Postcard From Hurghada

Troy ‘I’m On It’ Milward was asked by the Government to get Thomas Cook out of financial difficulties so he organised, with considerable help from Mr & Mrs B, a club dive trip to the Red Sea.

60 odd (as in number) souls were transported from Manchester and East Midlands airports to the Middle Eastern paradise known as Hurghada – think Saga meets 18-30 meets The Walton’s and you get an idea of the holiday profile. Chuck in Genghis Khan and Jesus and the picture is complete.

In fine spirits we boarded the transfer from the airport to the Sinbad Aqua Park hotel. The welcome from the Egyptian holiday rep was unique to say the least and it would be fair to say the check-in staff at the hotel were positively overwhelmed when they met us.

The 5 day dive package was booked with Emperor Divers and the 25 divers of our party were picked up daily from outside the hotel at 0740 prompt for the 20 minute transfer to the two day boats that were allocated for our stay.

As usual, Emperor was on the ball and their boats and crew were spot on. Tea, coffee, water and a fab lunch were provided everyday for the very reasonable price of 5.5 Euros. Most people took their own dive kit but full sets were available to hire at the dive centre.

We had blue skies, sunshine and a water temp of 21c but the north wind, blowing for the duration of our stay, was a little keen when it came to stripping off after a dive. Two dives a day were the norm with optional extras, one of which was a night dive, and this was taken up by a number of our divers.

Unfortunately, because of the wind/sea state, we couldn’t take up the option of a trip to the off shore reef of Abu Nuhas and dive the wrecks of the Giannis D, Carnatic and Chrisoula K. The dive sites that were chosen however, offered diving for all abilities from the novice to experienced advanced divers.

We were fortunate that one of our boats was classed as a Safari boat and so carried a RIB. This enabled the more experienced divers to dive the outer reef walls and get some depth during good drift dives, an example of which was Small Giftun Drift/The Police Station.

They say every dive can teach you something new. Picture the scenario: all divers are recovered into the rib bar one fully kitted diver still in the water. Surface conditions are lumpy and a fin bounces out of the RIB.

All onboard start shouting, ‘fin’ and pointing wildly in the hope that Diver X can retrieve the swiftly disappearing piece of kit. Poor X assumes the worst and gets ready to dump his air, put his back to the reef wall and meet his nemesis eye to eye. Fortunately he then spots the bright yellow fin gaily floating past him.

Consequently, SSAC may well consider using the word ‘flipper’ or even ‘Fred’ in future instead of fin to avert possible heart attacks and loss of bowel control for divers in shark habitats!

Back on dry land, the shore party were availing themselves of all the hotel amenities; beautiful landscaped pool, Aqua Park, beach frontage, shopping and generally chilling out. The divers returned about 5ish to meet up for tea time beers and regale the landlubbers with tales of their daring do’s at sea.

The evenings were a civilised affair. As all-inclusive guests, we had the full gamut of nine restaurants to choose from for dinner; Greek, Lebanese, Italian etc.  Naturally splitting into groups of 10 or so, we would pick a different restaurant each night and compare notes the following day. It was like some weird version of ‘Come Dine With Me’.

After dinner entertainment was very much down to individual preference. We were fortunate that amongst our party we had members sufficiently knowledgeable to give evening talks covering such diverse subjects from the activities of marine mammals i.e. the dolphin to human physiology under pressure (always a firm favourite with divers). 

If that wasn’t to your taste, you could dance till dawn in the nightclub hotspot, ‘Little Buddha’ and then partake of a late supper at the local MacDonald’s. What more could you want?

It really was a holiday for all.  Roll on the next one.

Jane Mitchell

Last spaces on Red Sea liveaboard!

There are just 2 places left on Paul and Jane’s awesome liveaboard trip from 10th – 17th June on the luxurious MV Gelen!

Visiting the Red Sea’s ‘Deep South’, the dive itinerary features some stunning sites which can’t be reached by day boats, including Rocky Island, St John’s Reef, Elphinstone, Abu Dabab, Zarbargad and the beautiful surrounding area. There will also be a rare chance to spot the elusive Dugong!
 
The liveaboard costs £795 per person, plus flight (you’ll need to book your own, currently around £325), and the cost includes transfers to Hurghada, accommodation, all meals, 12 litre tanks, weights and all diving – usually around 20 per week including night dives!
 
If you need any more convincing, check out this write up of Life on a Red Sea Liveaboard and these pictures of last year’s June trip.

