BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Athens Scuba - ECPv6.10.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Athens Scuba X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://athensscuba.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Athens Scuba REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240406T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240417T235959 DTSTAMP:20260929T023014 CREATED:20230627T211615Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175008Z UID:10000567-1712361600-1713398399@athensscuba.com SUMMARY:Thailand/Similan Islands Scuba Trip DESCRIPTION:Because the last time was such a great time\, we have planned a fantastic trip to Thailand\, including a liveaboard trip to the world famous Similan Islands. White sand beach and rock formation on one of the 9 islands of the Similan IslandsIt’s happening again! We are going to Thailand for a scuba group trip!  It’ll be an 11 night trip that we are planning in advance so that you can plan your vacation time accordingly.  Sunset on Bang Niang Beach\, in Khao Lak Where are we going We are going to Khao Lak\, where Ben lived for 2 dive seasons and knows the area very well. Khao Lak is just north of the island of Phuket in South West Thailand and it is the perfect gateway to the Similan Islands\, a world famous dive destination. Khao Lak is essentially an area along the coast line that includes many villages. We will stay in the original village on Nang Thong beach. Aerial view on Ko BonWhen are we going We’ll go in April of 2024 because it’s towards the end of the dry/high season and provides us with the best opportunity of flat seas and great weather. Of course there is never a guarantee to see any specific creatures when scuba diving\, but from personal experience and due to the extensive knowledge of the owner of the dive operation\, we are sure that April might give us the best chances to see some big pelagic animals. Our home for 6 daysThe Liveaboard We chose to spend 6 days/6 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria. This liveaboard is one of the newest and most comfortable liveaboards in the Similan Islands. Ben was able to secure a special trip that will get us to Similan Island\, Koh Bon\, Koh Tachai\, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.  The islands are beautiful and we’ll be able to do 2-3 land excursions during our trip. The diving in this area is very special and very different to diving in the western hemisphere.  The MV Bavaria has 4 different cabin categories. All cabins are equipped with AC and control in room. 2 standard bunk cabins\, each with two single bunk beds\, shared bathroom\, on the upper deck 2 comfort double cabins\, each with one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the lower deck 6 comfort twin cabins\, each with two single beds\, private bathroom\, on the main deck 2 deluxe cabins\, each with one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the main deck The MV BavariaWe’ll have a full board that consists of breakfast\, lunch\, an afternoon snack\, dinner and all drinks except alcohol. Every diver can do up to 4 dives a day\, except for the last day\, with two dives offered. This means you can do 22 dives in 6 days! Nitrox is available on the boat and the use of it is very much encouraged!  Typical soft coral formation around the Similan IslandsThe diving All dives will be guided by an experienced guide\, typically with a ratio of 4 divers per dive guide. The dive sites around the Similan islands are full of life and color\, usually rather shallow dives with lots of macro\, turtles and smaller rays. Koh Bon has a large cleaning station and is famous for the chance of seeing Manta Rays (the biggest kind\, OCEANIC MANTAS\, with a wing span of up to 29ft).  I personally saw Mantas as big as 20ish ft on this site.  Koh Tachai is another island on our route with a pinnacle dive site\, great coral growth and incredible underwater landscape. Here we’ll have a chance to see big pelagics as well. The second Whale Shark Ben has ever seen and the first one he took a picture ofThe Surin Islands offer unspoiled diving close to the border with Myanmar. Hardly anyone is diving in Surin\, because it’s far away from the Similans and we’ll go out of our way to make sure that we’ll have the chance to see these unspoiled islands. We are in for a treat! Richelieu Rock was discovered and loved as a recreational dive site by Jacques Cousteau and is likely Ben’s favorite dive site ever. It is very colorful\, has tons of fish\, usually a huge group of Jacks right under the surface\, as well as plenty of macro with seahorses\, frogfish\, and maybe the very big guys…. You only know how amazing it is if you’ve had the opportunity to see it… One of the many pools that the hotel offers\, overlooking the beach and sunsetThe hotel We will spend 5 nights (4 before the liveaboard trip and 1 after) in the Seaview Resort Khao Lak\, which is set on Nang Thong Beach\, an extensive stretch of fine sands framed by the emerald blue waters of the Andaman Sea and against a mountainous background.  