One nudi in Egypt

Jude enjoys diving, it is like meditation for her. So when several current and ex-DYC (Dar es Salaam Yacht Club) divers were heading to the Red Sea to spend a week on a live-aboard, she decided to join them. In Dar es Salaam her favourite way to spend time under water was to search for nudibranchs (nudies). Most are incredibly colourful yet hard to find, as they are often tiny and the reefs are vast.

Waverly and Jude diving in Egypt at El Aruk

During the first two dives none were found, and it wasn’t until dive 11 that Kamel found the first nudi and showed Jude. For a long time that was the only nudi we saw, and it looked like Jude was going to spend 18 hours under water with only one nudi seen. But in the end she saw 6 nudibranchs and 2 flatworms. Not a lot, as we would often see that many (and more) in a single dive (approximately one hour) in Dar, but it was better than just one… (or none!). One nudi in particular stood out. Cat found it during the last few minutes of the first night dive as we were about to head up for our safety stop. It was a tiny one Jude had not seen before, exciting!

the new nudibranch Cat spotted on the night dive at Marsa Trombi – goniobranchus charlottae

There were other exciting sightings too of course during the week, including a dolphin passing by in the distance as we were doing our safety stop and Jude’s first hammerhead cruising beneath us in the deep blue. Have a look at the pictures below to see some of the highlights.

Diving every day, 3-4 times a day is exhausting. And with Jude still recovering from a nasty cold she picked up several weeks before, there was lots of snoozing in between dives. Jude was sharing a room with Waverly, a cool 65-year old lady who travels a lot and has lived in many places. There was lots to talk about in between dives in our luxury cabin, where we even had our own private bathroom with flushing toilet. Crazy.

Jude and Waverly at the Daedalus lighthouse in Egypt

In fact the entire live-aboard was very luxurious. We had amazing food prepared for us three times a day, and snacks were always available. There was even a real coffee machine for those who needed a caffeine fix, and luckily for Jude they even stocked mint tea bags. After every dive the crew would help you with the dive gear, and we were always given juice to drink as we wrapped ourselves in their thick bathrobes to get warm.

our luxury boat for the week – High Wave

There were 20 divers and three instructors on board. The DYC group mostly dived with Kamel, an excellent guide. The DYC group consisted of Alan, Jonathan, Laura & Patrick, Tania, Waverly and Jude. Moussa (Egyptian) and Cat (Swiss) joined us too. Then there was a Dutch group diving with Emilio, and the rest with Mahmud. Ellen (Belgian) found out a couple of days before sailing that she was pregnant, and whilst she was of course super happy to be expecting, it unfortunately meant she couldn’t join us on the dives.

the DYC crew – Alan, Tanya, Laura, Jude, Jonathan, Waverly and Patrick

Before flying out to Egypt, Jude had done her PADI Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) coursework online. This meant she just had to complete the practical after boarding and was then qualified to dive with nitrox. The higher content of oxygen in the tank allows for longer dive times and reduces the risk of decompression sickness, a real plus when on a live-aboard with frequent dives, many deep.

After Jude had booked her flights to arrive in Egypt a few days early (she didn’t want to miss the boat), we discovered that Elly was living in Cairo again. A flurry of messages were exchanged, and we arranged to meet up and spend the weekend together. We had a lot of catching up to do as we hadn’t seen each other for 20 years! We spent a very enjoyable weekend in El Gouna, a small place close to Hurghada. We even managed a short hike into one of the local wadis where we scrambled up a small slot canyon and enjoyed a delicious dinner under the stars.

Jude and Elly in the Eastern Desert near El Gouna

It was great to meet some more (ex) DYC divers, and as expected we are already talking about the next trip. Something to look forward to…

Our boat, the High Wave, followed what is known as the BDE route (Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstoun Reef). The BDE sites offer some of the most exciting diving in the Red Sea. These sites are renowned for their vibrant coral reefs, stunning underwater landscapes, and abundant marine life, including sharks, hammerheads, manta rays, and pelagic species like barracuda.

‘The Brothers Islands are famous for their shark encounters and two historic wrecks, while Daedalus Reef stands out for its pristine coral gardens and large pelagic species. Elphinstoun Reef, with its dramatic drop-offs and healthy coral gardens, is a must-see for those hoping to spot oceanic whitetip sharks and even tiger sharks’.

roughly our route

Our dive sites:

• Ras Abu Soma
• Panorama
• Small Brother (two dives)
• Big Brother
• Daedalus (two dives)
• Daedalus – Abu Kizan
• Elphinstoun Reef (two dives)
• Marsa Trombi (night dive)
• Abu Kafan (two dives)
• Middle Reef (two dives, including one night dive)
• Panorama
• El Aruk