Emperor Divers News

Super snorkelling trips - tell your friends

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:49:27 +0000

In the last year or so our resort teams have seen a big increase in family and friends of divers booking snorkelling trips with our sister company, Oceans Red Sea.

We know there are lots of boat trips for non divers available but believe our expertise and love of everything Red Sea sets our trips apart. Our aim is to make these fun but also educational; what's more, the same great guides you dive with help non-divers master the art of snorkelling as well as teaching them about the amazing marine life.

Maybe you have family and friends who are thinking of taking a holiday in the Red Sea and, if so, we hope you might recommend Oceans Red Sea. Do tell them that, if they book their place using the website, they get a 10% discount.

All they have to do is visit www.oceansredsea.com to book a trip that many of our past guests say was the "highlight of their holiday".

Thanks for passing this information on. We feel sure your family and friends will enjoy a quality boat excursion whilst on their Red Sea holiday .

If you would like more information, please email reservations@oceansredsea.com

Here's what Abi Cleaver had to say about her recent Oceans trip...

"First experience snorkelling/scuba diving made extremely enjoyable and relaxing. I felt very safe and the day overall was really good. I would use this centre to learn the full techniques of diving."

Get DIVE Magazine for FREE!

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:07:51 +0000

Now digital subscribers can get DIVE magazine for FREE every month!

DIVE magazine is packed with more than 132 pages of diving fun and this digital version has been designed to be available on all major digital platforms and devices.

Register for your FREE digital subscription by clicking on the image on the left or just click here - DIVE Magazine online for Free

Derek Oldham: Diving the wreck of the Salem Express

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:19:48 +0000

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.

Elite Brothers Mini Safari - just 475 Euro. 20 - 23 September

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:52:08 +0000

Join us for three nights aboard top-class Emperor Elite
from 20 - 23 September.

Leaving from Port Ghalib, we sail to Small & Big Brothers with wonder-wall diving, large pelagics and kaleidoscopic colours.

20.09.11 Check in at 9 am. Set sail 10 am
23.09.11 Return. Check out 9 am

Price includes: Transfers from Hurghada or Marsa Ghalib, 3 nights onboard, 3 days diving (1st day 2 dives, 2nd day 3 dives, 3rd day 3 dives), full board, soft drinks, snacks, guides, tanks, weights, Nitrox, Marine Park/Port fees, tax.

Not included: Alcohol, diving equipment, tips, flights/visa, hotels.

Book your place today at info.safaris@emperordivers.com

See more on Elite and what she has to offer here

Searching for the Dugong

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:28:42 +0000

Author: Anton de Vries
Photographer: Agnes Nyhof

In May my girlfriend Agnes and I took the PADI Dugong Appreciation Distinctive Speciality Course at Emperor Divers in Port Ghalib. In the morning we had the theoretical part of the course in which we learned a lot about the dugong species; about how best to search for it, about how to approach it when you find it and about the data gathering of dugong sightings by Emperor Divers. It was a nice informal session and you could tell our instructor Luke really enjoyed showing the presentation.

After the theory-session we had two dives at Marsa Mubarak in which we put what we learned into practice. We searched on the surface with the speedboat for the Dugong but we were not able to find it at first. During the two dives we saw a lot of turtles on which we practiced approaching big marine life in a sensitive way. It was really great to be able to get so close to a turtle without scaring it away!

Dolphins of the Red Sea

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:43:46 +0000

By Mat Cotton, Manager, Emperor El Gouna

Regular guests of Emperor Divers have more than likely encountered one or more of these fantastic creatures, riding the bow wave of your dive boat, or the really lucky have had the opportunity to spend some time in the water alongside them diving or snorkelling.

Dolphins are a common sight in all areas of the Red Sea, from Taba down to Sudan, but how much do you really know about these intelligent animals?

Earth Day - 22 April

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:41:05 +0000

On April 22, the world will be celebrating Earth Day - a time to honour our natural environment and to lend a helping hand in keeping it clean and tidy.

