DiveLogBlog

I didn’t enjoy dinner last night, something felt wrong. Sure enough, come this morning the stomach bug synonymous with any trip to Egypt caught up with me and I boarded the boat feeling pretty rough. The sea was also rough all day long with an incessant strong wind and though the sun was warm, the wind cut a deep chill and we were all very cold all day. I decided to skip the first dive on the Alternatives feeling very unwell. The group returned with stories of several types of Ray, but not the big stuff I was hoping I hadn’t missed out on.

I only had a light lunch which helped a little and, as it was our last day, I reluctantly agreed to do the second dive. Due to adverse weather conditions, we skipped Shark & Yolanda and didn’t have the option of a third dive. Yet again we jumped on Jackfish Alley at a time of day too late for any good sunlight. The cave was just a cave as the shafts of cathedral light which pierce the roof during the morning and noon were non-existant.

Out onto the satellite reef, I was reminded of the dive here on the last day of our previous trip which went so badly wrong. Sticking with the safety of the group, the slightly offshore current was similar to that day. I spotted a turtle and frantically clanged my tank, pointing for everyone to see. I then realised that everyone had raced to it before me so it was difficult to jostle for photographic position. Luckily the turtle wasn’t fazed by our presence and a videographer and I respectfully shared the space we had for a couple of minutes. The group had drifted away by this point and only the distant faint column of bubbles suggested where they were. I later discussed my disappointment with Chris that they’d left us, especially on this site. It turned out that he had been caught in a dilemma – we were buddied as a three person team, the other had stuck with the group but Chris was torn between staying with her and losing me, or waiting in the current for me and losing the group. On reflection, he wasn’t wrong in doing what he did, nor would he have been had he waited for me. It would also be unfair to laden the blame on the third person who was just trying to stick with the group and in hindsight, the failure really was merely in having a 3-person team. As it happens, it wasn’t a major issue as I wasn’t left entirely alone and we caught up with the group fairly soon after. Being a photographer is often a solitary pastime and it must be expected that I’ll be left behind quite often. That is my choice and ultimately my responsibility. It’s all about balance. That said, of all the buddies I’ve had over this and previous trips, nobody has matched Sue in terms of understanding, patience and communication and I’ve really missed her company on this trip.

And so this is the end of yet another trip to Sharm El Sheikh. It’s been cold, I’ve been ill and the town empty but I’ve had a nice time and the diving has been as good as ever, with one or two sites I hadn’t seen before. My photography reached its peak with the turtle several days ago and I can go home tired but happy. I don’t intend to return to Egypt again for some time. I’m sick (sic) of the stomach problems I get on every visit and I know the town and dive sites more than well enough now. I intend to save my money for a more exotic destination further away perhaps at the end of the year. There’s a whole world of wonderfulness out there and my list is longer than time and money will ever allow. So that’s Egypt done for now, bring on the rest of the world!

If you read the title and thought you might hear a story of a whaleshark encounter, you might as well stop reading now! We can’t really expect to see the big stuff at this time of year but it is our last day diving tomorrow – and last days to tend to have the habit of coming up with the goods out here – everything’s crossed…

Our first drop was one Ras Z’atar, a site that has consistently failed to impress me over my four visits and didn’t disappoint in its boringness today! Optimistic guides always bang on about the chances of seeing the biggies out here but if (and when) you don’t, there never seems to be a great deal else to look at. We dived the inside of this corner today which is roughly north-facing and so never receives much direct sunlight – as sunlight is a major factor in my photographic approach to diving, it’s not surprising that I don’t find the place particularly exciting. There was however some lovely shafts of ‘cathedral’ light breaking through a small crevice in the wall at the end of the dive which I’m hoping produced an interesting picture.

Then it was over to Shark & Yolanda where we did the traditional Anemone City, Shark, Yolanda etc. As beautiful as Anemone City is, I often think it would be better to drop straight on Shark to enable those not so good on air to reach the Yolanda wreckage without having to worry about running low. Today was one such occasion as the cross over in the blue to Shark was into a head-on current which increased air consumption too early into the dive. From then on though, much of the dive was drifting on fairly rapid currents all the way across to the fringing reef beyond all three main pinnacles. Whilst exhilarating and a great experience for Chris, it was too fast most of the time to be conducive to good photography. The young turtle made an appearance once again effortlessly swimming into a current and I managed to get quite close but couldn’t get ahead for anything better than a couple of record shots. We spotted many Clowns on Anemone, a Scorpionfish and a distant Napoleon Wrasse but for the most part this a brisk drift over a huge area with little time to stop and study anything.

