Fly To Fiji Round Trip
for Only $530
(From LAX)
Phenomenal Fiji Now Within Your Reach
It sounds almost too good to be true. But believe it: You can now fly to Fiji, the South Pacific paradise - and, says Jean-Michel Cousteau, the soft coral capital of the world - for the incredibly low price of just $530, roundtrip, per person plus taxes.
Then, combine that with a package deal at a choice of top-notch resorts, including Garden Island, Waidroka Bay, Wananavu Beach, Matava, Maravu Plantation and Paradise Taveuni. We'll tell you how you can easily take advantage of this steal of a deal on Air Pacific, Fiji's national airline, a little later, but first, let's tell you about the country, from bottom to top.
Divers with discriminating taste would be hard-pressed to find any other dive destination in the world with as much variety as Fiji's 333 unspoiled, palm-laden islands. From spectacular sites in Bligh Waters, Beqa Lagoon and Kadavu to Ovalau and Nigali Passage and Taveuni, virgin coral reefs and forests await you. So do infinite soft corals, sharks, turtles, jacks and an endless potpourri of colorful tropical fish - all tempting targets of professional and amateur underwater photographers' lenses.
Topside, you'll find lush rainforests, traditional tribal villages, rivers for rafting and cascading waterfalls to drown out all your worries. Fiji is also well-known worldwide for its friendliness and its exciting cultural mix of Melanesian and Indian cultures, where the traditional native greeting, "bula" meets "Bollywood" and sweet Fijian harmonies intertwine with pulsating Hindi pop. There are plenty of reasons to say "bula" to Fiji:
*Independent and family-run resorts - from ones with scuba and surf camps, to family-friendly ones with kids' clubs to super-luxurious romantic hideaways - eager to please guests with offers of free nights, free meals and other value-added goodies that haven't been offered for years
*Strength of the U.S. dollar. Even in these economic times, your dollar value is doubled - that's right, doubled - in Fiji!
Convenient gateways: Air Pacific flies non-stop to Nadi (NAN) from Los Angeles and Honolulu, with easy-to-make connecting flights to the outlying islands.
Is there a catch, you ask? Hardly. All you have to do is book your air ticket by Monday, September 14th and complete your travel by May 31st, 2010.Remember, the fares are just $530 round trip, per person, plus tax. Subject to availability and restrictions may apply.Then, combine the incredible fare with the resort package for a truly great vacation at an unbelievably reasonable price.
So say "bula" to an unforgettable Fijian dive vacation with STV. You'll be smiling all the way to the bank!
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Here's to the Show Giveaway Winners!
Yes, people really do win
STV's Dive Show Trip Giveaways. All you have to do is sign up at any dive show where we are, to win big. So let's now congratulate these three recent winners of outstanding prizes!
Charlotte Farr of Phoenix was the lucky recipient of Sport Diver magazine and STV's "Trip of a Lifetime" giveaway, getting a phenomenal, 11-night all-expenses paid (including roundtrip international airfare) dive and land vacation to Malaysia.
The package included seven nights at the world-renowned Borneo Mabul Dive Resort, followed by two nights each at the Sepilok Nature Resort and at a four-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's cosmopolitan capital.
If seeing turtles, barracuda, clownfish, sharks and more wasn't enough, Charlotte's package also included guided land tours at Sepilok to see proboscis monkeys and orangutans.
In Kuala Lumpur she enjoyed a full-day city tour, including Chinatown, the Petronas Towers and various temples and shrines. Here's her account, below.
"STV sent us on a fantastic trip. We had a fabulous time! The diving at Mabul Island was unbelievable. The colors and the number of fish completely thrilled us. The accommodations at the Sepilok Nature Resort were delightful. We enjoyed guided tours to see proboscis monkeys and orangutans.
We told people on the trip and in dives stores back home what a wonderful time we had with you. Thank you, STV!"
-Charlotte Farr, Phoenix
Brendan Churchman, who met STV at the Northwest Dive and Travel Expo in Tacoma, Washington, bagged a seven-night/five dive-day package (including all meals and hotel taxes) at a choice of one of two Atlantis Resorts in the Philippines, Dumaguete or Puerto Galera.
Katherine Muench signed up for an STV trip giveaway at the Our World Underwater show in Chicago and has scored a four-night/two-dive day package at Casa Del Mar in Cozumel.
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Showtimes: Where STV Will Be Next
Here are some upcoming dive industry shows and events where you can hook up with us, to plan yours or your clients' next dive trip -- or enter to win one of our trip giveaways!