The Hotel features multiple pools\, restaurants\, bars and plenty of other amenities. It is directly on the beach\, but also in town giving us plenty of opportunity to explore the quaint town of Khao Lak with it’s restaurants\, beaches and local market. White sand beach\, right outside your roomDATES AND FLIGHTS The trip will take place from April 6th to April 17th. This means that you’ll fly out Thursday night\, April 4th and will be back in the States Thursday April 18th. We won’t include flights into this trip arrangement because there are plenty of different ways to travel to Phuket.  Flights with major carriers from the east coast of the US into Phuket will take a total travel time (including layovers) of around 30 hours. The best round trips we found for our travel dates are around $1500 in economy class on two of the worlds leading airlines\, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines. We can answer all questions concerning travel to Phuket\, just send us an email. Flights that Athens Scuba staff will take: April 4th 2024\, 7:30pm ATL-Doha QR756 April 5th 2024\, 7:55pm Doha-BKK QR830 April 6th 2024\, 10:40am BKK-HKT OR4377 Arrival in Phuket 12:05pm April 17th 2024\, 8:40pm HKT-Doha OR841 April 18th 2024\, 7:55am Doha-ATL OR755 Arrival in Atlanta 3:55pm The local night market in Bang Niang\, 5 minutes from our hotelTRIP COSTS The rooms will be located in the beach wing of the hotel. The liveaboard will be available in 4 different categories\, which you can choose to your preference. There are 2 deluxe cabins\, 6 twin comfort cabins\, 2 double comfort and 2 standard cabins. The entire eleven night trip will start from only: $2\,189 per person in double occupancy rooms All prices include 6 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria with full board (4 meals)\, snacks\, drinks (except alcohol\, which can be purchased on board)\, up to 22 dives with dive guides\, tanks and weights\, in a double occupancy cabin. 5 nights of accommodation in Khao Lak Seaview Resort with breakfast\, in a double occupancy room. Transfers from the airport to the hotel in Khao Lak and back. Transfer from the hotel to the boat and back. Prices don’t include National Park fees for the liveaboard trip\, which is around $90 and Nitrox\, which is going to be around $90 for all dives ($4.00/dive). These costs will have to be paid on site\, directly to the dive shop. Please check out the liveaboard and hotel options and contact Athens Scuba directly so we can put together your personalized quote and get you booked for this incredible trip.  PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE FLIGHTS AND NATIONAL PARK FEES! For information on single occupancy\, extra dives\, Nitrox and other special requests\, please email info@athensscuba.com To get a better idea of the boat and the diving\, check out the following videos I’ve found on youtube. URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/thailand-similan-islands-scuba-trip/ LOCATION:Khao Lak\, 18/1 Moo 7 Nang Thong Beach\, Khao Lak\, Phang-nga\, 82220\, Thailand CATEGORIES:International Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/similan-island-rock-formation-w-900.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240504T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240504T130000 DTSTAMP:20260929T023014 CREATED:20231213T220317Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175436Z UID:10000591-1714813200-1714827600@athensscuba.com SUMMARY:Dive the Georgia Aquarium DESCRIPTION:Journey with Gentle Giants is the only opportunity in the world where you are guaranteed to dive with whale sharks\, manta rays and thousands of other fish. Suit up to SCUBA dive in the pristine waters of the Ocean Voyager exhibit for a once in a lifetime experience.  Athens Scuba booked one of the weekend slots which are in high demand. Be quick\, otherwise it’ll be sold out before you know it! URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/dive-the-georgia-aquarium-3/ LOCATION:Cart CATEGORIES:Local Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/journey-with-gentle-giants-dive-5-1440x454-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240601T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240608T235959 DTSTAMP:20260929T023014 CREATED:20230209T160240Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175008Z UID:10000550-1717200000-1717891199@athensscuba.com SUMMARY:Cozumel Scuba Group Trip - SOLD OUT DESCRIPTION:We have planned an amazing trip to Cozumel\, Mexico. This is such a great trip\, almost all Athens Scuba’s staff will be there. Tripleader will be our own Divemaster and travel specialist Brian. WHERE ARE WE GOING? We are going to Cozumel for a group scuba trip! 1-week of diving\, enjoying the beach\, the amenities of the beautiful Iberostar hotel and exploring Cozumel. Cozumel is widely regarded as one of the best Caribbean dive destinations and rightfully so! The island of Cozumel is located just off the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and is directly across the water from Playa Del Carmen and about an hour and a half from the Cancun airport. Located on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (the second-largest coral reef system in the world)\, Cozumel is an incredible spot for turquoise Caribbean waters\, white sand beaches\, and world-class diving and snorkeling. WHY COZUMEL? We chose to spend a week