The Equalizer Issue Eight November 2011

7/30/2019 The Equalizer Issue Eight November 2011

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ISSUE EIGHTNov-Dec 2011

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TH E

B E C A U S E N O T A L L D I V E R S W E R E C R E A T E D E Q U A L

EQUALIZER


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THEEQUALIZERISSUEEIGHT-NOV/DEC2011

CONTENTS

REGULARS

07DiveProle

08WreckBrieng

10ReefBrieng

16SpeciesFocus

28WeirdWonders

52MarineParkFocus

56PhotographyFocus

58FeaturedPhotographer

62PhotoContest

66NarcosisCorner

NEWS

22RedSeaNews

23RedSeaCalendar

30EnvironmentalNews

SELECTED FEATURES20SurfaceInterval-NoFlyTime

34SafeZodiacDiving

40AnniversaryDiveThistlegorm

46EgyptianLife-Mosques

48OddCupofCoffee

10

48

40

THE EQUALIZER Nov-Dec 2011

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16
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4 5

Cover Photo:

Common Lionsh

by James Dawson

AndersJlmsjI have worked as a dive guide/instructor

for many years and I still love every

second of it. I have about 3.500 dives in

the Red Sea under my belt and Im still

excited every time Im about to jump in

the water.

Im very interested in marine life and tryto learn as much as possible about the

species I see. If I cant tell you what it

was we saw during our dive, most likely

Ill have the book to nd out.

MEET THE TEAM

JamesDawsonI had always wanted to dive and rst got

my opportunity on a holiday in Kenya

back in 1999. Since those rst few

breaths underwater, I knew it wouldnt

be a one-off.

Since living in Egypt, I have worked as

a guide and instructor in most areas

and have been fortunate enough to seesome amazing sights and experience

many wonderful dives. Theres

always something new to look for and

somewhere different to dive.

If you have missed any issues of

The EQUALIZER

you can download them for free at

www.aziabmedia.com

[email protected]

DistributedbyAziabMediaLtd

IssueEight-Nov/Dec2011

TheEQUALIZER. The views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. Editorial contributions are welcome and should be sent to TheEQUALIZER. All due care will be taken with material submitted, but the magazine and publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage.The EQUALIZER assumes no responsibility to return unsolicited editorial, graphic or other material. All rights in letters, e-mails and unsolicitedand graphic material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes, and material will be subject to TheEQUALIZERs unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. The EQUALIZER is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted inwhole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The EQUALIZER retains the right to publish your material in all media, including andwithout limitation, the Internet. Some of the activities covered in this magazine carry a signicant risk of injury or death. Undertake them only withproper instruction, training or equipment. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information givento readers, the writers, editor, publisher and proprietor cannot accept responsibility for any damages or inconvenience that may arise therefrom.

CONTRIBUTORSMarkCrowleyRussell:

Crowley - only his mother still uses his real name - is an instructor

and dive guide at Sinai Divers in Sharm El Sheikh. After 5 years

around the World, he and his guitar have decided to stick around in

Sharm and enjoy the Sakara.

ClareWilders:

Clare is an instructor and guide for the Ocean College Dive Centre

in Sharm El Sheikh as well as the creator of the DiveBunnie website,

home for women scuba divers. She is also often seen helping out at

communal events.

AnnaSvrd:

Anna is from Sweden and has been a regular visitor to the Red Sea

for many years. She recently completed her IDC course and is now a

fully qualied member of the instructor family. As well as that, she is

also a genius on a computer!


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EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Issue Eight of The EQUALIZER.

Were living in mes of changes in many ways.

The world is changing around us, especially us

living in Egypt and the Arabic world in general.

But also the fall is here so the weather is

changing and the Red Sea follows suit. Lately

the air- and water temperature has dropped

which together with The Equinox last month

started an important part of the yearly cycle.

The diving is brilliant this me of year.

For Issue Eight we have had some editorial help

from contributors well known to EQUALIZER

readers. We drink coee with Bedouins

together with Anna, visit Ras Mohammed

Naonal park with Crowley plus get to follow

Clare on an Anniversary Dive on SS Thistlegorm

70 Years aer she sank.

The regular Species in Focus, Reef- and Wreck

Briengs are sll here and on top of all this we

start a new series we call I Saw This Weird

Thing where we answer the most FAQs about

mysfying Marine Life.

If you are in to photography, take a look at

Amanda Coon as the Featured Photographer,

learn how to take care of under water

camera equipment in Photography Focus and

parcipate in our Photo Contest.

We hope you will nd Issue Eight Interesng.

Sit back and enjoy.

If you have suggesons for future arcles in

The EQUALIZER, feel free to contact us at;

[email protected]

Anders & James

Rolf SchmidtAge: 60

Lives in Sharm el Sheikh Egypt

Working with: Sinai Divers

When did you start diving?

RS: 1973

Why did you start diving?

RS: I was on a trip in East Africa and met a

German Dive instructor (ex German Navy)

who was running a small operaon in a resort

on the Tanzania coast. He took me for a dive

and that was it.

How long have you been in the Red Sea?

RS: First me 1974, from 1975 unl now with

a break of 2 years when Sinai was returnedto Egypt and we all had to leave.

Which is your favourite dive site in the Red

Sea, and why?

RS: There are actually a lot of favourite sites

since each of them is special and unique.

For sure the reefs in the straits of Tiran like

Jackson and Thomas reef. Great coral, sh

life and in the summer month the Hammer

heads. The wall in Ras Mohamed is world

class. The outside reef of Shaab Machmod at

the small crack has the best hard coral in the

area, and not to forget the Brother Isl. One of

the best Dive sites in the world

What was your most memorable dive?

RS: Same here. My wife Petra who have

been with me for all these years, and me wedived all over the world - Cocos, Galapagos,

Maldives and so on. But the one that scks

out the most is my rst dive ever in Ras

Mohamed. It was all shore diving then. Once

I reached the edge of the reef and suddenly

there is that deep, deep blue, boom less. It

took my breath away!

If you could be a marine species, what would

you be?

RS: Hmm, dicult one. I dont want to be

caught and eaten and I dont want to becollected. Since I do enjoy being a human

with the pleasures that come along, being a

Dolphin is tempng. Life of a clown sh will

do as well.

What do you think is the biggest threat to

the Red Sea?

RS: Overdevelopment and impact of human

acvity.

Who is your dream Buddy, and why?

RS: My wife Petra. We did thousand of dives

together

Whats on your bedside table?

RS: A classic car magazine.

What are you doing in 10 years?

RS: Hopefully t and healthy, enjoying life as

much as I can which includes diving for sure,

travel, classic cars

RED SEA LEGENDS


DIVE PROFILE
mailto:[email protected]://www.blueotwo.com/mailto:[email protected]://itunes.apple.com/us/app/101-most-popular-divesites/id423221527?mt=8http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/101-most-popular-divesites/id423221527?mt=8


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8 9

Like The Carnac and The Dunraven, The

Ulysses was one of those beauful, slender

ships built in the late 19th century. When she

was launched from the shipyard in 1871 she

had a 2-stroke 2 cylinder compound steam

engine delivering 225 hp to the single screw

but was also rigged for sailing. She came to

have her nal resng place at Blu Point in

the Straits of Gubal.

In 1887 the Ulysses was on her way from Lon-

don to Penang in Malaysia using the route

through the Suez Canal. It was a calm morning

and there were no waves breaking over the

reef, giving the threat away. She hit the reef

just north of Blu Point in the early morning

August 16th. At rst the captain and crew saw

no immediate danger and even declined help

from a passing vessel, thinking they could re-

oat and mend the ship. However, the wind

and weather made The Ulysses break in two

over the reef and she sunk September 5th.

The bow is now scaered over the top of the

reef and the stern rests on the seabed at 28

meters.

There is a shot-line aached to the wreck and

as you descend, glide down along what was

once the a deck. Reaching the boom at

the stern, a bathtub seems completely out of

place next to the wreck. Swim around and

have a look at the propeller and the rudder.

Then back again and into the belly of the

ship. Like on The Carnac the deck is long

gone but the supporng steel frame is sll

there. Explore the inside of the wreck and

exit mid-ships where the hull has collapsed

and the a mast is extending out over the

boom. Here you nd the boiler half-buried

under wreckage.

The bow secon was broken o and totally

disintegrated on the top of the reef so this

is where the wreck ends. The marine life on

this wreck is somewhat special. You oen

nd many species of nudibranches including

the gorgeous Purple Flabellina in surprisinglarge numbers and the Twin Chromodoris as

well as the beauful Risbecia. Keep an eye

out in the blue as well, dolphins oen come

around during certain mes of the day.

