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DAEDALUS
REEF, SOUTHERN EGYPT
Daedalus
Reef
is
lying 55 nautical miles east of Marsa Alam. The island is
450 metres long and 100 metres wide. On the island you can
find a lighthouse, which was built by the English and is still
in use. It is occupied by 4 people with the crew changing
every 3 months. Fresh water is brought by ship every month
while other goods are stored in the houses having been offloaded
at the long pier.The view from the lighthouse is well worth
taking in and the Egyptians who man it are welcoming, however,
gifts of fresh fruit etc. are a nice gesture.
 The
diving: On the north-, east- and south-sides the reef
drops quickly. The south-side gives shelter from the prevailing
northerly wind and is the best place to anchor the boat. The
best dives are found on the north side of the island. The
deep water and currents provide the perfect habitat for a
lot of big fish although dawn is the best time to look for
Mantas. To the east there is a spectacular drop-off, which
continues on to the south east point where thresher sharks
are regularly found. Their long tail is used to hit little
fish, swimming in schools, which are then eaten. There are
a lot of holes in the eastern reef where a lot of animal life
is to be seen. Lovely soft corals, Gorgonias and Black coral
to be found everywhere with impressive numbers of fish. On
the west side you can find a drop off with an anemone city
populated by clown fishes and blue coral. On the south side
you can find pieces of metal which were probably left when
the lighthouse was built. Lovely soft corals can be seen here
and all the metal pieces have been overgrown with soft corals.
Shoals of cornet fish can also be very inquisitive . Usually
the current is strong, so a drift dive can be made. Reef sharks
and hammerheads can be often be found in great numbers and
the thresher shark can also be seen here. There are rumours
that an English ship sank here and is lying in very deep water.
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| BROTHERS
ISLANDS , SOUTHERN EGYPT |
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The
Brothers Islands translated
from Arabic, El Akhawein means "The two Brothers". On a
similar latitude to Quseir on the Egyptian mainland, two small islands
rise from an abyss, over 300m deep, in the middle of the Red sea.
Exposure to strong currents has left the islands, particularly the
smaller of the two, with an abundance of soft corals and giant Gorgonians,
which are considered by many to be some of the best in the world.
The Brothers are extremely exposed and therefore can only be reached
in calm seas. The best time to travel is between June and October
when visibility is at its best (At times in excess of 40m) and the
water temperature is about 26 degrees C. These figures drop to 10-20m
visibility and 21 degrees C in the winter when it can be somewhat
rougher
although it remains diveable.
Little
Brother This island offers some spectacular coral diving, with
the most colourful soft corals and delicate Gorgonian forests at
around 30m. As you turn your head away from the drop-off, you might
well see Thresher and Silky sharks gilding into the deep. The Brothers
attract several other species of sharks, including Hammerheads,
Silver tips,Oceanic White tips and even Tiger sharks.
Big
Brother A 400m long island with lighthouse, 40 miles off the
coast from El Queseir. Offers wreck diving on two sunken boats on
the northern tip and excellent wall diving along the southern side
of the reef with strong currents promoting the growth of a spectacular
forest of soft corals. Frequent sightings of big pelagics and an
astonishing variety of marine life.
Namibia
A huge freighter lies on the northern plateau of Big Brother with
the stern wedged into the island at a depth of 80m. This wreck is
adorned with spectacular soft corals, however, due to the usually
strong currents this dive is only for the experienced.
Aida
II Supply ship, that hit the reef circa 1957, lying between
30 to 70m. Its structure is heavily colonised with soft and hard
coral encrustation. This makes an interesting dive not only for
the wreck but also the large pelagic fish and schools of Barracuda
that glide around it.
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| ZABARGAD
AND RICKY ISLAND, SOUTHERN EGYPT |
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Zabargad
& Rocky Island lies quite close to the Sudanese
border. The island was ' born ' when both the Asiatic and African
continental shelves came together forcing up the land in this area.
As a result a large variety of minerals have been brought to the
surface. Zabargad is one of the few places on earth where you still
can find these minerals in their undisturbed state. The island was
originally discovered by pirates looking for drinking water, instead
they found Chrysoliet, a mineral used in the smelting of iron and
steel. In fact Chrysoliet or olivine has been gathered on Zabargad
since 1500BC and the caves in the mountains originate from this
time.
When you are
on the island the sun can colour bathe the mountains in a striking
red light which changes as the day progresses. The island Zabargad
is triangular and is dominated by a number of mountains which gives
the impression that the island is inaccessible. The dive boat is
usually anchored to the south of the island and, as it is the only
big island in this region of the Red Sea, it is often used as an
overnight anchorage when you are diving Rocky Island which is 5
to 6 kilometres to the Southeast of Zabargad.
 The
Diving. Zabagard Island between 0 and 5 meters has beautiful
soft corals. It is a sandy bottom at 25 meters with all kinds of
coral blocks every one of which is a living reef. Rays, Morays and
Crocodilefish can be found amongst the coral blocks and Octopus
and cuttlefish, nudibranches are present here. All in all, this
place deserves a lot more attention than simply as an overnight
stop for ' Rocky Island.
The desolate
Rocky Island is a legendary diving place, which fulfils the dreams
of many Red Sea divers. The reef continues down to great depths
and there is an abundance of living creatures to be found. The
isolation of the island combined with the current offers a good
possibility of seeing almost any sea creature you can think of,
from the little reef fish up to the tuna, mackerels and barracuda’s.
The big reef fish such as Grey sharks and Silky sharks are also
frequent visitors. Hammerheads, Thresher sharks, Dolphins and Mantas
are not rare, even little whales are seen regularly.
The south of
Rocky Island is easier to dive and lots of corals and fish can be
found. Caves and hangovers provide plenty of places for the smaller
reef fish to find shelter and here, as for the rest of the island,
the coral growth and abundance of marine life is very good. The
east coast of Rocky Island where the current can be strong guarantees
a spectacular dive! At a depth of 25 meters there is a small plateau,
which is considered to be a natural ' shark theatre'. Drifting over
ensures sighting a wide variety of sharks.
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