News
Ocean Revival: The Final Ship Goes Down
The Ocean Revival project, a new underwater reef system and marine habitat for divers visiting the Portuguese Algarve has now been completed with the sinking of the final ship on the sea bed. The sinking marks a very successful conclusion to a seven year project where four ex-navel ships have been scuttled to form a series of artificial reefs. The Hydrographic ship Ex-NRP Almeida de Carvalho A527 sank below the waves on Saturday 21st September amidst great celebrations and applause from the extensive Ocean Revival team as well as excited onlookers.
Scubaverse’s very own Jeff Goodman, who was at the event, had this to say: “Cameras were working constantly from the small surrounding boats as a helicopter circled above taking aerial images. We had a five minute and then a one minute warning over the radio before the first of the explosive charges went off, shaking us all out of any daydreams we may have been having. The rest of the explosions followed immediately after, blowing debris and smoke into the air. Then silence. To everyone’s relief the bow slowly started to go under with the stern rising exactly according to plan.”
“As the last part of the stern disappeared in a mass of froth and bubbles we all were excited for the navy divers to do their check and then give us the OK to go down and have a look for ourselves.
“It’s quite strange diving on a ship you were looking at on the surface only a short while ago. It had already taken on quite a different demeanour. In some way it had gained an air of mystery and hidden secrets. The lines had become softer, the colours paler. I look forward to revisiting next year when wildlife begins to take control of the now bare metal.”
This dream of Luís Sá Couto, the project leader and owner of the SUBNAUTA Diving Centre, had finally come true. Luis said that the first of the ships that were sunk are already home to many fish and other reef species. It is a habitat that will only get better each year.
Video Courses with Ocean Revival in the Algarve
These amazing wreck sites and rich local reef systems are the backdrop to a series of underwater video courses run by Jeff, in association with UK based tour operator Hidden Depths and Subnauta Diving.
Cameras, lights and editing facilities are all provided for free for those who do not have their own equipment. There are introduction weekend sessions as well as full five day courses. Also on offer are GoPro speciality courses which come into their own when diving the wrecks.
The Algarve is located in the south of Portugal and is where the Atlantic Ocean mingles with the Mediterranean sea, resulting in water temperatures between 14º to 22º Celsius. It is a place where temperate species mix with sub-tropical, and is a very exciting location for filming underwater wildlife.
The courses are very flexible and can cater for the complete beginner to the budding professional.
All students for these underwater courses must have a minimum of an Open Water Scuba Dive Qualification.
For more details contact:
Email: jeffgoodman@supanet.com
Hidden depths
Web: www.hiddendepthsdivetours.com
Email: info@hiddendepthsdivetours.com
Ocean Revival
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.
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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