ULYSSESThe Hazards Of a Flat Sea

WRECK BRIEFING

Opposite:The wreck of Ulysses today.

Small: Typical design of Sail Steamer.

Above: The Purple Flabelina is oen seen

on the wreck.

Text and Illustraon: Anders Jlmsj

Photo: James Dawson

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REEF BRIEFINGThe rst part to any dive at

Shark and Yolanda Reef is to

make a current check, and

the only place to do this with

accuracy is over the wreck-

age between Yolanda and the

satellite reef, which we most

commonly call Baby Yolan-

da. Its never 100% perfect,

because although in general

the current runs one wayor the other, every now and

then you get currents from

both ends of the dive site

meeng somewhere in the

middle, and there is nothing

you can do about it.

If the current is running down

and out over the wreckage,

then the dive should be car-

ried out in the direcon Shark

to Yolanda; if the current is

running up and into the sad-

dle, then jump at Baby, or

the back of the fringing reef,

depending on the strength.

Easy indicators are the ever

present goldsh, anthias or

bicolour pullers - aka choco-

late dips that are always pre-

sent somewhere on the reefs

in the Red Sea. If youre not

100% sure, swim a lile bit to

the front of Yolanda and have

a look there - but look pastthe corner of the reef, be-

cause you get rebounds and

eddies that confuse the sh as

well as the dive guides. Look

also for the direcon that big-

ger sh such as the unicorns

and snappers are facing. This

can take a few minutes if you

want to get it right.

My favourite dive is to jump

at the adjacent reef of Anem-

one city. When the current

is running the right way

from Shark to Yolanda, the

current at Anemone city can

be either with you against

you when you jump, but usu-

ally it is quite manageable. If

the current check over the

wreckage leads you to think

that its prey strong, then a

secondary check at Anemone

is advised - and if its really

strong, then Jump at Shark.

Descend close to the reef

and slowly pootle down to

around 15 metres, admiring

the magnicent anemones

for which the site is named

along the way, always lled

with a myriad anemonesh,

and of course the ever pre-

sent Nemo - or Red Sea

Clownsh. There are some

Shark & YolandaFrom Anemone City to Satellite ReefWords and Photos by Mark Crowley

Illustraon by Anders Jlmsj

Some Red Sea Dive Sites demand slightly more thorough planning. Cur-

rents and condions change rapidly and you need to be on top of the

game to pull it o safely. One day it can be easy and relaxed, the next it

can be howling and nerve-racking. Shark & Yolanda Reefs in the Naonal

Park of Ras Mohammed at the very southern p of the Sinai Peninsula is

on of those places. The extreme locaon contributes to why this dive site

can show dierent faces of schizophrenic proporons. Mark Crowley, Dive

Instructor and Guide at Sinai Divers in Shark El Sheikh has extensive expe-

rience of this site.

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fantascally huge table corals a lile deeper,

but for this dive I stay at 15 metres where

Anemone city comes to a point and you can

head across the blue towards Shark. It s a re-

ally easy navigaon - if the visibility is good

you can see the dark shadow of Shark as soon

as you leave Anemone city and if you cant,

keep to a distance where you can see the reef

wall on the right and swim across the current

coming from the le.

If the current picks up, you have the opon

to turn inside Shark here but otherwise, stay

at 15 metres on the wall and if the current

is small, swim out into the blue a lile way

for the cloud of snappers in the summer, and

also the giant trevallies which are present

most of the year round. If you look down, at

around 30 metres you will oen nd a school

of unicorn sh and if youre lucky, a school of

barracuda, which have been absent from the

reef in recent years.

Take care because if the current is running,

you will nd it dicult to get back to the reef

if youre too far out, in which case, stay close

to the 756 metres deep wall where you will

nd millions of goldsh and anthias, and

some fat scorpionsh in the small holes, and

then keep hugging the reef unl you come in-

side Shark to a depth of about 12 metres. In

average condions this is about 20 minutes

into the dive.

Inside Shark you are protected from the cur-

rent but move slightly away from it and you

will start driing to Yolanda. The saddle be-tween the reefs here is very beauful; look

out for Giant Morays, Hawksbill and Green

turtles and Napoleon Wrass. When you hit

the corner of Yolanda you nd one of the

most beaufully coloured coral gardens in

Sharm; bright purple brocolli coral intermin-

gled with the hard coral formaons and small

sandy patches where you are almost guaran-

teed to nd crocodile sh, blue spoed rays

and look out for the stonesh - bright, pink

stonesh!

If the current is amenable, zig-zag around the

coral garden heading deeper unl you pass

by a broken gorgonian at about 18 metres.

Keep the reef close because the current can

push down here and aer ghng the re-

bound, youll start to dri across the front of

Yolanda. Ususally I make this my second dive

of the day with a maximum depth of 22 - 24

metres and so I make the maximum depth af-

ter leaving the coral garden. There are some

big black corals down there so look for Long

nosed hawksh in them and then on the front

of Yolanda you can nd schools of unicornsh

and baish, oen a turtle or napoleon. There

are a couple of large coral blocks here which

oen hide the biggest morays you will nd

in Sharm, and a large gorgonian fan shaped

like Mickey Mouses head (youll know what I

mean when you see it), At this point I usually

head up to about 18 metres, being 35 or 40

minutes into the dive.

As you approach the wreckage of the Yolan-

da between Yolanda Reef and Baby, you will

encounter one of the loading arms from the

crane she was carrying. Most people refer to

it as the mast but its actually not. It lies at

an angle between 20 and 16 metres of depth

and this is a good place to turn inside Yolanda

and shelter from the current, swim up the

reef and then dri down past the broken con-

tainer, passing over the twisted remains of

the captains BMW, bathtubs, air condioning

units, big rolls of linoleum, some big metal er -

pieces of metal that nobody knows what they

are for - and of course the famous lavatories.

Look underneath things for scorpionsh and

Morays, and in the sandy patches alongside

the detritus you will usually nd some blue

spoed rays.

Above: Not much is le of the actual wreck of Yolanda. This is a side of a container

Lef:A diver acompianed by a school of black snappers.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/101-most-popular-divesites/id423221527?mt=8


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area, some of the idiot operators ignore this

and drive their boats over the shallow sad-

dle. You are either faced with a long surface

swim or your dive operaon is wilfully en-

dangering the lives of other divers. Surface

close to the reef and never in the blue. This

is an area of very heavy boat trac, with

connuous pick ups and drop os on a busy

day, so take care.

If the current is running the other way, I jump

on the fringing reef just past Baby Yolanda

and basically make the same dive in reverse.

The dierence is that I will come further into

the saddle aer the North coral garden of

Yolanda and then head behind Shark Reef

so we can end the dive safety stopping with

the snappers on the front of Shark. I dont

bother with Anemone City in this case.

This is one of the best reefs in the Red Sea,

certainly in the North, and it is therefore

also one of the busiest, so although its pos-

sible to avoid other divers in some places, in

others you are going to encounter groups of

muppets swimming the wrong way through

your group! If the current is strong and / or

the reef is busy, make sure you know where

your team is at all mes, stay close to the

reef and enjoy it - it s awesome!

PLEASE do not sit on the toilets to take fun -

ny pictures. You dont visit the lavatory back

home wearing a big metal tank, and also

you dont have lionsh or morays living in

the u-bend. We really dont want the toilets

moved or smashed up, thanks, because coral

is growing in and around them, and if you get

a lionsh sng up the bum you will wish you

had a case of Pharaohs revenge because I

promise you, my friend, you will be pooping

through a plasc tube for the next four days.

A nice way to end the dive is to hug Baby on

the le shoulder and, if the current is not too

strong, swim up the reef and pass between

Baby and the fringing reef - the so coral here

is amazing and there are small caves where

you can oen nd more morays and scorpi -

onsh.

Be careful of RIBs here, the saddle is only 5

metres deep and although it is technically il-

legal for boats to pass through this gap, RIB

drivers think they are too cool for rules and

there have been incidents in the past.

Surfacing from the dive should be treated

with cauon. The only places to surface are

on the outside of Shark, Yolanda or Baby, or

along the fringing reef around the back or at

Anemone City. Dont come up on the inside

because although boats are forbidden in this

Above: Classic photo subjucts at Yolanda Reef - The Cargo of bathroom ngs.

