Secluded Vacation

Nightlife The two 1500w Halogen lights above the rear of the dive platform attracted some interesting visitors: Three large ‘Silky’ Sharks were investigating the brightly-lit area below the rear of the boat, their fins periodically breaking the surface in search of prey drawn in by the lights. In the past these sharks would be fed from the boats, but now thankfully it is against Park Policy as feeding encourages an unhealthy inquisitiveness on the part of the shark. Between twilight and Dawn these sharks turn from passive to predator, anyone daft enough to have entered the water would have been instantly torn to pieces…

Thresher

The following morning ‘Grant’ the onboard Videographer and myself decided to drop from the dive deck onto the plateau to look for the ‘Thresher’ I had seen the day before. Descending quickly we saw the three Silky Sharks still buzzing around but this became insignificant as I spotted the ‘Thresher’ on the western edge of the plateau. Trying to breath quietly is difficult at the best of times, but add excitement into the equation and you may as well be blowing a trumpet, but we did manage to get within 15m of the shark before we were rumbled. Not an ideal photographic distance in milky viz, but a fantastic visual experience of this most illusive and cutest of sharks with its large eyes and iridescent skin glinting in the vertical shafts of sunlight. Grant did manage some nice video footage before this most beautiful of fish remembered a prior engagement. Ascending back towards the boat we were intercepted by two of the Silky’s which gave a better photographic opportunity. It was obvious to me that with the shark’s unnatural attraction to the shot line from the boat they had obviously been fed from such a line in the past. At one point one of the sharks swam vertically up the line, in a similar fashion to ‘Sid the Silvertip’ on Elphinstone does, which can be quite unnerving for people. Little Brother Arriving at Little Brother early in the afternoon we found that Rudi Kniep had taken all of the mooring lines lay during the previous weeks for his No 1. Which is typical of this guy’s “I own the Red Sea” mentality that his doing his limited popularity no favours at all. “Watch this space…” Due to the very limited mooring opportunity off this small island it presented big problems for our crew to safely moor. Kniep made no effort to move over; instead he made sure all of his clientele were getting in the water before the crew could finish.

It only takes literally seconds in the water to realise what a fantastic reef this is, almost like swimming along a rainbow’s edge, reflected in the dense array of spectacular soft corals. The vertical wall along the south west of the reef is covered in hard coral formations producing pretty dramatic overhangs, which in turn create the perfect situation for fan corals and branching black coral bushes. Some of these bushes in turn offer a perch for small soft coral and sponge growth producing a decorative appearance. Inside the many crevices are large numbers of soldierfish and bigeye, along with the almost metallic Sabre Squirrelfish. Several long-quilled Lionfish offered a glance to the passing traffic but remained their non-cooperative selves when a camera was raised. Below us swam a large grey reef shark, above us numerous great barracuda, and to the side two big Tuna. The effects of the Anthias became mesmerizing, almost hypnotic as they pointed out a confused current.

On the Eastern side of the island the reef wall drops to 20m then slopes down sharply to around 70m. Here you can find an array of giant gorgonia descending the slope, upright and splayed across the current. In amongst the gorgonia a school of fusiliers hung lazily, making little effort to move away even amidst our presence. A little way further a Common Lionfish swam just above the reef, maybe for a snack before the sun got too high and bright. Swimming at stop depth back towards the boat we were approached again by the same three silky sharks we had encountered on big brother. The divers behind me were buzzed very closely by the trio, a female diveguide almost crapping herself on the shot line as a result.

An afternoon dive along the Western wall provided the opportunity for some creative photography with the late afternoon sunlight providing rich colours and strong shadows around the soft and hard corals. Plenty of sharks around, spotting at least four out in the blue and below us, with a large contingent of Barracuda loitering in the shallows. A large school of Black and white Snapper came in to the reef gathering in the shallows of a deep recess in the wall, changing from white to black to disappear within the growing shadows.

Sussed During this dive the ‘Lone Ranger’ spotted seven or eight grey reef sharks going berserk under No1…. It then became obvious to him that scraps of food were being lowered into the water creating a situation not only to please his German guests but a possible hazard for any divers still in the water too: A practice he had perfected on Elphinstone, and aped by his staff. Big mistake on this occasion, it was Tonto’d! Daedelus (Abu Kezan) Before the sun set the moorings were carefully removed and we were on our way towards Daedelus eleven hours sailing south of little brother. The wind had dropped by nightfall and the going was steady, the only indication we were moving was the sound of the two engines purring away and the occasional flying fish bouncing off the hull. Daedelus is an isolated circular reef rising up from the depths to within a few cm of the surface. A lighthouse station is positioned centrally on the reef with two long jetties out to the reef southern wall. The eight man crew of the station spends three months at a time on this most exclusive of locations, receiving fresh supplies every month. Their living quarters contain all the mod cons including a satellite TV.

