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Inter-Ocean Tours

Trips for Divers

 P.O. Box 27116
Oakland, CA 94602
travel@interocean.com
510-638-3448 / 800-345-7159
510-638-1741 Fax

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The Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies.

Indonesia Maldives
 Red Sea
 Seychelles Thailand

Indian Ocean


MALDIVES
Maldives1190 islands are spread over 26 atolls, ringlike coral formations enclosing a lagoon, which gives the Maldives its unique paradise-like appearance. They stretch for about 500 miles from North to South, 80 miles at the widest point and do not exceed a length of 4.5 miles or an altitude of 6 feet above sea level.

The Maldives has a tropical climate with warm temperatures year round and a great deal of sunshine. The warm tropical climate results in relatively minor variations in daily temperature throughout the year. The hottest month on average is April and the coolest, December. The weather is determined largely by the monsoons.

There is a significant variation in the monthly rainfall levels. February is the driest with January to April being relatively dry, May and October records the highest average monthly rainfall. The southwest monsoon or hulhangu from May to September is the wet season. Rough seas and strong winds are common during this period.

The Ibrahim Nasir Male' International Airport is the gateway to the islands of Maldives. The main airlines flying in from Europe are the UK, German & Italian charter flights which fly direct. Main scheduled services from Europe are those airlines flying direct: Sri Lankan Airways out of Heathrow and British Airways out of Gatwick; and those flying via their main hub: Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirates via Dubai and Oman Airways via Muscat.  Sri Lankan also have some flights via Colombo.  The Sri Lankan timetable changes  throughout the year, so it is important to check whether the flight you are booked on is 'non-stop' or not.  From Asia there are flights from Singapore on Singapore Airlines, amongst others.

Although the liveaboards is the number one choice for the divers's who visits Maldives, there are hotels and resorts where diving is their major attractions. Also arriving 1 day early and staying in Male overnight is highly recommended to ensure not to miss the boat because of the mishap during the long travel there.
'Ark Royal'
'Eagle Ray'
'Maldive Aggressor'
'Maldive Siren'
'Manthri'
'MV Orion'
Male Hotels

Angaga Island Resort and Spa and Sub Aqua, South Ari Atoll
Bandos Island Resort, North Male Atoll
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort, South Ari Atoll
Kuredu Island Resort and Spa and Prodivers, Lhaviyani Atoll
Vakarufalhi Island Resort and Prodivers, South Ari Atoll

RED SEA
The Red Sea has long been a favorite of professional and experienced divers.  It is considered one of the best, if not the best, diving areas in the world.  Political conditions raise cause for caution from time to time, but thousand of tourists explore both Egypt and Israel, the two largest countries bordering the Red Sea, without incident.  You can dive Ras Mohammad from Sharm El Sheik aboard day boats or liveaboards.  Hurghada to the south has become a center for liveaboards to reach out to the Brothers, Deadalus and Zabargad as well as many other fantastic locations.  Sites may close from time to time, so itineraries change; the alternative sites are just as awesome.
Emperor Divers

SEYCHELLES
SeychellesSeychelles’ 115 granite and coral islands extend from between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator and lie between 480km and 1,600km from the east coast of Africa in the western Indian Ocean.

The periods of calm between the trades produce fairly warm and wind-free conditions throughout April and also in October. Conditions for swimming, snorkelling and especially diving are superb during April/May and October/November when the water temperature sometimes reaches 84ºF and visibility is often 100 feet plus.

The national airline Air Seychelles (HM) operates scheduled flights from London, Paris, and Rome in the European sector. Regional and peripheral sectors include Mauritius, South Africa and Singapore. Qatar Airways (QR) and Emirates (EK) fly to and from Seychelles providing connecting flights to various worldwide sectors through their hubs in Dubai and Doha. Other airlines flying to Seychelles include Air France (AF), Kenya Airways (KQ), Condor (DE), Air Austral (UU) and Air Mauritius (MK).







THAILAND
ThailandThe kingdom of Thailand lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the mountains and forests of the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.

The southern region of Thailand really has only two seasons -- the wet and the dry. These seasons do not run at the same time on both the east and west side of the peninsular. On the west coast the southwest monsoon brings rain and often heavy storms from April through to October, whilst on the east coast the most rain falls between September and December.

Local carriers Thai Airways(TG) and Bangkok Airways (PG) fly to most major provincial airports beyond 250 km distance from Bangkok. Thai Airways’ 2 most popular routes are Chiang Mai and Phuket.

Located approximately 862 kilometers south of Bangkok is Phuket, Thailand's largest island, which is often dubbed as the pearl of the Andaman, or the pearl of the south. Its natural resources- rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests contribute to making it the South's wealthiest, busiest, most visited and most popular island and province.

Diving is available at all times of the year, although visibility changes according to the season. In the Andaman Sea, the best time to dive is from October to April, and in the Gulf of Thailand from May to September. At recommended dive sites in Thailand the water is so clear that the under-water world is visible from the surface: whale sharks, manta rays, marlin, flying fish, dolphins and coral reefs.
Big Blue Diving (Koh Tao in Gulf of Thailand)
Euro Divers (Phuket)
Scuba Cat (Phuket)
'Mermaid I & II'
'The Junk'
'Siren'