I used to be lacking a shark. Whale sharks, nice white sharks, bull sharks, hammerheads—I’d been fortunate to see all of them. However an oceanic whitetip? Nope, and it was gnawing at me. A deliberate journey to Egypt in 2020 to see them fell via as a result of, properly…you understand. So now, in September 2022, I’m lastly within the Pink Sea for one factor and one factor solely…the oceanics or, as I rapidly study they’re referred to as right here, longimanus or longies, a part of their scientific title, Carcharhinus longimanus. And—spoiler alert—I do see longies, however the journey to achieve them can be virtually as a lot enjoyable because the vacation spot.
Boat Candy Boat
Deal with the couches within the salon like your mother’s sofa and nobody will get harm.
“We would like you to really feel at house on this journey, so please deal with this like your mom’s couch.” I’m sitting on considered one of three giant, cozy sectionals within the lounge with dive information Amr Ibrahim of the MV Grand Sea Explorer on my first day. After an unplanned arrival at 4:30 am that very same morning because of severely delayed flights, I’ve slept via the boat briefing and check-out dive, and am now receiving a personalised introduction to the boat and dive procedures. All the things onboard the luxurious, 142-foot (43 m) ship is far as on different liveaboards—our common itinerary can be “dive, eat, sleep.”
There’s a bar and open-air gathering space on the second deck the place we’ll spend a lot of time discussing the day’s dives, and a fly deck above that, the place those that’ve come on the lookout for a tan can sunbathe. Divers will select a station on the spacious dive deck and stay in the identical spot all week, with a number of keen deckhands prepared to help at each flip. Every day, save the final, will function three dives, and on this, the B-D-E itinerary, we’ll go to the large three: the Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone reefs, starting with Huge Brother the subsequent day.
Because the morning wears on, I meet the remainder of the friends. Although the boat can maintain as much as 28 divers, there are 20 onboard this week, hailing from almost as many nations—Germany, the U.Okay., Finland, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, and extra, although I’m the one American. My South African dive buddy, Bruce, and I gear up for his second, my first, dive of the journey at Gotta Abu Ramada (the Aquarium) to examine gear and buoyancy. Although uneventful (i.e., no longies), the stunning web site lives as much as its title and we spot tons of big moray eels, lionfish, trevallies, clownfish, and a blue-spotted ray.
After the check-out dives, all dives will observe roughly the identical process. Divers are cut up into teams A and B, every numbering 10. Amr and the opposite dive information, Ahmed Fouad, will take turns guiding every group, with a lot of the diving completed through RIBs, although we’ll soar off the again of the boat on a number of events. All three websites we’re visiting are well-known for present, so the information will back-roll into the water first, examine which method it’s flowing, and sign the all-clear. On a countdown of three, we’ll all back-roll into the water too, conducting damaging entries every time.
However first—dinner, which doesn’t disappoint. As I make a return journey to the plentiful buffet, my desires of dropping these previous couple of cussed Covid kilos slip away. With a full tummy, I head downstairs to my cabin, hoping for a strong evening’s sleep on the in a single day journey to the Brothers, a journey of roughly seven hours, or 70 miles, from port in Hurghada.
The Brothers
The lighthouse at Huge Brother is manned by 4 keepers.
In giddy anticipation, I’ve set my telephone alarm for our first dive day at Huge Brother, however I needn’t have apprehensive—every day begins the identical method. At 6 am sharp, Amr comes downstairs and sing-songs “wakey, wakey, glad divers, good morning,” to roust us off the bed. After a fast cup of espresso, Ahmed delivers the briefing at 6:30, as he’ll on daily basis, for a 7 am dive. Famend amongst divers, the small, barren islands of Huge and Little Brother are reachable solely by liveaboard, sitting round 40 miles (64 km) from shore. Each slim, teardrop-shaped islands rise with sheer, vertical partitions from the depths with nothing surrounding them however open water.
On Huge Brother, a lighthouse has stood watch since 1883 to guard ships from the reef beneath, manned with 4 keepers who commerce out shifts each 60 days. Sadly for the Numidia, which sank in 1901, and the Aida, which sank in 1957, the reef gained. After two wall dives, that includes an insistent present, spectacular coral, and teeming fish life, we drop in on the Numidia for dive No. 3, and it’s by far my favourite. This enormous British cargo ship was on solely its second journey when it hit the reef with no lack of life, not 400 yards from the lighthouse. Now, it’s mendacity almost vertical, cemented to the coral beginning in round 65 ft (20 m) and increasing all the best way all the way down to 246 ft (75 m).
