News
Name That Fish
It was while running my latest underwater video course at Marsa Shagra in the Red Sea that I spotted a very small fish I had never seen before either in the wild or in any identification book.
At the time I was filming with a GoPro which has a fixed lens and is very wide angle. I was near the sandy bottom next to a reef and gently working my way towards a Hawksbill Turtle resting under a small table coral. Just at the edge of my vision I caught the motion of a very small fish fleeing away from me towards the cover of another piece of coral. It could only have been about 3-4cms long. I only had time to press the record button and swing the Gopro in its general direction before it completely disappeared. Look as I may, I could not find it again. I was very excited and hoping it was a new species.
Getting back to base I downloaded the video clip. The fish was there, but just a tiny image in the great expanse of the wide angle GoPro frame. Fortunately the great quality from the GoPo let me zoom in and retrieve a half decent image of the fish. At least good enough for identification.
I showed it to several people at the resort and no one had seen it before. This was now very exciting. It was decided to send the image to a marine biologist friend to see if he had any idea. The message came back. “Hi Jeff, Very nice, we have had this already…. an inquiry from 2010, it’s a juvenile Novaculichthys taeniourus, and like most wrasses it can also dig in the sand”. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed, but it was nice to know what it was.
Then I was told about a Facebook group called ‘ID Please (Marine Creatures Identification)’ should I ever need any help in the future.
In their introduction they say:
“Dear ID Please members,
If you took a photo underwater and don’t know what it is, share your photos here or help other members to identify the creatures on their photos. Please try to provide the following info for your underwater photos:
– country / location
– depth
– size
– and other data that you think might help.
– no need to specify camera settings and such.
It’s a great group and one which I joined right away. So if you have any photos of marine creatures you can’t identify or can help others out, why not visit their page.
Information on my video courses in the Red Sea can be found at www.jeffgoodman.co.uk – Red Sea Diving Safari – Oonasdivers
For a week at the end of February I was invited to sample the diving with Orca Dive Club based at the Breakers Diving and Surfing Lodge by courtesy of SOMABAY.
Somabay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds. Somabay caters for scuba diving as well as many other sports, including windsurfing, golf, sailing, go-carting, horse riding and many other activities.
All the activities are of a world-class standard and any or all of these can be booked directly from The Breakers.
I took Easyjet from Bristol (UK) to Hurghada. Easyjet are not by any means my favourite airline but the flight was cheap and direct (except for the surprise extra £48 I was charged at the gate for my carry-on bag).
I was met at Hurghada airport by a driver and car and taken to the Breakers 28 miles (45Kilomaters) south along the coast. Once at the hotel I was too late for an evening meal and so a basic meal was delivered to my room. That and a beer from the fridge and I was fast asleep.
Early the next morning after breakfast I arrived for my rep meeting at the Orca Dive Center for 8.00am. I was immediately made to feel welcome, and after brief introductions I got some dive gear from the store, had a chat with my dive guide Mohamed and got ready to try the house reef situated at the end of a very long wooded pier where all diving gear and divers are taken out by buggies.
Once at the end of the pier, a helping hand from staff makes sure your gear is set and then it’s a short walk to the very end where you can either climb down a ladder of simply jump in the water next to the reef. The house reef extends both north and south giving a very easy and safe dive with plenty to see. At this time of the year the water temperature was a constant 22 degrees Centigrade and there was little or no current, so there were no issues in swimming back to the pier.
Quite a few divers were in dry or semi-dry suits, but being from the UK and used to the cold I found a 3mm wetsuit with a 3mm neoprene vest quite comfortable. Even after 50 years of diving I still find that first dive of a trip slightly nerving until I am actually underwater and then all becomes relaxed and I ease into auto diving mode. There was plenty to see with many of the Red Sea favourites along the way.
After the dive and a buggy ride back to the hotel for a very good buffet lunch I was back in the water, once again on the house reef for an afternoon dive.
Check in for part 2 tomorrow when Jeff gets on a day boat and dives a few of the off-shore reefs.
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.
In an interview recorded exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman interviews Jeremy Higson from Sea to Sky about the itineraries the tour operator offers in Oman.
For more information about diving in Oman, contact Sea to Sky now:
Email: hello@mysetaosky.co.uk
WhatsApp: + 39 379 236 7138
Website: www.myseatosky.co.uk
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