Dive Grenada for a long weekend.

Friday-Tuesday, May 25-29, 2007

Grenada, "The Spice of the Caribbean", is being steadily discovered by nature lovers of all types including hikers, mountain bikers, birdwatchers and waterfall buffs. The Grand Etang Forest Reserve and Lake and the island's numerous waterfalls are perfect for surface intervals and any non-diving companions. This exotic destination has beautiful, unspoiled reefs and spectacular wrecks for divers of all levels.
There are more than 30 dive sites in Grenada. Whether you like to dive wrecks, reefs, or be a little adventurous and do a shark dive, Grenada has what you want! Lying beneath Grenada's surface is some of the Caribbean's most dramatic and unspoiled underwater scenery. From lazy drift dives over coral gardens to the "Bianca C", one of the largest ship wrecks in the Caribbean, Grenada waters offer captivating images to divers of all levels.

Since Grenada is not yet as heavily frequented by visitors as other Caribbean destinations, the reefs, wrecks and walls remain unspoiled by crowds and many have yet to be explored. Divers will discover nearly every kind of coral imaginable, along with an abundance of marine fish life, pelagic and coastal as well as turtles, rays, and sharks.

Trip includes: Accommodations at True Blue Bay Resort and Marina (based on double occupancy), breakfast, 3 days of 2 tank morning dives with Aquanauts which is located right on the True Blue Bay resort property, beach bar-b-que with night dive, room taxes and transfers. Airfare is not included but is approximately $615 Air Jamaica flys direct from JFK. Please call us for more information regarding flights. Additional afternoon 2 tank dives are available for $79 You can also choose to add some diving education while we're there to increase your skill level.

True Blue Bay Resort is the perfect place to have your Caribbean Adventure Vacation. Commanding an exquisite view of the South Coast of Grenada where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet, this special West Indian hotel is set among tropical gardens sloping down to the sparkling blue waters of True Blue Bay. The friendliness of the owners and staff, and the romantic and secluded setting of this Caribbean hideaway allow you to enjoy all the attractions of Grenada while preserving that special atmosphere only a small resort can achieve. Guests quickly become friends and part of our extended family of guests and acquaintances.
Price of the trip $740 (not including airfare)

Egypt: The Pyramids, King Tut and The Red Sea

Pictures and Stories from an ancient land and a salty sea
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 2006: I just returned from a grand tour of Egypt and all the great sites that make that country famous.  The Pyramids are impressive and the biggest of the three structures, the Great Pyramid is the last remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. The 500 foot Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest structure in all of Egypt for nearly 4600 years and was only passed by the skyscrapers of Cairo in the last 100 years.  Afifi and Manal, our native Egyptian tour guides, ensured that we traveled safely, saw all the great sites and gave us enough information on Egypt to win on Jeopardy.

I also paid a visit the the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of King Tut.  Surprisingly, the tomb of Tutankhamen is small compared to the other tombs of great Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings.  King Tut died at a young age of suspicious circumstances so a grand tomb was not ready for the boy king. In Egyptian history, King Tut had no major significance and the Pharaoh was only made famous in 1922 when Howard Carter discovered the king's tomb completely intact with all the treasure buried with him. All other tombs of the great Pharaohs of Egypt were plundered by grave robbers before being discovered by modern archeologists.  The treasure from King Tut's tomb takes up a entire wing in the Museum of Cairo. Did you know that 143 pieces of jewelry was found in between his mummy layers? Besides viewing the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, I toured all the great temples of ancient Egypt along the Nile River including The Temples of Karnak, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Esna, Edfu, and Abu Simbel.  Each temple was as impressive as the next standing tall after thousands of years of history.  I also had time to take a break from temple sightseeing to visit the famous marketplaces and bazaars of Egypt which are a mecca for shoppers.

The rest of my trip in Egypt was spent diving the Red Sea, the second saltiest sea in the world.  The Red Sea is the European Caribbean and hosts some of the best diving I ever experienced. On every dive I experienced "gin clear" warm water, vibrant pastel colors and unique species of fish that are unfamiliar to the Caribbean. It was some divers first time seeing a whale shark.  I never see any articles on the Red Sea in American dive publications which makes the Red Sea the best kept secret in diving on our side of the pond.  Europeans dive the Red Sea in droves and kept asking me, "Americans..what are you doing here?"  I answered, "having a great time diving and finding ways to bring Americans to dive the Red Sea by the boatload!!"  The Red Sea is truly a special place to dive and Sharm el-Sheikh, our dive location, is a fantastic resort town that offers plenty to do both on land and underwater.

Besides diving and sightseeing, I spent my time in Egypt inspecting hotels, cruise ships and restaurants to finalize the best possible accommodations and itinerary for a group adventure tour next summer. I have been planning my Egypt trip since October of 2005 and the final pieces to the itinerary are just now falling into place. The intention of this blog is to pique your interest in joining us in Egypt next year.  Here is just a few highlights of our Egypt adventure tour for next summer: 4 Day Nile Cruise (Agatha Christie style) with stops in Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Aswan, The Valley of the Kings (tomb of King Tut) and extra time to check out the ancient city of Luxor and the biggest temples in the world. We will spend some time in Cairo to experience the culture of this great city and to visit the The Sphinx and The Great Pyramids of Giza, see the Cairo Museum and shop at city bazaars. A short flight to Sharm el-Sheikh will bring the group to the Sinai Peninsula and the shores of the Red Sea. In Sharm, the SCUBA divers of our group will take day charters to experience the underwater beauty of the Red Sea and Ras Mohammed National Park.  Snorkeling and shore diving will also be available right in front of our resort in Sharm. We plan to have a separate land itinerary while in Sharm so non-divers are more than welcome on our Egypt tour. The adventure tour to Egypt next summer will truly be a trip of a lifetime!

Welcome to Empire Divers

The Upper East Side's full service PADI dive shop.

Whether you're a snorkeler, avid diver, just learning to dive, or interested in becoming a dive professional, Empire Divers has the course for you.

Empire Divers offers the highest quality diver education and equipment available. Certifications from all levels of PADI training, and programs with continuing education specialty classes including: EAN Nitrox, Photography, Wreck, Deep, Night... and many more.

Join us on one of our adventure travel vacations, from diving in the Caribbean, to live-aboards in the exotic South Pacific. We offer packages for the novice as well as the seasoned diver.

Come in and talk to our friendly staff to see how we can bring your next adventure to life.