Follow Crowleys Red Sea

blog on Scuba Board

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/red-sea/383255-crowleys-blog.htmlhttp://www.scubaboard.com/forums/red-sea/383255-crowleys-blog.htmlhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/101-most-popular-divesites/id423221527?mt=8http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/101-most-popular-divesites/id423221527?mt=8http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/red-sea/383255-crowleys-blog.htmlhttp://www.scubaboard.com/forums/red-sea/383255-crowleys-blog.html


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When threatened, they will raise their

venomous dorsal spines as a threat

gesture and often dart a short distance

away to conceal themselves again. Some

also have brightly coloured pectoral ns

which they will ash to deter predators as

a warning or to create an opportunity to

swim to safety.

Little is known of the reproductive processof the family, but it is believed that small

eggs (approx 1mm across) may be

embedded in a gelatinous mass that oats

away on the currents before hatching.

The greatest threat that the scorpionsh

family pose to divers, is their ability to

blend in with the reef. Most cases of divers

being stung, are the result of the sh not

being spotted in the rst place. Treatment

of scorpion sh venom is immersion in hot

water (45C for 40 minutes) or blowing onthe affected area with a hairdryer which

helps denature the protein in the venom.

The pain will usually dissipate within a few

days, but there may be swelling or tingling

for longer periods.

On night dives in particular, the lionsh has

become adept at using divers torches to

help with hunting. They will often follow

behind and when the torch beam illuminates

a small sh, they will move forward and

pounce. If the lionsh become a problem,

you can try placing your torchlight away

from you and then once the lionsh has

swum to it, you simply cover your light

and swim in the opposite direction. This is

not 100% effective though, so you could

always steer the troublesome sh into

someone elses torch beam and then swim

away!

MARINE LIFE OF THE RED SEA


The scorpionsh family are collectively

grouped as Scorpaenidae and contain

some of the most venomous marine sh.There are more than a hundred species,

although the number found in the Red

Sea is a fraction of that.

There are a number of informal or

regional names for the family in use

in different areas, such as dragonsh,

turkeysh, stingsh or resh. The family

earned their name from the sting that

they carry in the form of sharp spines

that are coated with a venomous mucus.

The power of the toxin varies greatlyfrom species to species, but some are

capable of causing intense pain and can

create difculty breathing.

Scorpionsh usually have stout bodies

and are developed to their bottom

dwelling habitat. Most species are well

camouaged and have the addition of

aps and tassels around the body and

variable colouration is also used to help

them blend in with their surroundings.

The lionsh species are less cryptic

in their colouration, but have a more

potent venom to make up for this lack of

camouage.

Most are ambush predators and the

feeding movement can be as fast as 15

milliseconds. Prey consists mainly of

other sh, crustaceans and cephalopods

but some species are known to be

cannibalistic.

Opposite from top left: The scorpionsh is

a master of disguise and can vary its colour to

blend in to the background, the yellow spotted

scorpionsh is the smallest of the Red Sea

species, the devil scorpionsh is often called the

false stonesh due to the similarity to its cousin

Background: the common lionsh with all of its

tassels and feathers on display

SPECIES FOCUSScorpionsh(Scorpaenidae)

by James Dawson


10/3418 19

The lionsh is a favourite among

aquarists due to its attractive spines

and colouration. A major problem has

been created in the Caribbean in recent

years, where lionsh, released from

home aquaria, have multiplied and

greatly diminished resident sh species.

The lionsh have no natural predators

in the region and the population has

grown at the expense of local species.

The problem has gotten so severe that

even dive centres organise shing tripsfor lionsh to try and cull the population.

Fortunately in the Red Sea, we have

no such problems so you can enjoy the

beauty of the lionsh and the not so

beautiful scorpionsh without having to

worry about them eating everything else

on the reef! Just be careful where you

put your hands.


Available from

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Idealformarinebiologists,diversorsimply

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sharkoftenseenintheRedSea.

Developed by

Range: Throughout Red Sea

Size: Varies from 8.5cm (Yellowspotted scorpionsh) up to 38cm

(Common lionsh)

Depth: Some species are known togo deeper but most are seen in depths

shallower than 30m on coral reefs

Hazards: All species have venomousspines, but the severity of a sting varies

greatly. Always keep good buoyancy and

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Above: A close up view of the tassels and frills scorpionsh use to enhance their camouage

Below: a shortn dwarf lionsh hides in the seagrass, a clearn lionsh searches the reef for food

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11/3420 21

If youre not sure what is available to you, ask

the rep from your tour company or enquire

at the dive centre. They will be able to oer

some recommendaons for the local area

and may even be able to book an excursion

for you. Here are some of the highlights that

are available in many of the Red Sea resorts

to keep you amused on your last day.

Horse Riding

Why not take a trip into the desert or themountains on a horse? You can see some of

the beauful scenery and visit the rural areas

to enjoy the views from the back of an Egypan

thoroughbred. Most trips are suitable for

novices, but if you have experience, then the

guide will oen tailor the trip to cover more

ground or give you the opportunity to ride

at a faster pace. Some areas even oer the

opon of a camel safari instead of a horse to

give an extra bit of local avour.

Quad Bike Safari

If you prefer your land based acvies to

have a lile more horsepower, try taking

to the desert on a quad bike. A full safety

brieng will be given before seng o and

then you follow your guide along dirt trails

where you can feel the wind in your hair as

you ride along. Its advisable to wear long

trousers and shirt sleeves while headscarves

are usually provided to oer protecon from

the elements.

Go-Karng

If you prefer to avoid the sand but sll get some

high speed thrills, then try your hand on the

go kart track instead. Full safety equipment

is provided and you can have the chance to

race around the track to your heart content.

Again, long trousers, shirt sleeves and closed

shoes are advisable but crash helmets will be

provided to ensure your safety for the day.

This is a perfect end to the holiday if you have

a compeve group with you as you all ght

to prove why you should have a Formula One

drive next year!

Paintballing

Another fantasc acvity if you fancy a bit of

good natured compeon before you y. All

equipment is provided and there are usually

a selecon of formats that you can choose

from. Prove your ghng spirit as you take

the enemy ag or play a quick re game to

see who has the best aim. Protecve clothing

is a must and take care not to get any strange

bruises that could make the ight home less

than comfortable!

Hot Air Balloon Safari

Aer a hard weeks diving, maybe youre

looking for something more relaxing. Enjoy a

birds eye view of the Red Sea coast and the

mountains from a hot air balloon as you dri

with the breeze. The view from the air puts

a whole new perspecve on the area and is

a fantasc opportunity for some great aerial

photographs. Most trips will leave early in

the morning though to make the most of the

wind, so dont forget to set your alarm clock.

Dry Diving Courses

Theres always the chance to get a bit more

from your dive trip, even on the last day. Ask

at your dive centre about dry courses that

they oer so you can learn a new skill before

your ight. Nitrox, environmental courses

or equipment maintenance courses can allbe done without any dives, so you can learn

something for your next trip even if you cant

get in the water on the last day.

Chill Out By The Pool

Alternavely, the excitement and eorts of

the holiday may be too much for another

day of acvies. If thats the case, then why

not have a lie in, enjoy a late breakfast and

then sit by the pool with a good book and just

relax? Diving can be ring work so a lazy day

may be just the thing to get you back in shape

before you head home. Just remember to use

sun tan loon and be careful not to miss youright.

So whatever you decide to do on your nal

day, remember that youre sll on holiday

and enjoy yourself. Whether you want a nal

rush of adrenaline, a sedate view of the rural

beauty or to get that book nished that you

bought at the airport. Anything that youre

not able to t into this trip, you can always do

next me you come to Egypt.

NO FLY TIMELast Day Acvies

By James Dawson

SURFACE INTERVAL


Phot

o

Credit:JulianColton

PhotoCredit:TehShyster

** CALENDAR **NEWS


12/3422 23

LargeraysDecember to beginning of February. During winter large rays

tend to come into the bays along the coast for some reason.

Darkspotted stingray, blackblotched stingray, fearthertail, stingray

and eagle ray are rather common encounters in Marsa Mubarak,

Marsa Shouna Marsa Abu Dabab and so on.

Photo:JamesDawson

SardineRuns.December to beginning of February. This is something really

exciting. Dolphins, sharks and tuna hunting together in big bait

balls of sardines. Its not on the sasme level as in South Africa but

a rather dramatic experience.

Photo:JamesDawson

OceanicWhitetipSharksOceanic Whitetip Sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) start to

appear regularly around offshore deep water reefs such as

Elphinstone and Brother Islands, between October and February.These curious sharks are usually found near the surface

investigating the sounds and smells of dive boats and will often

swim close to divers.

