News
Diving with… Tracy Leverett, Emperor Divers, Marsa Alam , Egyptian Red Sea
In this 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?
Tracy Leverett
What is the name of your business?
Emperor Divers Marsa Alam
What is your role within the business?
Dive Centre Manager
How long has the business operated for?
Emperor Divers are celebrating their 26th Anniversary in the Red Sea this year 2018. We have been in the Marsa Alam region since 2004.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I have been diving since 2006, PADI IDC Staff Instructor.
What is your favorite type of diving?
My favourite type of diving is macro life diving, slow, no currents and the ability to take photographs and have time to do this.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
Friendly and professional staff instructor and boat crews. Easy, fun, ‘no current’ diving (except Elphinstone!). Beautiful reefs of the Red Sea. If you stay at our partner hotel you can roll out of bed, to breakfast and on to the boat.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
This is a tough one. Marsa Mubarak (imbarak) best site for possible macro nudibranch, seahorses, nudibranch sightings but also is visited frequently by our resident Dugong ‘Dyson’.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We are mainly day boat diving but we have a house reef also. The boat diving is 2 or 3 dives a day but we spend all day out at sea. We have some fantastic reefs with amazing and immaculate hard corals. We have Elphinstone, which offers drift dives and larger pelagic sightings. Most of our sites are perfect for the beginner or photographers.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I get to spend my time 50/50 in the office and in the sea teaching and guiding. A perfect mixture. I have been in the Emperor team for eight years now and I enjoy everything about the job. I have a fantastic team and we all have very high standards. We see many guests return time and time again – we are like one big family.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Frogfish
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary in the Red Sea, both day diving centres and diving Safaris. We expanded our company to the Maldives three years ago where we have six boats and very recently we have expanded to establish Emperor Indonesia with a sailing schooner, MY Emperor Laut, for diving safaris in Indonesia.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
The perception that somehow the Red Sea is unsafe, which is simply not the case – certainly no more so than anywhere else in the world. Marsa Alam Airport does not have so many direct flights, so often people have to come via Hurghada road transfer.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We work closely with HEPCA (Hurghada Environment Protection Conservation Association) and try to support them with their training and activities, such as making sure all our guides are Samadai trained (dolphin code of conduct) and participate in clean-ups. We are also the centre doing the most for dugong conservation with daily tracking of our local dugong – who we identified and named as Dyson in 2009. We teach a PADI distinctive dugong speciality written by, and therefore exclusive to, Emperor Divers. We have also hosted many journalists and photographers to meet Dyson and therefore spread his image and story across the globe. He’s even a National Geographic category winner!
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
I believe, as an industry, it needs to reach out and make itself more attractive to the younger generation as the average diver is getting older every year. As a resort-based diving centre, we can deliver great training and service but we cannot advertise diving in general to the masses. This is necessary from the major training organisations, manufacturers and press industries related to SCUBA.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
The Red Sea has some amazing diving, from reefs to large pelagics. On our day boats, we are able to reach Elphinstone, which is in one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. The drop in tourist numbers since 2011 has had a huge impact on the quality and quantity of life both big and small, which has just got better and better each year. Egypt is perfectly safe and the region we are based in is very quiet and relaxed. Come and try it and for sure you will love it.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
You can visit our website here
Find us on Facebook: Emperor Divers Marsa Alam
Email us at info.marsa@emperordivers.com or manager.ghalib@emperordivers.com
Whats app/viber/SMS: +20 122 737 2126
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The Red Sea is known for its range of dives, from bright, colourful reefs with a diverse array of reef species to world-famous wrecks scattered along its numerous atolls. The reefs and wrecks of the North Red Sea are one of the best ways to experience many of these.
Organised by dive tour operator specialist Scuba Travel, Ghazala Explorer was going to be home for the week for this exciting trip, a 37m steel-hulled vessel with top-class reviews by previous guests.
Departing from Hurghada, the plans were to head north for the first couple of days, including check dives on Global reefs, before then heading to see a few of the wrecks at Abu Nuhas reef. Then we would head across the Gulf of Suez into Ras Mohammed National Park to see what are considered to be some of the best reef dives in the Red Sea. From there, we would head to the Strait of Tiran for a day, then head back south to dive the world-famous wreck and one of the trip’s highlights: the SS Thistlegorm. This would include a night dive prior to heading back for the final day’s diving around Hurghada before heading back to port.
Arriving from Gatwick into Hurghada late in the evening, the Scuba Travel rep was waiting for arrivals ready to take us all to the Ghazala Explorer, docked in Hurghada’s New Marina. Stepping onboard, the high-quality and spacious deck spaces and interior provided an instant sense of comfort. There was a friendly welcome by the crew and guides. After some food, it was time for the boat briefing, which was detailed and covered all the important safety aspects of the vessel and procedures. The kit was then set up in the allocated spaces, and the spacious tables in the interior provided the perfect place to build up my camera ahead of the week’s trip. As soon as everything was done, it was time to head to the cabin to get some rest before an early start for a check dive.
The northerly wind provided a chop, but it wasn’t felt as the steel hull of the vessel cut through each wave. By mid-morning, we were moored up at the reef at Gobal Island, sheltered from the chop on the other side. With Ahmed providing a detailed briefing, it was time to kit up and get in the water to explore some of the reefs below during the check dive. It’s always exciting to stand on the stern of the boat, looking into the clear blue water before taking a stride entry to enter the colourful coral scenery below.
Like most of the dives on coral reefs in the Red Sea, the colours and busyness of the reefs were great to see. It was great to be back on the reefs, taking the time to watch the many species which make up the Red Sea ecosystems before picking out a few to film and photograph. The time flies by as you are constantly engaged with the surroundings, and then before I knew it, it was time to head back onboard, where everyone coming back from the water had big smiles and were full of excitement and anticipation for the rest of the week.
The next two dives, which included the night dive, were on the wreck of the barge, where very little remains act as an artificial reef for many species, which included a few perfectly hidden large stonefish and a crocodile fish camouflaging on the sand beneath the hull. Looking up though was the highlight of the dive, as a squad of squid could be seen mid-water, dancing around. Ascending slowly and calmly, I was able to position myself amongst the squad for the opportunity to get a few close-ups of this great species. Shortly after, the squid were then accompanied by a shoal of halfbeaks just below the surface. Everywhere was just full of life!
After some afternoon snacks, and as part of the safety protocols of the vessel, it was time to practice an emergency drill to put the briefings into action. The fire alarm rang, and we then had to carry out a full drill of getting the life jackets and using the closest emergency exits to then gather at the muster point on top deck where we would then have a run-through of the life rafts. The drill was great to do and I thought it was a really important part of the boat’s safety, as it was an opportunity to use the emergency exits to ensure a safe and effective evacuation, while also convening at the muster station to go through different scenarios and become familiar with some of the kit used during these emergencies.
Check in for Part 2 from Jake tomorrow!
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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