BLESMAscuba

RED SEA TRIP 2010

2010-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

A new trip has been organised for a week in the Red Sea starting on the 21st September. Stay connected for more information.

Red Sea Trip Video

2010-01-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

This was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. It was a privilege to teach the members of BLESMA diving. Enjoy the video.

Dive Sites (not confirmed)

2009-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find out the sites we will be going to...

Nuweiba is about 185 km north of Sharm El Sheikh and nestles between the deep blue of the Gulf of Aqaba and the high desert mountains of the Sinai. Nuweiba is a quiet getaway famous for its magnificent beaches and offers easy access to the cultural sites of St Catherine's Monastery and Petra in Jordan, also just 80 km away to the north is the busy seaside resort of Eilat, Israel. The diving in the area runs from Devils Head and in the north to Abu Gallum in the south and is mainly accessed from the shore by jeep or even camel due to the lack of jetty facilities or safe anchorages for boats.

Abou Lou Lou House Reef
The house reef lies just to the left of the jetty, off the hotels private beach. The main reef lies between 5 and 20 metres of depth, ideal for beginners and experienced divers alike, because of the concentration and diversity of the fish life present. Puffers, Morays, Groupers, Surgeonfish, Shrimps and crabs just to mention a few. A more appropriate name would be "Lion Fish City" as you spot easily more than 20 Lion Fish on any given dive! As darkness descends on Abou Lou Lou it becomes a "must" dive site.

M.F.O.
M.F.O. is an abbreviation for Multi-National Force and Observers.
The dive starts along two desalination pipes that were put there by the Israeli Army in the late seventies. Both pipes start at 5 metres and stretch out horizontally, sloping gradually down to 12 metres and 20 metres respectively. The pipes are around 5 metres apart and over the years have become overgrown with soft corals and small table corals. This has attracted an abundance of fish to shelter around the pipes.
A short swim north from the pipes we find the reef at a depth between 14 and 20 metres with a collection of small pinnacles, coral heads and masses of soft corals blanketing the bottom. The fish life is abundant with Jackfish, Grouper, Parrotfish and sometimes Leopard rays.

Sinkers
During the seventies the Israeli Navy decided to place a large mooring buoy just off the beach, but unfortunately the water was deeper than expected and they dropped the 25 meter chain in 35 metres of water. The buoy disappeared under the surface and since then it hangs suspended at a depth of 8 - 12 metres. Slowly circling the big chains, you can admire the wonderful coloured soft corals that cover the whole length up to the buoy. Continuously schools of blue fusilier fishes shoot up and down full speed as they are chased by jackfish. As you reach the buoy itself it's hard to focus on one thing because of the profusion of fish life including Glass Fish, Damsels and Banded Boxer Shrimps.

Outside Hilton
Only 5 minutes by jeep from the hotel you will find one of the most beautiful reefs around. 40 metres from the beach the reef starts at a depth of 4 metres and descends slowly down to a depth of 28 metres. This area is blessed with large table corals and abundant fish life including Big-Eye, Angel Fish and Jacks. If you are very lucky, at certain times of the year it is possible to sight Frogfish here. The last minutes of the dive are at a depth of 4 to 5 metres enjoying the beautiful coral pinnacles whilst doing your safety stop.

El Mazeriq
The site is about 7 km south of Nuweiba. After a gentle shore entry through a break in the coral plate one sees rolling coral "hills" bottoming out in sandy bottomed "valleys". Beautiful hard corals form the hills, which you will swim over and around exploring the valleys at between 20 - 25 metres. At the end of the dive is a spectacular five meter high brain coral, affectionately named Brian's Brain.

