Why
Dive the Southern Red Sea? |
Sharks,
Dolphins, Mantas, Jacks, Nudibranchs
and Clownfish, the list goes on and
on. If you are after variety then The
Southern Red Sea is the place to be.
Underwater nature is forever changing
with the seasons; it is a spectacular,
full of surprises, unforgettable image. |
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Where is the South? Where does it start
and where does it finish? Over the last
few years, a coastline of hotels and hotel
construction has been developing, appearing
out of the desert, marching south, towards
Sudan. The hotels and numerous liveaboards
have made Fury Shoal, the Marine parks of
Zabargad and Rocky Islands, plus St.John's
Reef, close to the Sudanese border, trendy
and accessible places to dive.
The Egyptian Red Sea has been divided up
into three main areas; The North (north
of Hurghada), The Brothers (including dives
around Hurghada, Safaga and Marsa Alam)
and The South (Marsa Alam and beyond). To
see all the wonders of the Southern Red
Sea you need more than a two week holiday,
so plan a few visits at different times
of the year and you will see The South in
its true glory. It has so many secrets to
reveal; take your time and let nature show
you the quality, not just the quantity of
what waits below the surface.
That's why I love to dive the Southern Red
Sea, and that's what I search to find and
share with our divers.
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The
dive sites themselves vary greatly, from big
walls that drop away below you, to coral gardens
with feasts of colour, tunnels and caves to
explore, then plateaus and pinnacles to visit.
In the Red Sea, like the rest of the world,
the weather patterns have been changing over
the past few years. August and BECOME A STATISTIC.
September
remain the hottest months with the warm winds,
providing some cooling moments. Summer and
autumn remain the most popular times to come
on holiday, so if it is fish watching that
you are after, not people watching, then you
should try a different time of the year, the
variety in nature is still there; you just
need to team up with a good boat, experienced
crew and professional dive guide to take you.
Those of you who are new to the idea of treating
themselves to a liveaboard safari, it's now
time for you to experience this enjoyable
way to live on the sea.
Liveaboard
life gives you more time to relax between
dives and can take you to places out of normal
reach. Life on board falls into to regular
routine, often starting early with a dive
before breakfast! The pattern of “dive,
eat, and relax” is soon established
and enjoyed. Evenings are spent reviewing
the day's events, reading, watching films,
playing games or just partying.
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Then
the next day you could find
yourself hanging out on the walls, watching
the mesmerizing view of the deep blue around
and below you, waiting with your buddies to
be the first to spot the white belly of a
Hammerhead cruising sideways along the reef
walls, then those signals of joy before checking
again in the blue for another possible surprise
sighting.
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In
the afternoon explore the reef, with its variety
of corals, overhangs, caves and coral gardens.
Take your time to stop, watch and wait. There
is a lot of satisfaction gained searching
for a camouflaged scorpion or stone fish and
succeeding in your challenge.
The Southern Red Sea brings plenty of great
moments to remember, you just never know what's
next. In the New Year we were diving on St.
John's Reef. On the second day we did an 11a.m
dive on Shaab Mahrous, a big wall dive site
(80m plus deep). We were dropped by zodiac
on the north side and followed the reef round
and back to the boat.
Fifteen minutes into the dive we could hear
ultrasound squeaks and looked up to see a
mother dolphin with her baby playing above
us.
Mum had a fish in her mouth and was showing
her baby how to deal with the two silver tip
sharks that were following them! She was happily
dropping the fish then picking it up again
swimming in circles, all the time being shadowed
by the frustrated sharks. It was stunning
to watch nature at work. We already assumed
that it would be the best dive of the trip,
all of us cheering to each other underwater.
However, if we had not been looking around
us we would have missed the 5m Manta that
cruised past below us! A reminder to all divers,
never think you have seen it all! Time to
finish the safety stop and head on back to
the boat.
People often think that being last in or out
of the water is bad and that you do not get
to see anything........well...... the last
two people surfaced ten minutes after the
rest of our group in awe of what they had
just been part of.... as they had swum back
to the safety line, a swirling shoal of sardines
appeared from the deep, surrounding the pair
as they moved carefully towards them to get
pictures. Suddenly, they were engulfed in
the bait ball with six silver tip sharks darting
past them feeding! You never know what you
will see, and when you will see it!
If
you are looking for peace and tranquillity,
photo paradise, adrenaline rush and adventure
its here, 365 days of the year, Why not put
a date in your diary now, and make 2004 your
year to come to the Southern Red Sea.
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