An excellent one week holiday on the MV Orchid Liveaboard visting the Red Sea’s northern wrecks and reefs. Lots of very clear warm water diving with some fantastic scenery and wildlife. The crew were very very helpful and the food was also top class. With unbroken sunshine and lots of diving (3 day dives and 1 night dive each day) it was an excellent way to get as much diving done as possible.
Sunday 22-Oct-06 Early Flight from Manchester Airport to Sharm El Sheik. Our Reps then picked us up from the airport and the scariest part of the trip was being transferred to the Boat. Once at the boat we were greeted by the crew and made to feel very welcome. Gradually over the course of the day everyone else arrived from there various flights and transfers. Once everyone was on board we left the harbour to moor at the location of our first dive the next day.
Monday 23-Oct-06 First Day of diving at the Ras Katy Reef just outside of Sharm El Sheik Harbour. This was used as a check dive to get everyone used to diving in the Red Sea and also to make sure all the kit was working OK. Fortunately no problems were encountered by anyone and we headed off to do a Drift Dive at the Marsa Baureika Reef. Third dive of the day was at the reef of Shoab Mahmoud. Our first night dive was also at Shoab Mahmoud.
Tuesday 24-Oct-06 We were woken this morning by an unexpected crossing of the Gulf of Suez. This very choppy crossing which began while we were still in our cabins was not a very nice start to the day and made some people ill. Once the other side of the Gulf we did our first wreck dives. Using the Zodiac’s (RIB’s) we travelled out from the calm area where the boat was moored to visit the Marcus (Chrisoula K) and then the Carnatic. Because of the crossing we didn’t manage to get a third day dive but did a night dive on the Ghiannis D wreck. This turned out to be quite eventful as when we surfaced the seas were very rough and we all had to try and get back on the RIB’s in the dark.
Wednesday 25-Oct-06 We repeated the Ghiannis D dive in the daylight and then headed back across the Gulf of Suez. Once back on the other side we moored in a sheltered area by Shag Rock and the dive the Kingston Wreck & Shag Rock Reef. We then made a further dive on the Shag Rock Reef and also a high speed drift dive at night.
Thursday 26-Oct-06 We headed over to the World Famous wreck of the SS Thistlegorm. Fortunately we arrived before the day boats and had our first dive before the crowds of divers arrived. Our second and third dives were quite busy with other divers but still good fun. Our night dive on the Thistlegorm was our first opportunity to swim with turtles.
Friday 27-Oct-06 Visted the Dunraven wreck which was different as it is lying upside down. We then drifted along the Coral Reef and got picked up by the Zodiac. The Boat then moved to a wonderfull calm Lagoon where we did some snorkelling before diving Small Crack Reef. The boat then moved location again and we did a dive on Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef & Wreck. Our night dive was back over where we started our holiday at Ras Katy.
Saturday 28-Oct-06 Drift dive along the Ras Umm Sid found lots of schooling Barracuda’s. Our final dive was to see the tanks and old military vehicles dumped in the sea below the Electric Station. Unfortunately that was the end of the diving. The boat headed back to the Harbour while we packed our bags. We were then transferred to the Domina Hotel.
Sunday 29-Oct-06 Spent the rest of the day at the very disappointing Domina Hotel complex but we didn’t come out here for the hotel so it didn’t put down the fantastic week’s diving we had just had.
Overall a thoroughly excellent week of diving that we would recommend to anyone. Amazing reefs, wrecks and wildlife, excellent underwater visibility, clear skies, lots of sun, and a very helpful crew and dive guide.