Emperor Divers' centres will be doing their bit and inviting guests to join in. For instance, Emperor Sharm El Sheikh is offering a free 3rd dive on all our boats as a clean up dive; El Gouna is organising an underwater clean up in conjunction with the Movenpick Hotel from our day boat; Nuweiba will be taking part with an organised clean up too and the chance to win an exclusive Nuweiba Oscar at the end of it! Hurghada and Marsa Alam will also be doing their bit to help the Red Sea environment.

So if you're out diving with us on the 22nd, grab some feel-good factor and do your bit to help make the Earth - well, the Red Sea - a better place to live.

Curiosities about the Red Sea

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:11:05 +0000

by Marine Biologist, Daniele Zanoni

Ever wondered what makes the Red Sea red? Where the name comes from? Its history, attraction and marine life?

Read on as respected marine biologist, Daniele Zanoni (pic left) shares his fascinating knowledge on all things Red Sea...

ID:

Surface:
Length:
Max width:
Max Depth:
Average depth:
Volume:

438,000 km²
2250 km
355 km
2211 m
490 m
215-251 x 108 km³

The Red Sea is the northern most tropical sea. It hosts over 1000 invertebrate species, about 200 species of hard and soft coral and over 1200 species of fish and other vertebrates. The International Hydrographic Organization defined the Red Sea boundaries as follows:

North boundary: the southern limits of the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba
South boundary: a line joining Husn Murad and Ras Siyan

Meet Marsa Alam's answer to Kermit

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:38:17 +0000

Our newest fishy favourite in Marsa Alam is 'Kermit' the Warty Frogfish. First spotted by our dive guide Sarah, Kermit now resides near a table coral in Marsa Mubarak, meaning you can see stonefish, scorpionfish, crocodilefish and a frogfish on one dive!

Over the past two months he has grown from about 5 cm to nearly 10 cm...although being a warty he won't get much bigger!

Dive Marsa Alam - book today!

When is a male a female? When it's a Clownfish!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:47:26 +0000

By Sarah Wright

Clownfish became every child's favourite fish (and also mine!) following the release of Disney's 'Finding Nemo'.

There are 28 known species of clownfish. The Red Sea Anemonefish (amphiprion bicinctus), which is native to the Red Sea, lives in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the anemone.

My favourite fish - the eighties retro-style goby

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:16:25 +0000

By Elise Watling

The little citron coral goby or lemon coral goby has to be one of my favourite fish. Why? Check him out. He's cute, tiny, bright yellow with white Adam Ant stripes down his face. Yes, he is an eighties retro fish!

The little chap actually belongs to the Gobiodon genus of the Gobiidae family, which is THE largest family in the marine world and with over 200 genera of them you can see why! The citron coral goby is the smaller of the species and only grows to a length of 4cm in comparison with some of his other family members reaching over 50cm!

He has two dorsal fins and is often found lurking with others of his kind in the acropora table corals that are readily found here in Ras Mohammed. The rest of his clan tend to be found burrowing in the sand but not this one. He stands loud and retro-proud on the table corals! They give off a noxious body slime so not many other fish will play ball with them and they tend to stick to their own kind. Those that don't seem to mind, though are small damsels and juvenile hawkfish that will share the same acropora.

This goby feeds mainly on zooplankton, small crustaceans and algae. And if that fails they'll eat the Acropora coral or skeleton that he inhabits.

In small groups they readily form pairs and mate. The genus are hermaphrodites (meaning they have both male and female organs) with females turning into males. The female deposits circular bands around a branch of host coral that are immediately fertilized and subsequently guarded by the male. Alas, because of the goby's small size, they have a lot of problems fending off larger predators when rearing their young.

Bannerfish (Genus Heniochus)

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:03:34 +0000

By Roxy Bezuidenhoud

There are eight known species of the Genus Heniochus, which is a member of the Butterflyfish family Chaetodontidae, meaning "bristle teeth" in reference to their prising snout and dentition. All eight species are similarly shaped with laterally compressed sides, a pointed rostrum and a lengthened fourth dorsal ray.

