Montserrat to hold first ever dive festival

The island of Montserrat will play host to its first ever dive festival, taking place between June 27th and July 4th 2009. The event is being organised by The Green Monkey Dive Shop, with full support from Montserrat Tourist Board and the Montserrat Tourism Challenge Fund.

The festival is held in conjunction with Montserrat’s biannual Reef Check Program. Reef Check is an international program dedicated to the conservation of tropical coral reefs.

Along with the scheduled program of diving events for divers, there will also be land-based activities available for adults, children and non-divers. These include scenic boat tours offering views of Plymouth and the Soufrière Hills Volcano, a coastal kayaking trip with the opportunity to snorkel, and an over land tour to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

A special day – Discovery Day - has been organised for June 28th and is dedicated to teaching children about Montserrat’s underwater world. The Green Monkey Dive Shop will teach children about the coral reefs surrounding the island, the marine environment, and the fish species that can be spotted in the waters. Snorkelling lessons are open to all children under the age of 14 and diving lessons are open to children between the ages of 11-14. The Discovery Day program is free and open to all residents and visitors to Montserrat.

Registration for the dive festival is US$25 (approx. £16). This fee includes a welcome cocktail reception; Reef Check classroom instruction and Reef Check dives, including tanks and weights; a PADI/Project AWARE coral reef conservation specialty course; a BBQ and beach party; a Montserrat Dive Festival and Reef Check t-shirt; and between 20 and 30 per cent discount on all dives and scheduled activities.

For more information about the festival visit divemontserrat.com.

For more information about Montserrat see visitmontserrat.com.