Dive The World #02

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#02•2012• # 02 • 2012 •

Whales & dolphins – 10 hotspots

Raja Ampat

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The Red Sea Whale sharks British Virgin Islands Diving at dusk

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T h e R e d S e a†Words Jesper Kjøller photos Alex Mustard

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The Dive the World #02

The Red Sea

When Hans Hass and Jacques-Yves Cousteau explored the Red Sea in the early 1950s it required an entire expedition crew. Today, anybody can walk in the footsteps of the famous explorers on charter holidays to the resorts along the Egyptian coastline – or delve even deeper on a liveaboard.

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The Red Sea

My

ninth-grade German teacher was a funny man with a bone-dry sense of humour.

When he handed me back my papers after correcting my countless mistakes with his red pen, he would invariably comment: “It looks like a sunset over the Red Sea.” I was maybe 15 or 16 years old at the time.

Little did I know that a sunset over the Red Sea would many years later become an experience I would enjoy time and time again.

I have been fortunate to travel and dive all over the world for the last 20 years. But the Red Sea is my first love and Egypt a country I return to over and over. So far, it has amounted to more than 52 weeks of my life spent in Egypt and – quite literally – in the Red Sea. My first trip to Egypt was in January 1993. A friend and I booked a charter holiday to Sharm el Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula. We had never heard of the place but we found a guidebook that described some of the dive sites (this was before the Internet), and it looked promising. That first trip to Egypt changed my life. I fell in love with the diving lifestyle, the people in the diving industry and, especially, the Red Sea. I decided to pursue a career in diving and I went back to Sharm el Sheikh later that same year to freelance as a divemaster for a season and prepare for my instructor course. The rest, as they say, is history.

Salt

scenery Tropical reef-building corals are not supposed to flourish this far from the Equator. But apparently nobody has mentioned this to the reefs of the Red Sea, where some of the most colourful corals in the world are found.

The Red Sea is an unusual ocean. It is surrounded by desert and only bordered by a few cities. There are no rivers, agriculture or sewage to pollute the water or destroy the visibility. Due to a very high evaporation rate, very little precipitation and a lack of fresh water flowing into the ocean, the Red Sea is the saltiest life-sustaining body of water in the world. Only the Dead Sea is higher in salinity. But as its name suggests, that latter body of water contains no life.

Another factor that increases the Red Sea’s salinity is the fact that it’s almost sealed shut on both ends. In the north, the only passage into the Mediterranean is the Suez Canal.

And 2,250 kilometres (1,400 miles) to the south, the narrow Bab el Mandeb Strait limits the water flow between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. The Red Sea is almost like one big saltwater lake.

And while corals should not exist this far from the equator, the presence of the desert here makes for a higher average temperature than the latitude warrants, keeping the water warm enough to support reef-building tropical corals.

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Longimanus – the oceanic white tip’s Latin name – means long hands. This impressive shark is commonly spotted along the offshore reefs of the Red Sea.

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TheRed Sea red skirt†A Red Sea anemonefish (Amphiprion bicinctus) hides inside a magnificent sea anemone that has curled up into itself in the late afternoon and revealed its red skirt.

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A Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus) carefully navigates beautiful but stinging golden fire corals.

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The Red Sea is a part of the Great Rift Valley that runs from northern Syria to central Mozambique, which explains why it is very deep and at the same time very narrow.

The depth, high salinity and high latitude are some of the factors that create unique circumstances for the marine life here and make the Red Sea such a rich and diverse ecosystem. More than 1,200 species of fish have been recorded in the Red Sea and some 10 percent are endemic, meaning they exist only here. The fringing reefs along the coastline are more than 5,000 years old and formed predominantly from hard corals. Pelagic animals including several of the 44 species of shark also visit these coastal reefs.

Sea of contrast If you’ve never dived in the Red Sea you will be amazed by the contrast between the barren, arid desert and the incredible lushness underwater.

The variation between the topside surroundings and the abundance of colours and marine life below the water’s surface is mind-boggling. After so many years and so many dives, I’m still in awe every time I pop my head under the surface here.

The predominant colour is the blue of the water – this ocean should actually be called the Blue Sea, not The Red Sea, if you ask me. And that blue is a special nuance that I have not really seen in any other ocean and a colour that every underwater photographer struggles to capture correctly.

Add to the blue background the golden fire corals, lush and colourful soft corals in red and purple and the inevitable swarms of orange anthias that pulse in and out of the corals – giving the impression that the reefs are actually breathing – and you get the picture.

