Having had enough of Cyprus, we decide
to head on towards the Red Sea. The easiest one way trip by far
is to catch a cruise ship from Limassol to Haifa in Israel. So,
we bid our farewells to everyone at Crest Watersports (Tracy inadvertently
slips of the jetty and cuts her legs up quite badly on the barnacles)
and board our cruise ship. Once aboard, we proceed to get very
drunk on the sun deck. Next stop, Haifa.7.00am.
Quick breakfast on board (included in the price), check through
customs very easily (probably Tracy wearing her "Magen David"
pendant helped), catch a bus to the main bus station, then, luckily,
catch the 9.00am coach to Eilat. Anyway,
we thought we had done quite well considering we hadn't the faintest
idea what we were up to. Arrive in
Eilat and check into Yossi Cohens Home stay (not the cheapest
of places, but not much is cheap in Israel, especially Eilat).
The next day we start our usual job search, going around all the
day boats in the marina and all the dive shops in town and on
Coral Beach. After a few days, Tracy gets a job with Aquasport
as Instructor and Terry with Lucky Divers as an Engineer. We
have our first dive in the Red Sea courtesy of Huw Watson, the
manager of the Taba branch of Aquasport. What a pleasure it was
to be in warm seas again surrounded by an abundant supply of tropical
fish. After a reversal of job locations, Tracy as instructor at
Lucky Divers and Terry as DM at Aquasport Taba, then eventually
both working at Aquasport Taba, we decide Eilat is too commercial
and expensive and move on into the Egyptian part of the Sinai
.We seek our fortune in a town called Tarabin in a dive shop called Sinai Dolphin Divers, all arranged
for us once again courtesy of Huw Watson, but that's another story
completely. The diving
in Eilat itself and Coral Beach is terribly overrated. It IS
good for learning or for anyone who has only ever dived in a quarry
in England! But for anyone who has dived on good dive sites before
you will soon be disappointed by the coral damage caused by over
diving and the hoards of Israeli family which descend on Eilat's
beaches at weekends and holidays and walk across the reefs! So
the best thing to do, is to explore one of Eilat's closely guarded
secrets and dive with Aquasport's Taba branch. The
hassles of crossing the boarder into Egypt then the 5 minute walk
to the Taba Hilton is well worth the effort as you will have the
pleasure of the choice of three pristine shore dives. The dive
shop is run by a very amiable Welshman by the name of Huw Watson
and his Dutch partner by the name of Wil Van Andel who are passionate
about the protection of "their" dive sites. You will have the
further pleasure of diving in a small group as no-one seems to
know of this place (hence the reason we loved working there at
2 different points in time). On top
of this the pace is leisurely - one dive at 10 a.m and another
at 2 p.m and that's it as far as guided dives are concerned (unless
of course you pay for private dives for yourself or a group).
A saying we adopted when Owen, (one of the dive shop customers
and now a good friend) asked Terry what he had done that day.
Terry's reply was "oh, the usual 2 dives a day" - which kind of
sums up the laid back feel of the shop, especially as customers
would sometimes sit around for hours in between and after dives
just chatting and having the occasional drink (this bit mainly
refers to Paul, Bud and Ed, once again customers of the dive shop
who have become good friends and who treated us to many a beer
in the evenings at the Nelsons Bar!!).Our
favourite of the 3 sites was the "Black Coral", but "Canyon",
and "House Reef", are just as beautiful. There are resident Frog
Fish (Angler fish), a plethora of Moray
Eels, Lion fish, and Stonefish, also Seahorses, stargazers,
and Terry had the privilege of a very rare sighting of 2 pelagic
Sunfish (Mola Mola) on the "Canyon", one day while leading a dive. For
further information contact Aquasport on 00972 7 6334404 or 00972
7 6326222 (Taba Hilton) and ask for
the Dive Centre or e-mail:
info@aqua-sport.com and insist on diving the shore dives of Taba. Don't let yourself
be fobbed off with anything less!!
