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Rob Atherton recently went diving with Emperor Sharm and wrote this great blog for easyJet, which we’d like to share with you here...

When I left for a week’s diving in Sharm el Sheikh with Emperor Divers, I wasn't really sure what to write about so I decided to let Egypt surprise and inspire me. I've dived in Sharm many times over the last eight years and I'd always felt that for anyone in search of smaller 'macro' subjects to photograph, the resorts of Taba and Nuweiba further up the Sinai were a better option. However, this was a week that the dive sites of Sharm really delivered for me and my trusty underwater camera.

I could write about the Manta Rays we saw at the local dive sites of Tower and Middle Garden or perhaps the encounter with the beautiful white Rissos dolphins. I even found the elusive Longnose Hawkfish, which hides in the Gorgonian Fans, not once but twice. This shy little fish is normally skittish and hard to photograph but the one I saw on Thomas Reef in the Straits of Tiran was virtually posing for photos.

While these experiences were all part of a wonderful week with Emperor Divers, the most amazing thing for me was the variety of nudibranchs, flatworms and the like I discovered.

The most common of these colourful little slugs I've found in the past is the Pyjama Slug (or Chromodoris Quadcolour). It is a colourful creature with yellow, white, black and blue stripes and can be found on all the dive sites in Sharm. If my memory serves me correctly, I've only ever seen two or possibly three different varieties of nudibranchs but in just five day’s diving, I found 14 different varieties.

As a diver who takes a lot of photos, I think Nudis are great. They are colourful, so look great in pictures, they are , making them much easier to take pictures of than fish and a lot of divers don't always see them making my pictures look a bit more impressive. Last October, I had my first diving trip out to the Far East where Nudis are plentiful so on this trip to Sharm, I was determined to seek out more.

Over the course of the week, the dive boats took me to the Straits of Tiran, Ras Mohammed National Park and the local dive sites close to Na'ama Bay. Many people ignore the local sites but I've always found them to be excellent places to see marine life. My first day was in Tiran and although I had a good couple of dives, I didn't find any nudibranchs. The next day in Ras Mohammed, the Nudis were out in force.

The first nudi I saw was a Chromodoris Africana. It looks similar to a Pyjama Slug but after looking at photos that evening, I realised it was in fact a different species. I've probably made the same mistake a number of times in the past but never noticed. From this point on, I was seeing nudibranchs on most dives, many of which I'd never seen before.

A big advantage of taking pictures of the nudibranchs is that the colours are much more striking than seeing them at 20m on a dive site. Of the 14 varieties I found, my favourite was the Big Horn Nembrotha, which was the most beautifully coloured of them all that I've seen in Egypt and elsewhere. Even though, I've dived in Sharm many times over the years, it has once again turned up plenty of new discoveries and surprises. I'm already looking forward to my next trip.

Rob Atherton

PS And a big thank you to Emperor Divers’ Facebook friends who helped me ID this nudi that had me flummoxed! Yvette Tucker spotted the Hallaxa indecora. Not easy from this pic!

Derek Oldham continues his memories of Red Sea diving - his last will feature just before Christmas.
This penultimate episode sees DJ diving the sombre wreck of the Salem Express and wishing he could have held his tongue...

The mask was clear. Weights just right and with an intake of air DJ was able to rise, exhale and we descend! The nearest thing to flying under water! The reef lay in front, the rest of the group above; Terry signals up and DJ realises he is over 30 metres deep! Wrasse, Parrotfish and Surgeonfish cruise the reef, whilst the photo enthusiasts take shots of the Emperorfish, Bannerfish and Sweetlips hanging around the pinnacles. Dive 64 is really turning out to be one of the best. Keeping well out of the range of the Trigger Fish DJ follows the others now at a sensible depth (for him) around the reef into the current! 42 minutes and yet another dive with the normal safety stop, into the Rib and back to Superior.

