great dive spots than any live-aboard in the region.  

We'll be doing a special edition of DivEmail on the Paradise Dancer in a couple of weeks, and updating you on our progress as we continue to build and launch the vessel,  but you can get a "sneak peek" at this awesome diving itinerary on the web at:  

http://www.peterhughesdiving.com/northsulawesi.html

2006/2007 PHOTO CONTEST  UPDATE

Please stay tuned for our announcement of the winners of the
2006/2007 Photo & Writing Contest
in our April/May Issue.