Well, where do I start. This was our second Red Sea trip of the year and this time we were not only doing the legendary Northern Wrecks, but we were also scheduled to dive the Salem Express which is quite a distance away and not normally scheduled on the same trip. This also meant that after flying in to Hurghada, the boat would need to land at Marsa Alam which would mean a 3 hour coach trip back to Hurghada and an overnight at the Holiday Inn in Hurghada, and a great night out. That was the plan... How did it work?.....
Well as always there are always problems....
We were due to meet at gatwick at 10.30 am. Most made it in time, some arrived far too early and some were very late due to traffic problems (or so they said...)
After queuing at the wrong check out for 2 hours we managed to catch our flight and get a few beers in at the bar. The flight was on time and we arrived at the boat at dusk and got settled in. The boat was once again very good and for the people who had never been before they were very surprised and impressed. The boat was very good and equal in standard to anything else we have sailed on. Best of all no one got a tummy bug !!!
Surprisingly it was quite windy for most of the week, and the sea did get quite rough at times, one or two people occasionally felt a bit queasy, and someone (Mike Noonan) actually walked out of one of MY LESSONS SO THAT HE COULD BE SICK !! That has never happened to me before!!!!
The group of people who went didn't all know each other before they went but it didn't matter. From the moment everyone got together they hit it off. Everyone got on extremely well throughout the whole trip. Special mention should go to the two Helen's (Netly-Thomson and Wootton)- who despite there love of their beds, and their confessions that they do not do early mornings, managed to get up for every briefing and dive, even though it was a close call on one or two occasions
The Diving,
We were scheduled to dive some of the most famous sites in the world, The Thistlegorm, Chrisoulis, Ghainnis G, Ras Muhammad, and The Salem Express. A good mixture or wrecks and reefs, which was planned to appeal to everyone's tastes. There was something for everyone....... except Denise who once again did not see a manatee. Ah well better luck next time
Other Highlights
Once again lots. A few worth mentioning
Boat jumping - Andrea goaded me into jumping off the top of the ship (which is very high) in the belief that I wouldn't do it. I called her bluff and agreed. The colour drained from her face when I said yes. So up we went and off the top. Andrea messed it up a bit and sat as she hit the water. Her legs and bum were badly bruised but it did cause lots of amusement for the remainder of the week. Have a look at the pictures. After we did it we all did and Sam went even higher
Feet - I don't really have a thing for feet but I couldn't help noticing how many men had had in growing toe nails removed. They were gruesome. The worst was John NT. To make it look better he had nail varnish applied to make it look like he had nails.... much better
The last night out - Always a good night. The hotel we stayed was all inclusive and so we thought we ought to get our moneys worth. We were like children in a chocolate factory. The waiter couldn't keep up with our incessant order for 20 more beers. He had only just finished serving one lot when we sent him back for more. Inevitably the night went on till the morning. Most gave up around 2.00am but a few didn't. Eventually giving up at around 6.00am !!! The guilty parties will be named and shamed as follows:
- Denise Lancaster
- Sam Doubtfire
- Andy (Princess Leia) Cook
- Andrea Beer
Congratulations - To Andrew and Julie who completed their Advanced Open Water while on the trip and also to Mike Noonan, Craig Corbett, Andy Cook (alias Princess Leia), Sam Doubtfire, and John Greenyer who all completed their Nitrox course, despite Mike trying to wreck it by pretending to be sea sick!!!
Most of you will have seen hundreds of pictures of fish in the Red Sea. I have been sent a total of 700 pictures to add to the site. Don't worry I won't make you sit through that lot. Also rather than put lots and lots of fish pictures I have tried to be a bit more selective. Unfortunately that means I have more room for pictures of the team that went which some may find embarrassing. Anyway...here goes then.... |
