Scuba Diver ANZ #39

Page 34

THE BARGE - YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY ONE-STOP SHOP Mario Vitalini explains why a rather humble dive site in the Egyptian Red Sea ranks highly among his favourite dive locations Photographs by Mario Vitalini

T

he last 18 months have certainly been challenging and some of us haven’t had the chance to get in the water as much as we wanted. Finally, borders are re-opening, and restrictions are being lifted so we can, at last, jump in at some of our favourite warm water dive sites. For me, The Barge in the Northern Red Sea is one of those places. What makes this rather average-looking dive one of my top photo spots? Let me explain why I love diving here so much. I’ll introduce some of the subjects you are likely to find, and show how I like to shoot them.

An octopus hunting at night. I particularly love the fish in the background

The Barge

The Barge is an Egyptian photography favourite, located on Little Gubal island in the Gulf of Suez. It is a must stop for any liveaboard running a northern itinerary. As its name says, the site is marked by an old barge. Very little is known about the vessel’s history. Some theories say it was used to salvage the cargo of the Ulysses, a beautiful wreck located just around the corner that sank in 1887. Other people are more inclined to think the barge went down in 1973 during the Egypt Israel war. The truth is, there is not much left of the old wreck. Lemon gobies live on a coral tree right inside the lagoon. This is a great place to photograph these shy and elusive guys

Laying on a gentle slope between 9m and 15m, it offers plenty of bottom time and the deep waters north and east of the island ensure a constant flow of clear water. Currents are normally mild, but they can be a bit strong. If this is the case, just move to the shallow and more-protected areas. What’s left of the wreck is home to a great number of species of fish and invertebrates. Because it is a regular stop for many liveaboards, the marine life has become used to divers and is relatively easy to approach. The surrounding area is packed with marine life and the drop off is regularly visited by dolphins. Cardinalfish, nudibranchs, octopus and scorpionfish are among the many friendly subject that make The Barge their home. It is this abundance of life that draws us, and why photographers now consider this site one of the highlights of any Northern Red Sea trip.

Book your holiday with the award winning dive experts at Scuba Travel!

+44 (0)1483 411590

www.scubatravel.com/photography


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