But typical Red Sea reef scenery doesn’t stop there. The views continue with grumpy sergeant majors, picturesque Picasso triggerfish milling about and, absolutely everywhere, pairs of blue-cheeked butterflyfish. Look closer still and you will spot hideous scorpion fish, a grouper or perhaps a parrotfish hiding in a crack. The lionfish, probably one of the most photogenic fish in the world, is an invasive species in the Caribbean where it has a bounty on its head. But here in the Red Sea, the creature is on its home turf and hovers around in all its glory, knowing full well that its poisonous spines offer formidable protection.

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RED FISH The grumpy looking soldierfish (Myripristis murdjan) can swallow surprisingly large prey thanks to its hinged jaws. The big eyes suggest nocturnal behaviour. During the daytime, soldierfish hide in the shadows close to the reef.

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ALIEN A bluespotted stingray (Taeniura lymma) sits disguised in the sand, but is ready to take off at a moment’s notice if anything comes too close. With its eyes on stalks, it’s reminiscent of a bizarre sci-fi creature.

Many dives here are wall dives – this is a very deep ocean, after all. And inexperienced divers often forget to look out into the blue for the chance to see the odd eagle ray flying by, a couple of muscular tunas on the hunt or even a reef shark patrolling the reef. I always dive the Red Sea with the sense that anything can happen when you least expect it.

Surprises in the blue have brought whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, turtles, mantas and, on numerous occasions, playful dolphins, too.

Three favourites Three of my favourite places to dive in the northern Red Sea happen to be within just a few hours of each other by boat. The first of the three sites is the signature dive of the Sinai, Ras Mohammad’s Shark Reef. A second favourite is the famous World War II wreck, the SS Thistlegorm, and a third is the wreck graveyard at Abu Nuhas.

The typical Ras Mohammad dive starts at Anemone City, which gets its name from the numerous sea anemones here and their inseparable clown fish. The aggressive clown fish protects its host sea anemone with vigorous energy and, considering its diminutive size, unwarranted self-confidence.

It’s safe to say that if clown fish were the size of Napoleon wrasse, nobody would dare to dive.

After visiting Anemone City, you swim south and out into the blue. Before long, you will no longer be able to see where you came from and where you’re going. It’s a little intimidating and you must have good sense of your bearings and buoyancy control. After a while you will see the outlines of Shark Reef, a formidable sight.

The vertical wall here drops to 800 metres (2,500 feet) – it’s one of the most impressive dive sites not only in the Red Sea, but in the entire world. During the summer months, big schools of batfish, barracuda and unicorn fish linger here where the current splits, often allowing divers to come very close. To swim among these huge schools of fish is the experience of a lifetime. Be sure to look down, too, as reef sharks are often lurking under the schools.

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The Red Sea

The current usually picks up as you swim around the reef and you must navigate with care – otherwise, you risk being swept away by the current and you’ll miss the plateau between Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef. The plateau offers shelter from the current as well as some very interesting sights – some of the biggest moray eels in the Red Sea, more schools of unicorn fish and perhaps a curious Napoleon fish (size XL) or sea turtle, too.

If you have enough air you can reach Yolanda Reef, where the container ship Jolanda (for some reason everybody gets the spelling wrong) hit the reef and lost its cargo of bathroom equipment in 1981. The wreck itself lies out of sight in very deep water but it is quite a grotesque sight to see all the white porcelain sinks, toilets and bathtubs scattered there amongst the colourful coral and fish in the shallows.

Historic place Truk Lagoon in Micronesia and Scotland’s Scarpa Flow are often mentioned as the Meccas of wreck diving. But I’d like to nominate the northern Red Sea as a very strong contender for the title. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to dive 12 different wrecks during a week on a liveaboard. Like Truk and Scarpa, this is also a historic place – although I’m not referring to Moses parting the Red Sea, the opening of the Suez Canal or the Red Sea’s strategic importance during World War II. For a diving fanatic, the real historic aspect of the Red Sea is the fact that Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his Austrian contemporary, Hans Hass, explored the area long before the arrival of mass tourism and charter flights.

Cousteau’s famous exploration vessel, the Calypso, made her maiden voyage to the Red Sea 60 years ago in 1952. And Cousteau dived the Thistlegorm in 1955, documenting the dives in the Oscar-winning documentary film “Le Monde du Silence” (“The Silent World”).

Cousteau never disclosed the position of the wreck, but it was rediscovered in 1992. The following year, I did the first of many dives on this enormous WWII cargo vessel with its impressive load of motorcycles, lorries, trains, ammunition, airplane spare parts and Wellington boots.

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Yes, the Thistlegorm has been pillaged (Cousteau’s crew was the first) and too many careless boat captains have tied their mooring lines to the structure and destroyed parts of the wreck. But she remains a formidable dive and a joy to explore both inside and out.

