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July/August 2010
09.08.2010 Location: Ras Za'atar, Ras Mohammad No. 412
Dive Time: 62mins Max. Depth: 30.7m
This was also a morning dive and we did it as Nino wanted to show Hatem a rare species of ghost fish. As it happened he
did indeed locate it but as there was a Japanese melee way above us we stayed put at around 28m. I don't like getting caught
up with a large group underwater so we stuck to our own plan. This is a lovely wall dive for the first 20mins and reminded me
a little bit of Shark Observatory. Lots of Gorgonians and a beautiful florescent pink anemone which I had never seen before.
A Napoleon sailed above us in shallow waters on the coral garden. Lots of very pretty coral pinnacles which allowed for ample
photos and videos. To finish the day off we got sight of a very large turtle which had just surfaced for air as we were on the
way back to Travco. A really lovely day on the boat with two delightful children who were snorkelling with their dad. Aubrey
and B snorkelled together and a great finish to a fantastic holiday.
09.08.2010 Location: Anemone City, Shark and Yolanda Reef No. 411
Dive Time: 61mins Max. Depth: 27.8m
A pod of Humphead dolphins on the route out from Travco proved to be a sign for how the rest of the day would unfold.
There must have been around 7 in this group and they enjoyed playing around the boat and showing off their aquatic skills!
We were on "Delfinus" but this wasn't to be confused with the Delfinus crew of maybe 5 or 6 years ago. The crew didn't interact
nor were they particularly helpful, however the rest of the paying clients were lovely. We were guided by Davina who had guided us
before and she was just great. Dropped in deeper than usual on Anemone and unfortunately missed most of the clown fish and anemones
which gave the reef it's name. Anyhow the route to Shark reef is always interesting as it's a steep drop off. The jacks and snappers
were still hanging in the blue and as we progressed around onto to Yolanda the visibility was dramatically cut down. Hatem later
told me this was due to the high water temperature and consequently there was an eerie yellowish colour through the water. Davina
was forced to surface early as one of our divers was low on air so Dave, myself and a Russian photographer made our way over the
Yolanda wreck where Dave found a huge stone fish and I got sight of an eagle ray. Also saw yet another crocodile fish. Finished the dive
after an hour underwater which was just great!
06.08.2010 Location: Jackson Reef, Tiran No. 412
Dive Time: 56mins Max. Depth: 22.4m
Dived the opposite side of Jackson in hope of seeing the famous hammerheads. Finned out into the blue for a good 15mins but nothing!
The reef on this side of Jackson is absolutely beautiful and conditions today allowed for us to visit this side of the reef. It was
teeming with wildlife. As we approached the end of the dive a small group of snappers were hanging shallow and as I was filming them
Matty got sight of a white tip reef shark further down the reef. What a way to finish a diving holiday!!! It was great. We met a lovely
Scottish couple, Dave and Aubrey on the boat and it was a lovely day out. Sharm at it's best today. Thanks Matty for being a great
diving buddy and let's hope we can dive together soon in the future...Vanuatu, Truk or Maldives????
06.08.2010 Location: Jackson Reef, Tiran No. 411
Dive Time: 50mins Max. Depth: 27.7m
A day on the boat doesn't get much better than this! An early start yes but worth it to avoid the queue at Sharks Bay Jetty.
Onto dive boat New Age with a super crew and first dive was the conventional route on Jackson. Managed to get a little deeper
and further down the reef due to lack of current on first part of the dive. Consequently saw a large shoal of Banner Fish which
was really lovely. Plethora of small wildlife on the route back with a classic view of the large salad coral from below. Just
a perfect way to complete Matty's final day of diving. Fantastic dive guide Davina just let us be and was super chillaxed!
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Find out what's happening in Sharm
Click on the icon for "Sinai Times" to get the latest information. This site has lots to offer both residents & tourists.
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Chris Carney's Gear
Apex regulator with Scubapro octopus & console (pressure, depth gauge &
compass)
Buddy Explorer BCD
Harness weightbelt with separate pockets.