Last of the day was Ras Ghozlani, a stunning site with a medium-level sloping bottom. It was just a little too late in the day to look quite at its best but it made for a nice easy drift. I’d left my camera on the back of the boat in the sun so the lens steamed up as soon as it hit the water and stayed that way for the first 20 minutes of the dive making photography impossible. I stopped to watch several couples of quite aggressive Clownfish which never fail to amuse me. A couple of Blue Spotted rays rested on the sand and a small-ish Napoleon drifted by. Somehow I spotted a very colourful Nudibrach which was no bigger than my thumbnail – something I rarely spot. We all got extremely cold on this dive so didn’t push for the full hour. When diving, Egypt can be really quite cold and the evenings require at the very least a t-shirt and jumper at the moment – though I wish I’d bought something warmer.

Last day tomorrow and I have high hopes for something very special – please don’t disappoint me Egypt!

Our day-off yesterday was perfectly timed as no dive boats made it out of the harbours due to howling winds which lasted for most of the day and were so strong to take the paint off the hotel walls. We’d also been out in Naama bay the night before with a group we’d met diving and didn’t return to the hotel until half-four in the morning, so we didn’t relish the idea of rocking about on a boat all day long! Instead, we took it easy with a lay-in, late breakfast/lunch and a visit to an expensive but fun waterpark in the afternoon. The air temperature has dropped quite considerably and we all actually quite felt the cold.

We went out again last night to say goodbye to the majority of the group who were heading home today. Once again I have made a few really good friends and I hope we all stay in touch. I’ve not been able to warm up at all today and feel like the flu-type illness I suffered on the out here may be trying to make a comeback – we shall see. The wind had dropped down again but the air temperature has remained low, some recording only 19 degrees in the shade of the dive deck. Coupled with the moderate wind, this makes it very cold after surfacing and I spent the day when on-board wearing a t-shirt, top and wrapped in a towel trying to stay warm.

We jumped on Gordon Reef first. Chris’ equalisation was much better and he managed to descend without any problems today. This site is a nice easy bumble which we covered by first drifting north and then shallowing and doubling back. Several Blue Spotted Rays hid themselves below small Table Corals and several Clownfish couples provided the usual entertainment for me and my camera, one in particular being very brave and nipping at my flashguns. I followed a small Picasso Triggerfish for a while as it took up mouthfuls of sand and spat it back out, providing photos of a fish I’d previously seen but not photographed. I surfaced with Chris when he’d hit 50-bar, not feeling the urge to remain underwater due to the cold. My air consumption incidentally has been very good throughout this trip and I’ve had plenty to enable me to make the full hour underwater on the majority of dives.

After a decent surface interval we moved on to Thomas Reef. I hadn’t warmed up from the previous dive and ended this one on the full hour but shivering badly. Near the start of the dive a very large Napoleon Wrasse drifted around us but although bagging a few shots, I was unable to find a decent position for a great photo. The hard coral gardens here are very pretty in the shallows at the end of the dive. Chris somehow drank all his air in no time and surfaced with another quite soon as I remained down with the remaining hardcore. This resulted in a reduction in my core temperature that I’ve not yet managed to recover from! The second group reported seeing feathertails and Eagle Rays but we hadn’t seen any ourselves.

After a very tasty lunch we returned slowly to the Naama jetty and were joined for a while by a pod of large Rissol Dolphins which played on the bow-wave and made a great display standing on their heads with their tails clear of the water. I’ve not seen dolphins do this before and was very entertained by them. Seeing Dolphins always makes for a special occasion and a good end to a day where I’ve been very cold and not feeling 100 percent. I’ll take it easy tonight and hopefully whatever this is will have passed by the morning when we’ll be heading back to the wonderful Ras Mohammed National Park – fingers crossed!

Tiredness is catching up with us and this morning was particularly difficult to get up. Thankfully the wind had dropped overnight and we headed for Tiran over relatively calm seas. We dived Jackson reef again, partly at my request as I wanted Chris to see the colours and life of this beautiful site. It was my first time buddying Chris and unfortunately he had some difficulty with his buoyancy and equalisation at the beginning of his dive which took all of my attention. He made it down eventually but was only able to experience a small section of the coral gardens before reaching his air limit and surfacing. We did however see a Scorpionfish, some clowns, several Blue Spotted Rays and a strangely conspicuous Stonefish on the sand before he left. I saw out the rest of the dive with the two remaining divers from our group and whilst not seeing anything more of special interest, the hard coral of the western side looked particularly stunning in the shallows.

