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Duxy’s Winter Warmer Photo Trip February 2015 Part One
Bertie Gregory joins UK-based tour operator Scuba Travel on one of Duxy’s Winter Warmer Photo Trips to improve his Underwater Photography skills
After just five seconds in Sharm El Sheikh, my first expectation was surpassed. It was warm; very warm in fact, precisely 24°C warmer than when I set off from a very dark, damp Dorset earlier that morning. Moments later, things got even better as we learned our planned boat was in dry dock. Our replacement for the week was now the crown jewel of the Tornado Marine fleet, ‘Mistral’.
Having been on two brilliant liveaboards in the northern Red Sea, I was sceptical that my previous experiences could be topped. However, they were blown out of the water (I make no apology for the terrible aquatic puns in this article).
There were two key differences between a normal northern Red Sea itinerary and Duxy’s Winter Warmer. Firstly, instead of being a whistle stop tour with no more than two dives at any given site, we spent the majority of the week at just two dive sites: the Barge off of Gubal Island, and Jackson Reef in the Straits of Tiran. The photographic benefits of this are numerous. Throughout the day, the light underwater varies dramatically, so if I didn’t like the look of something with the sun front lighting it, I could always come back and try it again backlit. Furthermore, repeated dives on the same site meant I became very familiar with the underwater layout and so could plan my time efficiently with a subject I’d found on a previous dive. But the benefits weren’t just limited to photography; to encounter the more unusual wildlife like dolphins you need to get lucky. The Barge is one of the best places in the Red Sea to see dolphins, so by staying on site we dramatically increased our chances. This tactic paid off big time resulting in one of the most incredible wildlife spectacles I’ve been fortunate enough to witness.
The other USP of Duxy’s trip is the open deck policy; at the start of each day we were allocated four dives and, so long as we kept within diving safety parameters, we could use these four dives whenever we wanted. This meant we could time our dives to avoid other people on a site, but also plan to coincide with the best time to see certain wildlife. For example, dolphins are often spotted around the Barge first thing in the morning and last thing before sunset. Whilst I say we spent 3 days at the Barge, we had the ribs at our disposal, so conditions permitting, we could actually dive at any site around Gubal Island.
From a social perspective, the liveaboard concept initially seems a little dubious; captive on a boat with 19 strangers with no escape for a whole week. However, it’s a winning formula; meeting new people all with a common purpose – everyone loves diving. Duxy’s trip takes this one step further as everyone shares a second interest: photography.
Before the trip, Duxy sent out reams of information on what to expect and asked for information on what photographic gear we had and what we hoped to get out of the week. Looking at the list of responses there was everything from a simple GoPro to top of the range DSLRs with twin strobes. Being somewhere in the middle of this, I was slightly apprehensive as to how Duxy would manage to juggle the huge range of ability and equipment. As with all the previous hurdles however, he leapt over this one with grace and splendor (not literally, he’s a slightly over weight 50-year-old man).
Duxy excelled at giving tips and tricks between dives which thanks to the open deck policy, I could immediately go and practice underwater. A great example of this came when during a flash talk, Duxy discussed a lighting technique used in fashion photography where instead of lighting the subject front on, you position the strobes in front of the camera pointing in towards the subject at 90 degrees. This gives a powerful dramatic look, as it leaves a shadow down the middle of the subject. Liking the sound of this, I jumped straight into the water to experiment. The uniqueness of Duxy’s itinerary made this possible- I could get into the water when I wanted and return to a subject I’d already visited. This was the result…
The theme of the week was definitely dolphins. Rather than just brief flybys, we were incredibly lucky to have a number of close-up intimate encounters. My first marine mammal meeting came just as we were returning to the boat following a great dive on the Ulysses wreck. As the rib docked on to the main boat, a couple of dorsal fins popped up at the surface just meters away. Knowing how fast they are, I detached my strobe arms (thanks to Ikelite’s great quick release system sold by Cameras Underwater) so I could make some attempt at matching the dolphin’s hydrodynamic body. As I slipped into the water I was greeted with a volley of clicks. To my surprise, it was a mother and her calf- CUTENESS OVERLOAD. Whilst the following two minutes were magical, the pair were quickly gone and we all got out of the water. I had a strange feeling they might return so I kept my fins and snorkel on. Sure enough, moments later their dorsal fins appeared at the surface and they were coming towards the boat again. Whilst everyone else tucked into lunch, I spent the next hour and a half filming, photographing and playing with the mother and her calf. It was without a doubt the most incredible wildlife encounter I’ve been lucky enough to witness under the water.