3mm shorty wetsuit for summer, 5 mm full & 2.5mm vest for Spring
Proear mask
Oceanic split fins
Uwatec Aladin Sport computer
Fuji Finepix digital camera & housing
3ltr pony cylinder with BCD attachment
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Snorkelling
Snorkelling is a really great way to experience the wonders of the coral reef. Sharm is blessed with
miles of fringing reef which is perfect for snorkellers. All of the hotels along the coast have jetties
which are easy access to the drop off. Snorkelling equipment comprises of a mask (which provides an airspace
in order to see), a snorkel (which allows breathing on the surface) and fins (not flippers!!). I've come across
several holiday makers who don't use fins and this can be particularly dangerous as some of the hotel reefs
can be plagued by strong currents. Ideally you need to use your legs for propulsion and that will save lots of
arm actions which just aren't necessary when snorkelling. Equipment isn't expensive and Decathalon has great gear
at affordable prices for families. I'd always recommend at least having your own mask as you want a good fit that's
comfortable. With any new mask removing the thin silicone layer on the lens can be done by carefully burning it
off with a lighter but you will need more than one go at this. Cleaning the lens with washing detergent also
prevents fogging as does a good clean with toothpaste! Don't worry if the lens goes black after burning off
the silicone, it's normal but just don't keep the flame too near for too long! A quick burn will do the trick
as will thorough cleaning both before and after snorkelling. There are plenty of boat trips which access Tiran,
the local sites and Ras Mohammad. You can join a diving boat or indeed take a designated snorkelling trip to
several locations. Jackson Reef in Tiran can be a little more challenging mainly due to the surface winds, but
is well worth the trip. It has some of the prettiest coral gardens in all of Sharm and is ranked as one of the
best dive sites in the world. Marsa Bareka in Ras Mohammad is also another great area for snorkelling, mainly
because a large, safe bay and doesn't suffer too much from strong currents. The whole boat experience is well
worth the effort as it's a full day out and lunch is provided on board. Lunch is a combination of hot & cold buffet
with either chicken, fish or beef usually served with both pasta and rice.
Diving
Sharm offers both boat and shore diving for novice is a fabulous experience, whether you are diving, snorkelling or just
along for the ride! I think that the daily boat trips out to the different dive sites have been the reason I've kept coming
back to Sharm over the years. During peak season in summer there are daily boat trips running to
local sites, Tiran and Ras Mohammad (see below for more details of diving sites)
plus weekly trips to Dahab and the famous wreck The Thistlegorm. Local trips usually start around 9am whilst Tiran and Ras
Mohammad tend to depart around 8am. If you're inclined to be sea sick, make sure you take medication paricularly if you're going to Tiran. It's
usually choppy in the morning due to the prevailing winds but on the return journey can be like a mill pond! The boats have different departure
venues depending on where you're going: Travco jetty for local south and
Ras Mohammad, Naama Bay for middle local dives and Shark's Bay
jetty for Tiran and local north. To be honest I like Travco because it's big, the jetty is plenty big enough for
equipment trailers and pedestrians and it is a real hive of activity especially during the summer months. Once you're underway and
heading towards the dive site, the guide will brief you about the site, which will also include
safety rules about exiting and entering the boat. They pretty much
stick to using the definitive guide book "Sinai Diving Guide" published by
Italian company Geodia. The recently upgraded edition is a wealth of knowledge about the area and all of the
dive sites including Dahab and wreck dive sites out of Sharm. It's available from most dive shops and is also published in a variety of
languages. It's good to state your preferences before diving. All guides
go at their own pace which varies considerably depending on personality!!
If you're experienced and have dived with them previously you may be
allowed to dive with your buddy away from the group...just depends on who
you're diving with. You can end up diving with a really mixed ability
group and if you're like me, you will want an hour's diving during the hot
weather as good air consumption will allow for this. Check your tanks
properly before diving. Personally I would never accept a tank less than
200BAR and there have been occasions where we have both swapped tanks to
get a good fill. Air is like gold dust underwater and when you are
paying £15-£20 a dive, air consumption is everything and will affect your dive time.
During the peak season the boats get quite busy and
I've often been on board with 20+ divers. Make sure you've got everything
sorted before kitting up as can be a bit hectic once everyone is jostling
for position at the back of the boat. Generally most dive guides will
split up the group and go in separately and a maximum of 6 per group is an
ideal. Shamandoura dives (where the boat is tied up to the reef) require
you being guided back to the boat whereas the drift dives, most notably
Shark & Yolanda at Ras Mohammad require everyone to be kitted up and jump
consecutively once the signal is given by the captain. On these drift
dives the boat collects the divers once surfaced and the deck hands will
throw a rope to pull you back to the boat. It's an idea to keep your
regulator in whilst finning back to the boat as the surface current can
sometimes be quite strong. You will always do a minimum of 2 dives a day
unless 3 dives are offered (usually Tiran or Ras Mohammad). Once back on
board get your kit sorted for the next dive and relax! There is always a
minimum of an hour between dives and most outfits will have a lunch break
in between both dives. You will also be given the option of snorkelling
whilst the boat is stationary. The return time to jetty varies but is usually
between 4pm and 5pm depending on where you're diving. The special trips
out to Dahab and the Thistlegorm are worth the early wake up call...boats
to the Thistlegorm leave at 4am with usually a 3am to 3.30am pick
up but worth it particularly if you're lucky enough to get calm
seas with little current on this magnificent ship wreck. We once had these
conditions where the visability was excellent and it's surely ranked as one of
the best dives I've ever done.