Abu Nuhas In “Peanuts,” Charlie Brown constantly loses his kites to the kite-eating tree. In the same way, the Red Sea reef Abu Nuhas has numerous shipwrecks on its conscience and hence should be nicknamed the wreck-eating reef.

The area’s Bedouin fishermen name many dive sites in the Red Sea. Abu means father, and Nuhas means copper.

Allegedly, the Bedouin found metal parts from shipwrecks in their nets after fishing in the area and named the place Father of Copper, even though the metal is more likely to have been brass.

And one look at a map of the Strait of Gubal makes it clear why Abu Nuhas has become a veritable wreck graveyard. Ships coming from the north make for Shedwan Island to seek refuge from rough weather. But just north of the island, a hidden reef blocks direct passage to Shedwan’s protective coves. A captain without modern navigational aids at his disposal can very easily make a terrible mistake as the submerged reef is invisible in rough weather.

Today, divers can enjoy at least four wrecks at Abu Nuhas – all of them close together, parallel to the reefs and at diveable depths. Before they were identified, the four wrecks were named after their cargo: the vine wreck, the timber wreck, the tile wreck and the lentil wreck. They are easily dived over the course of one day. And with the aid of diver propulsion vehicles you can even visit all four on the same dive.

The two most famous wrecks here are the Carnatic – one of the oldest in the Red Sea – and the Giannis D, which is one of the most photogenic.

I’m looking forward to my next adventures on these wrecks and on other old and new sites in Egypt’s Red Sea. And one thing is certain. I will enjoy many more sunsets over the Red Sea while sending happy thoughts to my German teacher from long ago – he may have struggled to teach me the language, but he certainly taught me how to appreciate the glory of Arabian nights.

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PENETRABLE One of the four Abu Nuhas wrecks, the Giannis D is a formidable playground for divers. Experienced divers enjoy penetrating the engine room with its many interesting details.

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TheRed Sea Divers used to feed hardboiled eggs to the giant Napoleon wrasses at Ras Mohammad. Today, dive guides lure the fish closer with golf balls instead.

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soldierfish patrol the cargo holds of the SS Thistlegorm and its inventory of trucks, motorcycles and other supplies bound for the desert war.

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t h e r e d s e a TRAVEL Airports in most major European cities have regular flights to Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh or the southern city of Marsa Alam.

DIVING The Red Sea offers it all, with possibilities ranging from the easiest snorkelling to the most extreme technical dives. An armada of dive boats leaves the resort areas every day, but real diving aficionados opt for a more effective liveaboard-based holiday.

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CLIMATE Egypt is a year round destination with very, very stable weather. Plenty of sun and blue skies are both givens.

The desert climate is dry and hot. But in the winter it can get quite cold after sunset, especially on windy days. Water temperatures range from 21 to 22 degrees Celsius (70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit) in the north during winter to 29 to 30 degrees Celsius (84 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) during summer in the south.

LODGING The possibilities are endless. Choose between tents or huts in eco-lodges, all-inclusive resorts or upscale luxury hotels with international golf courses. The inventory in Egypt is way bigger than the demand, so hotels are quite cheap.

HEALTH Stay out of the sun and drink plenty of fluids.

Between the dry climate and breathing compressed air, it’s easy to get dehydrated. You will find well-run decompression facilities along the coast, but dive conservatively (and preferably with nitrox) – especially when you are far from shore.

LANGUAGE Arabic. Local dive guides often speak excellent English but boat crews only know a few words. Learn a couple of Arabic phrases – it goes a long way and the locals really appreciate it.

CURRENCY Egyptian pounds. ATMs are everywhere and paying with credit cards is very common, too. The hardworking boat crews are very dependent on tips, so bring cash with you onboard.

ELECTRICITY 220 Volts. European-style plugs.

profile: Jesper kjøller – words Originally a professional musician, Jesper fell in love with diving 20 years ago – an experience that changed his life. He became a PADI Instructor in 1994 and a PADI Course Director in 1999. Since 2000, he has been the editor in chief at DYK – the Scandinavian Dive Magazine. Jesper is a prolific writer and underwater photographer and his articles and photos have appeared in books, magazines and websites all over the world. He is as happy on a tropical reef as he is on a deep, technical wreck dive in Scandinavia, and still finds time to do PADI Instructor Courses and GUE Fundamental Courses once in a while, too.

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CONTRAST†A typical fringing reef with hard corals in the shallows and a steep drop off, this colourful environment is in stark contrast to the barren desert views above the waterline.

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