But whilst this was a magical experience, it didn’t come close in terms of LMAO (google it) to what happened the next day…
Stay tuned for part two from Bertie next week.
Duxy’s Winter Warmer trips are very popular and get booked up very quickly, so Scuba Travel are putting two on in 2016 – here is the link to the February one and the March 2016 one is here.
Find out more about Bertie here:
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re taking a look at the Dusky Shark, a highly migratory species with a particularly slow growth rate and late age at maturity.
Dusky sharks are one of the largest species within the Carcharhinus genus, generally measuring 3 metres total length but able to reach up to 4.2 metres. They are grey to grey-brown on their dorsal side and their fins usually have dusky margins, with the darkest tips on the caudal fin.
Dusky Sharks can often be confused with other species of the Carcharhinus genus, particularly the Galapagos Shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis). They have very similar external morphology, so it can be easier to ID to species level by taking location into account as the two species occupy very different ecological niches – Galapagos Sharks prefer offshore seamounts and islets, whilst duskies prefer continental margins.
Hybridisation:
A 2019 study found that Dusky Sharks are hybridising with Galapagos Sharks on the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Pazmiño et al., 2019). Hybridisation is when an animal breeds with an individual of another species to produce offspring (a hybrid). Hybrids are often infertile, but this study found that the hybrids were able to produce second generation hybrids!
Long distance swimmers:
Dusky sharks are highly mobile species, undertaking long migrations to stay in warm waters throughout the winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, they head towards the poles in the summer and return southwards towards the equator in winter. The longest distance recorded was 2000 nautical miles!
Very slow to mature and reproduce:
The Dusky Shark are both targeted and caught as bycatch globally. We already know that elasmobranchs are inherently slow reproducers which means that they are heavily impacted by overfishing; it takes them so long to recover that they cannot keep up with the rate at which they are being fished. Dusky Sharks are particularly slow to reproduce – females are only ready to start breeding at roughly 20 years old, their gestation periods can last up to 22 months, and they only give birth every two to three years. This makes duskies one of the most vulnerable of all shark species.
The Dusky Shark is now listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), but further action is required to protect this important species.
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus obscurus
Family: Carcharhinidae
Maximum Size: 420cm (Total Length)
Diet: Bony fishes, cephalopods, can also eat crustaceans, and small sharks, skates and rays
Distribution: Patchy distribution in tropical and warm temperate seas; Atlantic, Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean.
Habitat: Ranges from inshore waters out to the edge of the continental shelf.
Conservation status: Endangered.
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Images: Andy Murch
Diana A. Pazmiño, Lynne van Herderden, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Claudia Junge, Stephen C. Donnellan, E. Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, Clinton A.J. Duffy, Charlie Huveneers, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Paul A. Butcher, Gregory E. Maes. (2019). Introgressive hybridisation between two widespread sharks in the east Pacific region, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 136(119-127), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.04.013.
3rd AUGUST 2024 – 1 or 2 WEEK PROGRAMMES
Daily water programme with Snorkelling & Scuba Diving.
Beginners or qualified, something for all.
Leave the kids with the Splash Team for days of Excitement, Fun & Adventure!
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
There are various options for accommodation with options for 2, 3, 4 or 5 guests.
Eco Huts provide accommodation for families of up to 4. The best option to enhance the adventure and closest to camping with basic facilities. For August we will provide central air cooling for all the Eco Huts.
Deluxe Chalets are only suitable for 2 guests. Fully air conditioned rooms with private bathroom and other facilities.
Boutique Rooms are available for families of up to 5.
Individual bespoke rooms fully air conditioned with private bathroom and other facilities.
Eco Huts: £675 per adult / £425 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
Deluxe Chalet: £830 per adult / £505 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
Boutique Room: £925 per adult / £550 per child / Under 8 FREE of charge
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
This is a truly unique opportunity to have a Family Desert Adventure totally away from it all! You will be based at the remote Roots Red Sea on the coast of the Egyptian Eastern Desert, 140km south of Hurghada city.
