I have just spent a week running a wreck video course on the liveaboard Blue Planet organised by OonasDivers. We were following the Northern Red Sea Wrecks route and combining filming scrap metal on the sea bed with good wildlife.  I’m not an over keen wrecks diver just for the sake of the wreck itself; the main interest for me is the habitat they provide for a huge variety of marine life, and as luck would have it our Egyptian dive guide Ashraf Hassanin felt the same way. Ashraf turned out to be not only enthusiastic, but also very knowledgeable. During our 5 diving days we explored large wrecks such as the Thistlegorm to the smaller and less distinguished.

Being a Dive Guide is hard work. First out of bed in the mornings and last to bed at night, always being cheery and helpful. Ashraf’s enthusiasm for the diving and wildlife was inspirational, as was his desire to make sure we all fully enjoyed each new location. During one of his rare quiet moments I asked him about his job.

Jeff.  How did you start diving?

Ashraf.  I started diving long ago, I have always loved the sea. As a kid I started ducking and skin dipping, helping tie the mooring ropes and the lines for boats. I loved swimming and snorkelling, doing short dives. Eventually I was a crew member on liveaboards, driving the zodiacs, assisting the Captain. I got to know the dive sites and how the currents worked. It all helped me to know later how to dive the dive sites and how to manage the liveaboard trips, the itineraries, what is the best you can see, when to go, what is the best way to approach without disturbing the wildlife. It’s all very interesting and very important.

Jeff.  What made you choose diving rather than crew or skipper on the boat?

Ashraf.  Mainly I love the sea. I love marine life. It has a big fascination for me, life under the water, absolutely lovely. It’s a lot different underwater, it’s more interesting than above. The skipper is in the wheel house all the time. I worked hard and finally became a dive instructor then dive master. I am now a guide as well as being a technical diver.

Jeff.   So what is it about being underwater that is so good?

Ashraf.  When you see a shark or a pod of Dolphins and even the lovely nudibranchs, it really makes you very happy. Especially 2 weeks ago we had beautiful schools of hammerheads. We enjoyed it very much, our clients enjoyed it as well.

Jeff.   What is your favourite spot?

Ashraf.  Every itinerary has different meaning, has different lovely dives. It is impossible to say this is the best spot here or there, every site has different meaning, different life. I saw a whale shark and a tiger shark at the Elphinstone recently. While right here there are dolphins.

Jeff.   You are very enthusiastic when you are talking to the people who come on the tours. Do they always like diving because of the wild life? What is the reason that most people dive do you think?

Ashraf.  Most people like diving because of the feeling underwater, you feel yourself.  Some are extremely interested in marine life, some are diving because their boyfriend or girlfriend are diving.

Jeff.   Just joining in!

Ashraf.  Yes. It’s really nice to see the variety of people who are interested.

Jeff.  Do you ever have problems with your guests?

Ashraf.  Not really. Guests might not be happy if they are sick.  A few weeks ago guests arrived but no luggage, none of their own gear and clothes. I tried to make them happy by showing them the sharks and all this lovely stuff.  We loaned them equipment and 3 days later their bags came.

Jeff.   How long have you been diving?

Ashraf.  About 10 years.

Jeff.  Do you notice anything different in the state of the sea in that time?

Ashraf.  Definitely, definitely. I am not happy with many things. We need mooring lines in the Red Sea. There are not many fixed. None of the guides are happy with this. For example, we need lots of mooring lines to protect Devils Island and Brothers Island, we need to protect all these areas.  It’s not only the surface reefs.  We need to take care of the deeper areas as well, 40 – 100mts down, the sharks are down deep, this is their home, their habitat, every time an anchor is thrown in it is not good.

Jeff.    Is it only mooring lines that are the problem?

Ashraf.  Not entirely. There are heavily dived sites and some of the divers are not the best. A lot of coral has been damaged by thoughtless diving.

Jeff.   What is the main problem? Is it their fins or do they stand on it?

Ashraf.  Standing on the reef is strictly not allowed but it does happen. But also they are finning across it and not really taking care.  Also touching the coral is a problem.

Jeff.   In your briefings do you talk about taking care of the coral?

Ashraf.  At the first briefing, I talk about weights and buoyancy control, so that you are not touching any corals.  I talk about how to use a stone area to push yourself away from the corals if you have to.  But just use one finger to push yourself away.  I am giving divers a chance if they are filming, and trying to take macro, but always great care must be taken, especially with their fins. We only take photos and we only leave bubbles. It’s a good saying, protecting the marine life is very important to us.

Jeff.    Other than the coral, what about quantities of marine life, fish shoals?

Ashraf.  Actually at Ras Mohamed this week it was really interesting to see big schools of snappers, really fantastic. We had lovely dives, out in the blue with not too much current. Also lots of Gorgonian and nice soft corals. Ras Mohamed is one of the most protected marine park areas by the authorities, no fishing there and no mooring at all.

