Today I dive Tiran (the Strait and the Island) with Desert Rose Diving. It started with a pickup at 0830 from my hotel and a drive to Shark;s Bay about 30 mins away, near the airport.
We waited for our boat “Dahab” to get its turn at the jetty before boarding around 0930. There was a cursory baggage inspection and a random passport inspection. There were eight divers and probably a similar number of snorkelers on board, plus divemasters and crew.
Gordon Reef
We didn’t go far for the first dive site. It was called Gordon Reef, located just off the mainland in the Straits of Tiran, nowhere near Tiran Island.
We were advised that the water here is highly saline and we would need more weights that we’re probably used to. I had been diving with 4-5kg and was told to use 8kg.
For the buoyancy check (breathe in and empty BCD), normally I have been told to float at eye-level. Here, I was told the ideal is maybe up to the forehead. With 8kg I was floating with water to my crown but I just left it at that.
It was a gorgeous reef but after about 10 minutes I realised it was all going to be the same. Apart from the usual reef fishes, there was a stingray with blue spots sitting on the sandy bottom.
Despite the dozens of dive boats in the area, it wasn’t crowded underwater. I had heard horror stories of the sea being like a human soup. In fact, that was the case at Nusa Penida, off Bali.
Diving and snorkelling boats for Africa!
Laguna Reef
We cruised on to the second dive off Tiran Island called Laguna Reef. The wind was strong and the divemaster explained that if the current underneath was strong as well, he would cancel the dive. Once in the water, visibility was poor from sand stirred up from the sandy bottom.
There was a bit of current here and there but about two-thirds through the dive, on the way back, we encountered really strong current. Kicking as hard as I could, and also using my arms, I made no progress. The other divers made some forward movement. After 106 dives in my life, I felt scared for the first time.
The exertion had caused me to breathe more and I would have floated up a little, exposing me to more of the current. That would have made it even harder for me to make progress.
The dive photographer, who may also have been a divemaster, pushed me down and led me through the hardest bit. My air was down to around 80 bar, so he gave me some of his through his secondary temporarily, so that I could complete the dive on my own tank later.
While underwater, I saw a stingray and a moray. Plus the usual reef fishes.
I expressed my concern about the current when we returned on board. The divemaster said he was more concerned about the visibility than the current.
No one took up the option for a third dive today.
General
I thought the second dive should have been cancelled when the conditions were apparent once in the water. It was perhaps a riskier dive but even if it wasn’t riskier, it certainly was less than fun.
But Desert Rose Diving seems to do well in other aspects. We had three divers for one divemaster. The boat was spacious and crew well-organised in getting the divers ready and into the water.
Afterwards
A buffet lunch was served after. Having had a bit of a rough second dive, I had no appetite.
We were back on terra firma around 1500 and back in my room around 1600. I was completely knackered. Despite being famished I fell asleep briefly before dinner.