Anyone that dips their feet into the activities and adventures that Egypt offers will no doubt discover that the nearby Red Sea is one of the premiere diving destinations in the world. With that in mind, I made a point getting myself immersed in some lessons and giving it a try. Thankfully there were an abundance of training opportunities and it was a simple matter to find an eager dive master at the embassy, thirsty for the next crop of students. Before long I found myself studying the required training material online, sitting through lectures, and performing my first training dives at a nearby pool.
It’s after this that the real underwater adventure begins. Our first trip was a trek out to the Sharm El-Naga dive resort near Hurghada. Our small cadre allowed us to focus on completing the necessary skill checks and dive plans that were required for certification, and by some stroke of luck we had the resort nearly to ourselves. It was also our first opportunity to take in first hand the plethora of undersea life that inhabits a reef – which made for a phenomenal experience for our first few dives. Between the highs of our first dives and the picturesque resort beaches, it was the perfect opportunity to get away from it all – even if it was only for a day or so.
Upon the completion of this trip (along with our certification) many of us were itching to try the next dive adventure. It seemed to be simply a matter of “when” and making the appropriate arrangements. Of course, once returning to Cairo the pesky details of life really got in the way and these new adventures were hampered by busy schedules and other priorities. I was determined not to let this stop me though, and when the opportunity for a live-aboard dive trip was presented to me, I hopped on-board!
Live-aboard dive trips provide the unique opportunity to see a wide variety of dive sites at various locations over the span of a weekend, so it’s a good way to see the best of what an area has to offer, rather than being confined to shore entries or shorter day-trips. I also took this opportunity to take the advanced diver course, along with the nitrox training – both of which were natural steps of progression after completing my open water training. After a hard night or two of studying and knocking all the coursework out of the way, I met up with my dive master and we headed out on the long drive to Hurghada. By the time we arrived I had just enough energy left to consume a light dinner, and then turn in for the days of diving ahead.
The following morning we got underway shortly after breakfast and headed to Marsa Alam to visit the “Dolphin House”. Despite the excitement that the name may invoke, it was a relatively uneventful dive as we were focused on conducting the underwater navigation portion of our advanced diving course. Some divers claimed to hear some dolphins, but to my knowledge none of the delightful creatures were spotted. However our next destination promised us several sights that would be difficult to miss and would prove far less elusive, but potentially just as exciting – shipwrecks!
Our next destination was the Sha’b Abu Nuhas reef, which has claimed a number of vessels over the years and offers a handful of impressive wrecks for enterprising divers to acquaint themselves with. We conducted three separate wreck dives here over the next day, visiting the shipwrecks of the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and the Giannis D. Our anchor point was some distance from these dive sites though, so to get out to them we needed to board a zodiac (a small rigid-hulled inflatable boat) and perform our entries and exits from this platform. This was made more interesting by high seas in some cases, which in addition to inflicting passengers with a sense of nausea, also made re-entry a more daunting affair.
The wrecks themselves seemed fairly well-preserved. Even the Carnatic, which was the oldest amongst them, still had flesh on the bones (so to speak; there’s still plenty of wood on her iron bones, but no cadavers!). Much of the wood that once sealed the hull against the steel ribs of the vessel had rotted away, which offered an easy opportunity to penetrate the wreck, though didn’t quite encompass the feeling of being “inside” the ship.
However it was at the Chrisoula K that we really got an opportunity to penetrate into a ship, and we explored a number of compartments in the engineering section of the vessel – which provided the first taste of the disorientation provided by a world lying on it’s side, or at various awkward angles, making orientation a far more confusing prospect. The fish seemed to have no problem with it, so I let them be my guide (along with my dive master) and let myself adjust to the experience – which allowed me to start enjoying it. While reefs and rocks offered a plethora of life in unique and natural formations – the wrecks presented an opportunity to see how life had taken hold in and adapted to an artificially designed place. It felt unnatural to see this blend of man-made machinery and aquatic life that was never intended to be there, but what else is a shipwreck on the ocean floor to do than provide luxury accommodations for aquatic life?
