Well once again we have another windy day.

This time I was headed out to have my first day of fun diving in the last 10 months, typical. As we walked onto the jetty we could hear waves crashing against the little beach there, sloshing water up between the wooden slats to give us a nice soaking!

By the time the boat began lurching towards us, we were already beginning to have second thoughts. I had kind of come to the conclusion that this was not going to be a good day for my mum to chill out as a snorkler on the boat, and was beginning to think twice about the day’s diving for myself.
Then one of the larger boats lurched back pushed by the swell jolting the whole structure we were standing on. Suddenly the jetty itself began to feel more than a little vulnerable with heaving boats stacked either side, things were not looking too promising. Skippers were screaming at their crews and each other to let lines out or pull forward in attempts to prevent further collisions, but to no avail.

After a few more jolts from various boats, and Ali declaring that while he will go out for us, he was refusing to sign anything taking responsibility in these conditions.

The wind is coming in from the south bringing with it some weather, so on hearing this it was the guests themselves that made the call not to go out today. The thing is, when the wind is from the south here, there is no shelter for diving at all.

I can hear as I write the wind picking up once again having had sandstorms while we ate lunch (hmmm crunchy!) and… rare for Egypt it has just started to rain. That’s the second time this winter!

Ok I am not about to winge, but I really feel the need to make comment here.

We have some totally awesome local dive sites in the Sharm el Sheikh area, and of course yes we also have the incredible Ras Mohammed National Park and Tiran reefs which are well worth a visit at some point in your trip. However I do wonder why it is that relatively novice divers get it in their heads that these are the places to go, and that the local sites are not worth a visit, not even for a day or two in order to regain that comfort zone.

As a guide it is my duty to be honest with guests and advise them accordingly, so it can be a little discouraging when attempting to advise a diver who has yet to gain that wonderful neutral buoyancy element of diving, I am met with disappointment or even anger. My recommendation is usually only to have a couple of days diving our local sites before venturing further afield, so it is not as though I am totally banning the idea of tackling the stronger stuff.

These local sites generally tend to have slightly milder currents, usually a sandy bottom or at least a sloping drop off, but still have the stunning corals in the 15-5M range, pinnacles encrusted with life, cleaner wrasse that like cleaning divers, crystal clear waters and very pretty topography. They are also ideal for photographers, bearing in mind that it is not exactly easy to adjust your focus when zooming along a wall in a flying drift dive!

If you are planning to visit the Red Sea, please bear in mind that Ras Mohammed and Tiran are really suitable for the more experienced divers. I don’t mean years of practice, but you need to be comfortable in potentially strong currents, with surface swell, as these conditions can crop up out of the blue in these sites. The dives are also wall dives which while stunning, are also challenging as there is no sandy bottom to stop you should you find yourself a little on the negative side buoyancy wise.

Anyway, I am not having a rant, but just giving a little advice. Also remember that aside from the obvious safety, comfort and confidence issue, there is also a fragile reef to consider. It is positively heartbreaking to see divers out of control creating a trail of devastation across a reef that will take years to recover. There are so many divers visiting the area, it has to be our duty to ensure that we do not destroy the very thing we are here to see.

OK so whilst the winter sun is definitely still here… a bit of the winter wind has blown in and consequently blown out the diving!!! So those of you who left last night… you needn’t be quite so downhearted!

Looking out this morning (having been woken up at 5am by our washing line blowing over) Ras Katy normally an oasis of calm in most conditions was lumpy with lots of white frothy stuff (ooh yes, that will be waves!). By the time we got to work, I was dreading my 4 pack scuba review off the beach envisioning struggles with surge and sandy visibility.

Well all was not lost, despite all the boats being cancelled, and Jetties closed, I took the decision to stay in the pool. As a result we were able to really do a great thorough review without the trudge down the beach or the inevitable surge n sand. Phew.

Of course I was one of about 3 people working in Sharm today which wasn’t so hot, but, hey we had fun. And I was toasty warm in my dry suit hehe total overkill so didn’t suffer the wind chill effect when I got out.
Happy Christmas!!!

