News
Beautiful Egypt

Egypt was the first place I ever went abroad, on a Scuba trip in I think around ‘94. I fell in love with the relaxed atmosphere, the warm sun, the distinct colours of the mountainous background, the food, the people, the bustling stalls all selling the same items, the sunsets and most of all, the clear water teeming with life. It has meant I have gone back 8 or 9 times since; I have lost count. It is widely recognised in Europe as the closest destination to travel to for truly beautiful exceptional reefs.
Many amazing memories have been created for me in this place over the years. Listing them doesn’t fully do them justice, but I’d like to share. I’ve stood and looked up in true awe, and entered the great pyramids and wondered how they were ever created all that time ago; I have been humbled by the size and stature of the sphinx at Giza…
I have been mesmerised by the treasures and artefacts within the halls of the museum in Cairo; placed my hand on a sarcophagus in complete darkness alone and listened to absolute silence in a tomb within the Valley of the kings; stood aback at the greatness of the Queen Hatshepsut’s temple in the midday sun and climbed the steps to turn and see the vista of the Nile delta; I’ve watched the bright orange glow of the setting sun, amongst the hieroglyph-lined Karnak Temple; I’ve attended two World Freediving Championships; I’ve laid back on a moonless night and stared at the milky way and glimpsed shooting stars for hours; I’ve been relaxed enough to dive my deepest Freedives in Sharm el Sheik in a cool evening breeze; put fallen plates back on the table inside the Thistlegorm; I’ve swam with dolphins; sailed between the land of the living and dead across the Nile; and I’ve driven through the towns watching everyday people go about their lives. There is so much more I can’t begin to explain. I still see social media posts from my friends living and travelling there with a true fondness of the place.
My most recent trip was in November 2015, my wanderlust getting the better of me again, and despite recent tragedies in the area I’m a firm believer in travelling your path no matter what is put in front of you. It isn’t possible to plan to avoid all of the tragedies in the world; in fact another tragedy unfolded in Europe whilst we were abroad. At home I returned to some madness in the news about an incident on the tube in my own capitol city that earned its own hashtag. For anyone reading, do you know what? Whatever will be, will be.
This latest trip saw our small group fly into Hurghada and stay at Makadi Bay which is a very sheltered area from the rest of the hustle and bustle of Egyptian towns and cities. It’s a horse shoe shaped bay with shallow reefs, with access to deep water after only a short swim out, so we used buoys to dive from the shore to Freedive. Makadi Bay hosted the AIDA World Championships in 2006, a competition of which I was proud to be a part of. We stayed at the Hotel Fort Arabesque which is a fantastic hotel with attentive staff and good food.
Some of the fondest memories from the trip were visiting the El Fanous reef by boat over slightly choppy seas, and having a wild Dolphin encounter, a very wonderful and emotional experience. I’ve swam in the vicinity of dolphins a few times, but these ones really interacted and stayed with us for quite a period in time.
Makadi Bay has a fabulous house reef which we dived every day (apart from the one day we visited Luxor). The reef is home to all sorts or wonderful underwater life – the colour change Octopus, squid, moray, lion fish and all of the usual suspects. We also took our own underwater life too, some mermaids to swim the reefs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8KnZv2AaA
Having returned home and showed this video of Octopus swimming and changing colours, one of my spearfisherman friends vowed never to eat one again!
All is well in Egypt, although a little quiet. The people of Egypt just want to go about their business. I dedicate this article to my friends who still reside and work in Egypt trying to earn an honest living. Insha’Allah – I will be back in due course with more friends. Until then, raise a glass of cold beer to the next sunset for me.
http://www.freediveegypt.com/ Suzanne Pugh
http://www.immersion.nu/ Pim Vermeulen
http://www.discoveryourdepths.com/ Sara Campbell
http://freedivingworld.it/en/ Andrea Zuccari
http://www.idivedivingcenter.com/welcome.htm IDive diving centre
News
Shearwater Reveals Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo Diving