Red Sea Splash main focus is Snorkelling & Scuba Diving but that’s not all, we provide a rounded week of activities in support.
Pool& Field Games – Arts & Crafts
Marine Biology Workshops
Cultural Activities – Orienteering Adventures
Roots Red Sea have established strong links with the local communities of Hamerwain & El Quseir affording our guests to have a true taste of the local culture, SPLASH CAMP embraces this opportunity and bring in the local children to join in the fun with our adventure seekers.
During the day, families are welcome to take part in all activities together or the kids can be left with the SPLASH CAMP team while the parents enjoy the facilities or go diving themselves!
At the end of the day, its family time while the SPLASH CAMP team take a break. For those with the energy, there are family evening activities planned a few evenings.
Open Air Movie Night – Desert Star Gazing Walk & Talk
El Quseir Evening City Tour
The second week is very special, we head off on the Big Blue for a liveaboard safari around Fury Shoals.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
U-8 Splash Club
Sadly we can’t offer Scuba Diving to the Splash Club but we can have lots of fun Snorkelling & Free Diving!
Splash Club includes:
Certified Snorkel Course – Marine ID Games – Intro to Free Diving
Arts & Craft Sessions – Adventure trails – Cultural Playtime – Pool Games
U-12 Explorer Club
In addition to an exciting snorkelling and Free Diving Programme in the Splash Club we can take you under the water on SCUBA to a whole new world of fun and wonder. If you are under 10 your first breath under water will be as a Bubblemaker and continue with daily Seal Team Missions. From 10 we will complete a Discover Scuba Diving experience in the amazing Red Sea. Alternatively we offer a full junior certification programme to become an international qualified Scuba Diver.
U-16 Adventurer Club
For qualified Scuba Divers regardless of age it’s the Adventurer Club and exploration of the local reefs and marine life. There will be 2 dives every day with the Open Ocean marine field station team who will introduce you to Red Sea marine life and workshops on marine research. Alternatively there are opportunities to continue your scuba diving certifications with our instructional team.
Parents are welcome to join the club activities and join the courses.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
Big Blue might seem like the new kid on the block, but the team behind the highly acclaimed liveaboard is far from that. They have been running Red Sea safaris since the late 1980’s and were in fact part of the early pioneers who ventured out to the unknown on vessels that in today’s world, really shouldn’t have left the harbour! It’s that experience and the years of operating the award-winning Roots Red Sea resort which truly set Big Blue apart from the crowd!
Large lounge area, spacious sun deck and terrace deck.
Airy restaurant with five tables with up to six chairs per table, serving a varied and delicious menu with special dietary requirements catered for.
The spacious cabins have side by side beds and a large walk in wet bathroom.
Ample dive deck for divers & snorkelers.
Safety is everyone’s priority, whether you are relaxing on board, swimming, snorkelling or diving.
On board Big Blue is fitted with smoke alarms, emergency lighting and a fire alarm system. The lower corridor has a full-size door fire exit at the bow and open stairs to the stern. There are evacuation plans in each room along with life jackets, glass breaker tool and a fire extinguisher.
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
Red Sea Splash at Fury Shoals is a very rare opportunity to get involved with marine biology expedition for children and adults. Open Ocean biologists are on board to provide fascinating and entertaining facts about the marine life you will see. The team will provide workshops on marine life identification and survey methods both of which, should you wish, you will have the chance to put into practice during your safari.
The week is open to snorkelers, scuba divers and non divers too!
Fury shoals is perfect for first time mariners as it offers plenty of protection from the weather.
We board at Port Ghaleb on Saturday evening and prepare to set sail early on Sunday morning.
Heading south, our first day will be diving the reefs of Abu Dabbab before sailing overnight to reach our ultimate destination the Fury Shoals.
Here we will spend four days swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving amazing reefs. This includes guaranteed DOLPHIN encounters at Sataya Reef! After the last dive we haul anchor and head back to Abu Dabbab for our final two dives before disembarking our boat BIG BLUE.
Camp Extension Cost*
Adult £650 per adult
Under 16 £350 per child
BOOK NOW: INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM / TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
FURTHER INFORMATION – INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM
TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
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