The intro course gave me a few credits toward the Aida 2 star ticket which I hope to complete in the next couple of months
…… then I can get my Tanya Streeter silver suit
The course was really good, I’m glad I did it and I’m looking forward to completing the next part of my course
and the challenge is to jump off a boat in the mddle of the ocean and not breath in because my brain thinks I’m on SCUBA ;o)
December 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Freediving |
one comment
 What is Freediving? |
|
“Sub-aquatic relaxation… Simply enjoying being underwater with little or no equipment.”
MIG, NoTanx
“Freediving is not about depth, [it] is about experiencing the sea. I hope that if I do my job well that people will come away with that. They will be intrigued by depth… astonished by depth but I hope they understand it is more about being there”
Bob Talbot
“The art of moving from one place to another with fluidity allows you to see your environment differently. The quest’s goal is to become part of the environment in order to develop your mind and body”.
Sébastien Foucan
“Try to use your mind more and not your muscles”
Jaques Mayol
“It is truly an individual sport, as with surfing… ‘Only a Freediver knows the feeling!’”
Andy, NoTanx
Although there are recognized competition disciplines, the vast majority of Freedivers prefer to concentrate on recreational diving.
Despite a lot of bad press with good training Freediving can be very safe.
Please use this website however you wish…. Never Dive Alone! |
|
December 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Freediving |
one comment
| NoTanx Club |
|
“What is important is the collective philosophy. We have tried to take what we had at the beginning and let it grow.”
Loic Leferme
NoTanx is a NT Style Freediving club started in 1999. The founder members, Marcus Greatwood and Andy Laurie, are dedicated to the philosophy of Relaxation, Enjoyment and Inclusiveness. All activities are based around these principles yeilding incredible results. As well as trips and courses around the world, We run two training sessions a week in South London. |
We are qualified AIDA instructors based in London, but will travel anywhere (if it sounds fun) contact us and we will sort something out. We never forget the point of freediving, that is to enjoy being underwater.
We always swim the final length together, as slowly as possible. After a good session this is the most beautiful feeling. Looking around to enjoy the sensation with 20 other apneists….. |
December 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Freediving |
no comments
So much to say, I don’t know where to start …
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Galapagos |
no comments
I conquered a fear …. riding a cable car
look how high it is
more to come!
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Ecuador |
no comments
I don’t do architecture!
More to come
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Ecuador |
no comments
The centre of the world
….. and you thought the world revolved around you!
still writing this one …!
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Ecuador |
no comments
I’m still writting this one !
This the only time you will see me in a bikini
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Maldives |
one comment
It’s been almost two years since I moved to Wraysbury, a four minute drive from the lake where thousands of trainee diver have come to know and love during their early education of the open water, and their later education as the twin up and move onto gas mixed (I know absolutely nothing about this, you can tell that … huh?)
I saw a thread on YD which was started by Scuttler that there was to be a one off ’special dive’ even though the season had ended
I told Six that I’d be there for 3pm (left the office slightly early), and I was at the lake early! but, could have been there earlier
I thought some greater power did not want me to get their at all
First, I set the alarm, locked the front door, walked down the steps, sat in my car then remembered that I didn’t have a change of clothes. So, I went back in and grabbed a few sweats to put on after
Second, I set the alarm, locked the front door, walked down the steps, sat in my car then thought ‘where’s my phone?’. I went back in and searched the whole house, I rang my mobile off the land line ….. found it
Third, I set the alarm, locked the front door, walked down the steps, sat in my car, drove off, closed both gates and set off down the Wraysbury road
I got within 100 meters of the entrance to the lake ‘damn, I left my dry suit at home!’
I turned round and headed home, opened both gates, walked up the steps, deactivated the alarm ……..
Finally, I got to the lake and met up with Six and Andy
The first dive was in daylightish, Six was fiddling with her strap ;o)
Andy showed us his brand new twins (I didn’t understand this, something about being longer and slimmer, lighter or was it heavier and that he’d welded them together himself. I just nodded and smiled like I knew what they were talking about)
After my last overseas trip in October my latex neck seal was knackered and needed changing big time. There was a clear gap of a few centimeters between my seal and my neck. So, Andy kindly taped me up so I did not get wet
After the second dive my drysuit neck seal has completely ripped
I also had flash light trouble. My main light did not work even though I had just put in brand new batteries. I put different batteries in my back up and they got stuck half way down so that did not work. Six kindly lent me her back up
We walked down the ramp and into 8 degrees of prime Berkshire water …… it was cold
and guess what, MY TYPHOON HEATED VEST DID NOT WORK - AGAIN !!!!
November 24th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Wraysbury |
no comments
Yes, I did log these as dives!
The London Diving Chamber, a Hyperbaric decompression chamber offering NHS funded recompression to divers with Decompression Sickness (DCS) together with other Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatments.
London Diving Chamber specialises in Diving Medicine and provides a 24 hour clinic with everything a diver could need from a medical facility.
