Egypte – Liveaboard Noord
jun 10th, 2010 by Bart
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Egypt 2000
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It was probably already November 2000 when I decided to have a look at the Diving World brochure. I checked out their home page on the Internet and found out they had quite a nice discount on the December 7th trip doing the north-route from Hurghada. The north-route is as you perhaps know famous for the shipwrecks and not for the abundance of big-fish. I decided to send them an e-mail with my questions and they responded very quickly by phoning me. We had a nice conversation and they explained that a club from Rotterdam chartered the 2 boats and they planned to stay close together with the two boats. I didn’t mind at all because Racquel and I are easy people when it comes to mingling. I called here to ask her if she could get away from work and if she would mind to go on a live-aboard with me as a birthday present. She of course said yes and worked overtime to get the extra day off she needed. I faxed Diving World that we would come and that they could bill me for the trip. |
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| Within a couple of weeks we were ready to get onboard. We bought ourselves some 7mm Mares Icelander wetsuits just to be sure. The Ikelite video-lamp arrived on time and we were ready to pack our bags. Since we had to fly at 10:05 AM and had to make sure we wouldn’t miss the plane we decided to take the first train from Groningen to Schiphol airport at 05:38. This meant we had to get out of bed at about 04:45 AM!! The taxi we called arrived on time and before we were quit awake we were riding the train to the airport. Every time we try to get seats with some extra space for the legs and this time we were lucky again. Row 30 on the 757 is just behind the toilets and offers you plenty of space. Unfortunately the weight of the hand luggage exceeded way beyond the 8 kilos because of the UW-video housing and video-light, but after I explained this to the very nice girl at the desk they let us go. We went for some tax-free shopping and changed some money and then off to the G9 gate. | |
Of course I had to open the bag with the housing but since they didn’t know what it was the let me pass without problems. After being in the plane for about an hour they announced on the intercom that there was a technical problem and we all had to leave the plane for about an hours delay. They gave us a voucher for a cup of coffee. But at the second attempt they plane still suffered from technical problems so  they decided to get another plane, which meant more delay and another voucher for lunch. Just after we sat down to eat the sate with bread the announced that our flight had immediate boarding at gate G7. We decided to finish our sate and bread and if it would mean that we would be last to board the plane so be it. All the other passengers who hadn’t yet ordered anything to eat or drink were rushing of to be first in the plane as is a habit with a lot of people. Within a few minutes the same nice female voice announced that flight MP322 to Hurghada was delayed until 16:35 PM. We could just make out the group who had left for G7 making a U-turn and head for the restaurant again. Finally we left after a delay of 7 hours and after getting out of bed at 4:45 AM. Isn’t it great to go out on a vacation. |
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| Racquel and I were a little concerned about the other people on the MY Rosetta who had to wait for us and couldn’t leave the Hurghada harbor to make the first dive of the week. On arrival at Hurghada it turned out that everybody in our group was on the same plane so nobody had to wait for us. | |
| Brian and his wife were there to welcome us but also told that both the Rosetta I and the Rosetta II we not in the water because of technical problems. The rented to other boats, one being the Heaven Pioneer and the other the Captain Moro. The organization of the SubLub diveclub from Rotterdam had everything already arranged and told us o get in to the second bus because we were also in the second boat, the Heaven Pioneer. We didn’t mind at that time because in all the hassle we had not received the message that the Rosetta’s we not there. In the middle of the night instead of the middle of the afternoon we arrived in the small harbor. We took our bags and jumped onto the second boat from the dock. We took of our shoes, investigated and threw our stuff in cabin number 7. After the introduction of our tourguide Ani we got a hot meal and had a couple of drinks. We were in bed by 02:30 and asleep at 02:31 AM. | |
| At 07:30 there was a knock on the door to remind us about breakfast being served at 07:45 yawnnnnnnn! Anxious to get up and go diving we jumped out of the beds and put on some clothes without taking the usual shower. Hey! Who needs a shower when he’s about to take 4 dives every day? | |
| The Dives during this week | |
| The numbers in front of the dives correspond with the numbers in my logbook. | |
| 116 |
Sha’ab El Erg
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The first dive of this week from the Heaven Pioneer was kind of a checkdive. Ani wanted to see what she had aboard. We anchored on a reef and jumped overboard. ‘Cause of the new suit and the salty water I had to take some extra weights in my BC and totaled 14 kilos! Quite a difference with the 4 kilo in Malaysia. The first dive of this week turned out to be one of the best dives we made. Some of the group spotted a turtle but Racquel and I stayed quite close to the boat to enjoy the enormous visibility in this water. It almost seems to be outer space when you hardly see any particles drifting. The videocamera was still aboard the ship but you cannot take it all the time. The large boulder under the boat is covered with hard and soft corals and lots of fish swim and hide. Anthias in abundance! Depth: 14.0 meters Divetime: 50 minutes |
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| 117 |
Siyul Kabisra
