On May 22nd 2023, 12 members of Reading BSAC assembled at Gatwick airport to travel to Hurghada in Egypt for a week’s warm-water diving onboard “Hurricane” which is part of the Tornado Marine Fleet. MV Hurricane is a 36-meter long liveaboard with full interior, exterior, sailing, catering and dive crew – Get ready for a week of luxury!
Following a late evening arrival, welcome brief and some kit assembly, we hit the sack ready for our ‘Simply the Best’ itinerary in the Egyptian Southern Red Sea.
Our adventure began with a check-dive in Abu Ramada; this check-dive rivalled most marine life focused dives in the UK. Not only did we get to check our equipment still worked after transportation on the 5hr flight, but we were also treated to stunning underwater landscapes (including forests of Gorgonian fan corals!), diverse marine life, and crystal-clear waters – slightly different to our pre-trip dives in the murky waters of Wraysbury! We completed our second dive on Panorama Reef which is famous for its schooling barracuda, as well as numerous dolphins, eagle rays, grey reef sharks and silvertips, and for its soft and hard corals. We had the same amazing 30m+ visibility and got to encounter a very friendly Napoleon Wrasse along many other tropical fish (a common theme on all our dives).
During the day we soon realised we were not going to go hungry on this trip… Before breakfast we were encouraged to have snacks, we then would have large buffet breakfast, followed by more snacks, after the next dive we were greeted with a large buffet lunch and then more snacks, followed by dinner and yet more snacks… From ‘eggy-chicken’ to breakfast Falafels, fruit bowls to fresh fish and Bimbo’s; there was something for everyone – It’s a good job diving burns so many calories really!
Similarly to the amount of food, we were soon to realise the staff hospitality was also exceptional… From assistance donning and doffing wetsuits, sorting out equipment to ensuring you had drink as soon as returning from a dive and even fetching your gin at the end of the day! The crew were always on hand and this made for a more than relaxed trip – Hospitality many of us have missed since returning to the UK!
Between dives, many divers could be found in their boat robes on the sun deck having a snooze or basking in the 30+ degree heat, only to be woken up by the ringing of the bell to signal our next meal / dive briefing.
Our next destination was the reef systems of the Brother Islands, some 67km offshore from El-Quseir. One of many Egyptian Marine Parks, the islands are protected areas and places of magnificent beauty.
Off Little Brother Island, deep walls surround the island on all sides except the northern point, where the reef slopes away from the shoreline before dropping to a deep plateau at 40m. The sheer walls are covered with black corals, mammoth gorgonian fans with hard and soft corals. Large schools of fish are a pleasant interruption to the view of the corals.
Big Brother sports the highlight of the Numidia wreck. The steamship was designed as a cargo ship and was built and launched in 1901. The vessel Numidia was just on its second voyage when it smashed into the northern tip of the Big Brother Island. Now the wreck is lying in at a steep angle on the drop off of the northern plateau in a depth between 8m to 90m. The remaining metal framework is covered colourfully with soft and hard corals, bringing the ship back to life with the many fish that now inhabit it. Out in the blue some divers were luckier enough to spot some passing reef and black-tip sharks.
After another overnight journey we arrived at the Daedalus Reef, a 400m long and 100m wide reef about 90km from Marsa Alam. We were greeted with a millpond of an ocean, much to the surprise of many crew and fellow divers who had been there before. The water temperature was 26 degrees causing the algae to bloom across the surface.
At Daedalus we experienced some amazing dives. On a couple of occasions, in the blue we were met by 10 + schooling hammerhead sharks. On our safety stops we could marvel at the corals and marine life (including many lionfish and clownfish) that sprawl the walls.
After a day’s diving some of club headed up the many stairs of the lighthouse to admire the reef from above. The lighthouse was built in 1863 and has warned passing ships throughout the years of the dangers that hide beneath the waves, but for us this was a true spectacle above and below water.
Onward to Elphinstone reef and here we discovered some spectacular wall dives. Elphinstone is a 375m long, offshore reef with drop-offs descending to over 100m. After two morning dives on Elphinstone, we headed North for our afternoon dive in Marsa Torombi.
We were very lucky with weather conditions throughout our trip. Although, on this night we headed through a storm. This led to an interesting night for most. The crashing of waves that felt like they would come though the boat and being thrown up into the air as we slept. Many seas sickness pills were consumed during this night.
Rounding off the week, was Small Giftun Island near Hurghada. The sun was back and waves died down. Small Giftun featured more reef walls that were rich with marine life. We were spoilt with corals, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, unicorn-fish, triggerfish, and many more species.
We headed back to harbour where we able to enjoy a night at marina and get back on dryland. The next day was spent lounging by a pool at a local hotel where we had day-use rooms before heading back to blighty on a late-night flight!
The holiday we shared, and the memories we created were nothing short of brilliant and thoroughly enjoyed by all – Initial thoughts for a November 2024 trip have already begun to circulate, likely heading to the North of the Red Sea on the ‘Wrecks and Reefs’ itinerary… Keep an eye out for a sign-up sheet later this year.
Tanya Godley & Greg Wood
