www.sharmadventures.com

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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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

Sharm Taxis

Taxis in Sharm have been upgraded over the past couple of years and gone are the old Peugeots that use to dominate the landscape. Taxis are blue and white and can vary considerably with fare prices. As a result of the bombs in 2005 all vehicles now have restricted access within Sharm. You'll see that all hotels now have security gates which prohibit vehicles into the hotel compounds. There use to be a large taxi rank opposite the Hard Rock cafe but now it's only possible to flag taxis down off the main roads. The taxi touts which reside outside the hotels out of Naama Bay will always charge over the odds and in some cases 3 or 4 times the normal rate. Between Hadaba and Naama you should expect to pay 20LE and from Hadaba to the airport it's about 50LE. Airport taxis are diabolically expensive. You can expect to pay minimum of 150LE to get into Naama Bay or Hadaba. If you're hotel is further afield like the Baron, the fare should still be in the region of about 50LE into Naama. Beeping horns is part of the culture in Sharm and can really start irritating after a while. The drivers also vary considerably both in their ability to communicate and engage with you in your chosen language. Most do have a basic grasp of English but it's pot luck really depending on who you hire. One thing that most taxi drivers do though is DRIVE FAST!!! If you're not use to travelling at speed beware and tell them off!

Sharm Minibuses

The minibuses are the same colour as the taxis, blue and white, and can be flagged down almost anywhere along the main roads. They can be cramped but are a cheap way to travel about. One of the main advantages is you don't get hassled the same as taxis. It's much more a feel of public transport. Travelling from Hadaba to Naama Bay only costs 3LE which is about 40p with current exchange rate. Once inside the bus just pass your money up front to the driver and tell him when you want to get out. The Egyptian word for stop is "bas" and you could always add "marssalam" which means goodbye or "shukran" which is thanks. A little Arabic goes a long way particularly with bus and taxi drivers.