Off-Road Diving

This was today's location for two shore dives. About 100km north of Yanbu, KSA on the Red Sea, where you go through the compound of a cement plant (weird) and off-road along the coast until you fancy a place to stop. Not a soul there, aside from the Saudi bloke that took us and his two mates that brought the alcohol-free Holsten and kept watch while we were in the water.

Two very enjoyable and eventful dives and no coral injuries or undignified exits to report. As soon as we'd got down to about 25m a single eagle ray flapped past. Ace. The viz was amazing and the clarity was superb. The two boys went off to a cave thing with their torches and obviously startled something which swam out - luckily for me because it turned out to be my first sighting of a shark! It wasn't a very big one, but a shark nonetheless. Difficult to squeal with excitement under water, so enlarged eyes and shark gestures to Bev as we enjoyed the moment! And the boys missed it.

A not-so-pleasant moment was in between the two dives, lying on the beach on a huge rug. I felt something under my neck. AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH - SNAKE. It slithered its 2 or 3 foot long self past the others - we all jumped up...It frightened the life out of me (I'm shuddering just thinking about it now) - no idea what breed it was or how venomous it could have been but maybe that's just as well.

So, a cracking day, aside from Sidney the snake - very hot and tired and in the absence of fresh water and facilities that one would normally find at a dive 'resort', I was thrilled to get back for a long hot shower.

Looking forward to tomorrow's boat dive. Inshallah.