Upon the return from one of our dives, the seas were especially heavy and it was a bit awe-inspiring to watch divers, fish and plants all get tossed to and fro with the surge and ebb of each of the pounding waves. It was as if the entire underwater world was moving to the pulse of the ocean. As spectacular as it was to watch, it made boarding the zodiacs that much more difficult, and probably made more than a few divers sick. I found myself fairly immune to most of the motion sickness that others were experienced and was able to enjoy it quite a bit more as a result. At the end of each dive we’d be treated to a cool beverage and relieved of our gear as the boat crew set about refilling tanks for the next dive. As night approached it offered us the opportunity to perform a night dive – which was also covered under the advanced diver course I took, so naturally I was on board. Myself and the dive master broke away from the main group with our own dive plan that would allow us to experience the underwater night separately from a gaggle of other divers with lights, limbs, and bubbles everywhere.
This turned out to be quite an interesting experience. While we didn’t see much of the nocturnal creatures of the sea, the sensation of being underwater in the darkness was a much different experience than during the day. One is aware of the vast amount of water that surrounds them, the chief sounds they hear are the inhalation and exhalation of their own breath – but they can see very little. Sensory deprivation comes to mind – I imagine it would be quite easy to close one’s eyes, relax and temporarily take leave of your physical senses. This is quite a transcendent experience, but alas I did not want to get separated by my dive master (and buddy!), so the experience I actually had was quite a bit different.
The darkness and onset of night made for a more serene underwater experience – aided by only being able to see in a small cone that your light reveals, and thus not being overwhelmed by everything going on around you in the reef. There was another side to this, with darkness and the inability to see comes the unknown, so am small amount of fear can creep into the experience. You’re underwater in an immense dark ocean that envelops you, and all you can see is this what your little cone of light illuminates. Either way, the experience was invigorating, and it was a treat to see the way that lights brought out the colors underwater, and the way the darkness and lights of other divers changed the atmosphere of the activity to one that felt far more exploratory.
We finished off the shipwrecks the next day, but several delays prevented us from squeezing in an additional dive before we had to return to the Marina. However, there was another dive trip scheduled in the near future, so I signed up for that and a few weeks later found myself boarding the same boat, berthing in the same cabin and bunk that I had for this trip to continue the adventure…
This time we went South from Hurghada, towards Safaga with the intention of visiting the Panorama, Um Uruk, and other nearby reefs, as well as the Salem Express shipwreck. By the time I was up in the morning, we were well underway towards the reefs which would be our first destination. During the previous dive trip I had been recovering from a cold, so I had isolated myself and kept to my own – this time I was immersed in a good book, but without any other afflictions and some familiar faces from the last trip, I made sure to integrate myself a bit further into our boatbound community, making the acquaintance of a few friendly folks in the process.
Our trip down to the dive sites was fairly uneventful and before long we were suiting up for our first dive of the day. The shallow water offered a sandy, but rock-spotted bottom, punctuated by columns of rock, dominated by coral and other sea life. These were virtually underwater arcologies, each teeming with an enormous amount and diversity of life – one could swim in lazy circles around them and find new things to see each lap. While the spaces between the pillars were sparse by comparison, one could still find plenty to see.
Our next dive along a steeper section of the reef started out as a fairly standard affair. Colors, creatures, and corals of all size and shape dominated the reef; urchins, fish, anemones – all were represented in great quantity. As we worked our way along the reef through we came to quite a spectacular sight – almost an entire section of the wall of the reef seemed to be moving and pulsing. As we got closer, we realized it was a colossal school of fish slowly weaving in and out of the table coral at that particular section. Moving together they looked almost as if they were a singular globular creature – which was truly a sight to behold, and stands out from the other schools of fish I’ve encountered diving so far.
For our next dive, returned to one of our previous dive sites for another go at the other end of the reef. This time we braved the trip to our entry-point on a zodiac that struggled to contend with the waves, and upon our arrival we submerged ourselves before the turbulent waves could do it for us. We descended to the depth prescribed by our dive plan and had only been gliding along in the current for a few minutes when a giant Manta ray made an appearance, gliding through the water with it’s cephalic fins leading the way. It’s hard to determine the precise distance of things underwater, and thus also difficult to determine the size of distant objects as well – but the ray seemed huge – double my considerable height in it’s wingspan as it carelessly went about it’s way. It had the attention of every diver until it faded out of our limited underwater view distance. A little further into the dive, we encountered an Eagle ray, a smaller ray with a spotted back that was also a treat to see – though wasn’t quite as impressive as it’s larger cousin we had encountered earlier!
After the dive we took some time to relax on the lounge deck of the boat, but this was shortly interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest in the form of Sea turtle which was cruising along the reef just off the stern of our boat. It would have been amazing to see this from underwater, but attempts to join it just spooked the graceful creature, but we still got to observe it for a few minutes from the boat as it paid us no mind and did whatever it is that turtles do just feet away from us. After it took it’s leave of us, we were still in the mood for fun, so we took turns jumping into the tepid water from the upper decks of the boat until we had worked out our excess energy.