The word ‘hyperbaric’ literally means ‘high pressure’. The use of high pressure (i.e. pressures higher than normal atmospheric pressure)and it’s use in medicine is often viewed today as being somewhat new and controversial. However, the concept of Hyperbaric Medicine has been in existence since as early as 1662.
The industrial revolution, when bridge and tunnel builders were working in compressed air, saw a further great development in hyperbaric chambers. It was at this time when Paul Bert reported that nitrogen bubbles were forming in tissue during rapid decompression (1876) and was implicated in “The Grecian Bend”.
Since the latter part of the twentieth century hyperbaric medicine has gained most of its recognition for the treatment of certain mainstream medical conditions specifically related to the diving industry, including decompression sickness and air embolism.
November 7th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
I've got a bend |
no comments
Is Terrence Stamp considered ‘famous’??
November 7th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
I've got a bend |
no comments
Ten years ago I entered a way of life that was to, in my opinion, lead me to the single most thrilling activity ever known to mankind. I began to explore an environment which is still relatively untouched, encountering living creatures whose evolution can be tracked back over 500 million years.
The earth’s surface covers 196 million square miles and 72 percent of this is made up of the worlds five oceans: the Antarctic, Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and
Pacific
Oceans. Yet fewer than 10 percent of people use the water for recreational purposes, those that do opt for above-water activities such as sailing and surfing or lazing around on the beach. However, those looking for something more daring have started to plunge beneath the waves in search of new challenges and unique experiences through the sport of SCUBA Diving.
I had been swimming for as long as I can remember and my earliest memories are of being encouraged to use the slide at the outdoor pool in Maidenhead. So, there I was wearing armbands, a little red bikini and a matching red rubber ring around my waist and I was about to tackle the world’s highest outdoor pool slides, or so I thought when I was three years old. I cautiously walked to the top of the steps and waited for my turn. As I went down the slide the sun was in my eyes and then I hit the icy cold water with a huge splash.
As I bobbed up and down on the surface I turned to my Dad and cried, ‘I don’t like you anymore!’ and splashed around until he fished me out of the water. But secretly I loved the water and went back for more until it was time to go home.
My parents had always encouraged me to go swimming and to learn to swim. As a child growing up in
Kenya my Mum was never allowed to go near water as her parents thought it was too dangerous. As a result of this I was taken swimming regularly and joined a swimming club at an early age. After 10 years of competing and teaching kids and adults to swim I needed to take my love and affinity of the water one step further.
After graduating from University in London I spent my third summer teaching swimming in the
US, then in October I started working for an IT company. But, I soon realised that I was not ready to adopt a grown up lifestyle comprising a suit and shiny shoes - I needed to get away again!
This trip was to be like no other I had experienced. I booked a flight to the
Maldives and spent the entire two week holiday over Christmas and New Year studying and sitting exams to qualify for my PADI Open Water.
The Maldives are the remnants of a number of volcanoes and comprise 1200 atolls which dissect the equator east of
Kenya. My choice of the
Maldives was due to news stories I had read about el niño destroying coral reefs and how melting of polar ice caps could result in the complete submersion of these tiny islands with in the next century.
The Maldives is a
Mecca for diving enthusiasts the world over and they flock to the islands to spend time in this underwater paradise.
On my last dive in the
Maldives I rolled off the back of the boat and entered the water. As the last diver submerged a large white tip shark came up to greet us. My adrenalin began to pump, this was my first shark encounter and I didn’t know what to do, this wasn’t in my PADI manual, how do I defend myself against this 500 pound beast of the deep! I looked around to see my diving buddies all suspended in the water, eyes wide and fixed on this huge beast which was now circling just below us.
All of a sudden it flicked its tail and disappeared. The Instructor began to motion us deeper into the water. I checked my dive computer and I was only at 10 meters at the time. My initial certification at that time enabled me to dive to a maximum depth of 18 meters but further study and practice now allows me to dive much deeper, on a recent trip to
Egypt I dived to 60 meters.
During the rest of that dive we saw eagle rays above us which were perfectly silhouetted against the sun, a pair of large hawksbill turtle effortlessly hovering over the reef looking for food and a Napoleon wrasse who tracked me with his motile eye for at least ten minutes. Just as I was getting sensory overload our time was up and we headed back to the boat. On the way we encountered a school of barracuda, each one over a meter long.
With my PADI qualification under my belt and a need to satisfy my thirst to learn and experience more of the underwater world I took a further eight diving courses including the professional Dive Master certification. This allows me to go anywhere in the world to work as an underwater guide.
There are endless dive sites around the globe offering incredible aquatic diversity. Tropical diving destinations are abundant with exotic marine life and coral reefs. With every dive, and at differing depths, you will see different species of fish, crustaceans, and nudibranch all with a variety of different colours.
There are also ship wrecks and lost cities in lakes, rivers and oceans that are dived by people who are interested in history or finding priceless artefacts which will later be seen in museums.
