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‘Simply the Best’ – a shark lover’s dream!!!
After joining Scuba Travel for a “Simply the Best” itinerary in the Red Sea, I’ve been debating how to break down my blogs and how to deliver them. Then I thought, why not deliver them as the name suggests? A “Simply the Best” itinerary showcases the best of the offshore reefs (Daedalus, Brothers and Elphinstone) and the intensity they bring, coupled with the more relaxing quintessential sandy bottom, coral pinnacles and stunning reefs the Red Sea is famous for. On that note, I want to take you on a journey first with the stunning offshore reefs and the adventure they brought – specifically, the shark madness that ensued – before finishing with a more relaxing journey through the coral reefs along the coast.
I’m a shark lover, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve been fortunate to knowingly share the water with 24 different species of shark. It took me a while to finally see oceanic whitetip sharks in the water, but I finally got my chance on a trip 2 years ago. They instantly became one of my favourite sharks and I was definitely longing for longimanus once more. So when this trip materialised only 10 days before I was due to go, I was over the moon, especially when I saw reports of 13 different oceanics being seen the week before my trip. I was super excited and after a couple of relaxing reef dives on the Sunday, it wasn’t long before we were making our way to Brothers Islands to start our offshore adventure on the Monday.
Our first port of call was Big Brother island and diving the wreck of The Numidia, a British cargo ship that sank in 1901, on the Northern tip of the island. I first dived this wreck back in 2014 and then again in 2021. This was my third time diving the wreck and always enjoy it when I do. It’s so full of colour and life, with beautiful soft coral covering nearly every inch of it which you can see at recreational level. The wreck drops down to 90m, so someone else would have to advise me on that. I always make a habit of photographing a particular anemone with Red Sea clownfish and see the difference year by year. I’ve noticed a lot of new healthy soft coral growth around it this year, which was amazing to compare.
While the Numidia is great fun to dive, the best was yet to come. Our plan was to be dropped off at the Numidia by zodiac (Tranquility has 2 large, sturdy ribs, with a ladder for getting back on with ease). We would then make our way from North to South along the West wall, marvelling at all the life, as the anthias danced a merry dance, before surfacing at Tranquility. While nearing the end of the dive, as we drifted along the reef wall, Reda got super excited pointing up into the blue. YES!!!! Pressure off on only our first dive on the offshore reefs – our first oceanic whitetip shark and it made a beeline straight for us. Luckily I was a little shallower than some of the other divers and more into the blue. It came straight for me and I managed to get some really nice shots, while also buzzing with excitement. It made its way through the group, greeting each one of us, before carrying on down the reef towards the North and the second group following on from us. What a start!!
Sadly, the next 2 dives at Brothers didn’t hit the heights of the first. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful colours on the South Plateau at Big Brother and did have a friendly Napoleon wrasse for company for a brief moment. However, one of my dive buddies who was on air got some close up photos at around 42m. BUT…. I was on 29% Nitrox – which by the way, is included with your Scuba Travel booking – so I shallowed up a little when I realised the wrasse was too deep for me this time. Our afternoon dive was at Little Brother, which was the site of my first ever oceanic sighting underwater 2 years previously. After seeing the oceanic at Big Brother and hearing about sightings from the crew mooring up, I had big hopes for more oceanic encounters here. We started the dive on the North Plateau, a slanting plateau that extends the island underwater and slopes to 40m before dropping off. This is normally a great place for threshers, but no luck this time. However, the dancing anthias and array of hard and soft coral make this a truly beautiful place to dive, so full of colour. After some time on the plateau, we shallowed up and followed the stunning reef wall on the west side leading to the south where Tranquility was moored. Unfortunately there were no oceanics under the boat this time, but Daedalus was where we were headed for the next 2 days and prime longimanus territory.
The wind wasn’t letting up and the waves still made for an adventurous time. We got to Daedalus though and that’s all that mattered to me. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones either. After waking up and looking outside, I counted roughly about 16 boats moored up (some may have been hidden). This is one of the main reasons that Scuba Travel usually travel Monday to Monday for their itineraries. Guests onboard, who came in September as well, eluded to the fact they were the only boat at Daedalus then because of the Monday start to the trip avoiding others. Unfortunately, come November, the flight dates change from the UK to Hurghada and they are forced to do the more common Saturday to Saturday trips. A lot of the boats were due to leave at the end of that day though and we had another day to go.
Our first dive was to the North of the island and it was an adventure to get to on the Zodiac. Those adrenalin fuelled zodiac rides over waves always make me feel like I’m on a special mission. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of some scalloped hammerheads, as the North is the best place for them. It isn’t hammerhead season though and I wasn’t expecting too much for that reason. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any hammerheads and it was quite a challenging dive, spending most the time fighting current just looking at blue water. Not a dive to write home about but we did see our first glimpse of a Daedalus oceanic on the safety stop. A sure sign of things to come and boy did it get better.