We had a special treat for our second dive and one for which I’ll be eternally grateful to our guide Eloise. As the waters were calm we entered the paradise-like lagoon off Tiran Island for our surface interval before diving the wreck of the Kormoran just on the outside. This rarely dived wreck lies in a maximum of 12 metres collapsed and spread across a beautiful hard coral reef. Being so shallow, it was easy for everyone to achieve the one hour limit and was perfect both for Chris and for my photography. The group explored the wreckage, which reaches the surface in places, in buddy pairs allowing us to go wherever we wanted. There was a moderate current running but didn’t preclude us from doubling back and covering the whole site. I’m hoping to have some nice pictures of this one and I’m very happy to have had the chance to dive it.

Returning to the local reefs after lunch the captain spotted a couple of dolphins which passed by as I laid on the bowsprit looking down on them. The larger had caught a fish and was eating it on the surface. Seeing dolphins is always a special moment but as quickly as they’d arrived, they were gone again.

Tired and quite chilly, most of the group decided not to dive the 3^rd, including Chris and I. The few who did returned with stories of a large Eagle Ray, which was a shame to miss but we were all quite content with ourselves after the previous wreck dive.

We’re taking a day off tomorrow so plan to head into Naama bay tonight to meet a few of the guys and enjoy a much deserved lay in tomorrow! I have 3 days diving remaining so I’ll update this blog in 2 days time.

Conditions today were entirely different to those of yesterday. We were battered by winds throughout and the sea was very choppy. We did however again have each site pretty much to ourselves which seems to be becoming the norm.

First dive was on Ras Z’atar, a site that I’ve never found particularly inspiring. It’s worth noting that when I say things like that, I don’t mean to sound negative, they are still enjoyable dives but the more you do, the more you judge. Whereas at the beginning, any dive was incredibly exciting, now I have my favourite sites and hope for experiences that at least match those I’ve had previously. Shallowing up near the end of the dive became more interesting as the steep reef wall is cracked open by large fissures, some of which are large enough to enter and explore. The dive ended with a well-hidden Lionfish and a couple of clowns on their Anemone. Each dive felt cold today, especially when changing after a dive due to the high winds.

Second up was Shark & Yolanda again – the dive that never disappoints. We dived this in reverse starting on the reef wall, rounding Turtle Rock and being gently swept over the wreckage and toilets etc and around the back of Yolanda. I much prefer this route as it shallows out to not much more than 12 metres and the natural light is good.  We saw Crocodile Fish, a large Moray and a big Box Puffer as a big Trevali passed by above. I think we passed around the front of Shark Reef and across to Anemone City where the visibility dropped dramatically to only a couple of metres due to the offshore wind blowing desert sand into the water. This made the dive more exciting but limited photo opportunities to a few Clownfish. Sticking close to my buddy and catching up with the main group we left Anemone City and continued toward Shark Observatory, ending the dive much further than expected. I enjoyed this reverse dive – it put an interesting spin on a dive I’ve now made quite often.

It was difficult to stay warm after 2 dives – although the sun was hot, the wind was quite chilly and after a good lunch, many weren’t keen to dive again. Our last dive was again on Jackfish Alley at mid afternoon, despite me expressed my opinion that this site isn’t at its best in the afternoon. It’s one of the most beautiful I’ve seen during the morning but is shaded by afternoon and loses its colour. We dived in reverse once again and headed out onto the satellite reef where we saw a couple of large Barracuda with mouths wide open on cleaning stations. Heading back to the alley our guide Mustapha spotted a very large turtle feeding at 18 metres. I dropped down and to my surprise it allowed me to come within a foot of it and take a series of photos at close range. It was ripping chunks of soft coral from the reef and acted as if I wasn’t even there. I could have spent the remainder of the dive with this fella but we had to continue. It was without doubt the best turtle encounter I have had yet – a very special moment. After briefly exploring the gardens, we shallowed to our safety stop via a swim through the chimney – a vertical cave exiting at 5 metres. I am so happy with my turtle pictures!