Join Annelie Pompe, one of the world's best freedivers and instructors, on November 25th and become more efficient with the air in your cylinder, hold your breath longer and dive deeper on one breath. Annelie will teach you the secrets to succeed with breath-holding, becoming more confident in the water and how to use less gas while scuba diving.

Onboard Emperor Elite, you will learn basic freediving skills, breathing techniques and safety while freediving.  These skills will help both sport and technical divers to minimize their air consumption and increase their safety margins.

Each morning there will be the opportunity to practice skills while diving with dolphins (if nature permits) and to get close to the fantastic marine life of the Red Sea, all on one breath of air. 

During the second half of the day, you may choose to dive with scuba gear, and hopefully use less gas during your dive than normal, or choose to freedive.  Scuba divers are most welcome to only dive with scuba gear throughout the trip.  Annelie will be available to teach a full AIDA freediver course to those who are interested.

The first trip with Annelie will depart from Hurghada on November 25th and head towards the northern Red Sea onboard the high class Emperor Superior. 

This trip is open to UK divers. Simply book with Scuba Travel Scandinavia and arrange flights to Hurghada to meet the group at Emperor Hurghada. The rest is all taken care of!

The price is just 899 Euros (ex flights) with the AIDA course costing 260 Euros.

For more information contact: info@scubatravel.se or read more on: www.scubatravel.se or email us on info.reservations@emperordivers.com

Derek Oldham shares his escapades, and no, we didn't pay him! 

Yes we were on the way to Little Brothers; the gentle throb of Superior's diesel motors had subsided and DJ could not resist the temptation of an inspection of the motor during the short trip. The attendant proudly showed off his pride where copper and brass sparkled in keeping with the rest of this magnificent boat. We had anchored and Little Brothers lay some 500 metres away loaded with all the invitations and anticipation that tomorrow could bring. Buffet supper and the inspection of the equipment AND the wrist computer converted to Nitrox!

Joining the others on the deck now that night had closed was the perfect opportunity to lie on the spotless deck, gaze at the stars and give DJ and Bob the chance to reflect. There was no doubt that, although the main purpose was to dive the "package" that Emperor was providing, what we got was, without exception, a lifetime experience. DJ wondered if Emperor as a company knew REALLY how good they were, possibly swept along in their endeavours to succeed, did THEY realise the contribution THEY were making to provide people with unforgettable events. Did THEY realise that excellent food, absolute attention to safety, cleanliness and total commitment of the crew contributed to this in ADDITION to the adventures of diving? Both DJ and Bob agreed and expressed their deep-seated satisfaction.

So dive 61. DJ had had long fruitful discussions with Bob Terry and Janice with an introduction to Nick. Conditions were rough and it was hoped that DJ could break the 45 minute "barrier" re kitting up - and now very 'professionally' suited up (that overcame his nerves!) he managed to get into the pitching RIB. Heading for the reef to slightly calmer conditions, the other more experienced divers had braved the rougher more distant conditions.

A quick check on the mask, air on (!) one two three and peace! That experience never ceased to amaze DJ. Yes, by now weight was OK, mask clear, regular SLOW breathing; OH we are getting there! Nick, my Buddy, signals OK and turns pointing to the Blue. My first hammerhead shark! AH! Reef sharks also! I had done my homework, yes Sphyrna lewini and Triaenodon obesus. Many cornet fish and very large parrot fish descending now to just 25 metres. With visibility now clear and the mask clear (!) very slowly the magnificent colours registered. We really are in 'black and white' on shore compared with this colour emphasised by the shadows, which are constantly moving in the currents. Blue spotted stingrays, Taeniura lymma disturbed burst into a sandy shower and flee from the bubbles of the divers, whilst the anemone fish guard their chosen plant with an aggressive attitude far beyond their capability.
 
