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NUPG May Meeting Report
The May meeting saw the NUPG hold their AGM and the first point of order was to thank the outgoing committee members for all their hard work over the past 12 months that saw new members joining the club, great talks and popular underwater photography events. The new committee was then voted in and saw some existing members change roles, some new members take up positions and some old members come back onto the committee of 7. So the NUPG would like to welcome: Al, Caroline, Mich, Nick, Roisin, Paul & Donovan.
With the AGM completed as swiftly as possible it was time to move onto the main event. This month was members Donovan Lewis and Roisin Maddison speak about their work at Blue Planet Aquarium. They spoke about their love of the sharks and other species that they have formed bonds with in the aquarium, with their jobs to feed them and ensure their well-being. Occasionally they also get to take in a camera and gets some shots to use to help change the public’s perspective of sharks.
It is a tricky place to take photos, as there is no natural light and images are not allowed to clearly identify any of the members of public on the other side of the glass! But the challenging conditions did not sop Donovan and Roisin showing us great images of Zebra Sharks, Sand Tiger Sharks, Southern Atlantic Stingrays, Pork Fish, Guitar Fish, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Bamboo Sharks, Goliath Grouper, MOray Eels and Sergeant Majors (and their eggs).
It was a fascinating talk about an area of underwater photography rarely discussed.
Image: Nick Robertson-Brown, 1st place, Shark Feed at Stuart Cove’s
The competition theme was “Action” and this saw a varied set of entries to select from. Nick Robertson-Brown took first place with a shot of a shark feed from a dive with Stuart Cove’s Dive Centre in The Bahamas.
Image: Caroline Robertson-Brown, 2nd place, Playing sea lions
Caroline Robertson-Brown took the runner-up spot with a shot of two young and playful Californian Sea Lions shot whilst snorkeling in La Jolla in Southern California. Roisin Maddison took 3rd place with a shot of an eel eating a scorpionfish.
The next NUPG meeting will be on Monday 10th June. This meeting will include a talk by Wendy Northway about Seasearch. The competition theme is “Spots”
For more information about the NUPG visit their website by clicking here.
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
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SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
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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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