All the walls around Daedelus drop steeply from the surface on three sides, the southern end of the reef having a large flat fringing plateau. The Hard corals around the whole reef are extensive in species and distribution making way only for soft coral, sea fans and black coral bushes. Our first dive here along the eastern wall, swimming south the visibility here is the best I have every seen in the Red Sea being almost limitless. Trying to take everything in on this virtually undived reef makes the neck muscles ache, add to that the sight of a large singular Hammerhead swimming parallel to us, and sightings of numerous grey sharks made it gobsmackin! Large caverns and swim-thro’s in the reef wall hide the big-eyed from the sun and provide protection for numerous schools of copper and slender sweepers.

After our first dive and breakfast was done we were invited onto the station and allowed to climb the 150 steps to the top of the lighthouse. As you can imagine the view from the top is horizon to horizon, and gives an uninterrupted view of this magnificent reef. The colours of this lighthouse are now quickly fading, and would be a good project for a paint manufacturer to sponsor…

The southern Plateau below the jetty drops at 90 degrees straight to 30m with no stops. Here is the evidence of a hundred years of occupation in the shape of barrels, anchors, chains and even a large container. This south-facing wall is literally carpeted in ‘mustard’ soft coral with sprinkling of the prettier species in purples and reds. The wall has some impressive caves winding away in to the reef. Inside one particular cave were three common lion fish, two of which made great models. The plateau’s flat sandy bottom has coral formations rising from it, each seemingly a nursery for juvenile fish species. At 40m the sand gives way to another wall dropping down to around 80m. Beneath the jetty 40 or 50 cornet fish were lying in wait to pounce on any small fish venturing off the reef top, quite a spectacle. Rocky Island We arrived at Rocky at 06.30 hrs after another night of cruising which almost everyone slept through, the high peaks of Zabargad in the distance looked beautiful in the morning light. I was anxious to get into the water to see how much change had taken place during the 34 months since my last visit; I was filled with anticipation as I rolled off the zodiac. Dropping down to 25m and swimming towards the prominent ledge on the southeast corner we were greeted by five Blacktailed Sharks, small but powerful sharks of about 1.5m in length. As we ascended up towards the ledge the sharks whizzed around in front of us, but stayed well off the reef. As the current strengthened the sharks lined up off the ridge and swayed about like kites in the wind. I was disappointed not to see the emergence of any sizable sharks, but I was under no misconception that they were not around. In the past sharks were fed here for the entertainment of the guests, but now the practice is outlawed and sightings are due to a natural inquisitiveness. Sharks acting naturally are a joy to watch, especially small groups as you would find on Rocky interacting with one another. On the second dive two sizable Hammerheads we seen below the ledge, but they made no effort to ascend. However one of the most amazing spectacles I have every witnessed was given by a group of eight Napoleon Wrasse 20m off the ledge. Arriving in one’s and two’s the Napoleons grouped together in the current and mimicked what the Sharks had been doing earlier, skipping around like a group of children in a windy playground: Wonderful to see. The napoleons dispersed as a small group of sharks ascended the depths to the edge of the ledge at 25m. Here they received a very hurried scale and polish by several Cleaner Wrasse, the Wrasse actually entering the mouth of the Shark to pick out a treat!

With favourable conditions the Whole Island was accessible for diving enabling the group to drift from west to east across the north wall, and north to south along the deeply scarred, sheer eastern wall to explore the many nooks and crannies. Since my last visit the coral growth on the southeastern edge of Rocky has become more prolific and varied the prettier soft corals attaining a height of around 20cm, Acropora species reaching palm-size proportions, and the black coral bushes are now changing into trees. Zabargad Well it’s good to be back, I thought to myself as we approached Zabargad to moor off the edge of the turquoise ‘Lagoon of the Doves’ in the late afternoon sunlight. Looking up towards the blackened peaks of this barren volcanic offspring instills a sense of timeless and peaceful isolation; you would have to be a house brick not to feel it! Thankfully now under the full protection of the new Marine Park Zabargad and its dependants can receive their long awaited consideration.

As the sun arose over a calm sea Cameraman Brian thingy and myself were allowed to accompany the ‘Lone Ranger’ onto the island to take photographs and video (Normally not allowed). This mile long white sandy beach is one the Red Seas major Turtle Factories, and it wasn’t long before we came across fresh tracks leading from the sea across the sand into the beaches interior and one of the nest pits. Halfway along the beach the nest pits become dense, and give the landscape a cratered appearance. On this beach alone were 386 nest pits! There were signs of human footprints too and digging around several pits meant that fisherman had been steeling the eggs. The birdlife on Zabargad is prolific, at least six species of sea birds nest here plus Osprey, Falcon and Swallow. Standing on the very top of Zabargad’s peak gives an overview of the islands geological origins and incredible panaramas of the hills, bays and unspoiled lagoons; a real privilege.