The ultimate adrenalin rush is ice diving. Where the divers cut a hole in ice which may be up to a foot thick, they then jump into the water with a rope tied to them so
they will find their way out at the end of the dive. With ice diving preparation is key. There is no way of communicating with others and if you lose the rope there is no chance of you finding the hole in the ice which you entered and death is inevitable.
During my last trip to
Egypt I returned to a reef that I had dived many times before, but this time due to the highly qualified people on the boat we were going to tackle the arch at Elphinestone.
There is a tale about an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh whose final resting place is Elphinestone and that his sarcophagus lies at the under the arch - 60 meters below the surface of the water.
Due to the tides we had only one chance to dive the arch and had to be fully kitted up and in the water at 6am or we would miss our opportunity to dive on one of the most difficult and respected sites of the Red Sea.
We entered the water at the south eastern side of the reef and began our descent. It was very early and the limited sun light meant that the usually bright colourful coral looked grey/ blue. The magnificent arch opened up in front of us and sure enough there was a large rectangular shape in the centre of the arch. Through the other side of the arch we could see four hammerhead sharks acting as security guards for the Pharaoh who had been the sole occupier of the arch for thousands of years.
My diving equipment is made up of over twenty separate items valued at £5,000 which need to be carefully maintained between every dive. My camera is my most precious piece and I have taken many underwater pictures so that I can share my experience with others. My underwater pictures can be found on www.superjolly.com.
Taking up diving is not like any other hobby, it takes a lot of commitment to keep your certification up to date and having your equipment regularly serviced.
Taking up diving is like discovering a whole new world and once you’ve jumped in and experienced this vast unexplored environment you may want to specialise in certain areas or try all the different types of diving available to satisfy your need to adventure and learning.
November 4th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
India Link |
no comments
I was on a 8 day liveaboard doing five dives a day in the Dutch Antillies, beginning at St Maartin and ending at St Kitts taking on Saba and Statia along the way.
On the seventh day my left hand and arm started feeling a little sore and itchy
I never really thought much about it until I returned home and went to the office the next day
Over the next week my hand got worse …. I could not type, I could not use my mouse in my left hand. Worse than that was that I could not hold my weights while working out in the gym and I couldn’t throw a punch in Combat. I was driving with my right hand and the thumb of my left hand which was not as bad as the others digits
My fingers were swollen, discoloured, tender to touch, I couldn’t bend them, my hand was very sore and still itchy
By the second week I realised that there was something seriously wrong
I was going down the route of having touched something and getting poisoned. So after seeking advice from random people I was sitting at my desk in the office with my hand in a mug of boiling hot water or a glass of ice water. I was rubbing tiger balm into my fingers and rubbing oil into them. But nothing tooked the pain away!
It was getting worse and now I could not bend my fingers or make a fist
I went to Ashford A&E and saw a nurse who used to work for the Navy in Weymouth then up in Leciester near stoney and she old me that she had seen a lot of diving related injuries but decided that I had been bitten by a spider
I went to my local doctors surgery and the GP I saw wanted to send me to the Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, but I had to have a blood test first
After five blood tests I was told they were all negative and there was nothing wrong with me
On the way back to the office I called Gary at Slough Sub Aqua. After I described my symptoms, he said ….
‘you have a bend!’
I said, ‘no I haven’t!’
He said, ‘yes you have!’
I said, ‘no I haven’t!’
He said, ‘yes you have!’
I said, ‘no I haven’t!’
He said, ‘you’re in denial!’
Gary gave me the number of the Hyperbaric in St John’s Wood and told me to call them
I still wasn’t convinced so I took a detour and stopped by Runnymead EuZone
There was a closed sign in the window, but I could see lights on and the dooor was slightly open
I decided to call them, and a really nice lady asked me to come in as they were doing stock taking
She took one look at me and dialed the number of the Hyperbaric for me
November 4th, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
I've got a bend |
no comments
Disgusting!!! do not go on this boat
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
5. Liveaboards |
no comments
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
ACMA Qualified
TPG Academy Professional Project Management Accreditation
BA (Hons) Finance
SKILLS
A Qualified Accountant and experienced Project Manager, previously having worked within Finance and Marketing in highly business focused roles for major blue chip companies. An able communicator, adept at liaising with all levels of the organisation both internally and externally with experience of working on multi functional teams including Sales, Marketing, IT, and Technology.
Financially astute and highly analytical combined with experience in quality process management, change management and in best practice audit. Including improvements to the planning process, and changing the reporting process to ensure accuracy and the removal of risks in the decision making process
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
1. Careers |
no comments
The world’s third-largest independent software provider, SAP delivers business solutions to more than 36,200 customers in more than 120 countries around the world.
Apr 2007 - present AFIT Financial Controller
Recruited as the Controller for: Finance, Legal, Commercial, Facilities, IT and Support
- Ownership of P+L’s from a finance perspective for all departments within responsibility area
- Modelling maintenance revenue including taking account reductions due to maintenance at risk
- Modelling other future business issues and the financial impact of them in the monthly rolling forecast
- Preparation of close management reports for each responsible area & reviewing them with the area Heads
Achievements
- Rewrote the Facilities and IT assessment process for £15m to be correctly allocated between UK operational lines of business and Global until based in the UK
- Created close reporting pack which had previously not existed
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
1. Careers |
no comments
Australian listed consumer company with four divisions: Explosives, Paints, Chemicals, Fertilisers
International project team brought together for the global integration of Dyno Nobel into Orica Explosives
Jan 2006 - Mar 2007 Business Finance Support Manager
Recruited to Orica Limited to support the CFO & Integration project manager on Finance & Synergy reporting
- Created budget process for 53 countries and worked closely with global CFOs to complete on time
- Budget v. Actual variances following through any large variances to understand and close the gap
- Developed synergy process & model to monitor and report the performance of 450+ initiatives
- Worked with project managers and AT Kearney Consultants on the identification of synergies leading to potential EBIT improvement of A$400 million over four years
- Prepared cash flow statement and NPV analysis to 2014
- Scoped a cost model and wrote business case for the closure of the Oslo head office
- Prepared an internal audit programme for the three operating regions (Asia, Europe and Latin America)
- Maintained the Balanced Scorecard and KPIs for the project team
Achievements
- Created budget process and model for 53 countries to a total value of A$140m in 2007
- Created a synergy performance reporting tool, replacing the complex model built by AT Kearney
- Part of the team which identified A$80m synergies in 2007 growing to A$115m in 2010
- Prepared board slides on progress of synergies and budgets
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
1. Careers |
no comments
Aug 2003 - Jan 2006 Data & Reporting Process Improvement Manager (within Marketing)
Promoted to manage data and reporting improvements initiatives to achieve a complete control environment
- Identification & quantification (benefit/ cost/ capability) of process issues which had risks or opportunities
- Project Managed business wide initiatives to improve quality and accuracy of data and reporting
- Wrote processes for initiatives and trained others to take these improvements forward
- Developed Business Cases and costing for data and reporting improvement initiatives
- Identifies the resources required to support the initiative, and gaining approval from resource manager
- Developed reports for Sales, Marketing and Finance on Business and Consumer KPIs
- Worked with highly multi-functional teams including: Marketing, Sales, Technology, Networks and Care
- Presented to stakeholders on progress of key initiatives including progress against budget and milestones
Achievements
- Built a data repository which became the single source of truth for all consumer reporting within Sales, Marketing and Finance, this improved financial accuracy for Board level decision making
- Removed 42 percent of consumer reports which were duplicated & were using the wrong assumptions, this reduced the workload of Sales, Marketing and Finance reporting teams
- Part of the team which identified 40 processes which when corrected would create £5m EBIT
- Project managed 3 projects to a benefit of £500k
Jun 2000 - Aug 2003 Business Analyst
Recruited to O2 to be the Finance representative on Business & Consumer proposition project teams
- Worked on Prepay revenue generating and retention initiatives from inception to completion
- Presented detailed impact assessments on all new initiatives affecting Finance looking for risks or issues
- Provided financial input (costing and pricing) into Business Cases and Initiative Documents
- Co-ordinating the capture of reporting requirements across Finance, Sales and Marketing
- Wrote processes for all new reports and trained others to take these improvements forward
- Developed, analysed and interpreted performance evaluation data and KPIs
- Worked within cross functional and cross directorate project teams including: Sales, Marketing and IT
Achievements
- Produced a suit of reports for all new consumer prepay propositions
- No Finance issues with data and reporting on any of the projects
- No financial risks evolved following project implementation
- Negotiated & generated alternative solutions for non-compliant requirements, avoiding any no-goes
- No project slippage due to Finance
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
1. Careers |
no comments
Nov 1999 - Jun 2000 Project Accountant
Selected to work on the implementation of a new Problem/ Asset Management system
- Created project plan and cost model for a new problem and asset management system
- Investigated best practices by auditing a number European entities
- Carried out training sessions & workshops to communicate best practices to entities
- Established problem escalation protocols to levels of the organisation where they can be resolved
- Created & controlled the project documentation - benefits, risk assessments, assumptions, plans & issues
Aug 1998 - Oct 1999 European Financial Analyst
Promoted to European Financial Analyst to carry out analysis of European results to the US and project work
- Consolidation and analysis of country month end results including KPIs of key Infrastructure categories
- Budgeting, planning & variance analysis at the framework & country level ensuring full financial analysis
- Evaluating the progress each country against budget, following up and closing any gaps
- Presenting results to the CFO, Vice President and Framework Manager ensuring full financial transparency
Sep 1997 - Aug 1998 UK Financial Analyst
Recruited to UK Financial Analyst to create monthly reporting and forward planning for 7 UK business units
- Defining their business strategy and ensuring no surprises at month end
November 2nd, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
1. Careers |
no comments
I was doing my usual scan through the ‘available boat spaces’ on yorkshire divers and came across a cancellation space for a three night liveaboard on Pride of Bristol
This 25m former Royal Navy Fleet Tender was our home for the next three nights.
We set of from Bristol on Friday evening for the 10 hour trip to Lundy, I was sea sick again as the journey out to Lundy was a little rough although the weather was very pleasant
Gannett Cove
We had arrived early and the seals were in the water when we arrived. They were very inquisitive as you would expect and fun to be in the water with. They would bit at our fins and give them a tug, I couldn’t believe how strong they are
Knoll Pins
This dive was quite challenging. Descending was interesting dragging myself down on the rock face Once down, the dive was great fun and spectacular.
The ‘pins’ were quite small and narrow but the 10 of us managed to not crash into eachother during the 40 minutes we were down there. The current between the pins was really strong, I don’t think anyone made it through the gap
I saw something that I’d never seen before. Back on the boat I described it to the experts and it turns out that I saw a sunfish …. fabulous!
There were spider crabs laying on the kelp, I don’t understand how they did not fall off
It was a really good dive with spiny starfish, fan worms, anemones, sea squirts and sea fans
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Lundy |
no comments
I was doing my usual scan through the ‘available boat spaces’ on yorkshire divers and came across a cancellation space for a three night liveaboard on Maureen of Dart
The boat was booked by Aberdeen Sub Aqua …..
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Scillies |
no comments
I was doing my usual scan through the ‘available boat spaces’ on yorkshire divers and came across a cancellation space for a three night liveaboard on MY Faithfull
The boat was booked by Nottingham University ….. not current students, but students who graduated years ago
I got quite a shock when I met them at the jetty
I arrived early and was asked, by the Skipper, to remain on shore until the boat was ready, so I was the first on the boat when I was finally allowed on board
FAITHFUL is a Scottish style converted fishing boat measuring almost 20 meters, it is heavily built of Larch on Oak and is powered by an 8 cylinder Gardner engine with a cruising speed of 8 knots
Below deck the accommodation has 3 cabins, one 6 berth, and two 2 berth, each with a wash basin and hot and cold fresh water. There is also a shower and a serparate toilet (sea head).
Above deck is the galley, toilet and lounge/dining area with colour TV, VCR and DVD and a selection of films. I watched most of the first episode of Big Brother while I was waiting for the others to arrive
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Plymouth |
no comments
I was quite lucky in the jobs I’ve had …..
I was invited to the Big Brother house for an after party becaue I worked on the BB programme for a couple of years
My company put us up in the Thistle Hotel after the party and then at 6am I got in the car and headed west ….
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Manacles, Cornwall |
no comments
This is a Trip Report with a difference
It’s a ‘post trip’ Trip Report titled ……… Oh Sh!t - I’ve Lost my passport
Thursday
After a wonderful weeks diving at the Brothers and Elphinstone on Excel - it was time to leave my ‘ocean going luxury liner’ and head for home
I packed up my gear collected my passport and paid my the well deserved crew tips
We drove from Marsa Alam to Hurghada in record time and checked into the Marriott
My journey in October took over 8 hours !
l decided to get myself organised for the return flight
l took out my travel clothes, ticket, passport ….. ‘Oh Sh!t - I’ve Lost my Passport’
Somewhere between leaving Excel and arriving at the Marriott my passport went missing
My room mate, Jill, checked my gear and bags
My tour rep Ashraf also checked my bags … Nothing
Ashraf happened to be in the Marriott sorting out another guest (Puffin) issue and if it was not for him l would probably still be in Hurghada
At 11pm we went to the Tourist Police to report this incident
There was a blackout!
l could make out the machine guns that the officers were carrying
After sitting in the dark for 45 minutes we decided to come back the next day
Friday
We were moved from room to room in the Police Station
There was much chatter in Arabic - which l could not understand
At one point the chatter became animated and quite loud
Someone then asked me where my father was from
Ashraf later told me that they looked at the colour of my skin and did not believe that l was Britsh
They thought that l was from Pakistan and that l was here to cause trouble
Where in fact my father is from lndia
This took quite some persuading
Ashraf explained to them that he had known me for seven years and that l am a frequent traveler to Egypt
After quite some time sitting around and Ashraf making numerous phone calls the Head guy started to complete a form in Arabic then we were on our way
Ashraf’s father is a General for the Government so he pulled a few strings and got the process pushed thru quicker than it could have taken
Ashraf then booked me into the Hilton for the next night - the Marriott was full
After checking into the Hilton - which is still under reconstruction - l booked a room at the lnterContinental in Cairo and went to the Egypt Air office to book a flight
The very helpful lnternet engineer at the Hilton advised me on the lnterContinental as it is the closest hotel to the Embassy
l then raced back to the Marriott where the rest of my group were to be collected at 4.20
l had really neglected them since my passport discovery
They were all such nice people to be with on a liveaboard (well, some of them anyway)
Jill, Mike, Dave, Gareth, Gary, lan
xxx thank you
But it seems that they left early and l missed them by minutes
l called my sister and asked her to sort out my diary for the next week and to call my travel insurance company
lt turned out that if l pay a $30 excess l am then covered for up to $750
So, l thought that would more than cover my hotels, flight from Hurghada to Cairo and Cairo to Heathrow – l was wrong, it became much more !
Saturday
l’m waiting now for my flight to Cairo
I didn’t think that anything would go wrong from now on
l have a permit from the Police to be in the country
l just need to go to the British Embassy in Cairo and get a travel permit to take a BA flight from Cairo to Heathrow
And my hotel is minutes away from the Embassy so l will be there extra early
Ashraf had already arranged for my free return flight from Hurghada the following Friday
But, l figured if l can fly BA from Cairo any earlier than that and Heathrow is closer to where l live than Gatwick - and that saves me from flying back to Hughada
Ashraf met me at the airport and explained to the staff that l was not traveling with a passport and why only then would they let me thru
l don’t recommend Egyptian Air for internal flights
They threw a muffin and a fruit juice carton at us as we were still banking and collected the empties less than ten minutes later
l do however recommend the lnterContinental SemiRamis in downtown Cairo and in walking distance to the Consulate - just in case your reason for being in the city is the same as mine
I checked in at 11.30pm
Sunday
On Sunday morning l met another representative from SCUBA UK
A stunningly handsome man named Mardy
Unfortunately, he went to the wrong lnterContinental
But, we still made it to the Embassy before 9.30am
Mardy was not allowed past the first reception – so, l was on my own
There were quite a few people waiting to see the Consulate mostly about passports
After completing a new passport form l was asked for LE680
l had about $100 made up of four different currencies to get me thru the next few days
Armed with my credit card l tried to get some cash from two bank - who didn’t want to know
I then went to Thomas Cook
The only ld l had was my PADI card
So, l gave him that and he typed my reference number into the system
Somehow he accepted this and back l went with my LE680 for my passport
l was told ‘no problem, your passport will be ready on Tuesday’
On the way back to the hotel Mardy held my hand and we walked along the Nile
He said to me ‘this is the perfect place for two lovers to walk’!
l had earlier decided that he was holding my hand as protection for myself from other people
So that l would not get hassled by them and so l don’t get run over – there are no zebra crossings in Cairo and possibly no driving tests either
Monday
The next day l decided to do the tourist thing
l went to visit the pyramids and the Egyptian Museum
As this was my fifth trip to Egypt l thought l had better do something cultural ? And get a better appreciation of the country
Tuesday
Back to the Embassy with Mardy holding my hand
More waiting around
Azza the lady at the Consulate assured me that l will have my new passport for Wednesday not Tuesday and l can fly on Thursday ‘no problem’
l looked at her paperwork and noticed that the passport details on the fax from the UK were for my old passport which had been cancelled
After pointing this out she said ‘no problem you will have your passport for Thursday - this would be too late for my early morning BA flight
So she said she will check and l must call her later
Later that afternoon l spend a few hours walking around Old Cairo and the famous Bazzar
After speaking to Azza she said ‘no problem’ l will be able to fly on Thursday - so, l booked my flight
Wednesday
l called Azza at 8.30am to check what time l could collect my passport
After being told that it would be ready for 1pm - l told her that that was no good as l still needed my stamps from the Government office
She said that the Government office will remain open for such emergencies
After waiting an hour l had a new passport in my hands by 1.40pm
Mardy found out that we must be at the Government office before 2pm to get the stamps
We then ran to the Government office - along those endless corridors and looking in all the offices - l’m suprised no-one stopped us
After completing another form l handed it to the official
We had the same discussion about how can l be British, she thought l was actually Egyptian
‘Tomorrow’ she said in Arabic
We were too late and she was not going to change her mind!
l’m glad l booked a flexible BA ticket
l changed the date to Friday
Thursday
Once a gain Mardy met me in the hotel lobby and we went to see the Government Official
She saw me coming and shout ‘sit’ waving at a chair
After a few minutes I heard someone shout ‘British’ – looking around l decided that must be me
I walked over to the voice
A large man took my passport from my hands and handed it to someone else who marched off shouting ‘sit’ at me and waving to the chair
With stamps in my new passport, e-ticket in hand, and a packed dive bag l was ready to go
I spend the afternoon in a coffee shop reading in the sunshine as l knew that tomorrow it would be 5 degress celcius
In the past few days l had had a few calls from friends who had expected me back the week before or responding to my emails/ texts
Word had now got round the office too
Their reactions were anything from ‘fantastic you get to stay on in Egypt’ and ‘you lost your passport on purpose to extend your stay’ to ‘be careful, don’t go out alone’
I will be made fun of big time when l get back
Roger had already told me that he will ask the band at my local club to dedicate ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ by the Bangles to me – this track is on their play list every gig
Friday
I checked out of the hotel at 5.15am
Way too early for - but that was the only BA flight to Heathrow
HOME
ls all this going to deter me?
No, l will be back on Excel for the deep south in August
l have already warned Ashraf and he told me that he will be there waiting for me !
The two tour reps representing Travel Line and Tony Backhurst showed the highest degree of professionalism, dedication and responsibility
And I feel confident that l am traveling with a first class tour company that truly values and looks after it’s guests
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Red Sea Brothers Lost Passport |
no comments
This was my fourth trip to the Red Sea as a solo female traveler, and I had a fabulous time
In summary I booked this very last minute (because my office messed me about) and this was the only boat that had space for me - Tony Backhurst was completely full so I ended up going on an Emperor Diver boat ….. never again!!!
The boat was clean (apart from the bathrooms which were shared), comfortable, not nearly enough space for twenty people to sit/ sunbathe
The cabins were bunks and as basic as it gets
Food was good and lots of it
Only beer and soft drinks – no spirits – which didn’t bother me
Tanks were not always filled ready for the next dive
I would much rather have traveled on Excel – there was absolutely no comparison
Next time will always go for a boat with en-suit bathrooms – the shower only trickled and the loos were broken and held together with tape
l’m diving on Hurricane in three weeks and can’t wait
My buddy was fantastic – we were so perfectly matched
She turned out to be a grandmother who was also a BSAC Instructor – must have been close to twice my age
She was great I was really very very lucky to dive with her
The diving was perfect
Enough walls to keep our hearts racing, our minds interested and our eyes peels on the look out for sharks
Enough coral gardens to relax among and wonder at the beauty of the underwater world
My favourite sites were St John’s Caves and Shaab Maksour - Fury Shoal
Although Shaab Maksour is not as good as Elphinstone or Daedelous
The tour guilds on the liveaboard were completely different to Grant and Sonia on Excel and not my kind of people at all
I was treated like I was on an 18-30 holiday and was made fun of by one of them for the first four whole days
I just ignored him and he eventually stopped – no idea why he chose to pick on me
He had none or very little input on the trip, he got lost three times and had total disregard for the inexperienced diver that he was accompanying as he went off and did his thing
For those of you who have traveled with Grant and Sonia will know exactly what I mean
The other guide gave the best dive briefings possible
October 24th
o Departed Gatwick only one hour late
o Found tour rep eventually
He decided to stand outside the building when all the others were inside
- l later found that this was because Regal representatives were not allowed in the terminal building and that it had clearly stated this in the orientation documentation
- which it was
o We were taken to a hotel in the town for one night – don’t understand why this was
- Southern Red Sea trips with Hurghada fights, as far as I know leave the same night without a hotel stay
o Left the hotel later than when we were supposed to
o Stopped at the Hilton to pick up kit for those who did not have full set of gear
Why wasn’t this done last night
- it just delayed our journey even more
o Checked on board the liveaboard (Hamada) at 3.30pm, even though the itinerary specified 12pm
- we had an 8 hour journey in a tiny mini bus !
- this bus was not large enough for 20 adults plus all their gear
- some of the bags were on the roof and some inside the bus
- no chance to stretch your legs and only one bathroom break the whole way
o 1st dive was a check out dive\ night dive! at Sataya – Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees, max depth 15 meters for 79 minutes
o Drop in from the boat and returned to the boat
o Weight check in the dark
- and gave me the chance to find out more about the others on the boat
- there were people with less than 50 dives and were unexperienced on reefs and night diving
- one lady only had 18 dives, others had never used DSMBs, others were allowed to dive without computers
o Spotted wray, sea snake, pipe fish - no Spanish Dancers this time
o There was supposed to be a sunken fishing boat nearby, but no-one found it
o on our way back to the boat I noticed that Excel was moored along side up
- I dumped my stuff jumped straight back into the water and swam over
- I traveled on Excel two months ago – excellent boat, I really missed Grant with his video camera and Sonia’s happy smiling face and the sweetest accent to wake up to
October 26th
o First dive at Habili Ali – St Johns
o Steep wall and a plateau on the east wall at 30 meters
o 30 degrees, max depth 34 meters for 68 minutes
o Drop in from rib, return to boat
o 3 grey reef sharks, 2 white tip sharks, giant moray, barracuda, lion fish, trigger fish, napoleon
o Hard coral, gorgonion fans, little soft coral
o Second dive at Habili Ali – St Johns
o 30 degrees, max depth 30 meters for 71 minutes
o Drop in from boat, return to boat
o 1 white tip, turtle (seen by buddy), barracuda, trigger fish, napoleon
o Third dive at Abu Basal – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 19 meters for 81 minutes
o 1 grey reef shark, porcupine fish, napoleon, spotted wrays, lion fish, trumpet fish
o Caves and swim thru on the reef, lots of hard coral formations
o Pinnacles - not much there, hard coral, very little soft coral, therefore little fish life