RED SEA CALENDAR: Whattolookforinthecomingmonths

Photo:JamesDawson

** CALENDAR **

ThresherSharksThe Pelagic Thresher (Alopias pelagicus) prefers slightly cooler

waters and tends to remain in deeper areas during the summer.

As the water temperature begins to drop, they are more frequently

seen within recreational diving depths. A shy and nervous shark,

divers will need to stay calm and move slowly to allow them to

come close. Like the Oceanic Whitetip, they are most usuallysighted near deep water reefs.


Sarah Pikarski from African Divers Nuweiba

reports that numbers are up for sighngs of

Mimic Octopus at the moment with three

encounters in four days in dierent places.

Sarah is also keeping track of all the Frogsh

on the house reef and is happy to announce

that they have a new juvenile in the family.

On a more dramac note they had two male

Octopuses ghng over the right to a fe-

male. It was an incredible day, we also had a

swimming frogsh and 40 minutes with Dol-

phins on the same dive that day!Says Sarah

Somemes you see things that make you re-

alise quite how cool this job is!

NEWS

Red Sea News

Divers and snorkelers alike from several Hurghada Dive

Operators were all happily surprised when a female

Humpback Whale and her calf appeared next to the

boats the 12th of October. The locaon was the areasouth of Abu Ramada down to just north of Abu Hashish.

The Impressing family was staying around for more than

an hour.

Photo: Dive Point Hurghada.

The bays of the Southern Red Sea have long been famous

for the chances to see Dugong but lately Marsa Abu

Dabab has been scaringly quiet lately. Now it seems that

you are more likely to meet one in Marsa Shouna just a

short distance to the north where the report of sighngs

are coming in more and more frequently. Another inter-

esng sighng reported is a Sailsh spoed by blue o two

safari guide Kinga Bardocz on Big Brother 13th October.

Divers from Colona Divers have this month been swim-

ming around with Hammerhead Shark- so toy Finley.

This is because the Dive Operator is parcipang in the

Project Aware Shark Tour. Finley started his world tour

on World Ocean Day 8 June 2011 and the hope is to raise

awareness for the ongoing Project Aware acon plan to

protect the sharks.Photo Colona Divers - Hurghada

Photo:JamesDawson

NEWS


13/3424 25

In non-diving news, the formaon of the

Sharm Sharks Rugby Club is providing some

good entertainment for the dive sta, with

regular training sessions (open invitaon to

all). There is even a girls team growing, and

compeve xtures with other teams are be-

ing arranged.

The bar T2 in Sharm El Sheikh welcomes their

new manager Luca Mitchel who since years

has been driving the Hurghada bar crawlers

mad with Lucas Crazy Karaoke in Papas Bar.

He has already made an impression by enter-

taining full throle style at the Halloween

Party.


NEWS

Red Sea News (Continued)

Business has picked up over high season and

some centres that were struggling to nd

work for their instructors due to the massive

drop in tourism this year, are now struggling

to nd enough instructors to do the work. A

lot of sta le Sharm due to the lack of work,

and recruing new European sta is almost

impossible, unless they are already there.

The lack in tourists seems to have had one

good result according to Crowley and he

explain why. All in all I think it has been a

good year for diving in Sharm El Sheikh, thereefs have appeared more vibrant, and there

havent been as many people to get in the

way.

So - were looking forward to a chilly winter

and hopeful that the return of tourism to

Sharm El Sheikh is a posive sign for the fu -

ture.

From Sharm El Sheikh Crowley re-

ports that wildlife sighngs are on a

par for the season and a drop in the

water temperature - at the moment

around 26 Celsius.

The big school of Snappers at SharkReef have moved on although Ive

seen a lot of Napoleons there recent-

ly. Turtle sighngs are common and

there is sll the odd hammerhead be-

ing seen outside Jackson Reef in Ti-

ran, but weather condions have not

made the dive possible in the last few

weeks.It has been a good year for Hammerhead sighngs. At least 75% of our dives con -

ducted there resulted in at least 1, and up to 10 together, with groups of four or more seen

quite regularly. Even if this is not as great as the schools of 40 in years gone by it s a lot beer

than last year, where they were almost absent.

Top: Schools of Hammerheads Photo: Kimmo Hagman.

Botom: Bigeye Trevallies Photo: James Dawson

Above Lef: Sharm Sharks playing a friendly game - Photo: Yann Vautrin.

Above Right: Haloween party with Luca at T2 - Photo: Michelle Guy.

NEWS
http://www.emperordivers.com/http://www.emperordivers.com/http://www.oceansredsea.com/


14/3426 27THE EQUALIZER Nov-Dec 2011

If you have Red Sea News to report please send us an email to [email protected]

NEWS

Red Sea News (Continued)Hurghada Environmental Protec-

on and Conservaon Associaon

HEPCA says in a recent newsleer

that Now the gloves came o. As

they put it We are sick and red of

those considering the Red Sea an

underwater amusement park. Wewill condemn every single violaon

showing disrespect for our marine

and terrestrial environments. We

will point the nger at dive guides,

divers, instructors, dive centres

and whoever else shares the re-

sponsibilies of such ignorant be-

haviour.

HEPCA is planning to present their suggested

soluon to the Governor along with photo-

graphs sent in by the local dive community.

The underwater environment, reefs and

wrecks is the foundaon for the dive industry

and we have to do everything to protect it.

If you see anyone disrespecng and damag-

ing the Red Sea wrecks and reefs, document

with photographs or video and report it onthe HEPCA website HERE.

Orca Dive Club Dahab are moving from its

locaon in Happy Life Hotel to Coralia Club

Dahab at the big lagoon from beginning of

November.

October 1st Extra Divers Marsa Ghaleb opend

up in their new facilies in Marina Lodge Ho-

tel. From here the daily boats will be leavingthe jey right outside the dive centre.

Colona Divers re-opens in Marsa Ghaleb. The

Dive Operator chose to close in the beginning

of the year due to the revoluon but has now

decided that the polical climate has seled

enough to connue with business.

Next month it is me for the grand opening

of Gold Gym in Hurghada. Its located next

to Calypso night club and with its 2.300 m2

it will be the largest training facility in town.

There is a separate ladies area and all person-

all trainers are ISSA qualied.

I SAW THIS WEIRD THING
http://www.oceansredsea.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.hepca.com/get-involved/report-violationhttp://www.hepca.com/get-involved/report-violationmailto:[email protected]://www.oceansredsea.com/http://www.divepatches.com/http://www.divepatches.com/



On many occasions divers come out of the wa-

ter saying I saw this weird thing and oen

what they have seen is a Sailors Eyeball Va-

lonia Ventricosa. And yes, the Sailors Eyeball

is likely to be one of the most peculiar look-

ing objects you will encounter on the normal

dive. It is about the size of a ping-pong ball

and shiny as mother of pearl. Some describe

it as a bubble of mercury or chrome, other

say it looks like a stainless steel ball bearing.

Many assume that they are man-made and

not a natural occurring feature of the reef.

Sailors eyeballs belongs to the group called

bubble algae. It is believed to have acquired

its name by early mariners peering into the

water and seeing what seemed to be eyes

peering back at them.

I SAW THIS WEIRD THING...

SAILORs EYEBALLThe Largest Single-Cell Organism In The World

Words Anders Jlmsj - Photo James Dawson

Its found on hard booms in dal zones

where its aached by rhizoids, hair-like

threads that create a surprisingly strong

hold. Fairly common in tropical and subtropi-

cal seas all over the world its one of the larg-

est single-celled organisms on the planet.

Its a plant and therefore a photosynthec

organism meaning that it can produce food

directly from carbon dioxide and water using

energy from sun light. Due to the cellulose

structure the cell wall is tough and transpar-ent while the inside is lled with a green u-

id. If you put a torch behind it so you can see

the light coming through, it looks like a green

marble. It normally grows individually, but it

happens that you nd a group stuck togeth-

er. It reproduces by segregave cell division.

A mother cell makes daughter cells which

forms individual rhizoids and new bubbles.

These separate from the mother cell and a

new Sailors Eyeball is born.

Because of its size and the fact that it is one

large single cell the Sailors Eyeball has at-tracted the eye of scienc studies. These

studies have proven very useful in order to

learn more on the subject of how cells de-

velop.

So next me you see one of these shimmer-

ing spherical algae remember that you are in

the company of a world record holding giant

that may one day change the way we dene

our own smallest building blocks the cell.

