Emperor Divers News

And so the long arm of the octopus reaches ever further...

Remember we told you about Nuweiba's alternative tentacles on June 10? Well, dive centre manager, Jim Pickup, did. The photo we had turned out NOT to be a mimic octopus but thanks to Jane Morgan, editor of Dive Online, we know that mimic are indeed to be found in Nuweiba as Jane wrote and told us...

"Just read your post re the mimic at Nuweiba.. it certainly does exist.. I have several pictures of it and the marble shrimp.. infact they are also in the June issue of DIVE in an article I wrote on Nuweiba."

You can read Jane's article here and to prove the point, here are Jane's photos:

 

 

July is usually the time for big things to happen in the Red Sea so book your diving with Emperor and enjoy a day's diving on us for FREE!

We like to stay ahead of the crowd and have been offering this great incentive since last October with lots of divers having already taken the plunge.

Just book anything from three day's diving and you get an extra day free. Book online and enjoy an extra 10% discount too! Dived with Emperor before? Then you get 15% off!

Pack your bags, book your flight and Emperor is ready and waiting to take you diving!

Choose from Emperor's dive centres in Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada. Marsa Alam or Nuweiba; your choice.

Email info.reservations@emperordivers.com

Emperor's last newsletter carried this piece from Nuweiba...

Another dive and another surprise on Emperor's house reef at the Hilton in Nuweiba! George and Joan Houghton were being guided one afternoon in May enjoying close encounters with a slipper lobster, yellow-mouthed, undulated and grey morays, nudibranchs and the usual prides of lionfish when they came across this trio of stonefish. Suddenly, and without warning, they took off in formation, propelling themselves around the coral block in the rather ungainly way that stonefish swim before landing, once again in perfect formation, on the other side of the block.

It is certainly not a common sight to observe swimming stonefish but this is the first time that I have ever seen a trio of them swimming together!

 

Well, this certainly got a lot of people responding and we will be carrying more on this in the next newsletter so be sure to sign up for it and get your email copy. In the meantime, Jim Pickup, Nuweiba's Dive Centre Manager, has replied on Facebook and sent an updated photo of the hard threesome...

Jim Pickup, Dive Centre Manager, Nuweiba, replies...

There have always been a number of Stonefish knocking about on our House Reef and hiding in the sea-grass. Whether these three are the same ones you saw last year I do not know. Certainly I have been seeing two big ones skulking side by side quite often, but this was my first sighting of these three. I have a better picture of them sitting still (left) perhaps you recognize their smiling faces!

By Dive Centre Manger, Jim Pickup

There has certainly been some debate about our octopus seen on a night dive here in Nuweiba recently. Because of its shape shifting and behavior I proposed that it may have been a Mimic Octopus, which has been positively identified here in the Gulf of Aqaba previously.

However, eagle-eyed Hilary Elder pointed out that she had taken an actual photo of a mimic octopus when diving with Eco Divers in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, a couple of years ago. Cary Yanny from Eco Divers says that it's not a Mimic Octopus and in fact may be a Starry Night Octopus. What if I throw a White-spotted Octopus (Octopus macropus) into the debate?

Still talking octopus - here is a photo of a more commonly seen Reef Octopus (Octopus cyaneus) taken a few days ago on our house reef in Nuweiba.

By Daniele Zanoni

Since the end of March/early April we have been seeing mantas (Manta birostris) in a place that is not mapped on the official guide book. This place is in a bay between Pinky Wall and Tower. Since the coral reef on the slope is not great at all, normal diving activity is not carried out in this place. Last year, by chance, we could not do the dive in Tower because of a counter current, so we decided to go reef right instead. With great surprise we met whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and a huge number of mantas. I have of course neither scientific data nor equipment to conduct proper investigations but I might have a good speculation.

Mark Warner has some great value flight only fares to Hurghada. Prices are net and fully inclusive of tax and fuel. 

Hurghada
date	Route	Times	Duration	Cost pp
04-Jun	LGW-HRG-LGW	09:25-16:55 / 17:55-21:35	7	£199.00
11-Jun	LGW-HRG-LGW	09:25-16:55 / 17:55-21:35	7	£199.00
18-Jun	LGW-HRG-LGW	09:25-16:55 / 17:55-21:35	7	£199.00
25-Jun	LGW-HRG-LGW	09:25-16:55 / 17:55-21:35	7	£199.00

 

To book or check availability please call Seat Sales on 0845 8801 236 or e-mail seatsales@markwarner.co.uk

Marsa is famed for its dugong, huge turtles, Elphinstone's sharks and the dolphins at Dolphin House. However, guests occasionally ask the Marsa Alam team what type of fish they have just seen and describe "a small blob walking very slowly". The guides normally smile politely and ask them to drink more water! But when dive guide, Mo, spotted one for himself he had to get proof otherwise he would never live it down.

Luckily returning Emperor Marsa guest, Tracey Heaps, was close by with her camera and got this great picture of a tiny Frogfish. Well done Mo and Tracey for a fantastic find! And we all believe you now!

The new BSAC Underwater Photography Course is now available and is designed to appeal to divers who have no previous experience of using a camera underwater, or even on land, whilst equally providing useful information for anyone wanting to improve and develop their techniques.

The course consists of half a day of theory with visual aids and comprehensive Instructor Notes followed by a dry practical session and underwater practical sessions, which can be conducted in a pool or sheltered water location.

The course concludes with a dry session to review the photographic results.

Duration of the underwater practical will depend on the numbers involved and the location.

Email reservations@emperordivers.com for more information.

Now you can combine the fantastic wrecks, reefs and nightlife of Hurghada with a day trip to the famous Red Sea bay - Marsa Abu Dabab. Situated close to Emperor Diver's Marsa Alam Centre, this is a shore dive famous for sightings of giant green sea turtles, guitar sharks and its star attraction - dugongs.

The transfer is a worthwhile excursion in itself as you are collected from your hotel ready to enjoy the scenic drive through the desert to the dive site. On the way you pass the ferry port of Safaga and picturesque El Quseir, which gives you a glimpse of real Egypt including the ancient fort built by the Romans and renovated by British and French colonial forces.

Two spectacular dives await you on the world renowned sea grass of Marsa Abu Dabab. Giant green sea turtles are guaranteed and guitar sharks and stingrays of many varieties can be found foraging the sea grass for food. Normally a dugong can also be found munching away but you should also keep a look out for the smaller things - double ended pipefish, marbled snake eels, snake blennies to name but a few.