Issue 10 Letters from the Archives of the Tanked Up Magazine

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8 November 2024

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ISSUE 10 ARCHIVE - LETTERS
Hi Juliet, I hope you are well. I have been told you may be the best person to contact regarding a very positive story linked to a diving trip last week and the unfortunate volcano incident. We are a TV production company who have recently begun putting together a new TV programme entitled 'Fins', looking at all things diving. We were the guests of the liveaboard operator blue o two a couple of weeks ago, where we were filming an episode looking at the liveaboard experience and diving in the Red Sea. I wanted to write to you in the hope that any form of public recognition may go some small way to showing my gratitude to blue o two and their treatment of my team and all their guests. After a week's fantastic liveaboard on the Blue Horizon we were greeted with the news that our flight, due to leave on Friday the 16th April was delayed indefinitely. Being docked in Hurghada, at this stage, we watched as tourists from all over Europe were dumped by their tour operators or airlines and struggled to find accommodation or other forms of transport home. My team and over eighty guests on the other hand were swept up by the highly organised, informative and accommodating actions of blue o two, without hesitation. They not only reassured us that we would be able to remain on board the yacht we had spent the last week on, but that also, they would continue to feed us three times a day and give us day passes to the nearest resort. For those guests wishing to bite the bullet and accept possibly long delays, the team offered them the chance to go out for another week's safari at cost price (around £250 I think). This was gratefully snapped up by many and those that remained behind, hopeful still of a flight sooner rather than later, were offered the chance of a mini safari if the situation worsened, which it did. Therefore the remaining guests took off for a three day safari as soon as we were told it would be at least a full week before flights would resume. My team and I remained in Hurghada and continued to be looked after in the 5 Star fashion we had been throughout our visit and were even provided with land based activities to help us pass the time. Nathan (the Director in Egypt), the reps, the dive guides and the crew were all incredibly accommodating both professionally and personally, during both parts of our time with them. The shoot went very well and was made all the more easy by the behaviour of the vastly experienced and friendly staff and crew of the Blue Horizon. We were made to feel very much at home and the atmosphere created aboard also ensured that the other passengers were relaxed and therefore more than happy to assist us. Considering we had less right to be looked after than any of the paying guests, we were treated impeccably throughout our second, enforced week. Nathan went above and beyond in his actions to ensure that all those stranded, including my team and I, were fully accommodated for in every way. We will be eternally grateful for this and the ensuing mini holiday we ended up having as their guests! blue o two has built up a quite outstanding team of people and created facilities that have been painstakingly designed with an eye for detail and quality. All of the guests we encountered would whole-heartedly agree with this assessment, with or without the unfortunate disruption. I hope that their excellent service during this difficult time will pay dividends for them in the long run, both in terms of new business and also in the recognition they deserve. Thanks for taking the time to read my account and I hope you may be able to do something within your publication that allows blue o two to be recognised for the efforts they put in that, in my opinion, went above and beyond what you would expect in times where the news is full of tour operator horror stories. Kind regards, Andrew, Meliora Media	My client, Stanislav Borowski has instructed us to sue your organ for copyright infringement. Tanked Up is in fact the current name of a magazine for Ukranian lovers of these fine war machines. We feature articles on Panzers, Leopards and Shermans. You do diving. We do tanks. If you are considering Tanked Up Underwater, may I remind you of our monthly supplement of the same name where we find said vehicles in bogs in Poland. In our country all dive magazines are called "Dykke". This should be appropriate for you in England too, no? V. Medvedev Intellectual Property Lawyers Kiev Got a copy of Issue 9 at the London Dive Show. You said it would be a good read. And it was. So let me thank you for telling the truth, which is more than I am used to after a General Election. Jim Sowers. Northants My worst ever bacon sarnie after a dive was in the Yemen. Can you guess why? Yes, 'cos there was a bloody bomb in it. My dentures were blown across to the turkey sausage van and embedded into the tyres. There wasn't much bacon in there either come to think about it. You just don't know nowadays do you? Ethel Slagg, Guernsey May I just thank Easyjet for all their help and support over the recent volcanic interruptions? After my flight was cancelled it was very easy to click onto the link to reschedule another flight. The fact there were no other seats bookable for two weeks was a bit of an issue. But no problem, the refund looked promising. It was a shame that I had forgotten my printer and scanner on holiday. These were needed along with three alternate email addresses before I could even begin to get my money back. I have just arrived back in Dorking having walked all the way back. I did charge myself 200 quid for carrying the extra dive kit though. Stoilos Hajuthere Dear Sir, I wish to take umbrage with the article by Dr John Carlin in your last issue that implied that wreck divers are immature. What Dr Carlin doesn't seem to realise is that he is a big old meanie and he smells. Yours Sincerely Alex Griffin Battersea, London I think Stoilos [letters above] had it easy with his holiday cock-ups. A walk back to home. Is that all? My experiences were far worse. I was diving near Rejkavik, saw no ash as it all got blown away and was offered plenty of flights out, mainly to Greenland and shitty America. So, after two weeks of talking to financially depressed Icelanders and eating cod, they made me leave. I am now in Spitzbergen looking at polar bears drowning. Having said that I could be in Boston, Massachusetts pretending not to be English. Begorrah Sir! Jimmy Starbucks.
Feeling inspired? Why not write to us yourself? We'll put the best letters up here and in our next issue.
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