Forty five minutes and the dive is coming to its end. This Nitrox IS better or is it that DJ is calmer? We meet the others and, knowing that although we left on the RIB, it was really a drift dive. The shape of Superior is above us. The spare cylinder and flag is comforting! Slowly we ascend, remember now it's five metres and a quite lengthy safety stop. Bob, Janice, Terry and Nick - all OK signals all around and it's 47 minutes (!) Oh the expertise of this old guy. Up we go, fins off, up the ladder and into those helping hands of the crew.

Lunch awaits; the second dive awaits. Little Brothers is living up to its expectations. Next month we visit Big Brothers, visit the lighthouse and reflect on the week so far and the fact that these memoirs will culminate in time for Christmas and for an 'old hand' diver to have enjoyed re-living some of a relatively youthful past! Thank you!

Last month, all our dive centres and, more importantly, our guests, took part in the cleaning up of our reefs and Red Sea. Here, Nuweiba and Sharm share their findings... 

Emperor Nuweiba - Dive Against Debris

Report by Kathrin Heussner

"Nuweiba, being a small and individual dive centre with small diving groups, we are delighted at how much our guests care for our reefs. Nearly all of our certified divers last month took part in at least one trash dive! 

With so many dedicated divers we managed to do more than 10 clean up dives, covering all our dive sites from Ras el Shetan and Magana to Pipeline and Outside Hilton/ Sinkers, our house reef Abou Lou Lou all the way to Mazeriq.
 
Altogether we collected more than 150 kilos of rubbish. Unsurprisingly the majority of our rubbish bags were filled with plastic debris: bottles, wrappers, lids, bags, which could easily become a hazard especially for our beloved big turtles looking for food.
 
A tyre and a fish trap are amongst the larger objects removed. Everybody agreed that cleaning up the reef can be fun, especially in Mazeriq where we noticed that we could easily have equipped a whole person: shoes and shorts, mask and snorkel, shisha, headphones and batteries, teapot with spoon, fork and knife, even a newspaper, canned juice and food.... bearing in mind we are in the desert!
 
The weirdest things found in the sea this month are probably "frozen and cleaned squid tubes" and a goldfish bowl.
 
Every Friday we offered a third dive for 5 euros for all divers collecting rubbish on at least one dive, which were donated to Project Aware.
 
We would like to say a massive 'Thank you!' to all our guests who helped us collect rubbish on their dives and we will do our share and continue our clean up dives in the future in order to preserve their health and beauty."
 
If you would like to read more about our Dive Against Debris activities, have a look at: http://www.projectaware.org/diver/emperordivers-nuweiba.

Emperor Sharm El Sheikh - Dive Against Debris

Report by Kirsty Stenhouse

As part of Project Aware's Global Campaign, 'Dive Against Debris', guests at Emperor Divers in Sharm have been doing their part to pick up as much waste in the local area during the month of September.

Clean up dives have been carried out every Friday afternoon at a range of different dives sites off the coast with the amount of rubbish collected from each site ranging from a couple of kilos to over fifteen kilos in one dive!

Man made waste in our water is a serious threat to all marine life across the planet and it has been estimated that over a million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of this debris.

The Red Sea is widely regarded as having some of the world's most diverse and beautiful coral reefs, with over 700 different individual species of corals and thousands of fish species. Plastic debris, in particular, is particularly harmful to coral reefs as well as animals such as turtles, sharks and sea birds.

Over the last month divers at Emperor Sharm have collected more than 60 kilos of man made waste, including several metres of fishing line, plastic bags, glass bottles and pieces of rope and clothing.

A number of interesting items have been found, notably an entire rug, a large metal cable, a giant plastic screw and part of a metal staircase!

A big thank you to everyone who got involved; watch this space for more clean up dives to come!

