Dive date: October 18th 2000.
Report date: October
2000.
In its Italian version, this report has been published on Diveitaly site.
Tiran island is located near the great narrowing that geographically defines Aqaba gulf, the eastern one between the two that close to northern side of Red Sea (the other one is Suez gulf). In such a position, it reduces the Aqaba gulf width to approximately ten kilometers. But what makes Tiran mythical for divers and terrible for sailors is the presence, just in the middle of this natural strait, of four coral reefs. They rise from hundred of meters deep, like enormous pillars, and reach the sea level about half a meter from the surface, blocking as a matter of fact more than half of the appearing width of the strait of Tiran.
The warning lighthouses, and moreover the two rusty wrecks lying alarming on the reefs, give exactly the definition of sailor nightmare that our divemaster Debbie attributed to this site. All it remains complicated then from the unavoidable strong currents that these waters move and that they constitute one of the main reasons of interest for the underwater ones that visit these reef in great number.
The four reefs lie approximately aligned along the NE-SW direction. The first is Jackson reef, almost round shape, where we are going to make our first dive today. Following there is Woodhouse reef, long and thin, then Thomas reef, small and round again, and finally Gordon reef, larger and round shaped, where the largest among this site wrecks is still lying and getting rusty.
For today´s first dive the boat is mooring near Jackson reef. No current is expected, and in fact there isn´t any. As soon as we get down in water the sight is breathtaking: I find myself flying in the blue in front of a nearly vertical wall that fades under me in such a depth that I can hardly figure. Wherever I watch there is a blast of different colored corals and great gorgonian fans, between which I can see groups of fishes swimming around, all of them seeming unaware of the shoals of homo subacqueus (subacqueus in Latin means underwater) wandering about. This species is by far the most represented in these waters, but there are also plenty of fishes... Among them, a big napoleon fish about one meter long swimming quietly above us is surely worth seeing. Once again however I appreciate the experience and competence of Debbie, than does not lack to let us watch a crocodile fish, otherwise invisible, hidden in the sand, and a small Christmas tree worm, while the great turtle catches our attention by itself, with its wide group of divers following it.
We end our dive with the usual 3 min. 5 meters safety stop, that we spend wandering about at this depth. The gauge meter says I´ve over 80 bar (Laura has 120 !!), and we win an extended play, 10 more minutes keeping this depth. In the meantime, who is low in air shallows and gets back to the boat. Actually we have already seen most of the show, we succeed however in watching a small needle fish, again on a sign from Debbie, always precise in pointing to hidden fishes.
After lunch and a very short sail to Thomas reef, where the boat is going to moor, we gather for briefing about today´s second dive. A strong current is expected, so it will be necessary to jump all together, keep in touch among us and stay quite close to the reef, keeping it on our left hand. We dive without problems, following the instructions, and soon we are 15 m deep. Debbie´s suggestion was not to move fins and simply drift along the current, but, at least by now, I can´t see any current.
The scene is quite similar to this morning, a little less colored because the sun is now quite low on the horizon line, but always wonderfully sinking in the blue. I feel as if I were flying, and I notice the current in the time that the boy That I am following points to a hole in which a large gray dotted grouper is hidden. I´d like to stop there in order to watch better and point it to Laura, that is behind me, but I notice that even only maintaining my position demands me a remarkable job of fins, while it would be very hard to swim backward. Fortunately she notices it by herself and succeeds in watching into the hole and seeing the grouper.
I keep on drifting along the current and watching the reef that slides in front of me. Sometimes I turn my eyes to the blue on my right hand, hoping to see something great, but I only succeed in watching some amberjacks and two trumpet fishes. On the other hand on the reef wall I can see lots of big gorgonian fans (Subergorgia Hicksonii), some of which are several square meters wide. The current is flowing around to the reef and we are approaching the strait between two reefs, where the current is strongly increasing. Now I am really transported by the current, and it is a very funny feeling. I verify my depth, that is OK, and I look around me looking for my fellow divers. Laura seems seated in seat, while watching the reef sliding in front of her as it was a nature documentary on TV, I am playing in making the airplane like the soccer player Montella does when scores a goal, while an Egyptian boy that is going to became a divemaster is in a bottom up lotus position, like attempting a yoga exercise. It seems that this drift dive is amusing and relaxing for everybody, time and space are running fast, until a movement on the reef catches all our gazes.
It is a big moray eel (Gymnothorax Javanicus), nearly two meters long, that meandering moves along the reef, opening wide its jaws threateningly, even if is only its normal respiration. While moving it enters a gray dotted grouper homeland, and this one, in spite of the remarkable disproportion, 40 cm against nearly 2 meters, shows an aggressive attitude and opens its jaws showing its teeth. Obviously There isn´t any chance: the moray eel replies more aggressively, opening wide its jaws, that would be enough to tear the grouper to pieces within two bites, in so far that the grouper prudently withdrawn. The moray eel keeps on wandering, with no care for the group of divers swimming around, and soon greets all and suddenly shallows towards the surface. Lucky it that has no problems of nitrogen saturation and shallowing speed...
Now it is time to shallow also for us, usual 3 min. 5 meters safety stop, that is not a real stop, and finally we are floating onto the surface, paying attention to keep in touch one another. During our dive we have almost rounded the reef, overpassing the strongest current site, but even here it is not negligible. The boat is approaching us in order to let us get on board, and in the meantime a sailor throws a rope in so far that we can hold it and not drift away.
The day is now ending, the boat is slowly carrying us back home in Sharm, while a spectacular sunset on Sinai mountains is closing this wonderful one day trip.