News
Diving with… Pim Vermeulen, Dahab, Egypt
In this new ongoing series, we speak with the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Pim Vermeulen
What centre are you involved with?
IMMERSION freedive academy and shop. I’m also the organizer of the RedCcup in Dahab, Egypt.
What is your role within the centre?
Business owner and the main instructor
How long has the centre operated for?
Since beginning of 2002, originally based in the Netherlands but from 2012, permanently in Dahab.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I have been freediving since 1998. I am an AIDA International Instructor Trainer, AIDA International Judge Instructor, Apnea International Instructor Trainer, NFDB Instructor Trainer, PADI Master Freediver Instructor, PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor, 9-times National Record holder for the Netherlands and since 2016, Founder and Board Member of AIDA Egypt.
What is your favourite type of diving?
Freediving, of course, although I still scuba dive on my days off.
If you could tell people one thing about the centre (or maybe more) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
First of all, CUSTOMER CARE and I’ve written in capitals with a reason as there I make the biggest difference with other freedive centres. Furthermore, my experience as a freedive instructor and coach goes back to the year 2000 and I have a long history in all aspects of freediving from beginners to World Record holders. My freelance instructors are selected with the utmost care, as quality is the most important thing at Immersion academy!
Where do you currently promote your centre?
Website, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. but soon we start promotion differently and will come out with merchandising and other related products.
What is your favourite dive and why?
The Blue Hole: because we have close to perfect conditions / depth all year around and with just a 2 minute swim to get 92-95m of depth which is important for safety.
What types of diving are available in this area?
In Dahab any types of diving are possible all year around from freediving (0-350m), scuba diving, tech diving, to snorkeling.
Are you involved with any other centre / locations?
I ‘freelance’ for several scuba centres if they have freedive customers here in Dahab and Sharm el Sheikh. I can travel around the world on invitation, but mainly I work from my own centre.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
As an instructor and coach the most rewarding thing is seeing people change during a course or a coaching program. Of course the biggest changes you will see are in beginner courses like AIDA2, Instructor course, Judge courses and in personal coaching programs.
How would you like help promoting your centre?
More media attention in written media, promo’s, dive exhibitions, etc.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Since I started diving and freediving, I have loved Manatees and sadly so far I have not been lucky enough to go to Crystal River in Florida to snorkel with them.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
Yes, the main thing is that we will open a brand new high-end freedive, sports and health centre soon in the Lighthouse area of Dahab. There’s a lot of future plans with more information to be released soon.
As a centre what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
The main problem for all of us here in South Sinai is the lack of charter (direct) flights from Sharm to Europe etc. For many, scheduled flights by major airlines are too expensive. Also the bad media attention we get doesn’t help and Dahab is most likely more safe than Europe at the moment.
Once people are here the cost of living is extremely low and you can rent a luxury apartment for only 90GBP, whilst a dinner in Dahab’s most famous restaurant will set you back with just 7GBP. The only risk Dahab truly possesses is the fact that you most likely will never want to leave again after being here for a few weeks!
Is your centre involved in any environmental projects?
At the moment, not any more as the environmental project we were working on stopped last year. We all setting up new ones that will be revealed in the near future. The scuba and freedive industry and the rest of the foreign locals stick together to improve the overall environmental awareness of our customers and Egyptian locals. For example, last year there was a huge project involving three local schools and that was very successful; this year it will be repeated.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
The main problem in any of these industries is that people with limited capabilities as instructor / coach but with amazing marketing skills get a big chunk of the business without delivering quality. They often work under often unsafe conditions and we see this here on an almost daily basis! Furthermore, the trend in Freediving starts to follow the Scuba industry and prices drop and as a result, the quality, safety and customer satisfaction also drops.
We hope to get more support from the organizations we represent but some are mainly focused on expansion rather then creating quality and respecting safety standards. As an AIDA Egypt Board Member I, together with some other foreign Instructors that are involved, work hard to protect the levels of quality in our industry.
Find out more about me and IMMERSION freedive academy at:
- Mail: pim@immersion.nu
- Mobile: +20 (0)100 463 2931
- Website: http://apnea-immersion.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Immersionfreediving/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/immersion_dahab/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/freediver105
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaAVj2gSdeIC46LtUFADjZg
- TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297547-d6366895-Reviews-Immersion_Freedive_Academy_and_Shop-Dahab_South_Sinai_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/IMMERSION/@28.507177,34.513512,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x70cb71d209a5880f!8m2!3d28.5092884!4d34.5140702?hl=en-EN
- Linkedin: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/pim-vermeulen-b9501552
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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