ENVIRONMENT
http://www.divepatches.com/http://www.divepatches.com/


16/3430 31

ENVIRONMENT

MISSION: POSSIBLE

Do you remember February 2011? Egypt was

suddenly not the old Egypt anymore, the

former president Moubarak was gone, the

Egypan populaon achieved the impos-

sible. A sense of ownership for the country

developed throughout the cizenship, ci-

zen armies were established and cleanups

took place on a daily basis. All of the sudden

the environment was becoming one of the

top-priories in the country. You could see

the young cleaning together with the old,the foreigners with the Egypans, all for one

goal: to clean the country.

But what happened then, where did the

enthusiasm that seemed so promising for

Egypts nature go? Unfortunately, may it be

due to the loss of interest or the rising tem-

peratures during the day, the new appre-

ciaon for the environment did not last very

long and already in March the cleanup move-

ment died.

Recently, a new group started to connue the

work that was le 7 months ago. Under the

lead of the local non-governmental organisa-

on HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protec-

on and Conservaon Associaon) cleanups

are being organised on a regular basis again.

Every weekend, members of the communitymeet to clean dierent areas in Hurghada,

while especially concentrang on the spruce-

ness of the beaches, Public Beach 4 or Felfela

Beach among others. In the last month they

managed to collect more than 4 trucks full

of rubbish while leaving behind cleaner and

nicer areas.

HURGHADA BEACH CLEAN-UPSBy Anders Jlmsj - Photographs: HEPCA




Moreover, solid waste is sll one of

the biggest threats to the marine

ecosystem, annually killing millions of

aquac creatures by accidental inges-

on and entanglement. We should all

do our best to ght this threat and

make sure that our rubbish does not

end up in the sea but in bins, where

it belongs.

If you would like to be part of the

cleanups join the facebook group

Cleanups in Hurghada. This is where

the group organises their cleanup

events and announces dates, mes

and locaons for the upcoming clean-

ups. If you do not have an account

on facebook you can get in contact

with the organiser Urte under urte@

hepca.com. She can give you all the

informaon you need. Everyone iswelcome to join, helpers are always

needed!

Above: Before and Aer taken at Felfela Beach.

Above: We are all in it together. This is 6 years old

Talaal who, together with his mother Rose is help-

ing out every me.
http://www.hepca.com/



rhibText and Illustraon Anders Jlmsj

If youre coming to Egypt for a

dive holiday you might be doing

some diving from a Rigid-Hulled

Inatable Boat or RHIB. It used to

be exclusive for liveaboards but

now it starts to become more and

more common amongst daily div-ing operators to oer single-dive

excursions from inatables. In

the south of Egypt the inatables

have been around for a while for

trips from Marsa Alam to Elphinstone for example but now they are also more frequently

introduced in the north. Some divers are used to the techniques of diving from RHIB, some

are not. Here are some hints to make your holiday easier and safer.

But rst - the history of the RHIB in short.

The inatable boat is not a new idea. Prehis-

toric carvings show animal skins lled with

air used as oats to cross waters. However,the development of the modern inatable

boat has an intricate history. In 1838 Charles

Goodyear discovered the process to vulcan-

ize rubber which stabilises the rubber making

it sturdy and exible and in 1839 the Duke of

Wellington was busy tesng the rst inata-

ble pontoons. By 1855 several types of inat-

able rubber boats were in use, some made

by Goodyear, some by the Thomas Hancock

Company in Britain and in 1866 four men

managed to successfully cross the Atlanc

from USA to UK on an inatable ra. You can

reed about this adventure in William H. Long-yards book A Speck on the Sea : Epic Voy-

ages in the Most Improbable Vessels

In 1937 Pierre Debroutelles designed an in-

atable which is considered to be the rst to

have U-shaped tubes with a wooden tran-

som. During World War II warships began to

use boat-shaped rubber life ras and one of

the models was built by the former airplane-

manufacturer Zodiac which

later on expanded into the

civilian boat industry. Alain

Bombard, French Navy of-

cer and biologist came up

with the idea to put an out-

board engine in the back. The

manufacturer Zodiac picked

up on the idea and built it.

In the mid 1960s a group of

students at Atlanc College inWales replaced the plywood

hull with glass bre and the

modern RHIB was born. Bom-

bard actually sailed his inat-

able across the Atlanc Ocean

in 1952. This led a friend of

Bombards Jacques-Yves Cou-

steau to get his eyes on the

inatable boat and brought

some onto his research ves-

sel Calypso as tenders.

Now its me to go for a dive

and we will be taken out to

the water entry- and we will

be brought back to the dive

vessel by an inatable. From

now on well call it Zodiac.

Prepare For Departure

Make a buddy check and

take a few breaths from your

regulator while monitoring

your pressure gauge. To roll

into the water with a closedtank is a big no-no. Make

sure (really sure) that you

have everything, especially

your dive computer and your

weights. These are the most

commonly forgoen items.

On the way out, do not put

anything on the oor of the

Zodiac. A mask or computer

is easily broken when stood

upon. Beer then to keep the

computer on your arm and

the mask around your neck.

Make sure that also your

camera is safe.

When In the Zodiac

You are now in your weights

and equipment, prepare your

mask. Put your ns on withthe mask on your face and

the regulator in your mouth.

This way, if you lose balanceand fall in the water you are

prepared for being under wa-

ter. While the Zodiac is mov-

ing its a good idea to hold on

to the ropes on the side of

the Zodiac.

Rolling in from the Zodiac

Hold one hand on your mask

and regulator and the other

grabbing your weight belt

buckle. Almost every lost

weight belt happens during

the roll-in. When everybody

is ready the guide, or crew

member pilong the Zodiac,

counts down 3 2 1 GO!

Everybody should roll in si-

multaneously on GO! If you

for some reason miss to rollin on GO! you wait for the

Zodiac driver to check that

its clear behind you beforeyour second aempt. If you

roll in just a few seconds aer

the group you might end up

banging your tank in some-

ones head. Depending on

condions you might pracce

one of two dierent ways to

enter the water: Posive En-

try or Negave Entry.

RIGID-HULLED INFLATABLE BOATS

DIVING FROM A RHIB IN THE RED SEA

Above: Inatables hanging behind a safariboat.Above: Type of inatable used by Daily Dive Operators.

PhotoEpmerorD

iveersElGouna



Posive Buoyant Entry

Inate your BCD slightly before rolling in.

In the water you regroup and follow the

guides instrucons.

Descend in buddy teams while keeping an

eye at the guide for direcons.

Negave Buoyant Entry

Empty your BCD completely. If you have

problems squeezing all the air out you can

suck out the last air through the inatororally.

Exhale as you roll in so you get extra heavy.

Head down and ns up you make a few

hard n kicks and meet up with your bud-

dy on 5-6 metres.

Geng Back Into the Zodiac

When its me for the safety stop its me to

start planning for the re-entry onto the Zo-

diac. Make your safety stop close to the reef.

At the end of the safety stop swim out a few

metres from the reef and send up your SMB

at least one minute before you plan to break

the surface. Keep an eye on the SMB and the

line from the reel so it doesnt get caught by

waves, current or wind and swept up over

the reef. On a dri dive alongside a reef there

should always be at least one SMB in each

buddy team, preferably one with each diver.

If you have never used an SMB before you

can get training from one of your guides. Lo-

cate the Zodiac and keep an eye out for other

moving Zodiacs while ascending.

The crew cant take the Zodiac too close tothe reef because then it might be swept on

top of the reef by the wind and waves so

when you surface you might have to swim out

and meet it. When you reach the Zodiac the

crewman will direct you to either side of the

Zodiac. Grab the handle/rope with your le

hand. This hand stays on this rope unl you

are in the Zodiac. If you let go the wind will

take the Zodiac away from you. First hand the

Zodiac driver your SMB + reel, camera, torch

or whatever loose equipment you might car-

ry. Then release your weights and give them

to the crew in the Zodiac. It goes without

saying that you always remove your weights

before the BCD. If you have

integrated weights they need

to come out before you take

the BCD o. Keep holding on

to the Zodiac and release all

buckles with your right hand.

Make sure your BCD is in-

ated. Unclip the le shoul-

der strap and swing your BCD

around your body holding

the inator side. Help thecrew by pushing your cylin-

der from underneath.

Swing your legs out to get

your body in a horizontal

posion. Make a few hard

n kicks and pull yourself

over the tubing. Well done!