Washington, DC Dive Show
Arlington, VA
Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Fri. Sept. 25 - Sat. Sept. 26
Dive Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA)
Orlando, FL
Orange County Convention Center (South Concourse)
Wed. Nov. 4 - Sat. Nov. 7
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STV's website is
currently in redesign
and development.
Re-launch in August 2009.
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Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Call: 1-800-298-9009 or email
info@scubatravelventures.com
We're always here to work and help you on your next dive and adventure travel venture.
Sincerely,
STV Staff
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Featured Article of the Month
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 Do We Dive?
Have We Ever Been There?People don't always ask those questions when they first see and meet STV staff at industry conferences and events. But they should. After all, you're entrusting us with your hard-earned dollars and valuable vacation time.
We're very happy to give the same answer to both questions:
An Asounding Yes!
And with this and every forthcoming STV newsletter, we'll profile members of our team - from our destination experts, to the group coordinator, to the person who prepares your travel documents - all of whom are intimately connected to diving. That's why we're eminently qualified to handle all your dive travel needs. Also in each newsletter, we'll shine the light on one of the world's to-dive-for destinations (in this issue, Fiji), to tantalize you with the possibilities of new dive adventures.
Precious few other companies come close to matching our overall dive experience and firsthand destination knowledge. But we're not boasting. We're just applying for the most important job we know: Being your one-stop, full-service dive travel expert.
Ernie Arellano, Co-Owner, Scuba Travel Ventures
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STV News and Announcements
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Growing Bi-Coastal: Merger With Aqua Dreams Connects STV To Dive Travel Communities on East, West Coasts
SAN DIEGO -- Scuba Travel Ventures (STV) this month completed a merger with Aqua Dreams Travel, a business which provides dive travel professionals, retailers and dive centers with an unprecedented number of options for dive travel vacations. With the merger, STV has added a new office in Cape Coral, Florida to complement its company's headquarters
in beautiful San Diego.
"Aqua Dreams is well-positioned and experienced with Caribbean-related dive travel, while Scuba Travel Ventures has excelled in travel to the South Pacific, South East Asia and more exotic locations," says STV Co-Owner, Ernie Arellano. "Bringing these two teams together provides an unmatched level of service and options for dive travel professionals from coast to coast."
STV is aggressively promoting a wide range of dive resorts, destinations and undersea and topside options. A major part of its strategy includes consumer dive shows, print and online advertising and direct contact with dive retailers. The company regularly presents familiarization trips for qualified travel professionals.
Scuba Travel Ventures currently represents well over 100 different properties in more than 20 countries.
For more details please call: 1-800-298-9009
or email info@scubatravelventures.com
(scubatravelventures.com currently under re-design)
You can also visit AquaDreams.com
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Legendary Malaysian Dive Island Up For World Wonder Honors
Sipadan, the idyllic Malaysian island known worldwide among divers for its striking underwater beauty and marine biodiversity, may next week be named one of 28 finalists for new "seven wonders of nature" honors.
Malaysia's Sabah Tourism Board recently announced a panel of judges and experts with the Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation is, on July 21, scheduled to name finalists from 77 natural destinations remaining in the competition. Sipadan is now among 11 candidates in the island category being considered. After the 28 destinations are picked, new rounds of selections will continue, until 2011, when the final seven spots are picked.
The Foundation's campaign began with 430 nominations from 224 countries, competing in the categories of ice formations; islands; mountains; caves; forests; lakes; and seascapes. Judges have been voting on the winners, originally determined by email and telephone voting.
Learn more by visiting www.new7wonders.com.
And if you want to know what our STV travelers think of Sipadan, check out the "Testimonial" section, later in this newsletter.
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Got Insurance?
Our Advice: Cover Your Assets With a Secondary Dive Insurance Plan
What if, heaven forbid, your dream dive trip never gets off the ground - or into the water - because of a loved one's sudden tragic death or life-threatening illness just before or after take off?
Or, what if you get decompression sickness, or are nibbled on by a critter in an unfamiliar country and are stuck with an astronomical bill for treatment and getting airlifted to a recompression chamber or hospital? What about the cost of rehabilitation and physical therapy after a dive accident after you've returned home?
If you think your primary dive insurance plan covers all the costs in case of emergency, you may not have carefully read the fine print. While the major dive training agencies offer plans and cover some of the costs, they may not cover them all. And some insurers may have restrictions related to depth or gas.
That's why STV recommends purchasing comprehensive primary dive accident and travel interruption coverage, through DiveAssure. DiveAssure is the only company which offers comprehensive dive accident and travel interruption coverage.
From between $75 and $155 per year, DiveAssure offers certified divers and dive students three different plans providing $250,000 to $1 million worth of accident coverage, per incident, including rescue and evacuation costs. DiveAssure's most comprehensive policy even has your back if you take the dive trip from hell, where the airline loses your equipment bag or cancels flights, or even if a traffic accident causes you to miss your flight.