Although we don’t penetrate the construction, the visibility is nice—a minimum of 80 ft (25 m)—and the metallic surfaces are carpeted with mushy coral, gleaming within the daylight. Orange anthias swarm over your entire scene, and all of us take turns posing with numerous elements of the now rainbow-colored metallic as backdrop. On our leisurely swim again to the boat we fin over acres of coral inhabited by searching lionfish and hordes of busy reef fish going about their lives and cross the engine block of the ill-fated Aida in about 25 ft (8 m) of water.
That night, after one other scrumptious dinner, we’re all in for a deal with, as two whale sharks seem off the boat’s port aspect. They’re making lazy laps between our boat and the one anchored parallel to us about 200 ft (60 m) away, utilizing our lights to hunt the inky ocean waters for dinner. And, as if to taunt us, a longie exhibits up too, slicing via the water sinuously close to the again of the boat. Although we’re hopeful to see them underwater the subsequent day at Little Brother, it’s not meant to be, and after three pretty—however sharkless—dives there, we motor on to our second cease: Daedalus reef.
Daedalus
I don’t all the time skip a dive, however after I do, it’s one of the best one of many journey. On our second dive at Daedalus, I’m feeling drained—a bit lazy if I’m sincere—and we hadn’t seen a lot on the primary dive. And, identical to a beginner who hasn’t but discovered the lesson that the ocean can withhold one minute and ship spectacularly the subsequent, I skip the dive. And what a dive it seems to be—a minimum of based on my boat mates. Graced with each a manta ray sighting and faculty of hammerheads, everybody else is giddy after they get again on the boat. As Ahmed has mentioned every day, “One % luck is best than 100% expertise.” Seems I ought to have listened.
We’d arrived at Daedalus within the early morning hours, after a 10-hour, in a single day boat experience. Sitting smack-dab in the midst of the Pink Sea 46 miles (74 km) from shore, it’s one other small, uninhabited island save for these manning one other lighthouse, constructed right here in 1863 and rebuilt in 1931. Similar to the Brothers, it’s solely reachable by liveaboard, and options related underwater topography—sheer, coral-covered partitions dropping off to the depths, with a 165-foot-wide (50 m) plateau beginning in 80 ft (25 m) of water. This, after all, is one of the best place to see sharks. Which I don’t. Nonetheless, our third dive is beautiful.
The present right here, simply as at Brothers, usually runs north to south and splits when it hits the wall. We’d deliberate to drop in on the Pink Sea’s largest anemone metropolis, which clings to the wall on the western aspect of the island in round 30 ft (10 m), say hello to the Nemos, and switch proper, preserving the reef to our left shoulder all the best way again to the boat. As a substitute, after snapping just a few pics with the obliging clownfish, our intrepid information Ahmed turns us left, permitting us to float with the present almost all the best way up the aspect of the island to its level.
Although there are many different liveaboards at Daedalus and many bubbles within the water, we blissfully see nobody on our dive, save for the turtles, napoleon wrasse, tuna, and jacks that swirl in abundance. After dinner, it’s one other in a single day journey of round seven hours to our remaining vacation spot: Elphinstone, and our final hope to see longies within the water.
Elphinstone
Longies usually are available in for a detailed have a look at divers.
A naturally curious shark, the oceanic whitetip, or longimanus, will usually strategy divers.
Operating north-south, the cigar-shaped Elphinstone reef is fully submerged, save for just a few breakers on the floor. It sits round 5 miles offshore, 18 miles (30 km) south of Port Ghalib and 18 miles (30 km) north of Marsa Alam, making it a well-liked day-boat vacation spot, in addition to a liveaboard mainstay. Simply as at Brothers and Daedalus, its plunging partitions are lined in coral and reef fish, however by no means thoughts that—we’re right here to see sharks. We’ve received three dives to do it, and the anticipation on the boat is palpable. After Ahmed’s briefing, everybody gears up excitedly and boards the RIBs. We’ll motor up the east aspect of the island for the primary morning’s dive, previous all the opposite boats at mooring, and attempt to swim out to the plateau to search for sharks.
