Well, this is certainly an exciting time here at Planet Scuba India!
Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy @ Hanifaru Bay
We have two fantastic dive trips planned in August-September this year, and the response has been overwhelming! We announced a liveaboard trip to Maldives last month, starting from August 7, and within a month, all 22 seats were booked! So vehement was the response, that we were almost forced into planning a second liveaboard to Hanifaru Bay! The second trip is starting from the 22nd of August, and goes on till the 28th. Seats are still open for this trip and you can email Mark for more details like pricing and prerequisites. He’ll be more than happy to help you out with the planning of the trip.
Incidentally, this is the last time the Maldives government is allowing liveaboards and active diving in Hanifaru Bay for fear of the delicate balance being upset. It’s the feeding season for the Manta Rays and you don’t want to miss this feature!
Pigeon island, Trincomalee
We also have a dive trip planned to Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, starting from the 30th of August. This is not a liveaboard, but rather an all expense paid 5-day dive trip to one of the most pristine dive spots in the world. Some of the world’s best wreck diving happens in these waters, and you get to be a part of this amazing experience. Again, Mark’s the guy for you to get in touch with for more information on this.
In other news, we are thrilled to play host to Mr. Hans Ullrich, the PADI regional manager South Asia, who is visiting Bangalore this week! We are planning a meet & greet party for him, to give him a chance to meet and interact with divers and dive enthusiasts in the city. It’s a BYOB thing, and you are invited! Yes, you guessed it. Email Mark for more info!
Images Courtesy: National Geographic
Suzanne Michelle Coombs Appointed As IDC Staff Instructor
We are proud to announce that we have appointed Suzanne Michelle Coombs as the primary Staff Instructor for our dive centers in Bangalore and Andaman Islands. Suzy Coombs has the distinction of being one of the deepest woman divers in the world, when she dived to a depth of 500 feet (152.4 meters) off the coast of Sweden. This announcement comes as good news to all Indian dive enthusiasts, as they now have a chance to learn and train with one of the most accomplished divers in the world.
Suzy Coombs, the new staff instructor at Planet Scuba India
Planet Scuba India Pvt Ltd has been providing scuba diving training and dive holidays around the world for the past three years. We are India’s first inland dive center based in Bangalore and we have expended our operations to Andaman Islands with the Andaman Diving Academy based in Port Blair.
Suzy Coombs started her diving as a BSAC diver (British Sub Aqua Club) in England when she was 18 and quickly became an Instructor with her local club. Her passion for diving led her to decide, at the age of 20, that she would like to dive outside the UK. She got involved in a research project in Tanzania where she had her first warm water dive.
Since then, she has converted to a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor which allows her to teach new instructors and undertake technical dives. She has worked with several different dive centers in several different countries, mainly Egypt. She has moved to India to spread awareness about scuba diving in India, a country whose coastlines have the richest marine life and has yet to be explored.