Ras El Shetan - Devils Head
North of Nuweiba, about 30 minutes drive, is one of the best known dive sites. This is a Bedouin Camp and we usually come here for a 2 tank dive outing. The southern side of the reef starts at 12 metres where we hit the reef plateau covered by an incredible variety of hard corals and drops down sharply to a depth of 40 metres in the canyon; it is the home of octopus, puffer fish and moon groupers. This scenery leaves fantastic memories.
After the surface interval we start the second dive on the northern side of the reef which reveals a completely different structure. Swimming straight out from where we set up the equipment we descend over a patch of sea grass and a beautiful coral garden looms in front of us. It is a coral garden full with colourful and healthy coral blocks. The table corals are impressive ranging in size from a few centimetres to 3 metres in diameter. Along with various other hard and soft corals it has often been likened to a "Japanese garden", home to many fish including the very brightly coloured Lemon Goby and the Blue Green Puller.

The Valley
20 minutes by car, north of Nuweiba we reach THE VALLEY; it is outside a Bedouin camp with 2 dive sites. On the first dive we head to the right and at about 12 metres we will find a coral garden which drops into a big Canyon with a max. depth of 35-40 metres. After a one hour surface interval we head for the second dive this time turning left, here also we find another Canyon with beautiful hard and soft corals. On our way back, in shallow water we will find on both dive sites a beautiful reef plate with stunning fire corals and an abundance of coral fishes.

El Magana
25 minutes by car towards Taba is El Magana, a site next to a very basic beach camp with 2 dive sites. The reef starts just 20 metres from the beach at a depth of 5 metres. Our first dive takes us to the left side along a wall where the reef drops to 35 metres. A break in the coral plate forms a canyon which we fin through at a depth of around 20-25m from where we head back through a coral garden to the exit. After a surface interval we commence the second dive heading right this time along the coral reef plate. This is a very similar site to the first with some large fish and plenty of healthy corals. Both reefs are mainly hard corals and with a little bit of luck you can spot Napoleons, Barracudas and Seahorses.

Eid's Place (Hebeck)
This site is also located in the Ras Mamlach National park and offers a variety of hard corals and clouds of reef fish.

Ras Mamlach
Situated in the Abu Galum National Park, this is the highlight of a week's diving. It's a 1 ½ hour drive along the desert road by Jeep to get there but it's a worthwhile trip. The reef starts at about 12 m, with a beautiful coral garden and on to a steep wall that bottoms out at 70 m plus. Beautiful fan and table corals covered with soft corals and the intensive blue of the Gulf of Aqaba create a fantastic picture. The variety of the underwater life opens a new world; Barracudas, Jackfish, Groupers and much, much more. Two dives are not enough to see everything!

The Alternatives
About 30 minutes north west of Ras Mohammed is a system of flat top ergs, with names like "lonely mushroom, stingray station and sometimes known as the 'seven pinnacles'. Best dive is around the third or fourth erg from the east where the current sweeps through feeding pristine corals with bright vivid colours, however, the visibility can be effected in rough weather. 'Stingray Station' lies at the western extremity of the Alternatives; this is an irregular reef and owes its name to the gathering of stingrays in March and April. The whole area is known as home to large groupers, turtles and leopard shark.

The Wreck of the Dunraven
At the southern extreme of 'Shab Mahmoud' there are a series of shallow reefs and lagoons among which lies the wreck of the 72m English steamer sunk in 1876 on its way from Bombay to England loaded with timber and spices. The hull lies upside down and is totally covered in corals (max. depth 29m), the prop and rudder lies at 19m. The wreck is home to a wide variety of marine life, morays, napoleon, groupers and schools of glass fish and goat fish inside the wreck.

Small Crack (Small Passage)
Small split in the middle of Shab Mahmoud’s barrier. The tide empties and fills the inner lagoon twice daily, thus creating strong currents that promote an impressive explosion of life. Brilliant soft corals and resident flashlight fish also make it a premier night dive location - weather permitting.

