“Simply the Best” liveaboard tour, Red Sea, Egypt
November 2007
When the Hydronauts suggested the “Simply the Best” tour, taking in the Brother’s Islands, I had to go. This diving mecca is well known for encounters with large pelagics, and I wanted to see sharks; I had a wish list of five different shark species I wanted to see, and hoped I would be able to tick off any one of them. As eleven of us converged on Gatwick airport I could not have imagined how many shark encounters we would have, and that my wish list would be almost complete by the end of the week.
I had a wish list of five different shark species I wanted to see...On arrival in Hurghada our dive guides for the week, Theijs and Nicole, welcomed us on board M.V. Hurricane, our home for the week. After the tedium of the paperwork, we bagsy’ed a spot on the dive deck, and relaxed with our companions for the week; including small groups from Yorkshire and Belgium and, by total coincidence, the doctor that treated Dave after his episode on the Kyarra a couple of years back!
...the zodiac and liveaboard were rocking and rolling in the wind and waves, so that often the zodiac was a metre below the dive deck and then lifted up above it...Next morning we started the holiday with some gentle pootles around some local inshore sites, mainly around Gota Abu Ramada, with typical resident reef fish life, crocodile fish, moray eels, lionfish, yellowtail barracuda, sweetlips, etc. I was lucky enough to spot an octopus on both of the day dives, and even a great white shark on the second dive; no I wasn’t narked, this sculpture of a great white shark on top of a three metre long knife, is intended to raise awareness of the plight of sharks due to overfishing.
After a night dive, along with a friendly group of batfish, we had an excellent dinner served by the amazing chef and our salon manager for the week, the incomparable and entertaining Mr. Mahgoub. Then it was time for a beer, before we all headed off to our comfortable cabins to sleep, while the captain set sail for the Brother’s (or El Akhawein as they are called locally).
We were lucky enough to be joined on the dive by 2 beautiful thresher sharks...We awoke to a very windy, but sunny morning, moored next to a small lump of rock called Little Brother, and with a view in the distance of the lighthouse on Big Brother. After an excellent dive briefing the groups got kitted up, and attempted to board the zodiacs. This was a tricky exercise as the zodiac and liveaboard were rocking and rolling in the wind and waves, so that often the zodiac was a metre below the dive deck and then lifted up above it; with good timing and some luck we boarded the zodiacs and were taken out to the drop area by zodiac. This process was something most of us got used to by the end of the holiday, though it was always difficult, and there were a few minor injuries and close shaves during the week.
...the other group had seen a manta ray there in the morning, and we wondered whether we could also get lucky.After bouncing out to where we thought was the zodiac drop point, we descended and got pushed by the current the wrong way (according to the briefing) around the Little Brother’s wall, the gentle current sweeping the group along. Nevermind! We were lucky enough to be joined on the dive by 2 beautiful thresher sharks, keeping their distance but constantly swimming back and forth along the reef. These rare animals are easily identified by their incredibly long tail, and were at the head of my shark wishlist; here were two of them on the first dive at the Brother’s! After a surface interval our group decided this time we would go along the north side of Little Brother – the other group had seen a manta ray there in the morning, and we wondered whether we could also get lucky. Immediately we saw a couple of tuna, and then at the end of the dive a grey reef shark (2nd shark species from the wishlist). Then a second shark appeared out of the blue; another thresher, elegantly swimming straight towards us. After coming in to closely check us out, it headed away, and we finished the dive with huge grins on our faces. The final dive of the day was a relative let down – this time we only saw two grey reef sharks!
After finishing the day’s diving, the boat moved from Little to Big Brother, and we all spent the evening relaxing, and talking about sharks. And it was during a chat by the starboard rail that Steve Wells, or Tom Cruise as Mr. Mahgoub called him, and I had our next shark encounter. A large oceanic whitetip shark cruised below the boat, boastfully displaying the white markings that give this species its name. After staying for a while the shark headed off, leaving everyone excited about tomorrow’s diving (though perhaps with a little trepidation). And here was the 3rd species of shark from my list (although cheating a bit as we weren’t diving).
