Beneath The Red Sea In Photos

[ricki]

FII recently led a liveaboard free diving charter to the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt out of Marsa Alam. Photos from that trip are reproduced below. More to come ...


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sat_Image.sized.jpg
A satellite view of some of the stops during the trip. Some of flew into Cairo at the top, connected to Hurghada by plane then drove overland to Marsa Alam. There we boarded the MV Miracle of Life owned by the Lighthouse Dive Center and headed out into the Red Sea. We averaged about three dives per day in widely varying locales.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/deep_IMG_5346.jpg
Deep blue water, walls and dropoffs into the void, great conditions!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/0x_reef_IMG_5259.jpg
Goatfish just like back home


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/0_sun_IMG_4595.jpg
Honza Musil, are capable Lighthouse Dive Center rep dives out of the sun


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/0y_martin_scooter_IMG_5287.jpg
Martin Stepanek scooters along


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/flame_fish_IMG_5364.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/jelly_IMG_5258.jpg
Never felt sorry for a jellyfish before. EVERYTHING would take a bite out of these things as they drifted past. Must taste like fish cookies or something.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/dugong_IMG_5510.jpg
A solitary dugong (manatee relative) grazes along


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/bret.jpg
Brett motors off the reef


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/filter_IMG_5822.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/lucy_IMG_5856.jpg
Lucie glides along


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/reef_IMG_5285.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/martin_scooter_IMG_5294.jpg
Scooter diving can be habit forming, tons of fun and freedom


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/reef_IMG_4695.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/reef_IMG_5772.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/reef_IMG_5751.jpg
No end of great dropoffs


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/reef_IMG_5777.jpg
The shallow top of the reefs were particularly vibrant


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/solo_IMG_5864.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/martin_IMG_5293.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/sea.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/10331_135364818198_633803198_2614856_2278367_n.jpg
Going up? Sled time.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Anem_s_IMG_5767.jpg
Clowning around in a shag bathroom rug


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/D1.jpg
Someone has to clean up, vacuuming the grass beds


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Bret_measures.jpg
Brett collects field data from free divers on the trip


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/glide_s.jpg
Flying through the blue


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/mickey_camel_PICT0138.jpg
Mickey (Mouse?), my "ship of the desert" in repose by the pyramids


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/meet.jpg
Planning the next dive


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sataya.jpg
A satellite view of Sataya or Dolphin Reef in the south


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Honza_IMG_4903.jpg
Honza over an unidentified wreck from the 1950's.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sled_rigging.sized.jpg
How many divers does it take to assemble a sled ... Lots!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sled_time.sized.jpg
Barbara saddles up for a 30 m drop as Honza looks on


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/martin_sled_P9080144.sized.jpg
Martin ascends


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/D2_IMG_5511.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/tridacna.jpg
I kept looking for one of these tridacna's that would be large enough to grab Tarzan's leg and hold him down but no joy. Must have moved to Hollywood or maybe Catalina?


That's a start, more to come.


Thanks again to:

FII, Martin, David, Niki and Bret
http://www.freedivinginstructors.com/


The Lighthouse Dive Center, Honza and the able crew on the MV Miracle One and in Hurghada
http://www.dahabdive.com/
__________________

[ricki]

... and some more.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Peter_wreck_IMG_4937.jpg
Peter lines up a shot


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/IMG_4564.sized.jpg
Coming up on Dolphin Reef, what will we find?


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/0_Claudia_overview_s_IMG_4746.jpg
Looking over Shaab Claudia. The approximate positions of the caves are marked in red. Video to follow scootering through the lot.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Claudia_IMG_4640.jpg
Entering a grotto at Shaab Claudia


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Martin_n_Niki.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Surgeon_2.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sled_trial_reef_IMG_4844.jpg
The sled trial reef, anyone recall the name of this place? Has a real nice dropoff!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Peter_n_Niki_IMG_4924.jpg
Peter and Niki ascend


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Sled_trial_reef_IMG_4801.jpg
Another look at the sled trial reef


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/sled_setup_IMG_4827.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Surgeon.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album448/Peter_S_on_Abu_Galawa_wreck.jpg


There are still more images to process and upload, stay tuned.

[John Moriconi]

Great photos.

[greg meintjes]

Amazing photos Rick, I spent 6 months working and backpacking in Israel and one of my jobs was working on a boat in the Red Sea. The reefs there are amazing, we never had a day of bad visibility. Looking at your pics brings back some great memories. Thanks.

Greg

[ricki]

Thanks guys! Greg you have covered a lot of interesting ground, must have a ton of great stories to go with. The Red Sea is an intriguing place and we hit only a small portion of it. Did you ever visit the reefs south of Egypt off Sudan, Eritrea or Yeman?

[greg meintjes]

Hey Rick, I missed out on those places, I almost made it down to Dahab for a few weeks , but we ended up getting stuck in the desert during a flood and had to abandon that trip.

Greg

[ricki]

Something for us both to look forward to someday perhaps. Caught by a flood in the desert?! Wow, you have cosmic karma to say the least! I understand they get but a few inches, with the poor infiltration and scattered wadi's I guess that's enough for flash floods? Interesting area.

[ricki]

Here are a few more ...

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/wreck_IMG_4910.jpg
Martin shoots video over the unknown wreck off Abu Galawa


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/reef_5027_jpg_s.jpg
Reef pastels reminiscent of a Charles Beebe undersea monograph from the 1920's


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/reef_IMG_4715.jpg
Resting in a coral canyon at 20 m off Sha'ab Claudia


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/reef_IMG_5173.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/Red_Sea_Sled_Dive.jpg
Shooting in a truly target rich environment


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album453/reef_IMG_5026.jpg
There is something so compelling about the deep blue. It really draws you in and down.