To find out more, visit www.wanadive.co.uk or email wanadive@hotmail.co.uk

Colourful corals and magical evenings at Marsa Alam

A tanned group of happy divers have just returned from Shrewsbury Sub Aqua Club’s annual February trip to Marsa Alam, organised each year by Troy.

Diving from one of Emperor Divers’ fleet, The Empress Rachel, the crew experienced the magical marine life and striking corals of Elphinstone Reef, the fifth best dive site in the world.

Elphinstone, which is 6.5 nautical miles from shore, features underwater walls where the shallow plateau plunges into the depths at around 70m.

For those who’ve yet to experience the delights of Elphinstone, we’ve got some fabulous pics from Sue Hayward and Tony Turner (Turbo’s are the first three pics, while the rest are Sue’s), which you can see just by clicking on ‘Read more’ below.

It was also Sue and Pete Hayward’s wedding anniversary during the trip – happy anniversary both!

Turbo says: “There was some fantastic diving, the rib just drops you off and picks you up, and it was a great group – the hotel and food were first rate – no upset tummies!”

There are lots more pics on Sue’s Facebook page too.

PS: There’s a special treat for Troy fans - you’ll have scroll down to the very ‘bottom’ though!

A year in diving by Mark and Debbie

This week we’ve got a lovely piece by Mark and Debbie Hammond on the highlights of their 2010 diving.

Well, what a year 2010 was! Debbie and I enjoyed a wonderful year’s diving, starting with a trip to Hurghada, Egypt, in February to blow away the winter blues.

It was well organized by Troy and Richard, and we stayed at the Sinbad Resort where we were treated to wall-to-wall sunshine and incredible diving with Emperor Divers, including some beautiful reefs and the wrecks of the SS Carnatic and the Giannis D.

On returning home and reflecting on the welcome break away from a cold and snowy England, we started to look forward to the Spring and the joys of UK diving – and we were not disappointed!

Our first port of call was Holyhead Harbour – not quite the Red Sea but hey ho! The weather behaved and we all had a good time comparing our bountiful catch of scallops!

Spring was quickly upon us and as a Club we enjoyed some memorable times diving from the club rib boat at Porth Ysgaden on Wales’s beautiful Llyn Peninsular.

There were plenty of training trips up to good old Capernwray and even more memorable moments (remember that line in the famous Michael Caine film: “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”) and when June came, we were off to Pembroke.

This was a fantastic trip organised by Tim and Alison, diving with West Wales Divers. Again the weather stayed good for the most part, water visibility was good, Bruce dropped some of us off at the blow hole (wow!) and no Michael, we don’t have to climb out, we swim back (wink wink).

Later that month we were off to Egypt with Paul and Jane to meet up with the MV Gelen for a liveaboard safari heading south to the Brothers and Elphinstone reefs - what a treat we were in for! Hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, reef sharks, dolphins and the elusive dugong, and as always the company was excellent, the food was great the crew looked after are every need.

The summer was good to us weather-wise and we managed to enjoy a very pleasant few months more diving around the Llyn Peninsular, despite much discussion on high tide, low tide and who had the biggest dive computer.

In October I was off to Scapa Flow on Lindsay’s trip, a twelve hour drive there and a ten hour drive back! Again we were in luck with some fantastic weather and some jolly good company, and we dived the German scuttled fleet off a charter boat called the Radiant Queen.

November approached and we had a trip booked for a return to Egypt on the Gelen, but this time it was north to the wrecks and Ras Mohammed.

The weather could not have been better – 34C, the sea was like a mill pond! Our dive on the Thislegorm was very memorable, the Kingston wreck/reef was fantastic, and all in all it was a great year!

Thank you one and all, can’t wait for this year’s trips and outings!

By Mark and Debbie

Life on a Red Sea liveaboard…

Delicious home-cooked food, luxurious cabins, spacious sun decks and a wonderful crew who take any hassle out of diving some of the Red Sea’s most magical sites - Paul Phillips gives us a glorious taste of life on the M/V Gelen liveaboard.

Fresh juice, pancakes and omelettes made to order. And that’s just for breakfast! On the Gelen, there’s homecooked food from a first class chef that would satisfy any palate.

It’s typical of the high standard we’d come to expect from the MV Gelen, a dive boat designed by divers, for divers - from its spacious sun decks (three actually!) to the carefully thought out cabins.

There are two double cabins on the upper deck and eight twin cabins down below, each with en suite shower rooms with toilet and wash basin. These luxurious rooms are fitted in high quality varnished timber, mattresses are thick and sumptuous, and fresh towels and bath robes are supplied twice a week.