Well a big old Happy Christmas to the faithfuls out there. It even looks as though some of us may get Christmas day off too!!! Unlike last year which was heaving on Christmas week, we seem a little quiet this time. So it really could end up being a bit of a party week!!! As it is, we are having two Christmas dinners, one this evening (Christmas eve) as we have some Europeans among us, and then another British one tomorrow. No complaints there however!
Back to normality

Well it is back to normality for me and to ease me in gently after nearly a month off, I had a single Open Water student. After my longest break since becoming an instructor, it felt sooooo good when I went off for that first little swim around the pool… ahhh that floaty feeling of just sitting midwater, like the ultimate floatation tank.

The course went well, although in my absence the water seems to have frozen over!! Ok you hardcore Brit divers will be clicking your teeth at me here, as I am talking a paltry 22ºC nothing hovering around the single figures you often dive in… but for me it was a tad on the nippy side.

Having said that, we have started doing our first open water dives from Naama Beach, and there are some new things to be seen there that I haven’t seen elsewhere which was cool. I especially liked the horned trunk fish, which is like a cross between a box fish and a scribbled file fish, really cute.
Leaving Las Vegas… sorry New York

Well after a fantastic holidy, our flight home has got off to a slightly shaky start. We are delayed an hour, and the kindly security gentlemen here at JFK after rummaging through one of our bags and carefully replacing the padlock, only sent the other bag through unsearched and unlocked! We now have visions of that bag (which does of course contain our Christmas tree and presents!) turning up empty or at the very least a little rifled through once we get to Cairo. We have asked them to try and track down the said suitcase, but now only have visions of all our bags getting delayed and not making it to the plane! Joy… of course this always happens at the end of your holidays doesn’t it? Not at the beginning when you are a touch more chilled out and happy.

Anyway, I have now discovered that the airport here does have wi-fi so how cool that I can get on line while passing the extra time? Of course it is now 3am in the UK and 5am in Sharm, so no one is on MSN… funny.
Big Trip to the Big Apple draws to an end

Ok so all good things must come to an end, and I guess it is nearly time for us to come back to reality… of course, thankfully our reality does happen to be based in Sharm and diving most days, so I won’t grumble.

This was my first visit to the states, and it was totally awesome!

I would say that the Grand Canyon was one of my best trips (especially the realisation that the wall on Shark reef is nearly the same depth in places!). If you ever get the chance, grab it with both hands… but remember to take warm clothes! We had not really thought about it, so were totally gobsmacked when our pilot told us to “wrap up it’s -10ºC out there!!”.

Anyway, we have a couple more days in New York, another show to watch, and then another 24 hour trip of 15 flights (ok I’m exaggerating about the flights) back to Sharm el Sheikh.
Ha! Now I am in the Arctic!

So.. not satisfied with freezing to bits in Sharm, I thought I would go one step further and freeze for real in New York… yes that is the New York that is found on the East coast of the USA! Ok not very aquatic, but we thought we would take a much needed break and come here for a holiday and a change of scene for a bit.

I must admit I thought I was going to have fun getting through customs with about 15 Egyptian stamps in my passport not to mention a Russian stamp from my previous career! (What with all the recent stuff going on between Russia and the UK) But the only hassle we got was for not having the exact address of the people we are staying with .. oops.

Of course being used to a nice balmy 27′C or so, it does feel a little on the nippy side.. added to which, they have forecast temperatures of around -4′C later today!! Eeek!

Still it is great to see green grass again and even a bit of a downpour last night (after not seeing rain for the best part of a year). And I can’t wait to do the shopping bit in the city itself tomorrow! Not to mention finding a bit of kit! Anyone know of a good dive shop in NYC??
OK it is not arctic, but it feels that way!

So call me mesh, whimp or whatever you like but I am feeling the cold. And I am ashamed to say the water is not as chilly as it was last year! By the time we got to the beginning of this month, it had dropped to 26′C and I was FREEEEZING! So as soon as I saw one other guide in a drysuit, that was it… mine got a good dusting off, and out it came to play.

Boy does it feel sooo much better too. I don’t care what anyone says, but if you are female, under 8 stone, and quite a chilled diver, I strongly recommend a drysuit if you decide to pop over here during the winter. Ok not the best advert for our wonderful winter sun, but if it makes your holiday just that bit more comfy, what the heck. Enjoy being nice n toasty while everyone else shivers. Why suffer the icy cold wet wetsuit on that second or third dive??

Anyway, winging over, I shall get back to my nice hot chocolate.