For many years, British vessels passing the site where the Thistlegorm went down would dip their flags as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives. The ship itself, however, remained undisturbed until the early fifties when Jacques Cousteau discovered her. He raised several items from the wreck – including one of the motorcycles, the Captain’s safe and the ship’s bell. Indeed the February 1956 edition of “National Geographic” clearly shows the ship’s bell still in place and his Divers in the ship’s “Lantern Room” – all of which were also still in place at that time – but not, apparently, when the vessel was rediscovered by modern Scuba Divers.

Cousteau later published a book although, deliberately or otherwise, it contained wrong co-ordinates and, once again, the Thistlegorm passed into obscurity. All that changed in the early nineties when a group of divers happened upon her by chance. In so doing, they had re-discovered one of the greatest shipwrecks of all time.

In December 1998 I was visiting the Red Sea for the very first time and, with a most successful indoctrination into the delights of some outstanding aspects already behind me, I found myself contemplating my very visit to the Thistlegorm. For me, this was a very long-overdue visit and, I have to say that, as I entered the water, I was wondering whether or not any shipwreck could live up to the hype – both good and bad, which had gone before.

Then as now, I was visiting the Red Sea as a guest of Diving World and spending a week on board their luxurious live-aboard Diving boat “Miss Nouran” – an excellent live-aboard by any standards. Easy to say I know – but, believe me, I saw much of the competition over those two visits and, well, you don’t want to know about some of those – much less Dive with them! Our Guide on the first trip was that well known character Ali Baba – a man who has been deaf since birth but, who can lip-read in five languages. Ali Baba was an exceptionally fine Diving Guide and Instructor with a great sense of humour and, in a world where other Diving Boats can often make things chaotic for the novice, his one outstanding quality is that he cares!

When starting your own small business immediately you hit a hurdle which is advertising and how to compete with large companies with a budget that is on the small size. The promo plate was created specifically for the small business to get their name out to their local community in a hurry. In this article I will show you why the promo plate is the key to getting your new venture into the minds of the consumer.

What Exactly Is A Promo Plate – Promo Plates are an attractive nameplate that you place on the back of your vehicle. The promo plate is designed in such a way that it stands out in the crowd and advertises your new small business in a attractive way that is sure to get customers inquiring about your business

Who Can Benefit From A Promo Plate – Anyone who is wishing to gain business in their local market can benefit from a promo plate. A real estate agent can show his or her contact information, a local website can promote their URL and a small business can raise name awareness by showing their name in a classy way. The use of a promo plate is endless and as of late a number of people have been displaying their Twitter URL.