...we headed ashore to climb the lighthouse on the island, buy souvenir t-shirts and drink some tea...The next day at Big Brother our first two dives were the wrecks, the Aida and Numidia. Both these wrecks are very pretty and festooned with hard and soft corals, but I must admit to being a bit disappointed after the sharks of Little Brother. Then we headed ashore to climb the lighthouse on the island, buy souvenir t-shirts and drink some tea. Back on Hurricane we prepared for our third dive of the day. A small group of us decided to drop into the blue and wait to see whether we would be joined by anything big. We weren’t disappointed. After a short wait, an oceanic white tip shark decided to come over and check a few of us out; it came a little too close for comfort (less than a metre), but what an awesome experience.
Back on the boat the crew pulled up the mooring chains and we all departed the Brother’s with lots of great memories; watching the lighthouse slowly recede into the distance, we were all looking forward to Daedalus reef (Abu Kizan), the most offshore of all the reefs in the Egyptian Red Sea, and our next destination.
...looking down into the darkness, we began to see the shapes of a swirling school of hammerhead sharks...Next morning we were greeted by the sight of a new lighthouse, sitting on top of a reef plate only barely reaching the surface of the sea. Our first dive at Daedalus started like any other dive. But 5 minutes in, looking down into the darkness, we began to see the shapes of a swirling school of hammerhead sharks (perhaps 10-12 sharks). One of them came up out of the gloomy depths, checked us out, and then headed back to join his friends; many divers dream of an encounter with hammerheads, and this was certainly a fantastic experience (at least one of the group shed a tear). And these elegant creatures brought my shark count up to 4 species for the week. After a visit to the lighthouse, where we joined a resident osprey perching on an old pier leg and tucking into a fish, we returned to Hurricane for more diving. Some of us decided that, for both of these dives, we would just stride off the back of the boat; firstly we were hoping for sharks and secondly it’s much easier than boarding the zodiacs. On both dives we saw oceanic whitetip sharks (3 on one dive, though worryingly Theijs informed us there were 4!!), as well as a barracuda and a friendly napoleon wrasse.
Another sleepless night of cruising for the captain brought us to the famous Elphinstone reef. On the first dive we dropped in on a pod of dolphins that didn’t seem to be expecting us, quickly departing once they realised they were being watched, and a hawksbill turtle decided to glide along with us for part of the way. The last two dives were less impressive (including a headache inducing anti-drift dive that made everyone pretty angry), but the usual reef life was on show. On the last dive (a proper drift dive) we experienced a fairly strong current, with a safety stop like being in a washing machine as we sheltered behind the reef. To get back to the boat we had to grab a line before we got swept away at a rapid rate of knots. Unfortunately Debra didn’t quite make the line, and had to get picked up by zodiac; in exactly the same place that an hour earlier we had watched an oceanic white tip shark circling a sun mattress that had blown overboard from a neighbouring liveaboard.
...In the hotel bar, Tom Cruise (Steve) hijacked the microphone and entertained everyone, except Ahmad, the hired act, by singing a wonderful rendition of Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds”...The last overnight cruise took us back towards Hurghada, stopping at Safaga to dive at Panorama reef, and then homeward for our last dive at Ras Disha. Neither dive could come close to matching what had gone before, but then what could match the grey reef sharks, thresher sharks, hammerheads and oceanic white tips we had been treated to at the Brother’s and Daedalus.
And then the diving was over. On the last night we were transferred to the hotel, where we could eat almost anything desired. In the hotel bar, Tom Cruise (Steve) hijacked the microphone and entertained everyone, except Ahmad, the hired act, by singing a wonderful rendition of Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds”; Tom’s upstaging performance was so good, there was no way Ahmad would let him have another go, despite all our protestations.
When we all finally went to bed, I think Ahmad was glad to see us go, but sadly this was just about the end of the holiday. After a final morning getting bitten by insects, we were all back at Hurghada airport waiting for our flight home, and discussing where we could go for the next episode of the Hydronauts diving adventures………….
Andy York