Dive Report - Red Sea, pt.3

Dive Report - Day 5 & 6

Red Sea, Marsa Alam, Egypt.

Day 5 - Coral Mountains and Threats of Death

(Sunday, 15th of October, 2023)

We drive along the usual empty desert road, embellished with plastic bottles and half finished buildings that scatter into the distance. We pick up two more divers at their hotel and within five minutes the sand has been swapped for a marina and restaurant strip. Now used to the order of things, we clamber out of the minibus and head straight down the path to the boat.

We set up the kit before departure and Dewi’s A-clamp regulators decide to throw a loud screaming fit, as the regs refuse to seal and air escapes the tank. Five nitrox tanks and multiple O-ring inspections later, the regs get put to one side and a rental set comes to the rescue. As the crew waits for the coastguard to sign off on our departure, Gwenno and Laura resume their positions of silence with eyes locked on the horizon and silent prayers for a calm journey.

Our first dive site of the day is Ras el Torfa, with the first dive bearing north. Buddy pairing are Andrew and Laura; Gwenno, Melanie and Mike; myself and Dewi. As we kit up, four crew members are at hand to attend to us ladies, whilst Dewi, Mike and Andrew are left to struggle with their own equipment. After a buddy check with strict instructions for Dewi to A.) not die on me and B.) stay on the same side as my octopus, someone places and tightens my fins, leaving Dewi to do his own and we jump into the water.

We descend rapidly to a maximum depth of 30 metres, with the coral wall to our left. A baby Whitetip reef shark swims along the blue, and later we spot Tuna and a Barracuda. We swim over coral mountains with a variety of branch extensions. Some reaching out like thick fingers, others bubbly and cartoon-like. We turn back and pass a sandy plain and I spend a while trying to figure out what everyone is pointing at. I recognise the hand signal for octopus but what I see are several fish line-dancing in what looks like frilly skirts. Upon closer inspection, it's a row of squid fluttering around.

On the second dive, we bear south and reach a max depth of 24 metres. There are sizable pinnacles of coral fingers with white tips, and thousands of little rainbow fishes pulsate around it like murmuring starlings. It looks like someone’s dropped a thousand liquorice allsorts into the sea. It’s spectacular. Further along, a large Triggerfish lies resting against a wall of coral and a Lionfish floats dramatically. By now we’re so accustomed to seeing Giant moray eels moving along the seafloor that we barely pay attention to one poking out its head. What does draw attention is the blonde lady paired with the instructor. She appears to be diving in the wrong direction, and even after the instructor draws her attention back to the group by tapping at his cylinder, she almost immediately goes off in the wrong direction again. This is the first time I’ve seen what appears to be nitrogen narcosis. In simple terms, narcosis is a reversible condition that can occur when diving, generally at depths greater than 30 metres. It’s generally recognisable by the diver appearing drunk and can be relieved by ascending to a shallower depth.

After a day of successful dives and salty skin, we get back to the hotel and have our crucial daily debriefing over multiple G&Ts, before getting ready for dinner.

Day 6 - White Morays and a Love for the Ocean

(Monday, 16th of October, 2023)

After you complete your diving qualification, you don’t get to jump straight down to your maximum depth. Instead, you’re required to conduct what we call progressive dives. In other words, when you qualify as a BSAC Sports Diver, which allows you to dive 20 metres deeper than a BSAC Ocean Diver, you need to do a 25 metre dive, 30 metre dive and 35 metre dive before you can reach 40 metres. This allows for more experience and gives time for your body to become familiar with being in greater depths, but also for you to gain greater confidence and comfort before attempting dives with increased risk factors.

Today Laura and I are going down to 35 metres. We inform the dive operator, Dewi and Andrew (mine and Laura’s buddy pairs) sign responsibility weavers which we also sign, and then we amend our computers to 32 nitrox with a 1.6 partial pressure. With the amendments made, my computer tells me I have a maximum operating depth (MOD) of 39.8 metres.

Underwater we are greeted by a White moray that slithers along the sand. It weaves in and out of hard coral, revealing itself momentarily before hiding again and repeating itself. It’s a much smaller moray than the Giant moray - still long, but slim and agile-looking. It has skin the colour of sand with its dorsal fin creating a long white line along its body. Moving on we swim with a Blue spotted stingray and later some Trumpet fish which look like grey rulers with twerking bums. I check my computer and am surprised to find that I’m past the 20 metre mark. On tropical dives, it’s easy to go deeper than intended with good visibility and plenty to see - you don’t expect depths to be bright and wonderful, especially when you’re used to British visibility.

We pass bright green fire coral that stands out against the blue hue of everything around. Birdfish with elongated snouts wander past. Then we reach sturdy coral, which I inspect carefully. Sitting on one of the flatter surfaces are two tiny, stripy worms - Pipefish. They have mint-coloured bodies with brown stripes and a white pushpin-shaped head. I’ve never seen anything like them and they’re somehow so different from watching a fish or a seal - you expect to see those creatures in the ocean, but a tiny little worm-like creature? As people, I feel like we can be self-absorbed and make the whole world revolve around ourselves, but the sea life is indifferent to our existence and I think there’s something incredibly refreshing in that.

My dive buddy told me when I started diving, that over time I would find what aspect of diving interests me most, but I can often be pretty neutral in situations where others have definite preferences. My connection to the sea - the water itself - and being submerged in it, is part of my interest in watersports. I’ll dive anywhere and cold, low visibility conditions don't affect my wanting to go into the water any less than a Caribbean dive site does. I dive because I’m at my happiest underwater and I find pleasure in bobbing around looking at things I can’t name. But as I look at two little Pipefish minding their own business, I realise I want to know more. I want to be able to spend dives watching a species and seeing how it moves and lives in a world completely different to our own. I want to know how various sea creatures interact with one another and how specific ecosystems support those creatures. I had the same feeling when I watched a Green turtle chomping at seagrass earlier in the week, and again when I saw my first octopus -

We dive through a gully which drops down to 35 metres and has a juvenile Lionfish marking the spot. I pause for a few minutes and lower my arm to make sure it notes the 35 metres. Then we follow a coral wall and begin to ascend.

Continue reading…

If you missed pt.1 click here. For pt.2 click here.

For visuals check out TikTok

This trip was taken with Emperor Divers dive centre. Website Here.

This was an annual abroad trip organised by my BSAC dive club.