This whole procedure takes

maximum 20 seconds. It s ex-

tremely important that this

operaon goes swi. If the

wind or waves pushes the Zo-

diac onto the reef it will dam-

age the corals, damage the

Zodiac and most importantly

may cause serious injury.

Above Hold your SMB upright to be visible from far away.

Opposite Page: Divers back in the Zodiac aer a dive.

Photo:JamesDawson
http://www.tekstremediving.com/


20/3438 39

This page: Divers geng back into the Zodiac aer a dive

The Guide

Depending on the situaon the guide

might be rst or last into the Zodiac.

If the weather is rough and you need

to get out of the water fast the guide

will be rst back up and help the Zodiac

driver to pull equipment over the tub-

ing. If condions are good or there is a

diver who needs special help the guidemight be the last one into the Zodiac.

This is a decision she/he will make at

the me. In any case its imperave

that you follow the guides instrucons.

We can talk about the dive when we

are safely in the Zodiac and on our way

back.

THE EQUALIZER Sep-Oct 2011
http://www.tekstremediving.com/http://www.tekstremediving.com/



THISTLEGORM70 Years Anniversary Dive

Words: Clare Wilders - Photo: Dray Van Beeck

So this month, on the Sixth October, we had

the seventy year anniversary of the sinking

of the SS Thistlegorm. That was the night she

was moored up in the Gulf of Suez awaing

orders to ferry through the canal en-route to

supply the Allied forces in Tibruk. Sadly dur-

ing the night, the ship was bombed, with the

devastang blast creang such a vast hole,

that she sank to the sandy boom. There

she has rested for the last seventy years, at a

depth of thirty metres. The fact that it was ahot night had saved most of the crews lives,

as many were sleeping on deck in an aempt

to keep cool. However, sadly nine lives were

sll lost that night, meaning that this wreck is

also a war grave. Every trip we make here, we

do pay a nod of respect to those unfortunate

men.

As it happened, we had a trip booked for

the anniversary date this year. Seventy years

is quite some me for a ship to sit on the

boom, and as a result she has gathered a

wealth of aquac life using her as a home. So

this dive really is quite spectacular both for

wreck lovers and reef lovers alike.

It was a parcularly early start to the day,

even for a Thistlegorm trip, with my bus at

ve past four in the morning and Ahmed be-

ing collected at three thirty! With the sun not

yet even a glimmer on the horizon, I was up,

enjoying a cuppa before heading o into the

darkness to gather the guests for our trip.

Being slightly supersous I had not actuallymenoned the auspicious date of our trip, as

the weather forecast had not been in our fa-

vour at all. There was a small chance that we

could actually end up having to turn around.

This is not unheard of on Thistlegorm trips, as

she lies in relavely unsheltered, waters, so

I did not want to jinx things by making a big

deal of the date unl we were a lile closer

to our target.

Once on board, with the boat checked, it was

me for a snooze during our journey. The sun

was just rising now, so into the saloon I head-

ed, found a comfy bench, and put my head

down to sleep. Ahhhh.... nice, I got a kind of

kip, although I was very aware of the rising

swell around us, and was fully expecng to

get blasted as we rounded the p of the Sinai

peninsular by Shark and Yolande Reefs.

An hour and a half later, there was no blasng

wind, sll just a light breeze, and no sign of

the saloon lling up with guests seeking shel-ter... Ooooh, maybe things are going in our

favour. I will say however, the wind did con-

nue to pick up as we made our way further

up the Gulf, and as we ventured out from the

shelter of the reef, the swell did once more

increase.

As we approached the wreck itself, it became

clear that it was going to be one popular day

here. Well... the seveneth anniversary is no

Its been 70 years sinse the day SS Thistlegorm was

sunk - Clare Wilders tell the story of the anniversary

dive on Thistlegorm on 6th October 2011.

Opposite Page: The author ready

to jump in the water for a dive.


22/3442 43

secret, so many dive centres will have createdspecial anniversary trips to mark the event.

As it had become quite apparent that the trip

was indeed going to go ahead, I started to let

the divers know how important the date was.

We were going to be diving this wreck ex-

actly seventy years aer she sank. It gave me

goosebumps every me I menoned the fact.

During the brieng, I told our divers about

the ship, how she sank, and of course the

anniversary, reminding them of todays im-portance and how we should really make an

extra nod of respect towards those who had

lost their lives that fateful night.

Once moored, we were ready to head down

the line. All holding on rmly unl we reached

the wreck itself, there was a decent ow of

current, making me think it might be a good

idea to go inside rst. (I had briefed both op-

ons just in case). The fact that our back linewas ed right by the entrance point to the

holds, and I could already see a fair few divers

milling around the ship beneath us, nalised

my decision, so I checked that everyone was

happy to enter, and in we went...

Inially, it took a moment for our eyes to ad-

just to the gloom, then we could make out a

halo of daylight ahead of us, silhoueng the

shoals of sweepers hanging out in the rst

room. We then dropped through the oor to

the lower levels, making sure that we sank aslow as possible to get some depth in order

to prevent a reverse prole on our next dive.

Through the shadows, I could see shas of

light beaming down ahead of us. We swam

through the only narrow part of the wreck

to the next hold where we found the famous

trucks some were empty, some stacked with

motorbikes. We swam around each hold, in

turn. All of which had been packed almost

to the raers with trucks, motorbikes, boots,

hospital beds and even aeroplane wings and

noses. I signalled back to my divers as we ap-

proached each item of interest, and as per

the brieng, they passed my messages back

to those behind them, just to make sure that

everyone got to see and appreciate as much

as possible.

The next area to see was the rope room inthe bow. We headed in, admiring the huge

coils of rope sll sing untouched aer all

these years, before exing and swimming up

onto the bow itself. Here we could really ad-

mire the fact that not only is this an amazing,

huge shipwreck, it has also become a reef in

its own right, now home to whole colonies of

coral, and dense shoals of fusiliers. O to the

port side, in the distance, I could even see a

rippling silver wall of baish, glinng in the

sunshine. The current was perfect for an I m

on top of the world! Titanic moment. So

I swam into the ow, out over the point of

the bow, arms outstretched... looking down

I could see the fusiliers swirling in the depths

eeing from the ever inmidang blue n

trevallies. The current was prey sturdy, so

a few strong kicks were needed to push my-

self beyond the bow in order to turn aroundand admire the sheer scale of the shipwreck

now in front of me. She is around seventeen

metres wide and a whole one hundred and

twenty six metres long, and with our fantasc

visibility here, we really were able to see this

vastness for ourselves at this point. I looked

down the keel of the bow watching it delve

deep into the navy below, surrounded by tur-

quoise ashes of fusilier.


Trucks loaded with motor bikes

Above: The Poppy aached to the wreck

Photo: Catherine Sharp
http://www.aziabmedia.com/ONLINE%20SHOP.htm


23/3444 45

All too soon, it was me to dri back to our

ascent line and the safety stop. The rope

was leading up at quite a gentle, sloping an-

gle and due to the roughening surface con-dions, seemed to disappear into a ghostly

mist above us. I felt like we were climbing a

rope up into the clouds, really quite spooky

indeed.

As expected, the wind had increased some-

what, so it felt quite bizarre leaving the rela-

ve peace and tranquility of the fog below,

to appear on the surface in the throes of a

lively wind and a fairly decent swell. Time for

a cup of tea, chat and a warm up in the ever

present sunshine.

Our second dive was to head around the out-

side of the wreck and take in the propeller

and stern. Some of our other guys had also

seen a single poppy on the winch blocks, so I

was hoping we would have enough air and no

deco me le to take a lile look at that and

pay our respects to the lost souls. So down

the line we went again, dipping beneath the

now slightly vexed surface condions.

There was sll a touch of current, but my

divers were all condent, so this was not a

problem, we simply held on to the rope unl

we reached the shelter of the ship, and thenused that to protect us from the ow. We

swam straight for the prop rst, in order to

touch the blade for luck. There is a ny patch

of brass shining through the corals, where

thousands of divers over the years have had

a lile stroke for luck. Rounding the stern we

immediately started to shallow o slightly in

order to check out the big gun on the rear

and the box of bombs where someone (not

so wisely, I feel) has rubbed o the algae to

reveal the date that the bomb was made

(1929... so the munions were already old,

even back then). Finning over the gun carri-

ers and bomb blast area, we headed for the

captains cabin where we made our usual nod

of respect, before heading straight for the

poppy on the bow and another nod. There it

was, cable ed to a spike in front of the winch

block, a solitary poppy in remembrance of

the nine guys who died on that night seventy

years ago. Rest in Peace.

