The El Mina and the Mohammed Hasabella Fishing Vessel.
In April 2013, I headed to Egypt for a holiday and could not pass up the opportunity to do a little diving. I did two nice reef dives and saw some great marine life, including scorpion fish, lion fish, a stone fish, some blue spotted rays and plenty of parrot fish and Cornet fish. But I also did a couple of wrecks. The first was the El Mina, a Russian made minesweeper which was blown up in 1967. The wreck was in beautiful condition. Descending to about 30 metres, we commenced out exploration of the wreck from the stern, moving up the ship, looking at the anti aircraft guns on her deck, the bridge and the various pieces of equipment. The hatches were open, but the passages narrow and not suitable for internal exploration. Moving up the ship, you could see where she was hit and the large gash in her side which caused her to sink was easily visible. You were able to swim slightly into the wreck where she had been blown apart. The dive conditions were perfect, with no current, warm water and bright conditions with approximately 20 metres visibility. After a surface interval, we headed onto the Mohammed Hassabella fishing vessel, a beautiful fishing boat with many chambers to explore. The visibility was not as good as on The El Mina, but was still a good 10 - 15 metres. The wreck was abundant with life. Huge (and I mean huge) angel fish appeared (a group of about 15 of them) which were absolutely beautiful. There was a a grouper came to watch over the proceedings for a short time and a Moray Eel had made it's home in a little hole in the wreck, bobbing it's head out at frequent intervals. There was a doorway into the ship which was surrounded by loinfish, who were hunting the school of tiny fish. One of the lionfish was the largest I have ever seen, and was perhaps heading for a good 12 inches in length. Despite it being a short dive as a result of a brief surface interval, I thoroughly enjoyed this dive too. I have to say that all four dives were great and I am so pleased to have been back in some warm, clear water. For more information about the wrecks, click on the button below and click on the photographs to enlarge and browse them.
You do what for a hobby?
Diving is very important to me. It has been since I started around 4 years ago. I am currently a PADI Assistant Instructor and love to help people to obtain the ability and develop the skills to do something which I get so much out of. If you ever think about giving it a go, then don't hesitate.
"So why scuba diving?" is the often asked question... For me, there are a number of reasons. Diving is, in my mind, akin to being in space. You are weightless, totally reliant on your equipment and in what can only be described as an alien environment. There is then the solitude of it. Diving, in my view, is currently at it's pinnacle - the equipment is good enough to be reliable and safe, but there are very few out there with the equipment and ability to verbally communicate underwater. You really are isolated down there (aside from your dive buddy). There is the abundance of marine life, which is just amazing. Having been fortunate enough to dive with rays, sharks, giant turtles and many other awe inspiring creatures, there is no wonder it is such a popular sport. For me, there is also the fascination of diving a wreck - exploring a moment of history almost frozen in time is just amazing. The Salem Express (a wreck which polarises many divers in terms of whether it is a site which should be dived) is, for me, the prime example of why wreck diving is so exciting. Finally, there is the fact that it is not all about being underwater. There is the camaraderie and friendship amongst divers which is unlike any other sport I have known. I have made some great friends through diving, laughed uncontrollably and amassed a dearth of anecdotes from both under the water and on the surface.
"So why scuba diving?" is the often asked question... For me, there are a number of reasons. Diving is, in my mind, akin to being in space. You are weightless, totally reliant on your equipment and in what can only be described as an alien environment. There is then the solitude of it. Diving, in my view, is currently at it's pinnacle - the equipment is good enough to be reliable and safe, but there are very few out there with the equipment and ability to verbally communicate underwater. You really are isolated down there (aside from your dive buddy). There is the abundance of marine life, which is just amazing. Having been fortunate enough to dive with rays, sharks, giant turtles and many other awe inspiring creatures, there is no wonder it is such a popular sport. For me, there is also the fascination of diving a wreck - exploring a moment of history almost frozen in time is just amazing. The Salem Express (a wreck which polarises many divers in terms of whether it is a site which should be dived) is, for me, the prime example of why wreck diving is so exciting. Finally, there is the fact that it is not all about being underwater. There is the camaraderie and friendship amongst divers which is unlike any other sport I have known. I have made some great friends through diving, laughed uncontrollably and amassed a dearth of anecdotes from both under the water and on the surface.