This episode, Derek flies in and comes undone at Stoney Cove then heads for a superb islands safari on Superior

"India Charlie you are cleared to land two eight." DJ (that's me) was returning from a 'fly-in' in Alderney and had been faced with poor visibility throughout the Cessna flight. It was good to see Runway 28 at Leicester clear and whilst parking up an excited assistant approached and asked, "Do you Scuba dive too as we've received a call from Melton Divers that you are booked to go to Big and Little Brothers. We really didn't know what they meant!" After a brief explanation, they understood that they are islands in the Red Sea and generally the focal point of a week's Liveaboard Safari.

Report by Jamie Hull - PADI MSDT 109809

It had been over four years since I had dived open-water...four long and very painful years!

Even though I have been a qualified diver for over 15 years now and a PADI Instructor since 1998, plus a former Emperor Divers' Instructor and dive-guide, I was terribly afflicted by fire as a result of a light-aircraft accident in 2007 - the type of accident that people refer to as 'life-changing!'

19th August 2007 was a day that I shall never forget. I was solo-piloting a light-aircraft in Florida, USA. I sustained an engine fire during flight, whilst on approach to land, leaving me with very little time to react. I followed an emergency procedure - according to protocol - for an in-flight fire, however the flames breached the fire-wall, which should ordinarily protect me from such an incident. Instead, flames quickly began to engulf the cock-pit, working its way up my lower-limbs towards my upper-body and face. I was forced to act fast or meet my demise.

Report and photos by Georgina Cole

For a few years the daily dive boats from El Gouna and Hurghada have not been allowed to visit the 130m long British armed Merchant Navy ship SS Thistlegorm so the only way to dive this wreck from this side of the Red Sea is to book a liveaboard trip.

Occasionally we hear of day trips using safari licenses and on Saturday, whilst disappointed that a planned day trip had been cancelled, I was told by Mat Cotton at Emperor Divers in El Gouna of an overnight trip departing on Sunday. It sounded perfect so I took my kit over to Emperor at the Moevenpick Hotel and booked myself on. My fellow club members interested in the Thistlegorm had already rebooked a dive to the Rosalie Moller, which is a regular trip for us, so it was just going to be me departing on Sunday from our club.

On Sunday morning I was picked up and driven over to Abydos Marina, where most of the dive boats depart in El Gouna, and boarded the boat 'Sea Dream'. Whilst I was not expecting the usual luxurious Emperor safari boats just for an overnighter I was pleased to find out that myself and the other divers had ensuite cabins. Once the formalities of passport copies was sorted we were on our way around 9.30am. So just six divers in total, the crew and two guides.

It took around three hours to cross the bumpy Straits of Gobal to reach the mooring for the Thistlegorm off the Sinai Coast. When we arrived there was just one other boat moored there with another approaching from the distance. My buddies were Joel aged 15, a PADI AOW with 22 logged dives and his father Ned, both divers at home in Northern Ireland. They were on holiday in Makadi Bay and the non-diving wife had remained at the hotel to relax. Our guide was Mohamed and there were also three Russians diving with the other guide Tarek.

The first dive I was escorted down by two large bat fish probably hoping to find something good to eat in my mass of floating hair. We landed over the bomb damaged section where the ship was hit from the air by the squadron of Heinkels searching for a large troop ship. The two 450kg bombs struck her mid section detonating much ammunition and killing four crew members and nine sailors. With the Egyptian night sky lit up by the blazing ship she sank immediately on 6th October 1940. Hold 4 had been full of armoured vehicles, aerial bombs, cases of anti tank mines, ammunition, hand grenades. I remember when I last dived the wreck a few years ago seeing all the long black rubber Wellington boots which the troops would have used to cross the muddy terrain. All I saw now were the thick soles with the rubber eroded away. We dropped down to the seabed and the steeply listing stern to view the armed freighter's heavy fixed position machine gun and a 120mm anti-aircraft gun silhouetted against the surface. Rounding the stern to the massive propeller and then following the steep sides of the ship along to the bow we were joined by an enormous Napoleon Wrasse. We finished the 41 minute dive on the deck by the crumpled railway wagons with a large turtle resting nearby that we often spotted on the surface later as it came up regularly for air.

