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!
