Advantages: Easy acess to hotel, coral reefs onsite, friendly staff, good prices
Disadvantages: None

...diving equipment on it can make it easier than stairs. As you enter through the main entrance, there are two rooms on your left – this is where we did our paperwork/theory sections and watched the video section of the course work each day. They had a section behind the counter which passed into the gear set up area where you found the masks, suits and equipment hire area. They also had a cold drinking water machine which was certainly needed after all the diving as I found it made me thirsty! Courses Scuba Diver Course The first course open to people to try is the Scuba Diver Course which is 2 days of skills and an open water sea dive. When we did our Open Water, there was another woman who completed the Discover Diving and she sat in on our course to complete hers. You get a certificate to state that you have completed this course... Read review

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Advantages: Definately the best side of the island for Diving.
Disadvantages: None except it goes really quiet in the winter.

...first try at snorkelling. The Diving School The school has proffessionally trained 5* Padi instuctors. Are qualified to train in Open Water diving courses, and the extra qualifications, like night diving, wreck Diving and diving for Photography. The school has been awarded the 5* school of excellence to the instructors. To finish the beginners course takes several days out of your holiday, which includes watching videos on diving and safety, learning all the underwater sign languages and getting to be familiar with the equipment. Essential when you rely so much on the air being supplied from the tank. The total cost of the weeks training as a beginner was approximately £240, including all the books and paper work, enrolment to Padi, and the actual diving lessons. The first practice swim is in the local hotel pool... Read review

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Advantages: Warm, clear, cheap, amazing sights!
Disadvantages: Tummy troubles (if you are unlucky)

...places) and saw an octopus nearly every day. In Jordan you can do either shore dives or boat dives depending upon the diving centre. One of the most amazing sights I have ever seen is an octopus constantly changing shape and colour! There are a wide variety of fish and if you are lucky you may see a shark or a turtle. The coral is amazing - stunning colours and shapes - even better than can be imagined watching it on TV. My friends have also dived in Eilat (Israel), but they say that Egypt and Jordan are better. I am going back to Egypt for the second time this year in a few months, so you can see I am addicted. If you haven't dived before, give it a go in a pool in England to see if it appeals.....but watch out, you too could become addicted and spend all your holidays in the Red Sea.... Read review

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Advantages: Makes you feel special
Disadvantages: Price Tag might put some off

...I've always had a bit of a fascination with jewellery and have always loved Swarovski jewellery, among others brands. I bought this watch last September and I love it so much I think everyone should have one! On my recent visit to Austria I had the good fortune to visit the Swarovski Crystal world. I've been to my local stores and to concessions in local department stores but nothing could have prepared me for the size of the shop in the Crystalworld. I fell in love with the "Phuket" watch and developed a slight obsession with owning it! I finally got the watch a couple of months later with vouchers and monetary presents I gratefully received for my 30th birthday. This watch isn't a "practical" watch, in the sense that it has many functions on it as, for example, diving watches would have. It is definitely what you would call... Read review

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Advantages: Cheesy Pop but in a good way!
Disadvantages: Bit repeatative

...For those of us who watched Pop Idol you may remember Darius with his long hair, funny beard, and "interesting" renditions of Britney Spears, well his first Album "Dive In" (2003) has certainly come along way from that, although he does still have quite a way to go. The CD opens with COLOURBLIND, which i think is a good start, fairly upbeat, simple but good lyrics, and a song that most people know, and can sing along to, definatly one of my favourite tracks from the album. Its followed by RUSHES and INCREDIBLE, another two fairly upbeat "happy" songs. By listening to these first three songs i think you come to realise that Darius must have been quite lovesick when writing this album as all the lyrics tend to revolve around the same ' I'm in love but its not really working' structure. My lovesick theory gets proven... Read review

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Advantages: Very good time-keeper. Classic Good Looks. Not Expensive for Technology Offered.
Disadvantages: In Five and a Half Years I Have Found None!

...across the fastener at the back. Also unlike my previous watch, this one has an almost silent tick, press it hard to your ear and you may just here it. On the other hand the oscillating weight which charges the mechanism can clearly be heard "oscillating", sometimes as you move your wrist, occasionally when you are walking quite normally. It is a difficult sound to describe, but makes for quite a talking piece on occasion when people remark on it - especially children who are unused to a watch making such a soft rattling sound. This particular watch is classed as "Water Resistant", according to the instruction book only capable of resisting "accidental contact with water". Seiko do produce Kinetic watches which are resistant to 10, 15 and 20 bar, none of which are sufficiently water proof for diving. As my old watch was not working... Read review

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Advantages: needs no batteries, automatically updates the time, good looking
Disadvantages: doesnt adjust for BST

...º I'm not a great watch owner, I only have 3; a diving watch, an old but comfortable Seiko kinetic and this one. This Seiko was the most recent addition and is now my everyday watch. The old Seiko has turned into my ‘dirty work’ watch, the kind of jobs that could end up causing damage, DIY including painting and gardening º The idea of a solar powered watch initially isn’t very appealing if you live in the UK as we don’t see a great deal of sunlight for long stretches and a watch that needs to hibernate during the darker days isn’t going to be very much use. º Consequently this is the area I will discuss first: The watch has a solar cell tucked under the face of the watch. This actually recharges from any sort of light artificial light will do, it doesn’t have to be sunlight. Once fully charged it will power the watch... Read review

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Advantages: charges constantly when its in the light
Disadvantages: i work at night and usually dont see the light

.... My only real problem is the watch doesn't have a water resistance rating on it that I can find, the instruction leaflet says there should be a letter on the watch which corresponds to a table printed but I cant find it, which is bugging me slightly as I'm a bar person and if I wear it to work I dont want to waterlog it when I'm washing my hands and arms (anyone else end up with sticky wrists and forearms when working behind a bar?), also I am heavily involved with a diving school and I run the risk of a dunking even when I am not dressed for it. I intend to wear the watch on special occasions rather than as an everyday item of jewellery, as my old watches are all still working just fine but I suspect as they die off this will be worn more and more often. The watch has an rrp of about £169 although I'm sure there will be sales on over... Read review

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Advantages: Top quality watch, reliable, attractive.
Disadvantages: Dreadful service department.

...a helium escape valve at 10 o'clock which can prevent the watch exploding during decompression. Divers have such a lot of digital paraphernalia these days that I cannot imagine anyone using the Seamaster for diving purposes, but the facilities are there if one should need them. Service. Alas, this is where things go wrong with Omega (which is actually 'Swatch UK' in this country). I lost the helium escape valve on my watch and Omega simply refuse to send a replacement to me even though I am prepared to pay for the postage and everything. Apparently they are 'unable' to send such things to private customers. I questioned them as to whether this was because their employees have their fingers amputated upon taking a job, thus rendering them 'unable', but I think the real reason is more to do with 'unwilling' than 'unable... Read review

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Advantages: Loads of wrecks, varied and interesting diving on offer
Disadvantages: Cold, far north

...As I live in Shetland and also visit Orkney when the chance arises, I’ve written an opinion mainly about the diving in both groups of islands. As a bit of background I’ve done about 130 dives in Shetland and 30 in Orkney. There’s also some tourist information at the end, because most people wouldn’t come this far purely to dive. The diving up here on the edge of the map is fantastic, and there's plenty to see and do as well, so please read on and see what you think. THE DIVING - SHETLAND Shetland, if you weren’t aware, is situated to the extreme far north of Scotland, 50 miles to the North of Orkney. Although the mainland is only 70 miles long, it has about a thousand of miles of coastline, due to the number of Voes (mini fjords) and smaller islands, over 100 in total. An interesting fact I... Read review

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