We headed out to Ras Mohammed National Park today with no wind, a calm sea and hot sunshine. First dive was at Shark & Yolanda where we dropped on Anemone City providing the usual clownfish couples busy protecting their anemone homes. We spent the last two thirds of the dive mainly in the shallows where we had a very close encounter of the Turtle kind. This juvenile turtle was unphased by three of us jostling for a photo opportunity and I managed to get very close and bag a couple of nice shots. The usual proliferation of life buzzed around the reefs – a giant Trevalli passed by in the distance as did a big Napoleon Wrasse, amongst others. The currents, which can be brutal on this site were today very mild and only required some effort over the pass onto the Yolanda wreckage. Once over, another current swept us briskly across the wreckage passing by a Napoleon, Scorpion and Crocodile fish, as well as myriad other creatures before ending the hour on the front of Yolanda. I don’t think we saw any divers from other boats throughout the whole dive – a rare thing on this famous site.

Dive two made a nice change as we headed around the peninsula to Stingray Station on the Alternatives. Though a fairly bland dive, we saw several Blue Spotted Rays, Morays and Clowns which were all good photo opportunities. Currents forced us back on ourselves and we surfaced for lunch on a perfectly calm sea in the middle of an aquatic paradise.

The last dive of the day was on Jackfish Alley where we saw a nice Eagle Ray whilst descending. We did the dive in reverse due to the current and a small group of us headed out onto the satellite reef with a guide. We made it back safely to the alley, unlike on my last visit where we got into a sticky situation. Whilst out there, a large Eagle Ray approached us making the perfect photo opportunity but on review, my image was sadly underexposed. Unfortunately it was late in the day so the whole side was under the shadow of land so although an enjoyable dive, wasn’t quite as stunning as had we dived it in the morning.

All in all it was a very relaxed and enjoyable day. We’re heading back out there tomorrow on a busy boat but I’m excited to see what we stumble across again.

Today we headed for the reefs of Tiran on a very rough sea. The wind was howling head-on making the journey slow and taking a good couple of hours. Our first stop was Woodhouse Reef which according to my log book hasn’t previously been a particularly appealing site. Today was different and a dive I really enjoyed. We slowly dropped down toward the canyon to a depth of 25 metres where I spotted a shy Box Puffer which was well over a foot long, hiding in a crack in the wall. I managed to get close for a picture but couldn’t quite get the angle I would have liked. Nothing out of the ordinary was seen or experienced but the whole dive felt good and finished on some very colourful gardens of hard and soft corals.

Jackson reef was next and it impressed in the same way as it always does. The colours and life of this reef always seem more abundant than elsewhere. Due to odd currents we zig-zagged this dive and at around 20 metres I spotted a large Moray positioned vertically in a crevice with its head poking out of a hole in the top. I clanged my tank vigorously to let others know but nobody looked so I spend some time trying to get a close photo of it. Shallowing to around 5-10 metres, we spent some time on the western-side gardens which are some of the most beautiful around Sharm. I spent some time head-on with a very tolerant Blue-Spotted Ray and got some nice pics before reluctantly having to surface with the rest of the group. Diving alone means having to buddy with strangers and unfortunately, many aren’t too good with their air. This was one dive I didn’t want to finish and I commented later how I’d love to don a 15-litre tank and spend several hours underwater just on this shallow garden.

After a great lunch we headed local for the final dive on Far Garden which is mostly a craggy wall dive with some interesting pinnacles at varying depths. My camera battery decided to give up at the beginning of the dive so I spend the whole time as a ‘spotter’ for my buddy, finding interesting things for him to shoot. We stayed shallow for the most part and although very alive, the reef didn’t offer much that was unusual. A brief meeting with a large Napolean Wrasse finished it off nicely but it was a shame I wasn’t able to take a picture.

Incidentally, my trepidation before the trip due to the bad dive Sue and I had least time hasn’t had any unwanted effect on me – I’m diving as happily as ever and although more cautious, am as confident as I was, if not more so. I do miss not having Sue here. I hope she’d agree that we’d developed into a good buddy-pair over the last couple of trips.

Ras Mohammed tomorrow. Something interesting always happens there so I’m very much looking forward to it.

This should have actually been day 2 but once again I acquired a bad cold the day before travelling which pretty much knocked me out and prevented me diving yesterday. I was forced to spend most of the morning in bed after a night of fever and the rest of the day trying to burn the germs off in the sun. This seemed to help eventually and some medicines recommended by George helped get rid of the rest.

