Banstead Underwater Diving Club
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Sunday 30th
May 2010 Well the crew all met at some ungodly hour at Gatwick South, the check in
experience was not as bad as expected then in true BUDC fashion the
die-hards went for fry up. Flight was bearable unlike arrival in Sharm where the queue for passport
control extended back to Cairo, after much jostling , with bags
collected, it was on to the coach to El Mina port. Boarded the good ship Cyclone, unpacked, set up dive kit then supper and
bed, it was a long day. Monday 31st
May 2010 0400 UK time, knocked up for the dive briefing, at least it was warm
after the frigid conditions back home, Alan was able to wear his sandals
without socks for the first time!
Ras Katy
Ras
Katy was the first dive of our first Red sea live aboard holiday. It is
a shallow dive, I went to 3m, with lots of fish and coral to see. The
main reason for this dive is to check your buoyancy and get a feel for
diving in the Red Sea and for the guides to be sure you are a capable
diver. We were lucky enough to see a manta ray on this dive which, as it
is quite close to Sharm el Sheik, isn’t that common. The dive lasted
for 31mins and was a lovely introduction to Red Sea diving.
Wreck
Confusion All briefed for the Carnatic we bumped along in the zodiacs to the
windward side of Abu Nuhas, on
arrival Sarah (who was already in the water) advised that we were on the
wrong wreck and in fact was the Chrisoula K! What transpired was that
the zodiac boys had got confused between zodiac 1/2/3 and wreck 1/2/3/4
as they know them by number not name. Rommel was apparently half way
through the dive before he realized! Oh we did laugh… Barge
night dive. Our first planned night dive with fish including George (who keeps on
moving wreck to wreck) and getting bigger each time! What a sight,
schools of scorpion fish, octopi and so many fish, this is what out
training was about. everything I'd hoped for. Alex couldn't stop talking
afterwards....ok so what's new! (AK) Wednesday 2nd
June 2010
Thursday 3rd
June 2010 Dive programme
Dunraven
(max depth 28.4 metres) I hadn’t done this wreck before so elected to follow the guide along
with Malcolm and Steve, dropped in on the bow at 15 metres, swam into
the wreck through the hole there (large Moray eel) and into the upturned
hull, the two boilers lie straight ahead and you can either go over the
top or pass on the starboard side. The guide had told me to stop on the
top of the boilers, stop breathing and listen for the sound of the
engines, although naturally sceptical I did as suggested and spookily I
could hear the low rev of a steam engine (Red Sea X File?) Swam along with the prop shaft above our heads then out the stern
entrance then up to the prop and rudder, drift along the reef until
current encountered and swam back at 6m for the safety stop, then
surfaced for a RIB pick up (FJ)
Friday 4th
June 2010
Saturday 5th June 2010
Jackson Reef 5th June was a date to remember, an eventful drift dive where
it seems the whole crew saw the shark except myself. Instead I was
focusing on achieving my 35m dive. With no need to equalize my ears
between from 20m I was lulled into a false sense of security. Seem
to remember Jenny telling me this in my training! Still it was good to
be a member of the 35m club, the diver’s version of the mile high
equivalent, so Paul tells me! Now I just need to learn to drift dive
upside down and I'll be sorted! (AK)
Thomas
Reef
was the final dive of a fantastic holiday, this meant it was also the
last opportunity Steve and I would have to progress to 35m. After a chat
with a club instructor we ‘planned our dive’ with great care. Yasser
lead the dive which began with a penguin entry and slow descent of the
coral reef face. There was plenty of different types of coral, including
gorgonian coral, black coral and abundant animal life, cornetfish,
lionfish, anemonefish and masked pufferfish to name a few. Our
dive plan included a slow descent to 35m followed by a gradual ascent.
We accomplished this before the ‘Canyon’ an area where there is a
slight plateau at 35m then a drop off into the blue.
As I began to ascend a look to my left revealed Jenny, who had clearly
watched us, shaking her head and waggling her finger. We had, after all,
dived to 35m in a national park where the limit is 30m! We
then joined the other divers and gently drifted along the reef face, our
final dive over after 45mins was as enjoyable as all the others of the
trip. (JM)
After the mornings diving, kit wash down and festooned around the boat to
dry the skipper opted to moor up in a bay next to Sharm rather than
return to port, swimming , water polo against the crew, jumping,
bombing, fighting all ensued! Sunday 6th
June 2010 Day ashore, wandering around Sharm, lying by the pool, yet more antics
and tomfoolery then to the airport, usual chaos, back to Blighty. Food on
Board The stewards did a first class job of looking after us always, eggs for
breakfast 5 different ways and ‘chicken surprise’ for dinner most
nights all lovingly prepared by ‘Chemical Ali’ Saddam Hussein’s
long lost cousin (did anyone else notice the resemblance?) his trouser
and vest liberally covered with stains, some of which were rather
dubious. This obviously led to an outbreak of ‘Cyclone’s revenge’ with
all but the most stout constitution suffering from tummy troubles, the
most severe casualty being Jacqui whose condition at one point had us
weighting a sail canvas bag
with cannonballs and reading up on the burial at sea service.
Rush for the
depths Some of the Red Sea virgins (RSV’s) had not disclosed their plans to
push the boundaries of sport diving, they doubted the need for
observance of a PP02 of 1.4 and it was rumoured that some RSV’s even
adjusted their computers so they could exceed the MOD for 32% (33.7
metres) and attain the holy grail at 35 metres although some suspected
that that they were off to the first arch in the canyon at 41 metres on
Gordon Reef! The Mod father did get close at 37.4 metres but am glad to say he was
able to make a safe return without suffering oxygen toxicity although am
not sure if his computer is speaking to him ever again. |