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Tiran
Tiran comprises of several dive sites but the most famous are the coral reefs named
after the 19th.century British cartographers, Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson.
All of them are fabulous dives and each reef has it's own characteristics. Gordon has in parts very subtle sloping
reefs and can be prone to very strong currents. There is a lovely eel garden on a flat, sandy
section and each time I've been to this reef have seen a large Napoleon wrasse. Thomas is the
smallest and it's possible to dive all the way round it providing the currents aren't too
strong. It's one of my favourite dives as the coral gardens are magnificent. It's best
known for it's strong currents which often can be in opposite directions on different parts of the reef.
My nephew Jack had his first boat dive here and it was a bit like a fairground rollercoaster!
Woodhouse is long and narrow and is impossible to dive if there are large waves as pick up
from the boat can be treacherous. When it is diveable it's lovely and again full of really
pretty corals. Jackson reef is world famous and it too can have it's fair share of strong
currents particularly towards the edge opposite Woodhouse and you will need to keep close into the reef
to avoid being spat out into the open blue. In my opinion, this is the best diving along with Shark
& Yolanda in Ras Mohammad in all of Sharm el Sheikh if not the Red Sea. It was here in 2003 that I
was fortunate enough to see hammerheads and reef sharks at about 38m and there must have been approximately
30 sharks. It was stunning! Find below some videos of Tiran which I hope you find useful.
Ras Mohammad
Of all the dive sites in Sharm el Sheikh, Shark & Yolanda Reef is perhaps the most famous. It is a steep drop off
and when the current is running a plethora of large predators can usually be seen hanging above the drop off.
It's a site that will always please and has been home to whale sharks, tiger sharks, swirling shoals of barracudas,
not to mention the usual residents of snappers, unicorns and napoleons which regularly frequent these waters.
You can approach this site from Anemone City and the unconventional route along the back of shark reef is host
to an enormous group of snappers which hide out inside the canyon. The coral garden on Yolanda is beautiful but
take care as the current can be ferocious and your dive will depend on which direction it will be running.
Shark Observatory which is further north up the coast is one of my favourites. It's a steep wall dive and has a small
cave which can be entered at the beginning of the dive. Also look out for a large gorgonian which has another small cave behind it.
It's a perfect place to chill out and take photos, sheltering you from the current. Another great dive here is
Jackfish Alley where I've seen large eagle rays on two occasions. The jetty which caters for Ras Mohammad is Travco,
my personal favourite. It's a large jetty which easily accomodates equipment and divers in contrast to the cramped,
overcrowded jetty at Shark's Bay.
Local Dive Sites
There are several fantastic local dive sites within the Sharm region, ranging from Ras Nasrani & Ras Bob in the north
to Ras Um Sidd & Ras Katy in the south. The 3 gardens, Near, Middle and Far are closely situated to Naama Bay whilst
Ras Um Sidd is close to the residential district of Hadaba and Ras Bob fringes the Montassa area. All are varied and offer
different types of underwater terrain. White Knight is close to the Hilton Shark's Bay complex and is one of my
favourites as it's a canyon dive. A very large salad coral marks the shamandoura and is an easy landmark for ascent.
Also north is Ras Nasrani which has some of the prettiest coral gardens of all the local dive sites. Whilst diving this
site in 2009 with my nephew Jack we saw a large turtle, a potato grouper and a napoleon all on the same dive!
Ras Um Sidd is another great drift dive and the gorgonians along the sheer wall drop off are spectacular. Starting from about
15m descending down to past 25m it's an underwater forest of delight! Before ascending up towards the coral garden, past
the gorgonians, take a look into the blue. Large predators can gather here and I've seen an eagle ray, large napoleons
and on my last dive this Easter (2010) a large Jack fish chasing a ball of sardines which was very entertaining!
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