News
RAID’s Col McKenzie Announced As World Environment Day Awards Finalist
The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) has informed RAID that one of their Executive Directors, Mr Col McKenzie – also of RAID Asia – has been selected in the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards in the Individual Category.
Mr McKenzie is one of four finalists in the Individual Category which recognises significant environmental achievement over many years. “Mr McKenzie has been the driving force behind the Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) since 1998 and has successfully lobbied for millions of dollars to help control the pest and to protect the Great Barrier Reef (GBR),” said Mr Baker, the Chair of AMPTO. The Crown of Thorns has contributed to approximately 50% of the live coral loss on the GBR and not only reduce the live coral, but also effect the whole coral ecosystem. Mr McKenzie was working effectively in this space for years before becoming the Executive Director of AMPTO and he has a history of environmental activity. He has worked very hard on environmental issues over many years.”
Mr McKenzie’s consulting company, Gempearl, was also one of the first companies in Far North Queensland to be carbon neutral. He was one of just a handful of Far North Queensland people to do the Al Gore “An Inconvenient Truth” presentation training and did presentations in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
During the rezoning of the GBR 12 years ago, Mr McKenzie was the marine tourism industry’s public face and even received death threats for taking the stance that increasing the “no-take” zones from 4.7% to 33% was the right thing to do. Furthermore, last year Mr McKenzie headed up the court challenge by the marine tourism industry against the dumping of dredge spoil on the GBR. Legislation was passed only this month in the Australian Federal Parliament to stop dredge spoil dumping.
The health of the GBR has been much maligned in the last 12 months and it is the activities of people like Mr McKenzie that will help determine the GBR’s future and ongoing health.
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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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