The Chaetodontidae are very colourful fishes that are popular with divers and aquarists. The family consists of ten genera with about 120 species. They mostly inhabit coral reefs but some have become adapted to temperate and deep waters. The geographical distribution is mainly focused on the Red Sea and Arabian Sea coral reefs, 4 are found in the east Pacific and 12 in the Atlantic. The genus Chaetodon is the largest in the family, with 114 species in 13 sub-genera. Heniochus as mentioned above comprises 8 species, with the remaining genera being single species (monotypic), or with only a few species each.

New PADI speciality - Dive with Dugong - exclusive to Emperor Marsa Alam

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:15:34 +0000

Your Best Chance to Find a Dugong - New and Exclusive to Emperor Divers, Marsa Alam

Emperor Divers, Marsa Alam, is now offering you the best chance to dive with a Dugong! Learn more about these magnificent creatures by enrolling on our brand new Dugong Appreciation Distinctive Specialty course.

Approved by PADI and taught only at Emperor, this course gives you background knowledge, facts and local information on our Dugongs, as well as teaching you techniques for finding and successfully diving with these gentle marine mammals. What's more, after 2 dives in our local Dugong hotspots, you will earn a full PADI certification that can be credited towards your Master Scuba Diver rating.

The one-day course costs €120* and this includes all materials, dives, equipment and also a free Emperor Divers Dugong T-shirt. So book now and come and join us diving with Dyson, Dennis and friends!

*€35 certification fee payable in resort

Book today - email info.reservations@emperordivers.com

New Ras Mamlach boat trip from Emperor Nuweiba

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:33:26 +0000

The team in Nuweiba is delighted to be able to offer guests a memorable day out on their new charter boat - King Sea Star. You can visit Ras Mamlach in the National Park with its pristine coral formations along with an amazing abundance of fish life such as Napoleon wrasse, turtles, milk fish, blue spotted rates and schooling barracuda.

The boat leaves the dive centre at 8am and returns at 5pm, so a full and fulfilling day for all. Divers can do their PADI Boat Diver specialty on the day. Non-diving guests are also welcome aboard.

The trip costs just 45 Euro, including lunch and soft drinks. All trips are subject to weather conditions and minimum numbers.

Email info.reservations@emperordivers.com for more information.

Blame it on the Anthia...Terry Axam shares his knowledge of this Red Sea beauty

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:25:24 +0000

Terry Axam, Sharm El Sheikh's popular dive instructor, shares his anthia tales...

At first sight it may appear pretty nondescript, how you might describe your everyday pet goldfish! But take a closer look at this 7cm fish. It has the most amazing violet streak below the eye, which illuminates the surrounding water. On mass the orange/gold colour of their body lights up the entire reef making you think you are surrounded by thousands of stars.

Also known as the lyretail coralfish, the lyretail anthia or the scalefin anthia, anthias are members of the family Serranidae (basses, basslets, groupers) and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. They occur in all tropical oceans and seas of the world from the western Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean as far east as Japan and Southeast Australia. The first species recognized in this group was described in the Mediterranean and northeast Atlantic and was given the name Anthias anthias by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. Pretty remarkable stuff, huh!

Small, peaceful and beautiful they form complex social structures based on the number of males and females and also their position on the reef itself. They are mainly zooplankton feeders and shoal by the thousands. The male, 15 cm in length and a fuschia colour with a very distuinguishing banner, retains a harem of 5-10 females. When the male dies (no surprise there) one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male!

In our local waters they surround coral outcrops, the fringing reef and steep slopes to a depth of 35m. They always point directly into current apart from when they are playing 'tricks' on the dive guide when you will hear that age old phrase, 'well they were pointing the right way when I jumped in and checked.' The Anthia, a dive guide's best friend or his/her Achilles heel...

» Book your diving holiday to Sharm El Sheikh today and enjoy some of Terry's experiences!