As the sea was so settled it presented an opportunity for the group to dive on the southwest corner and the southeast corner of the island in the same day. The unique topography of these particular sites is both varied and interesting providing a visual feast of marine life. At the moment the Red Sea is blessed with big Manta Ray, resulting in the groups elated return after such a sighting. They were fortunate enough to spot a large Sailfish of the southeast plateau, with numerous shark species cruising along the walls.

The Navy’s ex-Russian patrol helicopter buzzed us on our mooring, taking a very close look at what was going on and no doubt checking that our license allowed us to be there. It was, and they left.

The conditions were perfect too for diving the small freighter wreck in the eastern bay, in fact I couldn’t believe my eyes at how good the viz was; allowing ambient light photography as deep as 18m! Since my last visit to the wreck the coral growth has increased by the power of ten and the wreck is now starting to look quite pretty in places. The bareness of the davits, winches and railings now embellished beneath a coral makeover. The internal completeness of the wheelhouse is amazing, dials still readable and still continue to fluoresce. The only sign of degradation was the rubber on the window mountings, causing one of the front windows to fall in. The marine life in and around this 40m wreck has increased too along with the coral colonisation to include Moray Eels, Squirrel and Soldierfish with the smaller coral dependant fish in and around the Acropora species. Maybe a few more years of limited human interaction will see this wreck as pretty as Abu Galawa’s tugboat… Return Leg Highlights Whoever made the quote “Time is too short” made a massive understatement, it was time to begin our 250 mile return leg back to Hurghada. The wind had strengthened and the sea had become quite rough as the Captain guided the boat northward towards the distant Fury Shoal, reaching Sataya by nightfall.

After the incredible experiences of diving the big 5, one may have expected an anticlimactic voyage north, but that was not to be the case…

Three of the reefs I will never get bored with are Sha’ab Maksur, Sha’ab Claudio and Abu Galawa, a days diving that includes all three is a good one. Sha’ab Maksur’s southern plateau just gets better and prettier, each of the main ergettes becoming denser in soft corals and spreading over the surrounding plateau. It’s a photographers dream dive. So too the intricate caverns of Sha’ab Claudio where shafts of sunlight stream in through cracks in the roof to produce some magical lighting effects. Plus the sheer fun of exploring its labyrinth of passageways and grottos.

Although the steelwork on the Abu Galawa wreck has taken a beating by the weather; collapsing its stack and forward vents, the coral growth around the hull continues to impress, home to the extremes of marine life, from the tiniest Nudibranch up to the largest of Grouper. The fringing reef of Abu Galawa still remains undiscovered its wealth of coral growth and surprising marine life forsaken for the wreck or the more renowned sites.

Sha’ab Sharm is a strange reef where you can see everything or absolutely nothing, with absolutely no way to forecast any particular sightings. The 14th of June was one of those strange days, calm with very little current sweeping over the southern plateau. As Nik and I swam over the plateau to its eastern extremity the force was with us… Up over the ridge appeared five Hammerheads together with three grey reef sharks and a school of Barracuda. The sharks stayed around for a good few minutes, but the charge of the ‘Light Brigade’ from behind me persuaded them to leave into the blue. Our return journey took us on to Elphinstone and Panarama, two of the best dives in middle Egypt the latter reef supplying the magazines cover shot of a strangely deformed turtle. The carapace of which is bent in on the right-hand side and concave on the top left. The turtle has coped with it over the last twenty or so years, having no obvious effects on an otherwise normal lifestyle. Well this trip certainly made for happy logbooks, and almost certainly inspiring a need to return for more. A two-week voyage like this allows the diver to cover the maximum of interest in one journey, which in the long run saves time and money over a conventional one-week safari, and you will rarely see another boat. Add to this the ability to be on another reef 90 miles from the last the next morning after a good nights sleep there are no hugely boring interludes between dives. The maximum duration of any one leg was only five hours in daylight, this gave us plenty of time for film processing, testing and proving that the new ‘Jessops’ Slide film is a real winner for underwater photographers.

Greta is amongst the best-equipped Safari boats I have yet to travel on with its Automatic E6 processing lab, full Nitrox ability and even a Draeger Rebreather unit for hire. Two weeks allows ample time too for unhurried courses for Nitrox, Nitrox Rebreather and of course Photography.

As well as the Marine Park itinerary The Greta will be making two-week safaris to the southern extremes of Egypt to take in more world-class in St. John and beyond. Giving the discerning diver unbelievable opportunities.

Diving World and their Captains have the same kind of pioneering spirit that keeps me breathing, and they have some radical plans for the future. It was a great pleasure for me to travel and dive with this most genuine of people.