Each cabin has its own flat screen TV and DVD player, and this combined with the massive flat screen TV’s and DVD players in the lounge and dining room give plenty of scope for evening entertainment!

The dining room is vast and the lounge is even more spacious, with luxurious seating and a mandatory bar in the corner which also offers a hot water boiler for tea and coffee on tap. Hot drinks and soft drinks are all included in the cost, as is an ever-full fruit bowl and snack selection.

A typical dive day starts with an alarm call at 6.30 in the morning, with the word beloved by so many liveaboard aficionados…briefing!! A very detailed description of the dive site, expected currents and depths ensues, with drawings and maps displayed on the large screen in the lounge.

The simple task of kitting up is made easier with the exceptional help of the crew, from assistance with setting up your gear to putting your fins on, all with a smile!

After being kitted up, it’s into the water – sometimes straight off the back of Gelen, and sometimes from one of the two RIBS, depending on the dive site.

If you’re happy to dive without supervision, you and your buddy are free to do your own thing within the constraints of the dive briefing, or there are two very experienced dive-guides available for those who are less confident, or for those who would like features pointing out to them.

Dives last anything between 30 minutes and an hour or more, depending on the depth and site. Then it’s back to Gelen breakfast, banter and some serious sunbathing before another dive, then lunch, sleep, dive.

At the end of a dive, the deck crew place all the scuba gear in its allotted location, removing regulator fittings and re-filling your tank whilst simultaneously passing you a refreshing drink and a soft fluffy towel.

Then there’s the speciality of liveaboards - the night dive. After a snack of homemade cakes, buns or some other sticky sweet treat, divers kit up on the brightly lit dive deck and disappear below the waves, torches in hand, for the most magical of dives.

With Gelen moored for the night, you don’t have to go far to see those elusive night creatures – lion fish, pufferfish, moray eels hiding in the coral and sometimes, if you’re really lucky, Spanish dancers performing a mesmerizing display just for you.

Time runs out all too quickly and it’s back for a shower then dinner and more discussions. A film, a coffee or beer rounds off the evening before it’s time for bed – a typical week offers the opportunity to do up to 20 dives if you want, or not if you don’t want.

The advantage of liveaboard diving over any shore-based outfit is that you’re able to travel to different sites, often overnight, instead of having to get up at 4am to catch a day boat and travel for sometimes two hours to do two dives.

You can also be at dive sites well before other boats arrive, which on a particularly busy site means the difference between diving with 20 divers, or 120 divers. I know which I prefer!

Their sheer size also gives them a stability not known amongst the day boats – a better option for those with a slightly dodgy stomach. So, stable diving platform, luxury cabins, helpful crew, five star catering, dive sites inaccessible to other boats, eating, sleeping, diving… what more could the serious diver ask for?

To see details of Wanadive’s forthcoming liveaboard trips, visit www.wanadive.co.uk

See more pictures by clicking on the ‘Read more’ link below!

Shark attacks in Sharm el Sheikh

You can’t switch on the news this week without hearing about the recent shark problem in Sharm el Sheikh, where last week a German tourist was bitten to death while she swam close to the shore.

The attack came a week after Russian snorkellers were mauled by a what could be the same shark, an Oceanic White Tip.

Divers and fishermen were sent out to trawl the waters of the popular resort, and footage has appeared on news channels all over the world showing what the Egyptian authorities thought was the captured culprit.

But just one week later, the shark attacked again and this time it resulted in a fatality.

For years, there have been reports of dive boats illegally dumping raw meat and food waste into the ocean in a bid to attract sharks for divers and snorkellers to swim with. It is believed that this activity has had an effect on the behavior of sharks.

But the Egyptian authorities insist that they have always had incredibly safe waters and cannot understand why there has been a change in sharks’ behavior towards humans, or why a deep-water species has come so close to the shoreline.

One particularly alarming accusation emerged earlier this week, when it was reported on an Egyptian news site that Egyptian authorities were ‘not ruling out the possibility that the deadly shark was placed in the sea by Mossad‘, the national intelligence agency of Israel.

Needless to say, Israeli officials retorted that the claim was ‘too ludicrous to comment on’.

So what do you think? Divers have been interacting peacefully with sharks for decades in Sharm, so what has happened to change this creator’s behavior?

Overfishing and declining fish stocks are thought to be one reason why these sharks are being driven into shallow waters – so are the authorities at fault, or are we as divers/snorkellers not taking enough precautions when we enter a marine environment?

One thing’s for sure – you certainly wouldn’t want to be confronted with this whilst diving…