Gap Year Diver News

Adventure Travel Live 2011

2010-12-14T10:51:00.000Z

Come and talk to us about our trips and projects. 'Adventure Travel Live 2011' takes place at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria London on the following dates:

Friday 28 Jan 2011: 6pm to 9pm
Saturday 29 Jan 2011: 10am to 6pm
Sunday 30 Jan 2011: 10am to 5pm

Save £4 per ticket by visiting WWW.ADVENTURETRAVELLIVE.COM
or by calling 0871 230 7159. Please quote ‘Gap Year Diver' to get the dicount

Hope to see you all there.

The Sinai, Egypt: #1on Lonely Planet’s top 10 regions for 2011

2010-11-09T09:23:00.000Z

The Sinai region of Egypt features at #1 spot on Lonely Planet's top 10 regions for 2011. The full list can be seen here.

Gap Year Diver operates a range of diving programmes in a place called Dahab. It is located about 90km North of Sharm el Sheikh and offers incredible diving experiences in a laid-back environment.

Our programmes in Dahab offer individuals the chance to learn to dive, become a Divemaster, train to become a Scuba Instructor or learn about marine research techniques.

With great weather and diving conditions throughout the year a gap year trip to Dahab must surely find its way onto your travel list!!

OUR DIVEMASTER AND INSTRUCTOR PROGRAMMES ARE ON SPECIAL OFFER UNTIL 22ND DECEMBER 2010. SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS.

Gili Trawangan hits Lonely Planet's 'Top 10 regions' list!!

2010-11-08T14:50:00.000Z

The Gili Island’s were the only South East Asian destination to feature in the ‘Top 10 Regions’ list, which was compiled by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors, and community of dedicated travellers and bloggers. The Gili’s, which came in at tenth place for 2011’s must-see regions were noted for their “irresistible...laid-back vibe overlaid with an anything-goes hedonistic energy”.

You can read the full article by clicking here.

If you'd like to visit the Gili Islands, Gap Year Diver offers a fantastic conservation programme which incorporates PADI training with Biorock conservation. Full details about the programme can be found here or you can read more about Gili Trawangan at this page.

New website now online!

2010-10-26T18:41:00.000+01:00

Our new website is now online. For those of you who have been waiting for this so you can book, we do apologise for the delay.

The new website comes with a new look with new technologies! Programme and destination pages are now easier to read and we have tried to make it easier to navigate the site.

The main advances relate to online quotes and booking. The new system has taken ages to develop but you can now:

1. Customise a trip to your exact specifications
2. View a guideline itinerary for your chosen programme
3. Add extras to your programme and increase trip duration
4. E-mail yourself multiple quotes before booking
5. Book Online

The website contains a lot of information but you can also contact us on 0845 257 3292 if you have any questions. You will also find plenty of enquiry forms throughout the site to ask any questions!

Enjoy!!

New booking system

2010-10-14T16:31:00.000+01:00

Over the past 4 months we have been working hard to launch our new website and booking system. We are pleased to announce that the main website is now finished and the booking system is currently being populated with data.

The new database system allows visitors to customise a trip, e-mail themselves quotes and to book online. It's a sophisticated system. All being well everything will be launched within the next 10 days (by 25th October).

PADI Awards 2010

2010-08-11T12:37:00.001+01:00

The dive centre in Indonesia has been nominated for 2 PADI Awards - Project Aware Award for the Biorock programme and an award for the Best Overall Dive Business in Insonesia.

Instructor Training Videos

2010-05-06T08:55:00.003+01:00

If you're considering an Instructor training programme check out these videos. One is an interview with Matt Smithson (one of our Course Directors) who explains the IDC structure and some of the components of our Instructor Traineeships. The other one is with Kayla Marshall (an old DMIT student) who describes her experiences whilst in Dahab doing an Instructor Training programme.

Looking for a way to fund your trip with us??

2010-03-16T11:52:00.004Z

Gap Year Diver has partnered with a company called 'Wesser'. Wesser offer the perfect job if you are about to embark on a trip of a lifetime. They offer you a way to make money, gain valuable skills, grow your confidence and pay for your trip with us in just a few weeks!

