Project Shark and what is wasn't

Idea was to do a live aboard for a week where we could travel further south and really get some good diving in. Even better let's learn something new in the process with in depth features and lectures about these creatures especially the deeper ocean variants of the group.
So with palpable excitement we set sail on our adventure. However the Brothers islands' proved to be disappointments in terms of spotting the expected wildlife. The sharks which did appear were those we had seen on previous trips and few and far between anyway. The dives were still good to help us practice drift diving (strong currents) and how to spot a boat from below when it's surrounded by 5 or 6 others :)
In the end we settled for some pseudo wreck diving and other fish watching. Not the company's fault, just mother nature's way of saying she was being moody and didn't have to explain herself to anyone!

And then to Hurghada

Decided that flying was best to make our way into Hurghada. Still exhausted from the religious touring we skipped one of the hikes up to another biblical mount in favour of a rest before the dive boat trip.
Definitely the party area on the coast this one. Still a bit quiet though with the ongoing Arab Spring keeping visitors away.

The infamous blue hole

Next day we did some dives. With the water this salty there was a lot more weight required which made the experience a bit odd. Went to Moray Gardens and saw everything but the eels. A portend of things to come we found out later.
Day after we did Bells at the Blue Hole. This is a spectacular dive site from the entry alone and its other features. Add to that you are gliding around in tanks and your mass of scuba gear while free divers are floating up and down past you with nothing on but weights and lungs of steel that make us feel very small indeed. Their physical breathing preparation alone is a sight.
The subsequent dive site at the Canyon was just as worthwhile and made for a good full day of clear blue underwater viewing.

Luxury at half the price

It was decision time. Stay as Masbat or honor the reservation at the hotel further up the beach which was more expensive. Decided to leave the crowded confines for something a bit easier on the ears and lighter on the eyes.
Didn't expect much but were pleasantly surprised. Not sure if it was owing to the recent spate of problems in Egypt or because the hotel was still fairly new but everything was spotless and not comparative cost wise to what you would usually pay for these rooms. Ocean view, jacuzzi, outdoor private bath, outdoor seating area. Finally a break to soothe the travel budget.

A very necessary one too since the sun here was a wonderful roasting 40 C.

Just more relaxing the day after as well, enjoying the coast. Today apparently is a heat wave. Still, still water, perfect for wake boarding but saving money to do some scuba instead.

The long day Into Egypt by any and all means...

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Hectic day. Jeanna tried to get her same day visa. All was going well until they reported
that the system was down so no processing would be possible till after the weekend. Didn't
want to stay in Eilat all that time (3 days) so began the long and rushed day in three countries across two
borders to find our way to Egypt.

Drove back over to Jordan. Headed to the ferry crossing to Egypt only to be pointed back into town for tickets. Get to the ticket booth and now we don't have enough cash having left in a rush. On top of that credit cards are not accepted and no one knows Trinidad and Tobago so she can't print out the ticket on her machine. Many a mad scramble and phone calls later we managed to sort it out. Sidebar Lesson learned here: When someone says pay me whatever you like it is almost universally always followed by a scornful look when you do pay what you like even if it's more than a taxi would usually cost!

Having missed one ferry and the language barrier being what it was we jumped on the next thing that was headed to Egypt. That we figured was as best a place to start as any. Can sort out whether it was the correct ferry or not later on. On the ferry we all had to give up our passports for them to process. I had serious reservations about this since the last time I gave up my passport it was on a ferry to Morocco where I was promptly shipped back to Spain the next morning (another story another time).

Got off the ferry and had to take a bus to baggage claim which was overflowing and couldn't close so we had to watch our bags closely in the luggage section below to make sure they didn't fall out. Curious still was how they were going to transfer our passports since there was no official in sight. Got some directions back and forth to a nondescript building where processing and return of passports was completed much to my relief.

Now this port was pretty much isolated from the rest of the cities so after many a haggle and hassle later to find a taxi and figure out directions we finally were able to make our way to Dahab.

Lots of places to stay and all near the beach so at least finding a room was the easiest part of the day.

Eilat and the surrounding small borders

Left Tel Aviv on the afternoon bus. The two women behind us with their kids did not miss a
beat and were rambling on all the way through. Lost all power on the Iphone listening to music
trying to ignore them. Made it into Eilat and a comfortable room and had a walk around the
pier area. Also took a gander across the border at Jordan (Aquaba) to see if we were missing
anything. Same desert on that side too so really nothing original there.

Pensive Jaffa Walkabout

Walked through the coastal town of Jaffa along the beachfront and then a relax in the
afternoon. This was quiet time since we had a fight about something and decided to walk in silence, better so as not to say anything regrettable :)

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