Wreck of the Thistlegorm
To most, I am sure this wreck needs no introduction. In October 1941 she was at anchor behind Shab Ali and awaiting orders to move up through the Suez Canal to deliver a cargo of munitions to the British troops in north Africa when German aircraft bombed the 129m British freighter. The cargo is still virtually intact and includes railway locomotives, bren gun carriers, trucks, motorcycles and a host of ammunition of all sizes. You need to do at least two dives on this wreck to even get a feel for the site. Dive the deeper stern section first and the bow for the second dive of the day. The wreck is home to bat fish, jacks, barracudas, surgeon fish, nudibranchs and rabbit fish graze the hull. The current here can be strong and the visibility reduced so ensure a full briefing from your dive guide and enjoy your visit to this part of British history.

Shag Rock
Being so close to its neighbour, the Thistlegorm, this large circular reef is often overlooked. It offers excellent diving on pristine coral from any location on its perimeter. The sheltered southern point is the most dived location offering the opportunity for drifts along the west or east sides. Weather permitting the northern point hosts the wreck of the Kingston ('Sarah H') just below the surface (max. depth 12m). Large schools of yellow goat fish and sweet lips abound here and the area regularly patrolled by grey reef sharks.

Wreck of the Rosalie Moller
This wreck lies in the channel north of Gubal island and is a dive only for the more experienced as the visibility can be reduced and the wreck swept by strong currents on occassions. She was on her way to Alexandria with a cargo of coal when she was sunk by German aircraft on the 7th October 1941, just two days after the Thistlegorm. Originally named the Francis she was launched in 1910, she was then purchased by the Moller Line in 1931 and renamed after the grandchild of one of the company directors. The wreck is in pristine condition,and home to prolific fish life and a magnificent array of hard and soft corals, she is 108mts long and sits upright on an even keel with the bow at 39mts and the keel in 50mts. The top of the mast is at 17mts. She is rarely dived due to her position and can only be accessed in the best of weather.

Bluff Point
At the gate of the Straits of Gubal, ‘Bluff Point’ draws its name from the turbulence created by strong currents that beat the eastern most wall of the island. Huge fan corals cover an impressive drop off with caves and glass fish. Sightings of turtles and napoleon fish are not uncommon. An unknown wreck lies on the reef 300m north of the lighthouse, starting at 5m depth and sloping to 25m. Rumor has it that this is the wreck of an Egyptian patrol boat sunk in the 6 day war.

Abu Nuhas
Also known as the 'Ships Graveyard', this reef is dangerously positioned close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. This reef has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the northern side are four wrecks laying on a sandy seafloor at the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. The wrecks are sometimes inaccessible in anything other than a RIB or inflatable due to the heavy swell driving down the length of the gulf. On the south side is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two beautiful ergs, known as Yellow fish reef that make an excellent third dive or night dive or an alternative if the weather is extremely bad.

Giannis D
This Greek freighter hit the reef in April 1983 and over the course of two weeks slowly broke in two and sank. She is the most dived wreck here, Laying in 28m and leaning to port with a fully intact stern section and an impressive engine room packed with glass fish. Locally known as the 'wood' wreck for the cargo it was carrying when it sank. The bow is also very interesting but is a long swim out. She is a great wreck for penetration but beware of disorientation due to the angle at which she lays. Be weary of the many lion fish and scorpion fish that call this wreck home and watch out for the strong surges in and around the wreck in rough weather.

Carnatic
A British P & O steamer which struck the reef in 1869. and sank the next day as the weather worsened. She was a passenger and mail ship and is sometimes known as the ‘wine’ wreck for the numerous bottles once found in the holds, sadly not many now remain to be seen. Rumor has it that she sank with forty thousand pounds sterling of gold bullion, much of which was never recovered. She lays in 29m and now the whole hull is draped in multicoloured soft corals and the inner areas are full of glass fish complete with red mouthed grouper sentinel. One davit supports a beautiful table coral. The wreck is now home to large grouper, octopus and morays and jacks and tuna cruise overhead.