After lunch we began the second dive dropping down into hold no.2. This was also my 600th dive! The hold is full of rusting Bedford trucks and rows of BSA and Norton motor bikes. We swam through a hole into hold no. 1 full which was loaded with Lee Enfield Rifles, spare parts, camp beds, tires, more rubber boots, Morris cars and BSA bikes. We only saw our six divers and two guides on both dives unlike before when the holds have been full of divers torch beams and camera flashes. Sorry no underwater photos as no-one on our trip took a camera.

Our surface interval back on deck was spent watching the sunset and preparing for the night dive. Six dive boats were now moored up for the night around us.

This was my first night dive on the Thistlegorm and the plan was to explore the holds again. I was a little apprehensive thinking we wouldn't be able to see the light of the exits out of the holds in the dark but the bright lights of the dive boats on the surface shed a dull glow over the decks. We saw a huge scorpion fish and giant moray and lots of lion fish hunting in the torch light. Really enjoyed the night dive in the eery darkness. 20 meters max depth and 45 minutes dive time and back onboard for dinner.

Moored next to us overnight was a very nice liveaboard full of Italians called Desmondo. After dinner most of us retired to bed around 11pm as we would be briefed at 6am for the next dive. I went down to my cabin and discovered the windows had leaked during the rough crossing and my bed was rather damp at one end! Never mind and very nearly drifting off to sleep but the horrendous roar of the generator from Desmondo kept interrupting my approaching dreams. The boats bright lights were also filtering through my porthole windows and together with the heat of the still, windless night and with our generator switched off and therefore air conditioning and lights not working I decided around 1.30am that I would have to move and find somewhere cooler, quieter and less bright.

I went up to the sun deck but all the benches on the side away from Desmondo were occupied by the other five divers. The upper sun deck was completely soaking wet with condensation due to the high temperature and no wind. I went into the dark lounge and lay on the first seat not wishing to disturb the gentle snoring I could hear further in. Thought I would be fine here until Desmondo drifted round a little closer so now their strong deck lights were bobbing up and down like search lights right onto my face.

It was now around 2.30am and I was tempted to dive down to get some ammunition to sink Desmondo but decided instead to grab a small plastic mattress from a bench and took it down to the also soaking wet dive platform next to the rhib. Perfect as long as I stayed on my small plastic island and didn't let the blanket slip. I lay back and searched for shooting stars just a few feet from the water and then realised just how noisy the sea is at night. The fish were constantly jumping out of the water and splash landing. At least it was more pleasant than the relentless roar of the generator which was inescapable. It was beautifully cool outside and very humid so it wasn't long before my blanket and pillow were damp. Still wide awake at 4.20am it was worth a restless night to see the sky slowly turning pink and the red sun rising from behind the mountains just after 5am. The divers on Des had probably slept very well as they were all kitted up and jumping in the water at 5.40am.

Just two of our group kitted up at 6am for our fourth dive on the Thistlegorm and dropped down to the sea bed at 30 meters and swam about 20m away to one of the locomotives that was blown off the wreck during the forceful explosion. It was nice to have the time to explore the sea bed a little before moving round the outside of the ship and then up to visit the Captain's bathroom. I always think of my father when diving this wreck as the supplies were heading for the British 8th army in North Africa where he was an Officer.

After breakfast we crossed back over to Abu Nuhas to dive the wreck of the Ghiannis D and explored inside the engine room. The Ghiannis D is such a pretty and photographic wreck covered in colourful corals and beautifully lit in the morning sunshine and a regular excursion for our club from El Gouna. The sixth and final dive was at El Gilwa around 11am where we were joined by Emperor's day boat from El Gouna keen to hear the news of our expedition.

We were back early afternoon to a stifling 40 degrees on land but everyone had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I have to say a big thank you to Emperor Divers and especially to Mat for letting me know about the trip and for the excellent service received from their staff, boat crew and guides.

