In the sweltering heat, the boat set off from the pier filled with 8 divers, a captain, and a bursting sense of enthusiasm. All smiles, we moved away from the barren desolate desert of Egypt that is made up of little more than sand and rocks. It was the final dive of the day and we were all worn out from a long skill session for the rescue course. A very short thirty minutes of laughter brought us to the location of the dive and after a quick backward roll entry we found ourselves in the water. As much excitement as there was to be found, no one knew what wonders were awaiting us beneath the surface.
The descent brought the group down to the base of a large pinnacle – a monumental cone protruding proudly from the ocean floor towering like a giant above the soft sand below. The pinnacle itself though made of stone was covered with a dense and diverse range of soft and hard corals and the entire surface was alive and moving with a multitude of fish. Imagine what New York City must look like to a giant alien – glowing, bustling, flourishing, flashing, and alive in every way. Circling the pinnacle left me utterly awestruck and the dive so far had only gone on for 15 minutes. Ready to go around again, I was upset when our guide motioned us to head away from this marine wonderland.
A minute's swim led the group to a jaw-dropping sight. Another pinnacle more vibrant and spectacular than the one before. Starting at the base, we made our way around the peak in utter bewilderment. The small orange reef fish were so abundant that they looked fake. There were groupers and soldierfish lurking under every crevice. Unicornfish with their distinctive long spike on their heads kept their eyes on us as we passed as if they had never before seen a diver. Anemones swayed in the steady current and their orange and white inhabitants watched us with a defensive stare. Parrotfish with their vivid color schemes maneuvered around the corals with their smiling beaks finding an abundance of food in the environment around them. Colors on the gargantuan pinnacle spanned the entire spectrum with every shade and tint of every color being utilized.
At the top of the peak, the aquatic scene opened up to a trevally feeding frenzy. The slender bait fish stayed in a tight school near the corals seeking refuge in numbers while the trevally swooped in from the blue to catch one of them off guard. Hovering 5 meters below the surface in a swarm of reef fish watching large trevally chasing the immense amounts of small schooling fish was the cherry on top of the sundae. Not only the amount of fish themselves but the number of different types of fish was beyond measure. It was more crowded than you will ever find in a healthy aquarium. I could have easily hovered there below the surface watching the frenzy for hours but being the responsible diver that I am, the group needed to surface. I have no pictures from this particular dive but the memory will be with me for ages to come because it was one of the top 5 dives of my life. Welcome to Egypt!
The descent brought the group down to the base of a large pinnacle – a monumental cone protruding proudly from the ocean floor towering like a giant above the soft sand below. The pinnacle itself though made of stone was covered with a dense and diverse range of soft and hard corals and the entire surface was alive and moving with a multitude of fish. Imagine what New York City must look like to a giant alien – glowing, bustling, flourishing, flashing, and alive in every way. Circling the pinnacle left me utterly awestruck and the dive so far had only gone on for 15 minutes. Ready to go around again, I was upset when our guide motioned us to head away from this marine wonderland.
A minute's swim led the group to a jaw-dropping sight. Another pinnacle more vibrant and spectacular than the one before. Starting at the base, we made our way around the peak in utter bewilderment. The small orange reef fish were so abundant that they looked fake. There were groupers and soldierfish lurking under every crevice. Unicornfish with their distinctive long spike on their heads kept their eyes on us as we passed as if they had never before seen a diver. Anemones swayed in the steady current and their orange and white inhabitants watched us with a defensive stare. Parrotfish with their vivid color schemes maneuvered around the corals with their smiling beaks finding an abundance of food in the environment around them. Colors on the gargantuan pinnacle spanned the entire spectrum with every shade and tint of every color being utilized.
At the top of the peak, the aquatic scene opened up to a trevally feeding frenzy. The slender bait fish stayed in a tight school near the corals seeking refuge in numbers while the trevally swooped in from the blue to catch one of them off guard. Hovering 5 meters below the surface in a swarm of reef fish watching large trevally chasing the immense amounts of small schooling fish was the cherry on top of the sundae. Not only the amount of fish themselves but the number of different types of fish was beyond measure. It was more crowded than you will ever find in a healthy aquarium. I could have easily hovered there below the surface watching the frenzy for hours but being the responsible diver that I am, the group needed to surface. I have no pictures from this particular dive but the memory will be with me for ages to come because it was one of the top 5 dives of my life. Welcome to Egypt!
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