SCUBA News 309
(ISSN 1476-8011)
April 2026

Welcome. Are your holiday costs rising because of the Iran war? We discuss which diving holidays are promising no fuel surcharges and where you might have to pay more. Also, where are the best dives in the Mediterranen, as voted for by you?

What's New at SCUBA Travel?

7 Under-Rated Dive Destinations for Spring Many destinations are quieter, offering excellent conditions without the crowds or high-season prices. A personal view by Kathryn Curzon. READ MORE Best dives in the Mediterranean in 2026 From fantastic wrecks to gorgeous sealife and underwater tunnels, as voted for by scuba divers. How many have you dived? SEE THE LIST

What the Middle-East crisis means for divers

When planning a 2026 getaway, there is one practical factor to talk about: the rising cost of fuel and its implications for divers.

Liveaboards are especially exposed to fuel cost shifts. Fuel powers more than just the long crossings between remote dive sites; it also runs the generators, air-conditioning, compressors, tenders and desalination systems that make life at sea comfortable. When oil prices climb quickly, the impact on a dive holiday budget is immediate. and many liveaboards have introduced fuel surcharges.

However, there are also liveaboards that haven't introduced any surcharges – good news for divers.

Good News: Fleets Holding Steady with no surcharges

If you're looking for a liveaboard holiday with no surprise surcharges, check out these fantastic fleets:

• Scubaspa (Maldives): No fuel surcharge, plus flexible credit notes for cancellations.
• Amba (Maldives): No surcharges for trips departing through June 2026.
• Nautilus / Baja Expeditions (Mexico)

“In 34 years of running expeditions, we have never issued a single fuel surcharge - and we are not about to start now. Your charter fee will not change post-booking, regardless of fuel price fluctuations. You have my word on that.”
Captain Mike, Nautilus / Baja Expeditions

We've gathered all boats that are currently not charging extra fees on a dedicated page to help you plan a more budget-friendly trip.

View all Liveaboards with No Fuel Surcharge

What about those that are passing on some of the cost of fuel? Find out exactly how much more you will be paying with our comprehensive list of new charges in the Maldives, Red Sea, Palau, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Mexico and elsewhere.

Around the world, liveaboards are adjusting to a new operating reality.

Don’t let fuel uncertainty spoil your plans!

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Diving news from around the World

Take the scuba diving survey today The barriers and motivations of both divers and non-divers are currently unknown. Take this short survey to help research

Join the great underwater shark Egg Case Hunt Report your sightings to the Shark Trust in this worldwide citizen science initiative

Should potentially harmful chemicals be appraised by class, not one at a time? Even when one synthetic chemical is proven harmful in the home, manufacturers often quickly replace it with a similar substitute that is often found to be equally dangerous, a cycle scientists call "toxic treadmill".

Global strategies to protect seals and sea lions from bird flu Seals and sea lions, have been hit unusually hard by the virus.

Oyster reefs restore water quality more than previously thought Oyster reefs remove more nitrogen and provide greater economic value than previously thought, and their restoration may maintain water quality and improve marine ecosystems

Oceans are darkening all over the planet, what's going on? In a shift that is reshaping entire ecosystems, the open oceans are letting less light in. We don't fully understand the consequences yet, but there is still hope, says oceanographer Tim Smyth

8 Fascinating facts about the Snakelocks Anemone They are active predators but provide safe harbour for some shrimps and crabs. They change colour depending how deep they are. They turn to face the sun. Plus you can eat them.

One in five grey whales entering San Francisco Bay die there Grey whales displaced by climate change are foraging in San Francisco Bay's busy shipping waters - and new research reveals that nearly one in five individuals did not survive.

24 new species found in ocean zone eyed for battery metals mining A 2025 study found that a commercial mining test in the zone reduced animal abundance by 37%, highlighting the ecological cost of extraction in a region science is only beginning to understand.

Five years of the trawling ban and there are signs of recovery The UK's largest marine rewilding initiative is witnessing a powerful comeback under the waves. Mussel beds are rebuilding the seabed and black sea bream are returning in force.

5 Scuba Skills every Diver should Refresh this Spring Spring marks the start of a new dive season for many of us, and while excitement levels are usually high, skills can get a little rusty. What to do about it?

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SCUBA News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. This means we are happy for you to reuse our material for both commercial and non-commercial use as long as you: credit the name of the author, link back to the SCUBA Travel website and say if you have made any changes. Most photos though, are copyright the photographer. Please get in touch for details.

Photo credits: Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme, Kelly Wong Johnson, Pete McGee/CC BY-NC 4.0, DepositPhotos, divebooker.com

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CONTACTING THE EDITOR
Please send your letters or press releases to:
Jill Studholme
SCUBA News
The Cliff

DE6 2HR
UK
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SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)

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