I’ve received an email from Deep Blue, in Utila, Honduras, asking whether we’d be interested in organising a gay week there.

With the US$ exchange rate as it is, their rates are already quite attractive - from US$1160 for a week (which is about £600), including Ocean front accommodation, full board, 3 boat dives per day, unlimited shore diving, and taxes. If we organise a group to go, then they could offer us additional discounts.
Update: Deep Blue will offer us a discount of around 35% during the Whale Shark High Season (Feb, May, or June), if we get a group of 10 or more people together.

Flights, of course, are what bump up the overall price, but flights with American Airlines to San Pedro Sula via Miami work out at about £475. On top of that, there’s then the flight to Utila, which is about $60 each way - however with a large group it might work out cheaper to charter our own plane for the internal flights!

The trip could also easily be combined with a week’s diving on Roatan (the next island) , for as little as £350 extra.

Deep Blue can accommodate 20 guests, and while we might not be able to fill the whole resort from within GLUG, I think if we could fill half of it, then with our contacts via DFL (Diving for Life) in other Gay & Lesbian clubs in the USA & Canada we could well find another 10 people.

(For anyone who wants to see Whale Sharks, the season is from February to May.)

Click on the Deep Blue logo above to check out their website.

You can also read a trip report here (you’ll need Acrobat Reader).

I’ll be raising this at the January Meeting, but in the meantime, if anyone has any comments or questions, please leave them below, or email them to me by clicking my name at the top of the post.

A last-minute change of plan saved the lives of two divers in the Maldives

Phuket after the Tsunami
(Updated: 30th-Dec-04 @ 15:20)
How many of us have watched the TV reports over the last few days and thought “That could have been me there”? Many of us within the club will have visited some of the worst affected areas, such as Phuket, Sri Lanka, or the Maldives.

The devasation around the Indian Ocean is a sobering reminder of the power of Mother Nature. The latest reported death toll is between 60,000 - 70,000 114,000 with at least 10 times that number injured, and millions homeless.

It seems that most of those who were on boats, or actually under the water at the time the wave hit were fortunate - although several boats from Phuket now have no Port to return to.

In Indonesia, the offical death toll is over 27,000almost 80,000, but it’s believed that that estimate is conservative - many parts of the region can still not be contacted.

In Sri Lanka, over 18,50024,700 are dead, and more than 1 million homeless. Land mines laid during the civil war were dislodged by flood waters and are now floating off beaches and in lagoons - hampering rescue efforts

In India, more than 2000km of coastline was swamped by the waves.

In Thailand, there are up to 2,000 dead. It’s likely that many of the coral reefs along the west coast have been destroyed.

In the Maldives, with most islands being only 1 metre above sea level, the damage has been extensive - two-thirds of the capital, Male, was underwater for a time, and some of the country’s 200 inhabited islands still cannot be contacted. Some smaller islands have been washed away completely.

For an idea of the power of the wave, have a look at the videos on this page.

I’m sure all GLUG members will join me in sending a message of support and sympathy to all those who have lost their homes, livelihoods, or their loved ones in this tragedy.

Anyone wishing to make a donation towards the relief effort can do so by contacting one of the following organisations (click on the logos below):

I am organising a weekend in Stoney Cove 23/24 April 2005. Any members interested in coming along (for one day or whole weekend) should contact me by clicking my name at the top of this post (you need to be logged in).

Ideal for testing newly-serviced kit, first dive of the season etc.

I’ve now booked the first group for 3-11 June 2005 in Tenerife. The cost should be no more than £485 for flights, accommodation and diving (10 dives). There will be one day spare for sightseeing. The trip is suitable for non-diving partners - it’s no more than a 15 min drive to any of the dive sites. Interested members can contact me by clicking my name at the top of this post (you need to be logged in first).

You can find more information about the trip in this post

Please note that the January Monthly Meeting will be held on January 11th, and not on the first Tuesday. For details of the time and location, please see the Events Page.

Merry Xmas to all our members and friends.

Neil.

Adam Preston is an ex-GLUG member who gave up his job in London to live and Dive in Thailand.

He’s set up his own business, Rainbow Scuba, on Koh Samui, catering to Gay & Lesbian divers, snorkellers, and kayakers, and is offering GLUG members a 10% discount on his normal prices.

He’s also running the first ever Gay & Lesbian Liveaboard trip to the Similan Islands - 11 dives over 3 days for less than £200.

For more details, check out the Rainbow Scuba website.

The London Diving Chamber, based in St Johns Wood, is now open.

Dr John King (Medical Director) and Dr Jules Eden (from Sport Diver Magazine) will be treating divers and undertaking dive medicals.

Consultation and treatment for DCI is covered by the NHS, and is free.

I came across the ScubaAuctions website by accident today - it’s a kind of Ebay for scuba divers.

There’s not a lot on it as yet, but worth checking out if you’re looking for second-hand kit.

Neil.

Adopt a Turtle for Christmas!

Win tickets to LIDS with Divernet

Win a Red Sea Liveaboard trip with Divers’ Heaven by answering a simple question.

Could the Sipadan Sunseeker be the most exclusive liveaboard in the world?

Dorothy Divers members may be interested to know that Regaldive are offering free diving packages on their Red Sea trips for buddies (that’s diving at no cost, BTW, not diving without tanks!), plus a 10% discount on their normal prices.

The offer is open to BSAC members for their shore-based trips to Sharm, Dahab, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Nuweiba.

The world famous Sydney New Mardi Gras has today formalised an agreement to twin with Pride London. These two major events will work together to promote tourism and community harmony across both continents in 2005 and beyond.

The Sydney New Mardi Gras parade and party takes place on 5 March 2005 and Pride Day in London is fixed for Saturday 2 July 2005.