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| After a very good lunch we made the second dive of the day and of course we took the camera along with us. It was the first dive with our light and we were very anxious to see the result of this back on board was a TV-set! The best about this dive was footage of the lizardfish who was just about to eat another fish. I could come real close to it and you could sea the fear in the prey’s eyes. Will put a picture of it here Depth: 10.6 meters Divetime: 59 minutes |
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| 118 |
Ghiannis ‘D
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 A wreckdive on the Ghiannis can be a spectacular dive. Usually there is not much current because the wreck is very close to the reef. Those of you who’ve done this dive probably agree that the bow section of the wreck is the best part. The middle section has been torn by storms. The stern is also very nice. We spotted a couple of lionfish and some batfish and a lot of wooden beams in the middle section. The cargo existed of mahogany.Depth: 21.7 meters Divetime: 47 minutes |
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| 119 |
Yellow Fish Reef
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| There is a lot of hassle about whether or not to take the zodiac this dive. Ani finally decides we have to take the zodiac and have to roll backwards all at the same time. Very strange and very German way to do this. The dive is very good and when the sun breaks through the clouds again the colors come back and this is great. Lots of large boulders with scorpionfish and one huge Napoleon. Unfortunately this one is very shy and stays at a distance. Depth: 16.8 meters Divetime: 60 minutes |
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| 120 |
Bluffpoint
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| Nightdive on a very small wreck just behind/under the boat. The light of the video gives a huge light spread and attracts some fish while it shies away others as well. There is a lot of dead coral at this location and Racquel gestures that she is a little cold and wants to turn back. Because we use our little strobe-light under the boat it is very easy to find it back. Wile swimming back to the boat I spot a Octopus, one of my favorites underwater. It swims out of the beam of the light back to its whole and stays there shaped a little lighthouse (will put a picture of it here). I play a little with it and turn it around by pointing the camera to it from different directions. So after some doubts about this location it ends up quite a nice dive after all. Depth: 14.3 meters Divetime: 32 minutes |
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| 121 |
Gubal Kbir
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One of the less interesting dives of this week is the dive at Gubal Kbir. There is a lot of current and we could have skipped this one. We are having discussions on  board about our package. We are certain we booked unlimited diving and it turns out we can only make 3 dives a day and have nothing to say about the route nor do we receive any information about the plans of the next day. Very frustrating for us.This dive a big moray eel and a blue spotted ray. Because of the current a very short dive. (I don’t remember anything from this dive..) Depth: 19.0 meters Divetime: 29 minutes |
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| 122 |
Maijlek
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| Just before we enter the water we see two dolphins. Unfortunately they disappear when we anchor the boat and enter the water. I didn’t put much in my logbook about this dive. When you get spoiled and all the dives bring you colors and fish and reefs and coral you tend to forget how beautiful things are and how special the feeling of being in an other world is. Racquel is acting funny this dive. Unfortunately we still haven’t seen anything real spectacular. We knew there was a small chance of seeing sharks and dolphins but without a even a turtle or a Napoleon…..yes I know we are spoiled and there is no reason to complain…but still… Depth: 25.3 meters Divetime: 47 minutes |
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| 123 |
Umm Rush (Outside)
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| Nightdive again and the funny thing about this dive is that we are very happy when we find ourselves a nice dive-light. The funny thing is it is the light we lost a couple of minutes earlier… What is good about this dive is the attraction the light has on two lionfish who use the light to hunt for small fishes on the sandy bottom. We guide the lionfish to the smaller prey and try to see if they succeed with the very fast attacks. Now is quite clearly visible that the lionfish use there “feathers” to corner their prey to a position where it is hard to get away. Then they attack. Although the water temperature is the same at night and during the day it feels colder so we decide to go up and have ourselves a nice Bacardi Lemon with Coke. Depth: 14.5 meters Divetime: 30 minutes |
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| 124 |
Thistlegorm
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 At 9:22 AM we jump overboard and make our descent along the anchorline to one of the best possible wreckdives in the Red Sea. The is no current at all and I am still hitting my forehead for not bringing my video on this dive. Ani had told us there would be a very strong current on the wreck and I did not want to take any risks. It is a bizarre experience to dive this wreck with so many of the cargo intact and very visible. There are not many other day-trip boats anchored on the wreck yet so it gives us plenty of room to maneuver through the wreck and the cargo bays. I promise myself to take the video on the second dive. Depth: 24.9 meters Divetime: 38 minutes |
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| 125 |
Thistlegorm