Working as a charity fundraiser promoting the St John Ambulance service (the UK’s leading first aid charity), you have the chance to do something worthwhile whilst earning money to fund your gap year! Accommodation is provided at the low cost of just £25 per week and you have the potential to earn in excess of £1,500 per month!! On top of these excellent earnings, for every £10 you raise for the charity, Wesser will contribute £1 towards the cost of your travel experience with us!!

Wesser are looking for outgoing, enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about the cause and the job would suit anyone who loves to chat to new people and tackle new challenges on a day to day basis.

Wesser ask for a minimum commitment of just 6 weeks. During this time it is realistic to earn over £2,000 and gain a further subsidy of £500+ through our '£1 for £10 raised' incentive scheme.

This is a unique and fantastic opportunity if you're looking for a way to raise finance for your trip. To find out more about the experience please call us on 0845 257 3292 or visit the dedicated Wesser website at www.thegapyearjob.co.uk.

Gap Year Diver - Red Sea Wreck Safari 2009

2010-02-26T10:46:00.001Z

2009 video of our Red Sea wreck safari is now online. It's designed to give you an idea of the boat, life on the boat during the week and an insight into the quality of the diving.

Although already one of the Red Sea's finest boats, we've also just been informed that the boat is undergoing a 300,000 Euro upgrade! With such an upgrade the boat will probably be the best Red Sea liveaboard vessel for the next 12 - 18 months!

The trip starting 23rd July 2010 is currently on special offer at £525pp until 31st March.

You can read more about the trip at the following web address:

http://www.gapyeardiver.com/diver_training/red_sea_wreck_and_trek.htm

2010 Gap Year Diver Brochure

2010-02-15T10:29:00.003Z

Our new brochure is nearly ready and it will be going to print in the next few weeks. All being well, we will have copies of the new brochure available from around 10th March 2010 to send out.

If you would like a copy of our new brochure, please make sure that you fill in our brochure request form so that we can send one to you once available.

>>> Go to brochure order form

New 2010 PADI materials

2009-12-21T11:15:00.003Z

There have been some changes to PADI materials for 2010. The main changes concern PADI Divemaster and PADI Instructor level training. GYD have taken these changes on board and all professional level training programmes will include all the new materials. You can find out more about the material changes by visiting the following blog:

See the Middle East Blog

NEW Indonesia Project...launching December 2009

2009-11-29T15:29:00.003Z

The programme is designed for gap year students, students looking for a thesis and dissertation topic, those on career breaks and anyone who is interested in more than your average holiday!

The rojects range from 2 weeks to 10 weeks in duration and focus on Biorock® conservation work and PADI scuba diver training (from Open Water to Divemaster). Volunteers can expect to receive hands-on training in the practice of Biorock® coral reef,fisheries restoration and shore protection; including theory, design, construction, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and repair of Biorocks®.

The project operates on Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. The area is the second largest Biorock® site in the world and the reef restoration project is coordinated by the Gili Eco Trust. With your help we hope to reverse a lot of the damage done to the shallow water corals due to irresponsible fishing practices, pollution and El Nino weather effects.

First start date is April 14th 2010. Prices are yet to be confirmed but all projects will include PADI training, Biorock® Speciality, Biorock® Conservation Studies, accommodation, transfers and 3 meals a day.

Please visit the Indonesia Project page for more info

DMIT Finds full time work in Egypt

2009-11-29T15:22:00.005Z

Richard Keaney, a career breaker who joined our Instructor Traineeship in Egypt in June 2009 has been offered a contract working at the dive centre.

If you fancy a career change or a professional learning experience, have a look at our great Dive Management and Instructor Traineeships in Dahab, Egypt.

Previous customers have also gone on to work at the dive centre. Others have found work in destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico and Canada.

December 2009
We are also now in a position to offer Instructor posistions in Fiji and The Bahamas for people who complete the programmes.

New programmes

2009-11-26T19:37:00.002Z

Aside from revamping our website, GYD has just launched a range of new programmes. There a two programmes in Australia, a range of learn-to-dive and Divemaster programmes with marine research for the Roatan Marine Park in Honduras and a new bio-rock conservation programme in Indonesia (details to yet to be published).

