I took my first part of the Open Water back in 2008 while on holiday in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt with Aqarius, a registered PADI dive school. Sharm is a new resort set on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and its hot weather, clear blue seas, make it an excellent dive location. The minimal tidal flow and currents make it especially easy for novice divers to learn & build their confidence. The Ras Mohammad National Park is only a short drive from the resort and boasts some of the best coral reefs in the world. Angel fish, Parrot fish, Manta Rays, Dolphins and Sharks all thrive in the area, as do giant turtles. How could I resist?

The first part of the course lasted 3 days. 2 in the pool & classrom, follwed by 2 sea dives off the Schools house reef. It was quite hard work, mainly because I am not as fit as I should be, and I was very nervous to begin with. This was mainly due to the fact that I am not a particlularly good swimmer and to the fact that no-one likes to be moved outside of their comfort zone, into an environment that was alien to us. Our instructor realised my nervousness and spent some time and care to allay any fears that I had. Explaining that there wasnt a single problem that couldnt be overcome, provided that we remembered out training, and worked closely with our buddy.

Table Coral in Ras Mohammed National Park

When we got to day three we went down to the beach, kitted up and headed out onto the pontoon. Giving our kit one final check, our instructor went in first then waved the 2 of us to follow and we jumped in – literally. We checked each other again, thene descended into the amazing world of the Red Sea.

Words cannot do the experience justice, the colours were spectacular, both of the fish and the coral around us. We dropped down to 12 metres and marvelled at the aquatic life that surrounded us: Angel Fish, Banner Fish, Anthias, Grouper, Napoleon Fish, Big Eye Emerald Fish…. the list could go on and on. Some of these were coming right up to us close enough to touch, one even took a shine to the colourful tattoo on my upper arm, but when he realised he couldnt eat it he swam away dejectedly! All too soon we reached the safety limit of our air supply and made our way to the surface.

My first dive at Ras Gamila

After a brief break for lunch we dived again and were equally enthralled by the myriad fish and corals around us. This time addinga large Lion Fish to our list of “Have seen”. Having completed the mandatory tasks required, we surfaced to learn we were no fully qualified scuba divers. My first task: book two more dives for a few days later!

My 2nd and 3rd dives were with 2 fully qualified divers, who Id never met before but were friendly and helpful. We dived down to 18 metres and the instructor signalled me to lead along the face of the coral cliff. Knowing that all the guys with me were experienced I was a bit surprised to turn round and see all 3 heading off in a different direction – what were they up to? Then looking up I saw a huge Manta Ray (aover 2 metres from wing tip to wing tip)  swimming above us! They had seen him and turned to get a photo so I quickly caught them up and just stared at this massive elegant creature as he effortlessly disappeared into the distance.

A Giant Manta Ray

The afternoon dive was again amazing, this time a Giant Turtle, easily over 1 and a half metres long swam past us, again the easy movements through the water filling us with awe. Later when we recounted our dives to those on shore we were told by one of the insutructors that despite his having been workign there for 8 months, he had yet to spot his first Manta Ray or Giant turtle, so we could count that as one of our best days diving ever!