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Things go very wrong the second dive of the day at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. The predicted current  has arrived and the trick with the Zodiac (leave all at once) does not work out for Racquel, Corrr and myself. The guys drop us to close to the anchorline so by the time you got your visibility back after rolling from the zodiac we have already passed the anchor line. The boat picks us up again but with a lot of panic and shouting. We first hang alongside the Zodiac and expect the boat to tow us to the anchorline again and make a second attempt. Then we are ordered to take of the BC’s and climb back aboard. On board we put back the BC on and make a second attempt. Because of all this hassle I decide to leave the video in the Zodiac which I will probably regret for the rest of my live. The second dive on this wreck is a lot busier with divers from daytrip boats being down as well. The cargo bays are crowded with divers some of them “fighting” about the best spot in the wreck. Again I pity myself for not being able to put this on tape. Like fish they all decide to go to the next cargo bay ALL TOGETHER and make a mess of it there. Corrr, Racquel and ScuBart don’t mind at all ’cause we have all the room we need now. We investigate the rooms with the help of Corr’s divelight. Mine is still attached to the video and in the Zodiac.If you aver go tot the Red Sea this is a must (3 times!) dive. Depth: 23.0 meters Divetime: 31 minutes |
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| 126 |
Gubal Saghir
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| Nightdive in in shallow part of the reef with some interesting coralblocks and a nice coralgarden. We find a rusty old lobster trap with a lionfish in it. At the end of the dive we find our first crocodile fish. This one is mistaken for a flat cucumber and when I move closer I find out my mistake. Calm and easy dive. Other divers have seen Octopus and rays. But still no shark and no dolphins while diving. We definitely have to do the south-route next year. Depth: 6.0 meters Divetime: 38 minutes |
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| 127 |
 Gubal Kbir |
 Finally Corrr and Elif were lucky enough to swim with dolphins. Corrr was up early and spotted them from the boat. He woke up Elif AND FORGOT ABOUT THE REST! and they jumped into the Zodiac with the captain of the boat. Elif had a smile on her face for the rest of the week. Elif please mail us if you read this. The morning dive at this location had a lot of current and for us nothing special. The other group said they had seen a turtle again but sometimes people from Rotterdam are hard to believe…(;-)). We decided to keep a good lookout for dolphins and when I have the chance I promised myself to jump overboard with the video in my hands. The Zodiac will have its best purpose to pick my up after this adventure. Unfortunately I had a chance jumping but I didn’t do it. And because I like them and this was Elif’s moment of joy another picture of her and the dolphins.  Thanks to Corrr for capturing these perfect shots.Depth: 18.4 meters Divetime: 51 minutes |
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| 128 |
Balena Reef
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| A fine dive with finally a turtle for Rob, Leo, Racquel and ScuBart. This time we swim around a small reef after the zodiac dropped us on the other side of it. The two jet engined AOW-students decide not to stay with us and take of at great speed. Perhaps they no about the dolphins…. As always we swim at a calm pace and enjoy the creatures on the reef. Nudibranches and little fish are sometime easily overlooked when you swim to fast. For us a lot easier with our Mares Volo fins of which you can read at our equipment page. This dive is one of our better dives and of course it was without the camera. I did not check it after the last dive I used it and so it turns out that I left it rolling. When I checked it in the zodiac I found out so…stupid again, lots of things to learn. The light on this dive especially in shallow waters is just great. Rob, Leo and the others are lucky enough to swim with those damn dolphins again. When we arrive at the Pioneer they have all gone to enjoy other divers I think. We enjoy the faces of our friends and know that just like the Malaysia trip our time will come. Depth: 19.8 meters Divetime: 53 minutes |
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| 129 |
Sha’ab El Erg
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| Calm and quiet dive at the end of the day. We finally have the choice to make 4 dives to day but we decide not to. The nightdives haven’t been the best dives so we stick to a dive with a little light left. We dive without the camera this time and so it gives me time to study and use the Suunto Cobra a little more. It is a very easy piece of equipment to dive with and I can recommend it to you. I’ve got the one with the integrated compass and this is the first time I’m using it this week. After having almost returned to the boat I break one of my own golden rules, m y prime directive so to say and I touch, feel the skin of a very, very large moray eel. It feels like snot! and that’s what I deserved after breaking the PD. The reward of me touching this beautiful animal is received while swimming under the boat. The captain had to open the shit-tank because they are experiencing a Tsunami of shit in one of the cabins. It turns out one of the toilets kept running and flooded the septic-tank. The huge cloud of brown and green opens up in front of us and I can still see the particles flowing in the water. Fortunately this is not our last dive. Depth: 12.6 meters Divetime: 50 minutes |
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| 130 |
Uhm Gamar
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| This is the last of our 15 dives this week. A week that has passed way to quick but also a week that has brought us new friends, new animals and new experiences. This dive we see a large grouper in a hole, a very nice crocodile fish and of course the Anthias. Large moray eels again and I do not feel the urge to touch them again. It keeps me out of shit so to say! Depth: 24.5 meters Divetime: 51 minutes |
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| And so the captain starts the engines and the Heaven Pioneer is heading back for Hurghada. It has been a very nice week with very good diving and very very good food. The group of divers from Rotterdam (visit them at www.sublub.nl) are the best although I was the only one on board who wanted to know about the Feyenoord-Ajax match?! They have asked me to organize a two week trip to the Brothers and the South and I am considering this “offer”. Bur first Scubart has to go skiing… | |