on Cozumel\, because it has everything a diver could wish for. Beautiful reefs\, lots of fish and variety of underwater life\, drift diving\, beautiful beaches and fantastic resorts. The island also has a lot to offer besides diving\, Cozumel town is fun to explore\, a scooter ride to the east side of the island is a lot of fun and there are some of the oldest known Mayan ruins that can be visited. THE DIVING All dives will be guided by experienced dive guides of the well known and great dive operation of Dressel Divers Cozumel. Dressel has many dive locations around the Caribbean but only send their most experience staff to their prime dive shop in the Iberostar hotel. The dive center is located in the hotel and has it’s own jetty for their 4 boats.Cozumel is almost entirely surrounded by the Mesoamerican Reef\, which is why the island is considered one of the best dive areas in the world. The island featurs 40 different dive sites that have depths ranging from 10-100 feet and are teeming with tropical fish\, colorful reefs and are several marine species. We’ll have 5 days of double tank dives and a night dive included. The dive sites are very close to the hotel\, so most of the days we’ll stop at the hotel between dives. THE HOTEL The Iberostar hotel is not only regarded as one of the best (or maybe THE BEST…) hotel of Cozumel\, it’s also the most southern hotel on the island\, which is the main reason we decided to stay here. The best and least crowded dive sites of the island are in front or just south of the hotel. Most other dive shops need to have long boat rides to sites that we can reach in a few minutes. The hotel itself is beautifully arranged with the surrounding nature. The fully equipped bungalow-style suites offer a family-friendly atmosphere\, from which you can easily access the pools\, spa or the extensive beach. We are booked on an all inclusive plan that includes all meals and drinks\, including alcohol. The hotel is well know for it’s great kitchen and also offers themed restaurants. DATES AND FLIGHTS The trip will take place from June 1st to June 8th. There will be direct flights with Delta from Atlanta to Cozumel available for this trip. All transfers from Cozumel airport to the hotel are included in the travel price. Our flight itinerary June 1st ATL – COZ DL1767 Departure 11:05am\, Arrival 12:55am June 8th COZ – ATL DL1766 Departure 2:11pm\, Arrival 5:41pm TRIP SUMMARY Package includes: – 7 nights accommodations – All inclusive meals and drinks (alcohol included) – Roundtrip airport transfers from Cozumel airport – 5 days of 2-tank boat diving – 1-tank night dive PRICES Diver in double occupancy: $1599 Diver in single occupancy: $2119 Non-diver in double occupancy: $989 For more information or special requests\, please email info@athensscuba.com URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/cozumel-scuba-group-trip-2/ LOCATION:Iberostar Cozumel\, Carretera Costera Sur Km 17782\, Cozumel\, 77600\, Mexico CATEGORIES:International Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Iberostar-Pool.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240608T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240609T180000 DTSTAMP:20260929T023014 CREATED:20240424T204459Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175436Z UID:10000604-1717833600-1717956000@athensscuba.com SUMMARY:Lake Jocassee Weekend DESCRIPTION:On each Lake Jocassee weekends we offer Open Water Check out dives\, fun dives from the boat\, continuing scuba education and scuba specialties. A typical weekend consists of 3 charters\, the first one Saturday morning\, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Each charter is 2 dives from our custom build dive boats on beautiful lake Jocassee\, including tanks and weights. Everyone diver has to pay a $5 state park fee per day. URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/lake-jocassee-weekend/ LOCATION:Devils Fork State Park\, Lake Jocassee\, 161 Holcombe Cir\, Salem\, South Carolina\, 29676\, United States CATEGORIES:Local Event,Training & Certification Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/79191.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240622T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240623T180000 DTSTAMP:20260929T023014 CREATED:20240424T204612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175435Z UID:10000605-1719043200-1719165600@athensscuba.com SUMMARY:Lake Jocassee Weekend DESCRIPTION:On each Lake Jocassee weekends we offer Open Water Check out dives\, fun dives from the boat\, continuing scuba education and scuba specialties. A typical weekend consists of 3 charters\, the first one Saturday morning\, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Each charter is 2 dives from our custom build dive boats on beautiful lake Jocassee\, including tanks and weights. Everyone diver has to pay a $5 state park fee per day. URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/lake-jocassee-weekend-2/ LOCATION:Devils Fork State Park\, Lake Jocassee\, 161 Holcombe Cir\, Salem\, South Carolina\, 29676\, United States CATEGORIES:Local Event,Training & Certification Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/79191.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR