Day 6 - Time To Say Goodbye Part 2 - 23/11/2014

And then, just like that, it was time to say goodbye or as they say in Italian, "Con te Partiro".

I left Snapdragon, taking a couple of photo's as an aide-memoir in the event I'm ever asked to board her again and I can remember to say no. We got a taxi to a crap hotel and then a taxi to Naama Bay where the Horse Whisperer made me buy a "Son of Poseidon" tshirt and we spent the night drinking over priced cocktails at the Camel Bar.

So here is my final ratings:

The boat is poor and while I'd liveabaord again I've reached a point in life where I don't need to slum it on a budget boat. A few hundred £ more could of bought me a more pleasurable living experience, However, as I said in the first run of posts it's the people you meet and the banter and diving that make the trip. Also, Cards Against Humanity.

Accommodation	**
Toilets	*
Food	****
Crew	****
Dive deck	***
Diving	****
Banter	*****
Overall	****

I think I've made pals (they may all be glad to see the back of me). Below are some of the characters mentioned throughout the blog.

MY Snapdragon

Horse Whisperer

The Zookeeper

Al-Chemist

Karim

The Buddy Pair "Derola"

Sergeant Chris & The Smooth Criminal

Bridget

The Lawman

The Horse Whisperer

Seanathon

Seanathon

The Lawman & Bridget Putting Up Smoke Signals

The Smooth Criminal

Seargeant Chris

Al-Chemist

Day 1 - Into The Black & Blue – 18/11/2014

As I mentioned, probably a hundred times if I met you in the last few months, I’m now in Egypt diving off the Snapdragon -  a fairly grim Flowers of Sinai live-aboard. I’m bunked up with a very pleasant chap who we'll call Seanathon. I’ve dived with Seanathon before, well over a year ago. He's a decent chap, that said, he’s probably gutted be sharing with me. 

For diving purposes, my buddy for the diving side of things is the Zookeeper.

Today we did three dives, having arrived quite late last night. The sites were:

• Ras Katy – a shallow reef check dive
• Ras Satar – a deep wall drift dive
• Dunraven – a notable Red Sea wreck, with a nearby reef 

As I’m discussing a few dives I’ll stick to the more notable incidents. Essentially everything went to plan on dive one, luring me into a false sense of security and even delivering a very pretty octopus. It was too far inside its whole to photograph, so you’ll have to take my word for it being pretty.

Ras Satar was a quite different affair for me.

I once heard bittersweet being described as “watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your brand new car.” I have no real issues with my mother-in-law, but this dive was bittersweet. I was bobbing along enjoying the drift and wall when after about five minutes what felt like a jolt of electricity shot through the right hand side of my face. As this was my first ever Nitrox dive, my first thought was it was a symptom of oxygen toxicity (at 22m *coughs*). The reality, however, was far more mundane.

I endured the rest of the dive, made only bearable by my first ever turtle sighting.  When I emerged I had a scarlet rash laden cheek and mouth. Apparently, it was a plankton sized jellyfish. 

I can tell you, even now, 9 hours later, my face is loupin. In addition, I cut my leg as I boarded the Zodiac.. As I said, bittersweet.

Finally, dive three was a night dive and both the Zookeeper and I were in our element. We enjoyed some nice lionfish action, a couple of moray eels and wide selection of night active fish.

Blue Spotted Ray

The Zookeeper

Pinnacle

Masked Butterfly Fish

Turtle

Large Table Coral

All Aboard! - 17/11/2014

So today I'm heading out to Sharm, Egypt  for my first ever diving liveaboard. I dived a few times in the Red Sea, so I know what to expect from an ecological perspective. The Zookeeper and some other characters from the blog are coming too. The trip is being organised by Ace Divers.

We're going to be on the Snapdragon - a Flowers of Sinai boat. By all accounts online the boat is meant to be pretty diabolical - a fact that is at odds with my penchant for 5 star luxury. However, the Zookeeper reliably informs me that the week is made by the diving and banter and not the accommodation.

In preparation, I've bought some more snazzy thermocline stuff, sea sickness tablets, Imodium, spare fin straps, budgie smugglers, sun cream (I am from Scotland, I have fair skin and I will burn) and new shades. Add to that a smattering of my  usual dive kit and I'm set.

The trip will also coincide with my 200th dive. I've got something special planned for that. ;)