Once again, me ew past, and all too soon

we needed to shallow o... my computer al-

ways ultra conservave, was telling me to

ascend a touch, ahead of my guests so we

headed for the roof and our back line, by

which me we all needed to start making

our way up. Very slowly taking in the shady

ship beneath us, surrounded by more swirl-

ing fusiliers, we worked our way up the rope,

taking a lile extra me on the stop, just toensure we were all fully o-gassed aer our

two, prey square dive proles. Once back

on the surface, we were most glad that it was

me to leave. The swell was now properly

angry, and thanks to our early start, we were

able to leave the area before it became too

uncomfortable for everyone. Hmmm I guess

Autumn has well and truly announced her ar-

rival. Hey ho... it happens every year.

On our way back to Sharm, it was me to

catch up on a few more snoozes, but not be-

fore we enjoyed a hearty lunch cooked by our

new chef on board. Most tasty indeed!

Arcle adapted from the original which can

be found in the DiveBunnie Blog:

Want to know more about this fantasc

wreck? Then check out John Keans website.

Author of his own Thistlegorm book where

he interviews survivors of the wreck, to nd

out the full story: www.ssthistlegorm.com


Deparng the wreck

Photo: Clare Wilders

A SELECTION OF EGYPTS MOSQUES
http://www.ssthistlegorm.com/http://divebunnie.blogspot.com/2011/10/thistlegorm-anniversary-dive.htmlhttp://www.aziabmedia.com/ONLINE%20SHOP.htmhttp://www.ssthistlegorm.com/


24/3446 47

Clockwise from top right: The museum of Islamic art in Cairo has a mosque within the grounds, the

imposing facade of the Bin El Saladin mosque (aka Cairo Citadel), an area where visitors can clean clean

their feet before entering the mosque, the rst mosque was built in Egypt in 642 - the Amr Ibn Al Aas mosquein Fustat, a new mosque under construction in Hurghada, a typical minaret towers over the city, sometimes

a mosque is the only structure in an area, a mosque tucked in the alleyways of Luxor.

EGYPTIAN LIFEAPhotographicTourofPlacesofWorship

It is almost impossible to say how many mosques there are in Egypt. Cairo is sometimes known as the city

of 1,000 minarets, but Cairo has far more places of worship than that. Here is a small sample of the varied

and majestic mosques that can be found throughout Egypt;

A SELECTION OF EGYPT S MOSQUES


THE EGYPTIAN WAY


25/3448 49

THE EGYPTIAN WAY

It is Sunday aernoon and I am sing at caf at Cairo Internaonal

airport. I am on my way back from another memorable holiday in

Egypt, trying my best to nd a reason to feel even the slightest bit

home sick. Nothing comes to mind. I gaze deep into my paper cup

of weak instant coee and for a moment I think I have found it.

Coee! It seems almost impossible to have a decent cup of strong

coee in Egypt. I have oen thought of this as strange in a coun-

try so close to the origin of coee. Then I realise my mistake. The

three best cups of coee I have ever had, I had in Egypt.

It was in Marsh 2009, me, my husband and

a couple of friends spend some me diving

north of Marsa Alam. The water tempera-

ture was around 22C; comfortable if you are

on holiday and brought your dry suit, barely

worth the money if you are a dive guide from

Asswan in a worn out 5 mm wet suit, one size

too big. That is why we agreed, on that parc-

ular day to spare our poor guide and let him

stay on the deserted beach and look aer our

clothes.

Upon returning from the dive an hour later

we found out that this beach was in fact not

as deserted as it rst appeared. It turned out

to be the temporary home of an old Bedouin

man from the same village as our guide. Since

the two knew each other and wanted to spend

some more me together we were invited to

join them for a cup of Bedouin coee. Cof-

fee aer a dive is always welcome and as we

were in no hurry to get back, we gladly ac-

cepted. By then we had no idea that whatwe were about to experience was something

very far from your ordinary, everyday cup of

coee.

The rst thing that struck me as a bit odd was

that we were served tea while we waited for

the coee. When you come from a country

where coee is always readily available while

tea is something you will have to ask speci -

cally for, this seems slightly backwards, how-

ever not at all unpleasant. It was soon evident

though, that the Bedouin did not exactly have

Nescaf in mind when he invited us. He be-gan the coee making process by rummaging

out a handful of pale, greenish beans which

he roasted in an old n can in a smouldering

bonre. As the beans begun to change col-

our he added pieces of ginger to the n can

and myrrh to the ember for taste. Even the

smell was delicious as we sat in silence in the

warm sand, sipping our tea, watching every

step of the process with growing curiosity.

A hesitant conversaon began to emerge

while the beans were roasng. Once in a while

the old man reached out and raled the n

can. When the beans had turned dark brown

he took the sll hot beans into his hands, rub-

bing them gently, blowing away the peels. He

grounded the beans and pieces of ginger in

a mortar and carefully transferred the mix to

a small amphora-shaped vessel that he lled

up with water and placed in the re.

While the coee was heang up he took outsix thimble-sized porcelain cups and washed

them in a tub, half-full with less than clear

water. I remember that I thought that we

would have been much beer o if he had

not washed the cups at all and that we would

probably have to spend the next couple of

days in close proximity to a bathroom. But my

curiosity was aroused and I was more than

happy to take that chance.

The Odd Cup Of CoffeeWords by Anna Svrd - Photo by Anders Jlmsj

https://www.facebook.com/groups/156039604243/


26/3450 51

When the coee was boiling the Bedouin

took the vessel out of the re and stued a

ball of dry grass down its throat to lter o

the coee-grounds as he poured the drink.

He served the coee adding what seemed

like equal amounts of coee and brown sugar

in large crystals to the ny cups.

Regreully, I do not possess the language

skills necessary to make the taste jusce.

Lets just say that it was dierent from any-

thing I have ever tasted. The cups were soonempty apart from some of the sugar that was

not dissolved. While talking to our host, the

guide interpreng, we had rells. It was one

of these moments you know right away that

you will never forget.

No maer how pleasant, all good things must

come to an end, and in order to have any

hope of being able to fall asleep some me

within the next couple of weeks we thought

it best to thank our host and head back. This

however, was not allowed. We had had two

cups of coee each and our guide explained

to us that the Bedouin would not let us leave

unless we had one more. Or three, or ve but

we were under no circumstances allowed to

leave aer having an even number of cups.

He was quite adamant and we were not ex-

actly hard to persuade.

My single paper cup with poor quality Egyp-

an airport coee is almost empty and I swal-

low the last lukewarm swig with a frown. It

is me I get my things together, nd the gate

and embark on the plane back to where the

coee is rarely this bad, never that delicious

but of immeasurable social importance. With

me I bring more bright memories from Egypt.


MARINE PARK
https://www.facebook.com/groups/156039604243/https://www.facebook.com/groups/156039604243/


27/3452 53

In 1983, 97 square kilometers of the south-

ern p of the Sinai peninsula was designated

by the Egypan government as the protected

Naonal Park of Ras Mohammed. The name

stems from the word Ras, Arabic for head-

land, or cape, and the fact that at a certain

me of day, when viewed from the right an-

gle, the clis which we know today as Shark

Observatory appear to form the outline of a

face that is widely regarded as the face of theprophet Mohammed. Since then the park has

been extended to cover approximately 480

km2, of which around 75% is underwater.

The enre Sinai peninsula had previously

been regarded as a protected area during the

period of Israeli occupaon at which me the

sprawling resort which is Sharm El Sheikh to-

day was lile more than a couple of hotels,

a road or two (of sorts), and a diving para-

dise. The Israelis recruited members of the

Bedouin tribes that inhabit the local desert

as park rangers in return for the preservaonof their tradional shing rights.

Following the return of Sinai to Egypt, well

known marine biologist Dr. Eugenie Clarke

(The Shark Lady) and the Egypan photog-

rapher and diver Ayman Taher (son of the fa -

mous arst of the same name), together with

early pioneers of the dive industry (now large

companies such as Camel Dive Club and Si-

nai Divers) who recognised the potenal for

development in Sharm El Sheikh, pushed to

ensure that the environment would be pre-served for future generaons of tourists.

Whilst their eorts were not in vain, the mas-

sive growth of Sharm over the last ten years

or so has seen some of the reefs that lie along

the coastline of the resort almost completely

destroyed in places due to careless and un-

caring construcon work.