We are also lauching a new programme in Ecuador. This will include Diving courses, Spanish lessons, surfing lessons and adventure tours through Ecuador. Keep visiting our website for details.

Programme pages updated

2009-07-29T18:39:00.002+01:00

After receiving a number of questions from people about our programmes, we have changed the layout of our programme pages. We 'think' that our old pages were maybe a bit long and we have therefore condensed the information to more manageable chunks in the central area. We think you'll find it easier to find the prices, dates and inclusions now...we hope...

Please do tell us if areas need improving as we're keen to get the right information across all the time! Thanks.

Customer Case Studies and Testimonials

2009-07-23T10:31:00.003+01:00

We are currently introducing a range of case studies into our website. The case studies are designed to provide information to potential customers about what it mike be like to join a programme.

We currently have quite a lot of case studies for people who have joined one of our Divemaster courses in Egypt. There are also two useful case studies from 'career changers' and we are awaiting four new instructor case studies to add to the list.

We also have a testimonials page. When we don't ask a customer for specific information we quite often get feedback from them anyway telling us a bit about their experiences.

>> View case studies
>> View testimonials

Vocational Training and 'toolkits'

2009-07-10T12:58:00.003+01:00

Are you one of the thousands of people who can't get into university this year? Maybe you've finished university and you can't get a job? Why not use your time constructively and train to become a scuba diving professional?

In as little as 4 to 10 weeks you could obtain a Divemaster license. This would enable you to work as a dive guide and supervise instructors around the world. It's a professional qualification that lasts a lifetime (although you must ensure your membership remains active if you intend to work) and you can use it throughout your life.

A step up from Divemaster is Instructor. If you really are finding it hard to find a job in the UK, maybe it's time to get away from it all and train in something new?! In as little as 7 to 15 weeks you could be a fully trained Scuba Instructor earning money working overseas.

If you're looking for a vocational toolkit to use around the world, please read about becoming a Divemaster or our Dive Management and Scuba Instructor Traineeships

New Website and programmes

2009-07-05T21:05:00.004+01:00

Our new website has just been launched. New categories such as 'Diver Training', 'Marine Conservation' etc should make it easier to find a programme of interest. We have also launched some new programmes in Thailand, Ecuador and Belize. The programmes focus on marine conservation and videography.

New DMT's and DMIT's in action - May 2009

2009-05-26T09:26:00.007+01:00

Our new Divemaster and Instructor traineeships are in full flow in Dahab, Egypt. We currently have 9 trainees doing professional training and they are soon to be joined by at least 10 more gappers and career breakers in June. If you would like a professional learning experience in the Red Sea, please contact the office on 0845 257 3292 to discuss the training and destination in more detail.

Avian Swine Flu

2009-04-28T11:11:00.003+01:00

If you are concerned there is more information at the following sites:

• World Health Organisation (www.who.int),
• National Travel Health Network and Centre (http://nathnac.org/travel/news/swineinfluenza_270409.htm)
• United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx).

Full member of the Year Out Group

2009-02-21T14:16:00.001Z

Gap Year Diver (GYD) has been accepted as a full time member of the year out group (YOG). GYD has met certain requirements in order to meet industry standards and is now recognised as an official year out provider. The important things you need to know are that:

We agree to adhere to the Code of Practice and Terms and Conditions of the YOG
We sign up to the YOG charter each year
We provide annual accounts
We a crisis and risk policy in place, together with trained staff
We have public liability insurance of £5million

These standards should give you the re-assurance and support that we are a reputable and recognised year out provider.

New Career Development Programmes

2009-02-21T11:08:00.006Z

Gap Year Diver has teamed up with a 5* PADI Career Development Centre to deliver a range of exclusive Divemaster and Instructor traineeships in Dahab, Egypt.

The traineeships focus on career development and professional level training. They allow individuals to work in a busy dive centre whilst learning at the same time. Exclusive work experience and dive management modules have been built into each traineeship too. This means that customers leave the traineeship fully prepared for a career in diving.

To find out more, please read about the Divemaster Traineeship and Dive Management and Instructor Traineeships on the Gap Year Diver website.