Jeff.    How is that enforced?

Ashraf.  All the boats, the guides, the captains, they all know the area is protected. No one can get permissions to fish there.

Jeff.   So if you see a boat fishing there or doing something wrong, do you stop them?

Ashraf.  Definitely, we stop them as well as take pictures and report them.

Jeff.   Who would you report them to?

Ashraf.  We would take a picture and report them to HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association) and CDWS (Chamber of Dive and Water Sports) and they have a quick reaction.  It’s happened before, they react very quickly and this is important.

Jeff.   Is there ever control of the amount of divers on any of the dive sites?

Ashraf.  This is very difficult. What we can try to do is fix the mooring lines to stop boats dropping anchors….we can teach and advise the divers to be careful of all the corals.  The Red Sea is one of the best dive sites in the world, the variety of wildlife, warm water, good visibility, more than 200 species of marine life, corals, wrecks. We have everything. Even down at 100 metres there is good visibility for the tech divers.

Jeff.     Do you work all year or do you manage to have time off?

Ashraf.  The end of January to the beginning of March is the low season and during that period I get some time off when I can stay home.

Jeff.    Do you dive when you are not working?

Ashraf.  mmmmm –  I would say yes, I don’t mind to dive but not in the Red Sea. I dive so many times in the Red Sea all the rest of the year so I like to dive somewhere else.

Jeff.    What do you see the future being for diving and marine life in the Red Sea?

Ashraf.   That’s important.  I would say it is time now to protect wrecks and marine life. I was not happy at all to see lost mooring lines on some of our wrecks. The last wreck we were on I saw a mooring rope through a bolt hole in the bow section which is now nearly broken, smashed. I saw one of the boats tying their line on this and it was being slowly torn from the wreck. Sooner or later it will come off. I know before that this part of the ship was very strong. It is so bad for these wrecks; the dive boats are getting bigger and bigger every year.

We will kill everything, that’s not nice. We need the authorities to act now.  We need good solid mooring lines to prevent all this.

Jeff.   Would it be HEPCA responsible for this?

Ashraf.  HEPCA, yes. We will report this to HEPCA, we will write them a letter and ask them to react quickly against this situation and to heavily fine each boat making temporary lines onto the wrecks. For example, the Thistlegorm is one of the best 10 wrecks in the world, a highlight of the Red Sea. One of the best that divers come to visit. We saw eight boats today, there can be fifteen or more. It’s too dangerous, lines fixed everywhere. I think HEPCA will react quickly and they will lay new lines. They did fix secure mooring lines last year but now we have the bigger and bigger boats and the lines are snapped off and broken. But I am optimistic that HEPCA will deal with this.

Jeff.   Will this restrict the number of boats and divers?

Ashraf.  No, the number of divers and boats is not a problem, it is the damage to the wreck. We need solid moorings away from the wreck and then perhaps just thin guide lines from the mooring to the actual wreck for the less experienced divers. This then is good for the safety margins, if there is a strong current. I cannot say to my clients you cannot dive today, there is a strong current, I want all my guests to be happy, so a very thin mooring line to connect the main mooring lines to the wrecks would be good. These can be placed by each guide for his group. This would work.

It is the big heavy boats that are the problem, holding onto the body of the wrecks. The big waves and stormy conditions in this area are pulling the boats against their mooring ropes. It is crazy to put these ropes on the wrecks. I have seen them on the bridge roofs or winches. I even saw one tied to the large deck gun of the Thistlegorm. Why? Why? That is a museum, an underwater museum.

Jeff.  The fishing question. There are less and less fish in the sea every year. Do you see that here?

Ashraf.  Getting less and less but here in the Red Sea we have fishes coming up from the Indian Ocean, from the deep South going all the way up to the Ras Mohamed area.  It is highly seasonal and we have all these fish coming and all the sharks follow the fish. We have to study this, it’s important to study the itinerary and the map of these fish, where they go, where they come from, where they’re breeding, that’s important.  Also sharks, where they come from, where they are heading for.

Jeff.   As a guide, as you are seeing it all. Do you take notes, log things and send  information to HEPCA?

Ashraf.   Honestly, at the moment I don’t. I will start to do that, I would like to do that.

Jeff.    Do you have the time?

Ashraf.   It is very tight, but you have to do it. I have called HEPCA several times to report matters, to tell them this and that. I have to send a report, I have to ask what’s going on, what’s the future, what are you doing, how can we help you?

We have to be able to give the people information. Not to throw cigarettes in the water.  Plastic is very bad. We have to teach people, give them sessions. The crew must also understand and avoid throwing things in the water. Recycling is crucial.

But actually now it is much better than it was long ago.

Jeff.   Thank you Ashraf, it’s been good to hear your thoughts and thank you for a great weeks diving.