Red Sea by Nigel Hewitt

Red Sea, 1999
Author: Nigel Hewitt

17 dives based from Hurngara on the Shalkami Explorer. I won't bore you with a blow by blow account but I want to offer some public remarks.

The boat is a comfortable twelve birth steel hull and the food is edible if a touch ethnic. The guide, Amro, spent half an hour or more hand drawing big, detailed maps of each site so he could brief us (except the wrecks where he had flip charts). We were briefed on what was good to see, where to see it, how to see it, how to navigate it, currents and, where appropriate, good places to die.

Two guys were told they could hire kit from the shops near the port. Their opperator was *wrong*. They got kit but I would not want to dive without a depth guage or in something where you had to shake the sand out of the reg to stop it free flowing. No octopus of course. Thank goodness we took everything.

We got used to the sound of Amro's 'shaker' and his *you* *come here* *look* signs which normally pointed out something interesting, although sometimes rare and incomprehensible to us novices until those that knew enthused about it back on the boat. Once we realised what was happening we always elected to be in the 'follow Amro' group rather than mooch off as a buddy pair as some did.

High point? Diving the Thistlegorm at dusk on the third day incuding passing through the forward hold. We had done Ras Mohamed to a 31m thermocline that morning and delved into the Dunraven at lunchtime so that was a day to saviour.

Major embarasement? Being awarded the only 15L cylinder on the boat for gas guzzling beyond the call of duty. Everyone was very polite about it but I can recognise a dunce's cap when I see one. Some people were still getting more duration out of a 12 than I got from the 15 including my son who normally out breathes me. Perhaps warm water (min 28C) does not suit me. Perhaps the 7mm long was overkill. Perhaps I was just over excited. Longest dive 83mins

Low point? Next morning after a second dive on the Thistlegorm just after dawn and anticipating a third before me move on and realising that by 11 o'clock that we are part of a flottila of fifteen boats. Worse was watching the practices of some of these people. eg: Guy walks straight up to the rear and giant strides in. Panics back to the boat. Somebody reaches down and does something to near his first stage. Turns on the air we think. Was he dead? Not this time. Another bunch that seemed to think that the first thing you do after entering the water is to drop your reg so it blows some nice bubbles and then take off your mask, spit in it etc. Most of them did it including the 'leader'.

Bear in mind that we have a stiff breeze, a current, a growing two foot swell, the wreck stands in 30m, is up to 16m tall and is repleat in nasty sharp things. ("NO swiming actions with your arms inside" said Amro the guide. "Not unless you have some fingers you do not need."). This is not a 'Try dive' site.

Overall we did a lot of varied dives in good company. We saw things I have only seen on TV before. We were well guided and the rib man must know the currents on the sites we dived, either that or he has second sight regarding where divers surface. We were buzzed by dolphins, ignored by turtles, tasted by an irritated trigger fish, narrowly avoided by tuna because we were where their lunch was and too much more to mention.

Shalkami seem to be handled by quite a few UK based opperators and although a sample of one is not statistical I'd do it again like a shot and I'd follow Amro anywhere. (But I'd take my own Kwells.) Even the long term divers expessed satisfaction with the trip. You know the type. They were not to be satisfied until they saw, and photographed, the rocking horse droppings fish in the cave under the wreck at night. (I must have missed it).

Oh well. It just takes a shower to get off the salt but I think it's going to have to be the wirebrush and paint stripper to get rid of the smell of neoprine.

-- nigelH