Sharm is quieter than I’ve ever seen it before. Ocean club is as empty as ever but it was disappointing that Chris couldn’t experience the full madness of Naama Bay last night which gave the impression it had taken the night off.

Feeling almost completely recovered, I headed out on Lady Ghada this morning for my first local dives. 1^st was a new site for me; Temple. A very easy dive to around 19 meters around some small but very pretty coral pinnacles. Little in the way of exciting life with the exception of perhaps the largest Moray Eel I’ve ever seen nestled in a crevice. Stretched out, I wouldn’t be surprised if it exceeded 3 metres in length and half a meter or more in ‘girth’ (a term we decided was the most correct one for Moray measurement). Sticking my camera and head into the crevice I quickly realised that this creature wouldn’t have much trouble swallowing me whole if it had the urge – it really was that big. Thankfully it was as placid and patient as I’ve come to know morays and let me do my thing. Unfortunately the pictures weren’t that great. I lost my buddy at one point, both circling the same pinnacle in search of each other but not meeting up. One of the group managed to point us both back toward each other and all was fine.

Over lunch we headed to Ras Umm Sid for the second dive which I vaguely remember, possibly from my first trip out here. It was prettier than I remembered – partially damaged as most of the local reefs are but with some beautiful corals and small pinnacles, especially in the shallows. Another big Moray presented itself framed perfectly within a ‘window’ in the coral. I position my buddy Paul one side while I took a few shots from the other. It was a great photo opportunity but I really needed more time to remember how to use the camera to its best potential. A big box puffer rested on the sand but wandered off feeling camera-shy. Shallowing, the rest of the dive was colourful but fairly uneventful, which is fully expected on the first day local diving.

Mustapha, one of my favourite Ocean College guides has insisted I stay on his group tomorrow so we’re off to Tiran and hopefully one of my favourite sites, Jackson reef. I’ll let you know how I get on again tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow I begin the journey back to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt for another 10 days of diving. This time I’m taking my friend and colleague, Chris, with me who will complete his Open Water course in the warm waters of the Red Sea. I’m going this time with a mild feeling of nervousness, with memories of the last day of my previous visit still fresh in my mind. This is perhaps not such a bad thing and will hopefully keep me on my toes without ruining my trip. I’ve got a pocket-SMB will I’ll ensure is always in my pocket this time!

We booked the trip a week before the recent unrest in Egypt so spent a couple of weeks with fingers and toes crossed in the hope that the situation improved. Thankfully it did and in any case, Sharm survived virtually untouched by the recent dramas. Unfortunately for the town, this was preceded by the horrific shark attacks just before Christmas. The combination of the two has resulted in a big drop in visitor numbers and by all accounts, a very quiet Sharm.

This for me is no bad thing. Ocean College are still operating as normal and report that life on the reefs is better than ever. Creatures that will often avoid reef systems crammed with noisy divers and watercraft have returned while diver numbers are low. I’ve heard from two different people who have been lucky enough to dive from the only boat moored over the Thistlegorm, and many other normally busy dive sites.

Whilst Chris is in training, I am considering hiring a private guide for a day or two which will allow me to concentrate on my photography rather than keeping up with the group. Sadly Sue won’t be with me this time and her sympathetic buddying will be missed. I have some ideas for pictures on particular locations so I’ll discuss these with Ocean College when I arrive and see what we can sort out.

Sad news today that Ocean College are closing their operation at Ocean Club next month. It’s one of only a handful of basic affordable hotels in Sharm and the camaraderie amongst fellow divers over a cold Sakara at the pool bar will be sadly missed.

I’ve said it before but I fully intend this to be my last trip to Sharm El Sheikh for a while, my eyes fixed further afield for future trips. There’s a whole world out there to discover and I’m desperate to see some more of it. If you enjoy reading my blog, please pop back as I’ll be updating it throughout the trip. If nothing else, it has served well to remind me of individual dives which would otherwise just merge in to the rest of my vague and hazy memory! Wish me luck and safety, and I’ll speak to you soon!

Sorry for the lack of dive blogs recently, I’ve only been underwater once locally since I was last in Egypt and it wasn’t all that eventful.

In the absence of any diving news, I would like to invite you to view my landscape photographs over at www.photoguernsey.com

I hope you like my photos, if you do, please hit the ‘share’ button on the image pages, it’ll really help in spreading the word.

Thanks for looking,

Dan.