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An insight into Red Sea Reefs & Wrecks + special offer!
Report by John Butland – Diverse Travel – on Emperor Superior…
You would think, wouldn’t you, that when you have been to the same location 17 times that your 18th trip there would be pretty much the same as all the previous times. But that’s the beauty of diving such a wonderful location as the Egyptian Red Sea. There’s always something different to see; an animal you got closer to than before, or display behaviour you’ve never seen before. Perhaps it’s just that you are going back to one of your favourite dive locations. This trip on Emperor Superior’s Reefs & Wrecks Itinerary was all of these for me.
Firstly we headed to the famous Abu Nuhas, not for the wrecks to start with but a check dive on the reef. It wasn’t long before we were diving on the lovely Carnatic wreck. It was as beautiful as ever with the sunlight streaming through the ribs of the deck, illuminating the schools of glassfish that congregate up near the bow. A night dive on the reef followed.
The next day was a full on wreck diving day with three to explore. Giannis D, one of the most recognisable wrecks in the Red Sea, with its mast marking your descent to the wreck itself. The Chrisoula K (Tile Wreck) followed also visiting the Kimon M (Lentil Wreck). Then after a change of location we dived the Carnatic, slightly more broken up than on my last trip.
On a night dive on Beacon Rock, I was privileged to see and video a pair of lion fish mating, not a common sight, But I did have the fright of my life when I suddenly saw a huge moray eel about two feet away. Luckily, he wasn’t as surprised as me and swam nonchalantly off.
Emperor’s Reefs & Wrecks itinerary is a great way to reacquaint yourself with the dive sites that would normally be accessible from Sharm El Sheikh, namely Ras Mohamed and Tiran. I, like many, have dived Shark & Yolanda Reefs on numerous occasions but it’s still such an enjoyable dive and always a little bit different. This time there were big schools of unicornfish all around the wreck of the Yolanda; I’ve never seen so many there.
Eventually we arrived at Tiran, a part I was particularly looking forward to, especially when I heard the first dive was on Jackson. I have maintained a love of this place since I first visited in 2002. One of my favourite places in the whole world. The water was so clear and awash with lined butterfly fish, I have never seen so many together anywhere in the world.
A dive on Thomas Reef followed and was almost as enjoyable. Although a strong down current at the end made the safety stop a bit of a challenge, to be honest a timely reminder of the skills you have learned during training and over the years of diving. Well, what can I say about the Thistlegorm that hasn’t been said before, apart from we had two lovely dives, one outside and one inside.
Two dives on the Barge followed, one at night and one the following day. Although a very small and broken wreck it’s absolutely covered in life. Lots of loitering squirrel fish. There were a few of the more unusual carnivores like a pair of crocodile fish and the shaggiest stonefish I have ever seen. Plus, of course, the long-time resident of the boat, a huge moray eel called George. He poses nicely for both photos and video.
No Northern Red Sea liveaboard would be complete without a couple of dives at Dolphin House, one day and one night. Unlike the last time I was there, we didn’t see any dolphins during the dives. But the crew of Emperor Superior are very keen to help their guests get the best experience so kept an eye out. Eventually the cry of ‘dolphins’ went up and we grabbed our masks, snorkels, fins and cameras and dashed to the zodiacs. We weren’t disappointed as we swam with a group of four for almost an hour. A great end to the week.
Many thanks to Emperor Superior, your great guides, chefs and boat crew, plus the other guests on board for making it such a memorable week. My 18th trip to the Red Sea, but definitely not my last.
Want to be there? Special offer:
Emperor Elite, Reefs & Wrecks
24th – 31st Jan 2020
From £1149 per person including:
Flights, 7 nights in shared cabin, 3 meals a day, soft drinks, red wine with dinner, 6 days’ diving, guide, 12ltr tank & weights, Marine Park and port fees. Free Nitrox. Return airport transfers. 20kgs baggage allowance. Full ATOL protection.
Not included: Egyptian Visa ($25), equipment rental, 15ltr tanks, crew tips, alcohol other than above. Options for final day (£10 to £45).
For more information visit www.diversetravel.co.uk or call 01473 852002 or email info@diversetravel.co.uk
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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