Dive two went a little like a progressive rock song. Think ‘Stairway to Heaven’ or ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, taking you on a peaceful journey before blowing the hair off your head. We initially dropped in at ‘Anemone City’, which is exactly what the name suggests – an area from around 5 metres down to 15 metres covered in anemone coral and full of Red Sea clownfish. I was at peace watching the anemone sway in the gentle current and swell, while the clownfish danced in and out. Before we slowly drifted along the west wall, a hawksbill turtle slowly passed by, adding to the chilled adventure. I was itching to get under the boats though, the hotspot for oceanic activity. There was quite a current pushing you off from the reef at the South Plateau. It was slow at first as we hit the boats, with a couple of distant sightings of longimanus. Then, all hell broke loose; we were soon surrounded by at least 4 super curious sharks.
Reda quickly put his SMB up as we drifted away from the main boat in the current. I felt safe knowing the zodiacs were right above us the whole time and following us. The safety stop was spent with my head on a swivel, while making sure I captured this amazing spectacle. Shark after shark would boldly approach and bump into my camera, before moving on to other divers and giving them a thrill. I even had to shout and quickly push myself towards one that got a little too close to my dive buddy. He was preoccupied looking the other way towards another shark and the shark snuck up behind him. This is the reason you all stick together for some longimanus fun – it really was INTENSE!!!
Everyone got back on the zodiac beaming with excitement and giggling with joy. You could literally see the adrenalin pumping through our bodies. WHAT A DIVE!!!! We’d even drifted about 500m from the boat out to sea, so many thanks to the zodiac crew for following us and keeping us safe.
Dive 3 took us back to a relaxing place and was a lot more chilled around the South Plateau. We entered the water straight off the main boat. There was a single close pass by one oceanic at the start but nothing more than that. I got to see the friendly Napoleon wrasse that calls the South Plateau home, but he stayed a little more distant from me than others during their dives. Something about big male Napoleon wrasse and me, they never seem to come close.
I was so glad we had another day at Daedalus and as expected, most the boats left during the night and there was only 5 of us left. The day went pretty much exactly like the first, although the dive on the North side was less about looking in the blue and more time on the reef. We were rewarded with some giant morays and a super friendly hawksbill turtle that was happily feeding away on the coral, not caring one bit for the number of divers that greeted it. Before dive 2 followed the same plan as the day before, BUT was even more INTENSE! This time the group got split up into smaller groups and there was only me, Julia and dive guide Reda together. This time we had 5 sharks in view at one time (Reda thinks 6 different sharks though). It was crazy; we were being approached from all directions and they didn’t really want to let us out either. As we approached the zodiac, they would swim above us between the zodiac. It was mental, and once again the adrenalin was pumping. I LOVED IT!!!!!
The third dive followed the same plan, but we stayed closer to the reef towards the South Plateau, before moving out under the boats. This was beneficial, as I managed to get a couple of fairly close shots of a juvenile Napoleon wrasse for once. My goal though was to get some oceanic shots against the dappled light of golden hour. With the early winter sunset, this afternoon dive would work. Annoyingly though, I ran into camera trouble while trying to photograph a barracuda. After zooming in on my lens, it locked when trying to zoom back out and subsequently broke and rendered the camera unusable in the housing. The current was still ripping under the boat, but I managed to get back to the ladder to surface, and rather annoyingly with an oceanic right next to the ladder that I could not photograph. Hey Ho. One of those things and I’m sure I’ll return again one day.
The offshore reefs finished a little closer to land with one of the Red Sea’s most famous sites – Elphinstone. Close enough for day boats to visit, we decided to only do the one dive here, as it started to get quite busy and the weather still wasn’t calming down. The South Plateau is such a stunning site though and the coral around Elphinstone is breathtaking. The highlight was another super friendly Hawksbill feeding away at around 20-25 metres, completely carefree to the queue of divers that approached for a closer look or photos/video, happily munching away, causing a mess of coral in the water. The dive was early enough for the dappled light of morning and I was hoping for one more opportunity with longimanus. I waited as long as I could under the boat, but only got a brief view of a distant pass from one. A couple of jellyfish tried their best to keep me entertained in the blue but my time with the oceanics was up for now. I’ll see you soon!!
My time visiting the famous offshore reefs of the Red Sea had come to an end. The experience was everything I had hoped for and more. My goal was lots of oceanic whitetip adventures and it exceeded my expectations. It was time to return to the more relaxing reefs, sandy bottoms and coral pinnacles that are quintessential Red Sea diving. Stay tuned for my next instalment on how ‘Simply the Best’ continued to live up to the name…
For more information about diving in the Red Sea:
+44 (0)1483 411590
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
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
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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