Shearwater Research Inc. has announced its expansion into the development and manufacturing of specialized dive equipment. The company unveiled the Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo diving last weekend at an industry event in Long Beach, California.
This follows the announcement of a strategic R&D partnership between Shearwater and Avelo Labs in late 2024, uniting Shearwater’s technical expertise and product excellence with Avelo’s groundbreaking innovation. The Avelo System challenges decades of convention in scuba equipment design by replacing heavy, complex setups with a streamlined, intuitive system built around two key innovations: the Hydrotank and the Jetpack.
The result is a much lighter dive system that supports optimal buoyancy control while enhancing precision and underwater agility. With over 11,000 dives logged on the Avelo System to date, the performance improvements are clear—it doesn’t just simplify buoyancy, it transforms the entire diving experience.
The new Shearwater Jetpack is purpose-built to maximize comfort and unlock the full potential of the Avelo System. It features onboard gas pressure monitoring and seamless integration with Shearwater dive computers using the Avelo Mode, enabling precision gas tracking, buoyancy prediction, and real-time performance analytics.
“Shearwater was founded with an intense focus to deliver powerful, simple, and reliable solutions for technical divers,” said Jason Leggatt, CEO of Shearwater Research. “Our goal is to truly grow the technical diving community long-term, and to do that the industry needs to deliver better dive experiences so divers are more likely to commit to their diving journey. Shearwater made its first move into recreational diving with the Peregrine and Tern lines, but there has been no transformational innovation in the category—until now. Our collaboration with Avelo is not a departure from our roots; it’s additive. We’re lending Shearwater’s technical capability and commitment to product excellence to help build a simply better dive experience—built better from the very beginning.”
The Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo diving offers dive shops and instructors a compelling new way to engage divers, delivering a differentiated, data-rich experience that encourages progression and retention.
“As someone who grew up on the instructional side of diving, I saw firsthand the frustrations many divers face,” said Aviad Cahana, CEO of Avelo Labs. “I’ve always had an innate mindset of challenging the status quo. I kept asking: Why is scuba gear so heavy? Why can’t we make the experience better? Those questions drove the invention of the Avelo System. Our partnership with Shearwater is the next step in realizing that vision.”
Together, Shearwater and Avelo aim to grow the diving community by improving first-time experiences, increasing accessibility, and advancing diver performance through cutting-edge technology.
Concept demonstrator units of the Shearwater Jetpack will make its global debut at the Long Beach Scuba Show, May 31–June 1, 2025. The final configuration and full feature set will be announced with commercial plans at DEMA 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
Find out more about Shearwater products at shearwater.com.
Gear News
Gear Showcase: DYNAMICNORD RB-10 Rock Boot

The DYNAMICNORD RB-10 rock boot has been specially developed for professional use. It is made of highly resistant materials and features innovative technologies. As a result, the boot sets new standards for demanding professionals who expect the highest quality and performance.
The rock boot boasts an innovative drainage system that ensures unrivalled comfort. After just ten steps ashore, the rock boot is completely free of water. The diving boot has an extra wide opening, which allows you to put it on and take it off effortlessly.
The highly resistant materials of the RB-10 rock boot offer a perfect combination of robustness and flexibility. The high-tech upper material does not absorb water and therefore dries extremely quickly.
The rock boot’s unique lacing system, including the lacing elements, ensures that you won’t experience any uncomfortable pressure points on your foot when wearing your fins. The laces themselves are made of a heavy-duty technical mesh that ensures that they won’t come undone even when wet. The shoelaces can be completely stowed away in the rock boot’s well thought-out shoelace pocket for maximum safety.
Thanks to the special lacing, you can also achieve optimum volume adjustment within the boot, which makes it ideal for various drysuits or neoprene socks.
Particularly noteworthy is the sole system with the Vibram sole, which is highly puncture-resistant. The honeycomb design imitates the natural movement of barefoot running and offers an unrivalled running sensation. The rock boot’s wide, deep zigzag tread guarantees optimum grip, while the rubber toe cap effectively protects the material from abrasion. In combination with the boot’s structural insole, this ensures that you won’t feel any unevenness even on rocky terrain.
The diving boot’s ergonomic insole offers additional comfort thanks to its innovative cushioning.
The RB-10 rock boot was developed for a temperature range of -5°C to +30°C and offers outstanding performance in both cold and warm climates.
Tested by specialists, made by experts.
Designed and engineered in Germany. Made in Europe.
DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.
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