Nowadays, the park of Ras Mohammed

stretches from the Qad Ibn Haddan light-

house in the Gulf of Suez to include the

Sharm coastline as far north as Tiran with its

famous island reefs the entrance to the Gulf

of Aqaba where the park borders with the

Nabq Protected Area.

The naonal park includes the mountainousdesert interior which seems completely bar-

ren but is in fact home to a number of larger

creatures including the Dorcas gazelle (Ras

Ghozlani means Cape of the Gazelle), the Nu-

bian ibex and the Red fox. Sadly, the gazelle

and ibex have been hunted almost to exnc-

on by the very same tribes that were once

hired to protect them and driven into the

interior by the increased human presence

nearer the coast.

Avian inhabitants of the park include Heronand Osprey, and white stork stop for a brief

respite during their annual migraon to main-

land Africa. Dierent types of snakes, lizards

and spiders can also be found.

MARINE PARK

At the very south point of the Sinai

Peninsula, surrounded by waters

reaching the depth of nearly 2.000

metres, Ras Mohammed Naon-al Park is indeed extreme in many

ways. On land the sun beats the des-

sert sand , In the water nutrience

currents bring life to a kaleidoscope

of coral reef and sh. The extreme

locaon of Ras Mohammed has al-

ways had huge strategic importance.

Ancient Egypans fought to controll

trade on the Red Sea from this ad-

vantage point. The Arabs and later

the Oomans who ruled Egypt, al-

ways kept a strong military presence

to secure the land and naval routes-between Europe and the East, as

well as the passage ways to Mecca.

The name Ras Mohammed allegedly

comes from one of the clis in the

area which resembled the features of

the Prophet Mohamed. Here Mark

Crowley lls us in on all the facts we

didnt know about this beauful Na-

onal Park

Opposite: One of many birds oen seen in Ras Mohammed Naonal Park is the Osprey.

This Page: The mangrove found in Ras Mohammed Naonal Park is one of the most

northerly known in the world.

RAS MOHAMMEDThe Extreme End Of Everything

Words Mark Crowley - Photographs Anders Jlmsj


Photo Credit: Yuvalr


28/34

54 55THE EQUALIZER Nov-Dec 2011

The raised shoreline of much of the southern

p of Sinai is formed from the fossilized re-

mains of the ancient coral reef, raised out of

the water due to seismic acvity caused by

the fact that the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red

Sea lie along a ri between the African and

Arabian tectonic plates.

Underwater, the southern p of the Sinai

is the meeng point for three very dier-

ent bodies of water. To the west, separang

the peninsula from mainland Egypt, lies the

shallow gulf of Suez which has a maximum

depth of perhaps 250 metres compared to

the 1.7km deep gulf of Aqaba to the East that

empes into the Red Sea proper over 2km

deep in places and superheated at depth by

volcanic acvity through the very narrow,

very shallow straits of Tiran.

The resultant srange and unpredictable cur-

rents conspire to drive these three forces

together in the submerged part of Ras Mo-

hamed. Water rich in nutrients is driven to

the surface to support an ecosystem which

ranges from the microscopic all the way to

pelagic giants such as whale sharks. Approxi-

mately 200 species of coral and around 1,200

species of assorted sh, elasmobranchs, in-

vertebrates and the occasional turtle exist

within its boundaries.

Park rules include no touching, no feeding, no

taking, and the use of muck-scks or lobster-

cklers has recently been forbidden. Contra-

ry to popular belief, the wearing of knives and

gloves is permied, although please only use

knives to cut shing line and only wear gloves

if you really have a problem with cold ngers.

Visitors pay a 5 Euro per day entry fee, and if

you want to know why you need a visa to go

to Ras Mohamed from Sharm, please see my

arcle in issue three of the Equalizer.

Unfortunately, the rules governing touching

and taking have been consistently broken

over the years by incompetent or ignorant

divers (and guides, it has to be said), and

the no taking rule has been broken by peo-

ple seeking only nancial gain through illegal

shing and although the snapper sll gather

en masse outside Shark reef every summer,

the sharks that used to hunt them there do

not. As any visitor will know, the reef itself

remains spectacular, and since building is for-bidden south of Sharm El Mina (beer known

as Travco harbour), there is lile in the way of

damage from coastal development, and long

may it remain that way.

The future of the park is uncertain, because

Egypt as a naon is going through a very di-

cult polical transion right now, but there is

a very vocal group of people who wish to en-

sure that the beauty of the marine environ-

ment is preserved, and in the long run, it will

be more nancially lucrave to ensure that

this remains so.

Having said that, the decrease in tourism

has for sure had a posive inuence on the

reef this year, with absent friends such as the

hammerheads in Tiran and the Barracuda at

Shark & Yolanda making a welcome return,

although not in the numbers they were ten

years ago.

Ras Mohammed is a spectacular contrast be-

tween the desolate appearance of the desert

mountain interior and the immensely rich

and colourful underwater ecosystem that

connues to thrive there. It contains one of

the most important and impressive coral reef

structures on the planet, and you have to go

a long, long way to nd beer diving.

Above: The Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana) is a desert-dwelling

goat antelope found in Ras Mohammed Naonal Park.

Above: There are cleare rules for how to behave in Ras Mohammed Naonal Park.

PHOTOGRAPHY FOCUS


29/34

56 57

If it looks ok, apply some silicone grease to

your thumb and nger and gently ease the

grease over the whole o-ring. You want there

to be an even shine across the whole o-ring

with no clumps or blobs of grease built up.

Again, visually inspect the o-ring for any uff

or specks of dirt and then place it in the groove

of the housing. Take care not to stretch it too

much and avoid any snags or kinks. Place

the camera in the housing and perform anal visual check before closing the housing.

Ensure the lock is correctly closed and that

the o-ring was not caught at any point.

Before closing the housing, it is also possible

to include silica gel packets around the

camera if there is enough space and you can

be sure they wont interfere with its operation.

These will absorb small amounts of moisture

within the housing

such as condensation,

but will not help with a

serious leak.

Once the housing preparation is completed,

take a test shot to ensure that the camera

is operating correctly and check the buttons

are all functioning. Finally, dip the camera in

freshwater and look for any leaks or bubbles.

If all is ok, remove the camera from the rinse

tank and leave it somewhere safe until its

time to dive.

Its important to give yourself time to prepare

your equipment correctly. If you need to

rush the set-up theres a greater chance of

missing a step or making a mistake. If youare in any doubt about whether the housing

is watertight, its safer to leave the camera

behind until you can be sure. A ooded

camera can be costly and annoying, but it can

also cause stress and anxiety underwater

which may lead to dangerous outcomes. If

in doubt, wait until the next dive and ensure

you can dive safely.

In the next issue of The EQUALIZER well

look at how to clean and store your equipment

between dives.

More tips and advice

can be found in this

new guide. Available

as an app for both

iPhone and iPad.

Click here for details

Check the o-ring is evenly coated with silicone

grease, silica packets can help to remove

moisture caused by condensation, always

double check the camera by taking a test shot

and the housing by dunking it in fresh water to

look for bubbles

Keeping Your

Camera Safe & Dryby James Dawson

The only guaranteed way of never ooding

a camera is to never take it in the water in

the rst place! However, there are some

simple steps you can take to minimise, if not

completely remove the chance.

The rst thing is to develop a routine. The

more you do something, the more adept you

become and by sticking to your own routine

you can be sure that youve covered each

step and not missed anything. Try to prepare

your equipment in an environment that has

a similar temperature to that of the water to

help reduce the likelihood of condensation

due to temperature change.

Before you begin with the housing, ensurethat the camera is set up correctly. Check

that the battery is fully charged and that you

have sufcient space

on the memory card.

Its always best to nd

these things out before

you spend time with

the housing and need

to start over again.

Once you have your camera ready, set it to

one side and make sure that the housing is

dry. Open it and carefully remove the o-ring.

This can be done with the manufacturers tool

if you have one or with a credit card or guitar

plectrum if you dont. Alternatively, you can

squeeze the o-ring down the two longest sides

so that it extends past the housing groove

and use your ngers to remove it without the

need of a tool. Avoid using anything sharp

(such as a knife or screwdriver) as this may

nick the o-ring or scratch the housing.

When you have removed the o-ring, avoid

putting it down on any surface where it can

collect dust or sand. The safest place is to

hold it between your lips until youre ready to

clean it.

Next clean the housings groove for the

o-ring with a clean towel. Tissue paper and

cotton buds can leave small pieces of uff in

the groove so I nd

Documents

The Equalizer Issue Eight November 2011