Chrisoula K (27°34.92’N, 33°55.76’E)
Another Greek ship which sank in 1976, now laying in 30m is fully laden with stone floor tiles and sometimes called the ‘tile’ wreck for obvious reasons. Early morning divers may find a white tip reef shark sleeping under the rudder at the stern. Be weary of very limited and small entry/exit points into the engine room, however, penetration of the wreck is not recommended due to the unstable nature of the wreck.

Olden (27°34.98’N, 33°55.88’E)
Not a lot is known about this wreck except that it struck the reef in 1981 and is locally known as the 'lentil' wreck for the cargo she carried. Lying in 31m and completely on its starboard side exposing its huge hull on one side and gaping cargo holds on the other. Growth on the hull is fairly sparse due to the position and current. Large morays live in the scattered remains of wreckage on the starboard side and bat fish circle the topside. Most of the fish in the vicinity of the wreck are overweight from dining on the lentils leaching from the sacks once contained in her holds.

Shab Umm Usk (27°34.99’N, 33°53.25’E)
A large horseshoe shaped reef that shelters a shallow lagoon and offers good shallow diving on coral gardens at either point. Further around the southern reef exterior provides a steep coral encrusted wall sloping to 40+m. Playful bottlenose dolphins are found inside the lagoon at times.

Blind Reef
An isolated reef south of Siyul Island, with good diving on its northern side. Soft coral, sea whips, many ergs and home to glass fish. Turtles can often be found here.

Siyul Kebira
This reef extends around the Island of Big Siyul and has a varied profile, in some areas sand chutes (wadis) split the reef face, in others there are overhangs and gullies to explore. The coral growth is abundant as is the fish life. Most diving here is in swift currents on the drift but the north eastern point offers a plateau which slopes gently from 10m to 30+m. Sharks and large rays are often sighted in the deeper water, with schools of sweet lips and masked butterflies in the shallows.

Siyul Seghira
Despite its Arabic name Little (seghira) Siyul is the largest reef in the area at over 4km long. It is usually dived as a drift due to the strong currents along the sloping reef. The depth range is 20-25m, the corals are lush and vibrant and the fish life is dense and varied. The best dive here is along the northern side but can only be done in moderate weather due to the exposed nature of the reef.

Red Sea Trip Information

2009-08-02T04:09:00.002-07:00

Here is some information from Emperor for the trip:

In addition check out the link below for advice from the Home Office

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/egypt - click here

Emergency Contacts:

Sharm el Sheikh Dive Centre: 0020 12 3502433

Communications:
In the event of an emergency family and friends can contact our Emperor staff on any of the numbers above. Staff can then contact the boat as all our guides carry mobile phones.

On Arrival:
A representative from King Snefro Boats, who will be holding a “King Snefro” sign, meets all flight arrivals. Some flight arrivals may be taken to Emperor Divers Centre situated in the Bay View, as boarding is usually late afternoon/evening. This gives you the chance to head into Naama Bay for some souvenir shopping or grab a bite to eat.
We also pick up from local hotels. A welcome letter will be left in your hotel advising of transfer times to the boat. In case you don’t receive it, call 002 (0) 12 2340995 in Sharm El Sheikh during working hours from 0800 - 1800 local time.
Sinai Classic Cruises depart from the International Ferry Port or Travco Jetty, Sharm El Sheikh.

Packing, remember to bring:
Personal clothing & toiletries.
Small medical first aid box & prescription medicines.

Diving equipment:
Logbook, certification card, travel and diving insurance details, your booking voucher and holiday details from your travel agency, if applicable.

Money to pay for extras:
We accept cash only in Euros, US dollars, Egyptian pounds and Sterling pounds. Credit cards are not accepted on Snefro Fleet boats.

Nice to bring but not essential:
CDs, videos, DVDs, books, laptop, mobile phone, CD player, video and photo camera, GPS tracker, binoculars.

Towels:
You will be provided with two towels and a bathrobe for your week’s liveaboard on Snefro Fleet gold class boats.