As the sun ebbed towards the horizon I found myself on the top deck of the boat enjoying the sunset and gentle breeze with my book. When it became too dark to read, the stars came out and the book went away. Due to the pollution of the city, a sky full of stars is a rare sight in Cairo – so I took the best of the opportunity to enjoy the picture they painted across the sky. Once in a while, even a meteorite could be observed burning up as it raced through the atmosphere. It was so comfortable that I ended up falling asleep up there, only getting sufficiently cold to retrieve a jacket at around three in the morning. I spent the entire night up there, catching the sunrise to the East at the dawn of the new day. Only when we got underway and things started rocking back and forth a bit too much for my liking did I make my exit.
Our next destination was the Salem Express – a ferry which had sunk in 1991 with a tragically large loss of life. Nearly 500 people returning from pilgrimage went down with the vessel. With this sobering thought in mind it’s a wreck that instills a sense of respect and reverence rather than pure excitement and adventure. The large vessel was evenly on it’s side as we approached the keel, and then ascended to the side to make our penetration. While life had reclaimed the surface-facing side of the vessel, it was evident in the passenger voyage that this once held a very different type of life.
Suitcases were still strewn about in disarray. Some with thick layers of silt over them, others plainly visible. Personal odds and ends dotted the interior of the car deck – the sheer amount of belongings created a running toll of loss as we proceeded along the interior deck toward the large doors that once allowed cars to drive on and off the ferry. I was much happier on the outside of that vessel, looking at the way that the sea life had reclaimed what was otherwise a grave site, with coral formations dotting the exterior of the vessel and fish darting their way through railings and other components of the external superstructure.
We re-entered the vessel at the shipboard cafeteria, which was merely a shadow of its former self, but still recognizable. Without the piles of personal belongings and the ample sunlight that filtered in through the windows, this was a far more enjoyable place to explore. Eventually we made our way across the length of the upper deck and railing to the wheelhouse, which I observed from the outside, having felt like I’d been in that wreck enough for one day. Still, it was a spectacular sight and the most substantial wreck I’d had the opportunity to dive on so far.
This dive site had been on the Southern leg of our itinerary, so we had a long cruise back up the coast to our last dive site on the way back to the marina. Despite the side to side rocking motion not sitting well with me earlier, I positioned myself on the prow of the vessel with my earbuds and a healthy selection of music to enjoy the return trip.
Riding on the prow of the vessel I was able to feel every rise and fall of the bow as the boat plowed through the waves. This created a mesmerizing rhythm that left one feeling nearly weightless at the apex of wave, and tickled one’s feet with the wavetops and spray on the downstroke. Each time the bow came crashing down especially hard, schools of flying fish would launch themselves out of the water and glide for a distance, fleeing our predatory vessel and disappearing beneath the waves in short order. While enjoying the experience, we were lucky enough to be joined by a pod of dolphins which cruised right under the prow, darting back and forth just underneath my dangling feet.
This was truly a spectacular occurrence, and even through they were there for just a few fleeting minutes, there were only a few people that were in position to catch them and enjoy their elusive company for that time. We could hear their whistles, squeaks, and trills, but just like that, they were gone and even the flying fish seemed to be less and less frequently as we made our way back towards civilization. We did take the opportunity to go diving at one more site, a shallow place just off the beach near Soma Bay. While this dive seemed much like the first one, shallows with rocks, and corals, arcologies on large rock outcroppings – frequently surrounded by shoals of fish, we did happen to spot an octopus which seemed to change colors right in front of us and blend into its surroundings in it’s attempt to make itself look like an unassuming rock. This was fascinating to witness, but the attention it ended up drawing from other divers made the waters far too crowded for my own tastes (and probably the octopus’s as well), and as I was not the center of attention, I was able to conclude my dive on this high note and begin to take into account everything I had seen and experienced over the weekend.
We arrived back at the marina in the late afternoon, took pictures, looked at the videos that some of the divers captured, and headed our separate ways. All in all, it was spectacular, and I imagine it’s going to be hard to top a trip like this. While this concluded my third dive trip in two months, I can’t imagine continuing with the same frequency as I have been of late. There’s a wealth of other opportunities and experiences to explore that need to become part of the balancing act. But with that said, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for future dive trips and will continue to enjoy the rich and vibrant experience it offers.
