News
Egypt – Underwater Magic in the Red Sea
“The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau
Egypt is known as one of the most popular dive locations in the world, with tropical waters, reasonable flight times from the UK and many itineraries to choose from depending on your experience. Most recently though, the focus has not been on the magical waters, but rather the safety and security of travellers following the horrific Russian Airline bombing in Sharm el Sheikh last year. In February, we flew into Hurghada, our final destination being the dive camp Roots situated in the small town of El Quseir. Many would call us mad for travelling to this country: “Why risk it?”, “It isn’t safe!” – but our mentality has always been that if bad things happen they can happen anywhere, and there is no point avoiding living for fear of dying. Unfortunately, this is not the view shared by most people – Sharm, once a popular holiday destination for 15 million tourists, now lies a ghost town.
Our choice to visit Egypt was an easy one; diving in the Red Sea is incredibly diverse, and thankfully it doesn’t take a whole day to get to! Roots Red Sea Dive Camp is a custom built camp situated in the middle of the desert, about 1.5 hours south from Hurghada and 1.5 hours north of Marsa Alam. The accommodation is traditionally built with the budget to boutique rooms offering solutions for everyone. We opted for the beautiful higher end Boutique rooms that offer en suite and plenty of space. Despite being in the middle of the desert the set up is a home from home with the staff offering a real family feel. Steve & Clare who run it are always about, happy to share stories and offer advice for the novice diver/underwater photographer (like me!). It’s funny – there you find yourself, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and oddly enough, it’s exactly where you want to be.
We spent the week diving the house reef, a last minute dive trip to practice using my new camera… which to my surprise was exactly what I needed! The house reef splits into two arms North and South, following a slowly descending mouth. As you enter from the beach the reef is immediately visible with many banner fish as close as 10ft from the shore waiting to say hello. To the left you have the North reef – an easier dive in my opinion because of the shallow nooks of the rocks that allow for endless photo opportunities with lots of natural light. Further along, outcrops bleed out from the wall offering lots of life; one in particular housing two beautiful Anemone fish guarding their young. However, the star attraction is by far and away on the South reef – leading in with a large dominating wall you come to reef that drops to about 30m. As you turn to go along it at about 20m there is a small pinnacle that has one of the most stunning red Anemone’s I’ve ever seen. We must have spent 50% of our diving just documenting this beauty.
Another star of the reef is the local Pufferfish we nicknamed Paul – a Yellow Spotted Burrfish variety who was extremely calm and relaxed around us divers. He is larger than average, so is easy to spot and has saucer like eyes that melt your heart. Safe to say I was smitten with this fella and took many a pic of his cute, spikey face.
There is an abundance of life on this reef but I will admit after 5 days I was restless, so would advise others to take advantage of the day trips on offer. The diving is hosted by Steve & Clare’s dive centre Pharaoh Dive Club with trips like Elphinstone and the Salem express offering wrecks and sharks for those who want more variance, as well as other local shore dives.
A fantastic week of winter sun diving in a country that has wriggled its way into my heart and is there to stay. Egypt, once the heartland of diving is now struggling to stay ‘above water’, yet the diving remains exciting and beautiful. With flights not due to resume to Sharm until October you may be considering other alternatives for your next dive trip; well pause and take a breath – Roots Red Sea & Pharoah Dive Club offer all the best bits of Red Sea diving in a relaxed, luxury setting. Don’t take it from me, check out the links below and discover this hidden gem for yourself…
Pharoah Dive Club Trip Advisor
For more from Hayley, visit www.blackmantaphotography.com.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Cozy and warm in cold water.
It’s drysuit season all year round. With the new RS series premium drysuits from DYNAMICNORD, divers are perfectly equipped for all cold waters.
The sophisticated cut of the RS drysuits allows complete freedom of movement, providing maximum comfort. The high-quality 350 g/m² ripstop material with double ripstop zones on the elbows, knees, and crotch protect ensures extreme robustness as well as long life.
The suit’s features leave nothing to be desired: A high-quality TiZip zipper, easily adjustable inlet and outlet valves, upgradeable with electrically heated underwear, HP bottleneck cuffs made of high-strength latex on the wrists, a 3mm neoprene neck cuff for maximum comfort, a 7mm hood with air outlet and 3mm boots made of double-sided, cross-layered neoprene with ankle straps and fin strap stoppers and a protective but very flexible sole.
Noteworthy is the Molle fastening system, which can be used in a variable and compatible manner. This way, the two detachable leg pockets can be attached easily, safely and comfortably.
Alterations of boots to a different shoe size or adjustments to neck or wrist cuffs are done free of charge at the own DYNAMICNORD service centre in Germany in only a couple of days.
The matching Dynaskins made with high-quality Polartec® technology are available in various designs. As an undersuit under the drysuit, as a single suit in warm waters or as a two-piece suit. Polartec® technology’s main features are neutral buoyancy, breathablilty and quick-drying.
Dynaskins are made largely from recycled plastic bottles.
The drysuit RS-351 for men and RS-352 for women are now available at your DYNAMICNORD dealer and in the online store.
Colors men and women: Black-Blue and Black-Burgundy
Sizes men: XS-4XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, MLS, MLT, LS, LT, XLS, XLT, 2XLS, 3XLS, 4XLS
Sizes Women: XS-XL incl. intermediate sizes MS, MT, LS, XLS
DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.
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