There are about half a dozen backpackers
places in Eilat all near the central bus station, and all fairly
expensive, but that's Eilat for you as it really is geared up
to be an international holiday resort and it's easier to spend
US Dollars in some places than it is to spend shekels. If you
fancy a slice of home (if home is England!) Then head down to
the Underground Pub opposite the shopping centre on the waterfront
for a few beers. It's geared up for catering for the budget travellers
expenses with cheap deals on some beers and free food if you're
in there between 5pm and 6pm, other than that you are going to
have to get dressed up and pay through the nose to hang out with
the trendy Israelis in the more chic restaurants and bars. Also
look out for a free Newspaper called "B&T" (Backpacker & Tourist)
- it is full of good information for the traveller in Israel. To
round up, stay a couple of nights in Eilat, Dive with Huw at Aquasport
Taba, drink in the Underground then head down into the Sinai .Top
TABA
HOUSE REEF
This site is right outside the dive shop
and is generally dived in the afternoon, as it is a shallower
dive than the other two. It is quite often used for Intro Dives
as its 5m rock is teaming with life such as Morays, Lion Fish
by the dozen, and the odd appearance by the elusive Stargazer.
To dive this site you head out right following the coastline until
you reach the pipeline (a good place for spotting different types
of Nudibranch), then follow this past the 5m and 12m rocks. Turn
left across the reef, generally to a depth of 18m. Spend the rest
of the dive zigzagging your way back up the reef taking time for
a good look around as there are Puffer and Porcupine fish of every
shape and size lurking in every nook and cranny. Finish on the
5m rock either searching for Stargazers or observing the far easier
to spot, Lion Fish, then back into the shallows to finish the
dive. Once again this site, like the others, is a myriad of colours
like a swirling Kaleidoscope. Top
BLACK CORAL
Black Coral is situated halfway between
the dive shop and the Canyons and is reached within 5 minutes.
Usually a shore entry through a split in the reef, which you can
walk through, then down you go. Out across a sand patch until
you reach turtle grass growing along a slope in the sea bed. Follow
this along until you reach a small block with coral growing on
it; it's at this point you take a left and head down the slope
to the Black Coral dive site at 18-26m. The site itself is very
small and can be easily missed unless you have one of the shops'
dive guides with you. Even thought the site is small it is alive
and one of Terry's most favourite dive sites in the world to date.
The main part of the reef is swirling with millions of Glass Fish
and is home to a couple of resident Frog Fish (Angler Fish). There
are Peppered Morays under nearly every rock and quite a few rather
inquisitive Red Toothed Trigger fish to keep you occupied. Due
to it's depth, 20 minutes is generally all you have on the site
and the time flies by just trying to take in the beauty of the
place. You ascend back up the slope and do a safety stop in the
shallows which are also alive with bright corals and Anthia's
flitting around the place and the occasional Barracuda on the
prowl for a meal. Head back in the shallows along the reef wall
back to the entry point keeping an eye out for even more interesting
creatures such as Lion Fish, Scorpion Fish and Crocodile Fish.
This site never disappoints it's divers. Top
CANYONS
The furthest away of the three dive sites
from the shop and still easily accessed after a 10 minute walk
along the beach path, having your equipment transported by trolley
for you by your divemaster. Quick kit up and a final brief and
buddy check and down to the sea, then straight down you go! Firstly
in a couple of meters then through a split in the first canyon
and out to sea and deeper water, keeping the reef on your left
side. This dive can go down to 36m with coral still around you
but most dives generally reach a comfortable 20-24m until you
reach the end of the reef, then return along the shallower top
section of the reef at 16m with the occasional split in the canyons
disappearing below you until you get into the shallows again to
do a safety stop at a very pretty coral cluster at 5m, before
heading back to the entry point. The site is alive with all the
usual rich colours of fish and corals and the occasional rare
treat such as the 2 pelagic Sunfish (Mola Mola) that Terry was
fortunate enough to encounter whilst leading a dive. Top
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