Montserrat Dive Festival returns for 2010

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Montserrat Tourist Board, the Green Monkey Dive Shop and Scuba Montserrat will be hosting the Dive Festival again this year, in conjunction with the annual Reef Check initiative, the United Nations' official community-based reef monitoring programme.
 
The Dive Festival will include spectacular diving in Montserrat’s pristine unspoilt waters with a special diving trip to the uninhabited island of Redonda.
 
There will also be the opportunity to take a boat tour along the coast of Plymouth, the island’s former capital, which is completely uninhibited since the volcanic eruptions in 1997. By boat is the only way to see the town today.
 
The Montserrat Dive Festival will open with the Reef Check EcoDiver Training Course, which is designed to teach divers how to conduct full-scale Reef Check surveys. Participants will first take part in the Reef Check EcoDiver Certification Course that will combine both classroom and field training prior to the official surveys being carried out.
 
For divers not participating in the Reef Check training there will be two-tank dives to different sites around the island, while the Festival’s events programme will also feature a taxi island tour, snorkelling excursions and a closing party.
 
Registration costs US$40 (approx. £27) per person and includes: Montserrat 2010 Dive Festival and Reef Check T-Shirt; welcome cocktail reception and two drink vouchers; Reef Check classroom instruction and Reef Check Dives; closing party with two drink vouchers; and 20-30% discount on all dives and Plymouth boat tour. There is no extra cost for participating in the Reef Check programme but divers must be registered for the Montserrat Dive Festival.
 
Selected by the Montserrat Tourist Board to map the island’s dive sites, the Green Monkey Dive Shop has prepared a dive guidebook for the country (A Guide to the Underwater World of Montserrat) and offers visitors to the island completely customised dive trips.
 
For more information and registration, visit divemontserrrat.com.

For more information about the Reef Check programme visit reefcheck.org.

For more information about Montserrat, log on to visitmontserrat.com.