Have you ever felt like living in a dream? Like not believing in reality and present because something is way too good to be true? That’s exactly how I felt almost a decade ago when, as a fresh AOW Diver, I joined Ionian Divers (dive center in which I had attended my PADI courses) in a diving trip in Red Sea in Egypt.
Yes, we did find Nemo, after all!
The trip
Our destination and mother base for the upcoming daily excursions was Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. We got there with Pyramis Agency with an intermediate stopover in Cairo. It’s been my very first time encountering the typical bureaucracy of an African country but a local guide appointed by the operator was there to help me out with the paperwork. Looking the airport of Sharm under the dawn colours was like a picture in the pages of a fairytale.
“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” Jacques Yves Cousteau
The place
Sharm el-Sheikh is divided into the new and the old part of the village. The first was in a more European style and by far the most touristic one. On the other hand the old part was way more traditional; we were spending hours every evening at the market, at cafes and interacting with locals. People were really friendly; most of them knew some English and Italian so it was easy to communicate.
Last day was a dive-off day so we had a taxi to get us to Sacred Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai. Driving through the dessert and camel riding was quite nice.
Diving
We had 6 dives in total, twice per day, arranged by a local diving center named Dive Africa. Our dive sites were in the Ras Mohammed National Park, the Strait of Tiran and SS Thistlegorm. Ten years later, I have vivid memories from all of them; it is really hard to describe my feelings in a few words but I ensure you that it is an unforgettable and unique experience! Next trip will be soon enough in a liveaboard.
Many thanks to instructor, buddy diver and, above all, friend of mine, Nikos Nikolopoulos for letting me post his underwater photos; you see at that time I had only my GoPro (the very first edition!) and trust me the outcome is not to have it in common sight.