I really enjoyed just doing a one night trip and will definitely organise another trip after Ramadan for our other dive club members and, of course, me to enjoy again.

If you would like to know more about this overnight trip, please email info.reservations@emperordivers.com

On 01 October 2011, we will open our new dive centre in the Marsa Alam area. Situated in a brand new seafront hotel, Moreen Beach, the centre is 20 km south of the airport, giving the same Emperor Divers' experience that guests have come to know and love in Port Ghalib. 

The added bonus is that there is now a great housereef and the Centre is closer to the Marsa Alam jetty saving time when visiting southern sites.

Built to a customised design giving spacious facilities and all the necessary amenities expected from a world class dive operator, including a rooftop bar for that all-important post-dive socialising, the location adds to the variety of dives on offer.

Just 20 km south of Port Ghalib marina, our classic hardboat trips will operate as usual with more diving options to include the unspoilt and uncrowded Abu Dabab offshore reef system, now just 15 minutes away by speedboat.

The housereef is literally on the doorstep and ideal for more experienced divers offering plenty of guided or unguided options, day and night, as well as regular morning and afternoon trips to Elphinstone for those 'big' encounters. With the Centre being closer than ever to the Marsa Alam marina, we continue to offer Dolphin House trips to divers and snorkellers and with shorter transfer times, guests can dive even more southern sites such as Shaab Marsa Alam whilst still enjoying the famous 'Overnight Elphinstone' trips.

Moreen Beach is a 4 star hotel operated by Concord Hotels and is the ideal venue for divers and non-divers alike.

For divers with family and friends who simply want to relax, then this is the place to do more half-day trips and lazy starts while everyone can enjoy the sandy beach and fabulous facilities.

We still offer free transfers from other hotels; however, for those staying in Port Ghalib, the same renowned Emperor service is on-hand where you wake up and walk to your dive boat or have a short zodiac transfer.

Luke Atkinson, Emperor Marsa Alam's Manager explains, "Our operation in Port Ghalib will remain virtually the same with the addition of a super housereef at the Moreen Beach and easier access to Shaab Abu Dabab and Marsa Alam's sites. We look forward to giving our guests more choice, memorable diving and the same customer-focused service".

It's business as usual at the current Marsa Alam centre in Port Ghalib. The move will be seamless so guests won't feel a thing...except a better location and more choice of dive sites!

For more information, please email reservations@emperordivers.com

We will have more information on our Marsa Alam web page by September.

Derek Oldham from Melton Divers, seasoned diver of 81 years of age, relives his diving memories...

Foreword from Derek (pic below on the lighthouse at Big Brother):

"The year is 1986 and following the launch of our Vauxhall Dealership I find myself aboard Wind Spirit on a promotional trip. Introduced to diving; attempt to satisfy the disciplines; fail dismally; successful entrants enjoy a dive to the depths while I look on.

A few years later, having dismissed diving as not for me and getting qualified as a light aircraft pilot instead, I am persuaded by my Service Manager and dear friend, Mick Knight (now in Australia), to join Melton Divers. I meet Janice Humm who amazingly within thirty minutes has me 'swimming underwater'.

Now I am enthusiastic and after more pool practice join her for my first dive at Stoney Cove. The date is 7 May 2005. Over the next six years I enjoy the friendly help one gets from divers from all walks of life: Melton Divers, Emperor Divers, with a special word of absolute thanks to Donna Bowen, a young lady who took this old guy to the depths on many occasions with skill and disipline that would be difficult to improve upon.

Over the next few months I will endeavour to recount in real time the memories of those years, impossible without the dedication of the Emperor Divers staff. I will take my detailed log as the basic guide but you must excuse me if I have mistaken names, although looking back it appears that Donna and Janice with Terry had insisted on detail! I will refer to my self as DJ for simplicity."

So watch this space; next episode: Thistlegorm, Dive 32/33, the date 30 July 2007.