On the rely of three, we back-roll into the water, however the present is just not our pal, stopping us from reaching the plateau and as a substitute gently insisting that we drift alongside the wall again to our boat. After an uneventful 40 minutes or so, we’re nearing the opposite moored boats and we see a crowd of divers beneath one specifically. Then Ahmed spots it—a juvenile longimanus, doing determine eights across the group. We hand around in the water for a bit, entranced, as we drift again to our boat. Alongside the best way we spot two extra of those unmistakable sharks, with their clear, looking eyes and shiny white patches on the suggestions of their pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fins.
The group surfaces, giddy after seeing the longies, however one of the best dive is but to return. Oceanic whitetips usually hang around proper beneath the boats at Elphinstone, so on our second dive, after a short foray out to the plateau, we flip and head again to the boat to attend and see who exhibits up. All 20 divers from our boat are right here, and we’ve been instructed in our longie briefing to remain collectively as a gaggle in about 20 to 30 ft (6 to 10 m) of water, and to look at all instructions—in entrance of us, behind, left, proper, and particularly from beneath. Recognized for his or her fearlessness and curiosity, longies usually strategy divers straight, solely veering apart on the final second.
After they materialize out of the blue, we’re all pointing and shouting excitedly into our regulators—although which will simply be me. Three separate sharks seem throughout our dive, every roughly 6 ft (2 m) lengthy. They strategy the photographer in our group, bumping off his dome port, maybe curious concerning the reflection of themselves they see within the shiny equipment. In whole, we spend 52 minutes with the sharks, as they develop ever nearer and bolder of their examination of us. One comes up beneath me and takes a fast nibble on the weights dangling from a line beneath the boat, and I inch again ever so barely.
A very curious shark takes an curiosity in considered one of our divers and, after it comes only a bit too shut for consolation, our time with the longimanus is over. As I floor, I’m left with a sense of each exhilaration and respect for these animals that we had been all so anxious to see. In our pleasure, it’s simple to overlook that these are apex predators. They don’t care what number of dives we’ve had, or that we simply must get the suitable angle for the suitable shot, or that we’ve traveled internationally to see them. Reverence is due, and that’s what I’m left with as we pull anchor and motor towards the final dive websites of the journey close to Hurghada, the place we’ll disembark the day after subsequent.
Epilogue
The cherry on the highest of an incredible dive journey: Small Giftun
A discipline of gorgonian followers at Small Giftun makes for dazzling photos.
And what a present our final dives are, at an island aptly named Small Giftun. Two extra drift dives are in retailer, each beginning in round 100 ft (30 m) and steadily leveling up into a shocking, sun-dappled coral backyard. We drift over an unlimited stand of gorgonian followers, and the sunshine’s rays pierce via the wholesome fields of laborious coral whereas the mushy coral sways within the present. It’s an explosion of life and shade, with education fusiliers, anthias, moray eels, and a blue-spotted stingray all swimming by to say hello. Although I don’t see a single shark on these two dives, they stand amongst my favourite of your entire journey. And so perhaps I’ll study my lesson this time—nature usually affords treasure the place you least count on it. I’ll have come to Egypt for one factor, however the Pink Sea gave a lot extra.
Make it Occur
The MV Grand Sea Explorer operates in Egypt as M/Y Sea Serpent Grand and conducts each northern and southern itineraries. At 142 ft (43 m) lengthy, the spacious ship can accommodate 22 to twenty-eight divers in 14 state rooms, with two suites, two double cabins, and 10 twin cabins.
There are two itineraries, each departing from Hurghada, although sometimes from Port Ghalib. For ease of arrival—and fortunately in case of delayed flights—the boat spends the primary evening within the marina at Hurghada, departing round 7 am every Friday. The North & Brothers itinerary options best hits just like the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohamed Nationwide Park, the Brothers, and Abu Nuhas. The B-D-E itinerary is simply because it’s named, masking the large three: the Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone.
Though the boats function year-round, September, October, and November make for notably interesting diving because the air and water are a bit cooler and its prime oceanic season. Excessive season runs from March via Could.
Divers on the MV Grand Sea Explorer can count on one information for each 8 to 10 divers, relying on what number of passengers are on board. Nitrox fills are free, so it’s finest to be licensed far upfront. As a result of a lot of the dive websites are performed on partitions with the potential for sturdy currents, the Pink Sea is finest suited to divers with some expertise.
All underwater photos courtesy of Daniel Intestine
M/Y Sea Serpent Grand/MV Grand Sea Explorer photos courtesy of Explorer Ventures