King Snefro boats:
All Snefro Fleet boats are operated to the same standard, however each boat is slightly different in style and size accommodating groups of 10 - 18 people. For specifications of each boat please see our website: http://www.emperordivers.com/liveaboards.php

Food & Drink:
The meals onboard are usually buffet style with a variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes served with a variety of salads. Fresh fruit is available throughout the day.
The boat caters for all dietary requirements and we work closely with the chef to plan your meals. For any special requests such as vegetarian please inform us prior to arrival.
Feel free to bring your favourite snacks as these can be quite limited in Egypt.
Soft drinks, tea and coffee are complimentary and available 24 hours. Beer and wine are charged extra (payable onboard) - but remember NO DRINKING AND DIVING!

Entertainment:
There is a variety of nightly entertainment ranging from Night Dives (not available in the Marine Parks) to watching DVDs or simply relaxing on the sundeck comparing fish stories. Feel free to bring your favourite DVDs to share.

Diving:
All diving is guided on our Liveaboards with one or two dive guides, and in buddy teams.
Maximum depth for diving in the Red Sea is 30 metres, unless you are a tech diver.
All tanks have International fittings but DIN adapters are provided onboard.
The boat have ample storage space for your equipment and there are spares boxes onboard.

Water temperatures range from 24ºC to 28°C April to Oct

Equipment is available for rent from Emperor Divers but this must be pre ordered before arrival in resort.
EQUIPMENT rental charges per person per day:

Underwater Torch 7 Euro

FULL EQUIPMENT (Items marked * only) 25 Euro
SMB (Surface marker buoy) 5 Euro per week

Photo & Video Equipment:
Recharging facilities are available onboard.

MEDICAL & DECLARATION:
We ask all guests to fill in and sign a medical form before departing on a Liveaboard. If you have any medical conditions listed on the form you will need to get signed clearance from a doctor before your arrival onboard. We send a copy of this form with all bookings. You can also view the form here: http://www.emperordiverscom/prices.html.
Please inform the dive guide if you are taking medication or suffer from allergies.

Insurance:
Every effort is made to ensure that you have a safe trip but we do require all divers to have divers have valid insurance from a reputable company that covers diving accidents.

We recommend DAN Insurance, which offers a full year’s insurance and can be purchased online: www.daneurope.org

Passport:
All guests must have a passport valid for at least 6 more months after arrival and must purchase the entry visa on arrival at the airport.

Marine Park Fees:
These are included in the price:
5 Euro - Sinai Classic Cruise and Sinai Mini Cruise

Tips on board:
Emperor Fleet believes that tips should be on a voluntary basis depending on the quality of your service from the guides and the crew. We advise a minimum of 30 Euros but this is personal choice. Tips are divided between the guides and crew.

Checkout:
This varies for each departure and will be advised at the time of booking so you can arrange flights or hotel accommodation accordingly. If you do require any additional nights in resort or daily diving our reservations department will be happy to check availability before your arrival.

Health:
Check with your local doctor for recommended vaccinations. And remember to bring any prescribed medicines.

Weather:
Weather is generally warm and sunny with an average of about 45% humidity.
The evenings are cooler during the winter months.

Telephone:
Country Code is +20 + local number.

Time:
2 hours or 1 hour ahead of GMT.
Electricity:
European 2 pin electrical sockets using 220 volts

Communications:
VHS Radios, Satellite Telephone, Personal Mobiles and GPS.

Language:
English is the most common language. We also have Italian, German, Dutch, French and Spanish speakers. The crew speaks Arabic often with some English.

Currency:
All prices are in Euro but we accept Euros, US dollars, Egyptian pounds and Sterling pounds. Credit cards are not accepted on Snefro Fleet boats.

Diving Medical Requirements

2009-08-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

Each diver must have a medical counter signed by a doctor. I would use last years document but the company we are diving with require a more up-to-date copy.

Below is a copy of the medical document you need to have signed. Link

Diving Insurance

2009-08-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Diving insurance will be organised by Bob.