o Barron sandy bottom between the reef and the pinnacles
o Fourth dive - night dive Abu Basal – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 16 meters for 41 minutes
o Drop in from boat, return to boat
o Free swimming giant moray, burrfish, banded boxer shrimp, spotted wray, pearl sea star
October 27th
o First dive at Habili Gafa – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 35 meters for 60 minutes
o Drop in from rib, return to boat - went round one and a half times - clockwise
o Strong current at first turn then dropped to nothing
o 50 meters in diameter - small erg
o Plateau at 30 meters
o 3 reef sharks, moray, free swimming moray, manta (seen by some divers), trumpet, schools of barracuda, lion fish
o Hard coral, colourful soft coral, teaming with marine life - really nice
o Second dive at Umm Aruk – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 24 meters for 81 minutes
o Drop in from boat, return to boat
o Bighorn nembrotha-sea slug, arabian box fish, lion fish, baraccuda
o Small reef, pinnacles, sandy sea bed at 25 meters
o Hard coral, some soft coral, not as much soft coal as Habili Gafa - only minutes away but not as nice - should have gone back to Habili Gafa
o Third dive at Umm Aruk (Umeroog) – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 30 meters for 66 minutes
o Nothing significant, giant moray, bumphead parrot fish
o Fourth dive (night dive) at Umm Aruk – St Johns
o 29 degrees max depth 25 meters for 33 minutes
o Spanish dancer, spotted wrays
October 28th
o First dive at Gota Soraya – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 44 meters for 70 minutes
o Conditions were very rough - took ages to moor, Suzanna 1 cut our mooring lines - start over - waited for ages to get in, so many other boats at this site - did not bother us once we got in
o White tip sharks, lion fish, spotted wray
o Second dive at St John’s Caves – St Johns
o 29 degrees, max depth 19 meters for 105 minutes
o The most amazing swim throughs and tunnels openning out into caverns
o South side has a lagoon with a perimeter of pinnacles
o Tunnel entrances are via the logoon and from the west side
o North has no tunnel entrances and is covered in hard coral
o Network pipe fish, pyjama brownish coral crab, napoleon
o Third dive at St John’s Caves – St Johns
o 29 degrees max depth 19 meters for 76 minutes
o Drop in from boat, return to boat
o Network of tunnels, caves, caverns
o Came face to face (literally) with a white tip shark in one of the tunnels, network pipe fish, pyjama brownish coral crab, napoleon, arabian box fish, ruppells wart slug
October 29th
o First dive at Abu Diab - Fury Shoal
o 28 degrees, max depth 41 meters for 61 minutes
o Five white tip sharks, one grey reef shark
o Not much soft coral, marine life only toward the end of the dive on the west side, south side has pinnacles and shingle of dead coral
o Second dive at Malahi (Heaven) (Maze/ Laberinth) - Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees max depth 22 meters for 84 minutes
o Not at all like St John’s Caves, few swim throughs and overhangs
o Four main pinnacles joined in places to make the areas between the pinnacles 6-8 meters deep
o Smaller pinnacles around the outside
o Slug, lndian tube worm
o There is a family of white tips living in one of the caves (we were told) but did not see any on this dive
o Third dive at Malahi (Heaven) (Maze/ Laberinth) - Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees, max depth 22 meters for 79 minutes
o Fourth dive at Abu Galawa (Father of Pools) - Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees, max depth 15 meters for 28 minutes
o Tug boat on the west side contains schools of glass fish and shows the early years of soft coral growth
o This tug boat allowed us to do some wreck penetration - if it can be called that ?!
October 30th
o First dive at Shaab Maksour - Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees, max depth 33 meters for 62 minutes
o Two turtles, grey reef shark
o Strong up current on drop so quickly decended to 33 meters
o Two of the group from the rib were swept up over the top of the reef and we later found that their dive ended before it had begun
o The sea was so rough that we wondered if we would actually make it to the correct drop off point - it was quite some distance from the liveaboard
o Dropped in at the north, negative entry from rib and travelled down the east side
o Long thin reef, similar to Elphinestone
o Current too strong on west side so travelled along east
o South side plateau with pinnacles, dead coral shingles, therefore very little marine life
o North side soft coral, marine life
o Second dive at Abu Galawa Soraya (Small Father of Pools) - Fury Shoal
o 27 degrees, max depth 17 meters for 80 minutes
o Zodiac drop at the entrance to the gully, swam past it at first then backtracked to find it - not so easy to spot
o Sandy bottom within the gully, amazing architecture of hard coral - rather like Heaven, only better - stunning
o On the west side is the wreck of a small boat, another opportunity for some wreck penetration much to the amazement of the onlooking German divers
o This wreck also contained a school of glass fish and had very little coral growth
o The area under which the liveaboard was mored was littered with dicarded rubbish - bottles, batteries, an ashtray
October 31st, 2007
Posted by
scubagirl |
Red Sea Deep South October |
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