Wednesday, August 15th to Saturday August 18th , 2012
A few months has passed since my last dive trip so I thought it was about time to go again. A group of people I had met on the last trip were organising one (well mostly Kate, an RT at King Faisal) so I thought it was a great opportunity to get back in the water.
As the trip was being planned there was some slight confusion as to the exact location we were heading and which airport we should fly into. There are 2 locations in the Red Sea, Farasan Banks and Farasan Islands, that are not very close to each other, and for a few seconds we were planning our flights to the wrong one. Not to worry, it was eventually all sorted out. We flew into Jeddah and then hopped into a small bus for the short 3 hour drive south. In case you are not so familiar, we were travelling over the final days of Ramadan, heading into the Eid holiday (think Christmas, feasts and presents and lots of fun), but our flight was timed perfectly to match up with the breaking of fast. Not to worry, we did get fed on the plane (they still provide to children and women and westerners and anyone else who may not be fasting during Ramadan). Out on the highways you will find people handing out food to commuters as they drive by so no one on the road goes hungry. We stopped for Shwarmas. Arriving a little late to our hotel, we manged to get settled in, eat (again) and take a quick swim before heading to bed for 2 days of excellent diving......and some interesting boat rides.
I managed to get an underwater housing for my camera since the last trip so I was able to take my own pictures this time around.
Here are some pictures from the trip.
The group of us descending on one of our early dives. The water was super warm and really clear.
Some beautiful blue water on this trip.
That's Aaron. He likes to hang out around the 20 metre (65 feet) mark, while a few of us like to head closer to 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 feet).
Air bubbles.......just as fun to play with as bubble wrap.
Some of the beautiful fish we got to swim around with. I clearly need to get a guide so that I can start identifying some of them. I do believe these are Moorish idols.
And a few more. I just love all the wonderful colours.
Don't get too close.....they bite.
A seriously beautiful spot we found here. And we were the only one's around to see it.
A little look at the coral.
Aaron and Nick......Go Pro Buddies because they have the same camera. And before you ask, yes the water was very warm, hence Nick in shorts and no shirt.
Some interesting little spots to head through.
Wouldn't be a dive trip without an eel. I really......really dislike them but they always turn up everywhere.
Always love to check out the giant clams. So pretty.
I don't mind the little spotted rays. They are pretty cute and let you get really close.
Some more of the underwater geography we got to experience as well. It's not just about the fish.
Sea cucumber. Not really sure what they do except hang out at the bottom of the sea but they are easy to catch and pick up.
Heading through one of the underwater channels.
A better look at some of the geography.
Kind of like going through a tunnel but not.
You can just spot Kate's legs through the coral.
Clown fish. Never get tired of seeing them. So cute.
A little puffer fish. I love these ones. The colouring over their eyes makes them look like bandits.
Some more of that underwater geography.
The view changes but it's still so pretty.
Lots of little fish.
Some of the beautiful colours and beautiful fish I got to see. So pretty.
Always hard to get pictures of myself but every once in a while some will borrow my camera for me.
So earlier I mentioned the boat rides. Well we ran into some pretty rough seas on the way in and out to our dive sights. Because of that on the second day we decided to take a bigger boat, in the hopes that we could do a better battle with the waves. But we lost one of our engines and it turned out to be a really rough ride. It took us way too long to get back in and only ended up making it to 2 dive sites (instead of the usual 3). Good thing we headed in early though because we pulled into the Coast Guard Station right at call to prayer as the sun went down. It would have been a very long journey to make in the dark.
Rough seas aside it was a fantastic trip. August is certainly a good time to be diving in the Red Sea (35 C water.....really enjoyable).
Now to plan the next trip.
Julie
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