So while some scenarios are unpreventable, you can at least get purchase piece of mind before you leave and cushion yourself against a huge financial setback. For more information, visit diveassure.com or call (866) 898-0921.
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Get to Know Us: Meet the STV Staff
STV has, without doubt, the most qualified, knowledgeable and experienced dive staff in the dive travel industry. From bottom to top, the STV staff's expertise in diving, dive sites, destinations, resorts and live-aboard vessels remains unchallenged.
STV staffers are invaluable resources to every kind of dive traveler, from newbies and open water dive vets to savvy technical divers and accomplished professional underwater photographers.
STV's Staff Members at a glance...
SALES
Ernie Arellano
Co-Owner / Dive Travel Specialist
Master Instructor, certified 1971
Gene Dold
Dive Travel Specialist
Dive Instructor, Certified 1966
Mike Arellano
Dive Travel Specialist
Divemaster, Certified 1991
Tom F. Gorman III
Dive Travel Specialist,
Divemaster, Certified 1984
Patchara "Chim" Carlson
Dive Travel Specilist, Certified 1980
Terri Dold
Dive Travel Specialist, Certified 1990
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Teresa Cabading
Co-Owner / Accountant
Certified 1983
Marty Dawson
Group Sales Coordinator
Certified 1984
Kathy Ockenfels
Travel Documentation
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Who's Traveling With STV?
The world's top underwater photographers. Ace shooter Stuart Westmorland is leading his own dive travel photo tour in the Philippines from May 22 to 29, 2010 and is partnering with STV to make it accessible to you.
For $1,497 plus airfare from your home airport, you can join Stuart at the beautiful Atlantis Resort in Puerto Galera and enjoy four dive days (including a full-day excursion to wide-angle paradise, Verde Island), one night dive and unlimited shore diving, all meals and in addition to group seminars on photo techniques, personalized, one-on-one photographic instruction and guidance.
And, you also have an option - at an extra cost - of adding on a stay at another outstanding Atlantis Philippines property in Dumaguete, where you can shoot elusive and beautiful mandarinfish and go on a photo safari in the muck underneath DuCoMi Pier, a world renowned critter hunting destination.
Call STV at (800) 298-9009 to reserve your place on what should be an unforgettable and enriching underwater photographic adventure.
For more on Stuart, his photography and his Philippines underwater images, click on these links: http://www.stuartwestmorland.com and http://stuartwestmorland.com/philippines/index.html.
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Testimonials: Here's What Our Clients Are Saying About Their STV Experiences
"I just returned from a dive trip to Sipadan, Malaysia and it was the best diving I've experienced in the past three years. This was my second time using STV and again they did an excellent job with the travel arrangements and putting the trip together. The best diving off Sipadan is at Barracuda Point. It's a 'high voltage' dive with gray and white-tip reef sharks, turtles and a big school of barracuda. The site was so good, I dived it six times in five days. I was apprehensive at first, due to the kidnapping that occurred in the area in 2001, but the Malaysian army has a base on Sipadan and also frequently comes to Mabul. When I was there, I had no security problems. I'm very glad STV coaxed me into going."
Ed Leibowitz, New York, N.Y.
"If anyone thinks they can top Sipadan for diving, they should hang up their fins now. Every dive offers a new experience. We also enjoyed the jungle expedition and Kuala Lumpur was a real gem. Our fantastic tour guide there took great pride in showing off this gem of a city. If I hadn't included it in the itinerary you crafted, it would've been a missed opportunity. Every non Muslim Westerner should experience a Muslim country - it would be helpful in altering any prejudices. Malaysians could not have been more hospitable. Thanks again, STV, for putting together a great trip.
Ed Conn, Los Angeles, Calif.
"Both Cocotinos and Kasawari Lembeh Resorts (Indonesia) were absolutely amazing and the diving is beyond belief. I'll be sending people STV's way if they're looking for dive travel. Thank you!"
Abby Bangsar, Chicago, Ill.
"We were very happy with the Bonaire trip STV put together for us. The Divi Flamingo Resort was very nice and everyone was very helpful. We also liked being so close to the dive shop and dock, the dive operation was tops, all the divemasters were great, the boats were nice and big and we met and dived with some nice folks. Thanks again."
Leslie and Mike Bardelli, New Milford Conn.
"Fiji was awesome! Thanks for setting everything up. Next on the list: Sipadan for sure. I'll be calling STV for help with setting up that trip. "
Ryan Tanaka, Laguna Beach, Calif.
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