It all started last year with the eruption of the volcano with the most unpronounceable name ever, the Finnish Eyjafjallajökull. People could not come, but could not leave either. Diving tourism in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, took the first hit. Even those who were not able to return home could not save the matter – their holiday money had finished and so there was no other option than to spend the obligatory vacation hanging around the hotel pool.
Later that year something else happened that no one would have ever thought possible. The normally quiet Red Sea Riviera around Sharm was unexpectedly plagued by a remarkable number of shark “attacks”. The fact that the media neglected to mention that a large part in the cause of this unusual behavior was due to human activity, has not helped much. As expected, not many tourists wanted to make a try-dive, and even the die-hard divers seemed less at ease in the water.
And then came the final blow. After having lived under oppression for 30 years, the Egyptian people came in revolt against dictator Mubarak and started the long road to democracy. Unfortunately this did not happen without violence and many people lost their lives. Still today, the battle continues. Understandably fewer and fewer tourists are willing to come to Egypt and so the beach chairs remain empty.
Yet, all this has brought something positive. For the first time in nine years that we lived and worked there as underwater photographers, we witnessed how the underwater world transformed. The usually crowded reefs and bays regained a long lost silence and with this newfound peace it became the underwater paradise on earth that it had once been. Nature as nature was intended. Without swimming and aqua-gymming tourists that would stir up the sand of the shallow bay from early morning onwards. For the first time in years the sandy bottom of Naama Bay was untouched and rippled, thanks to the natural motion of the waves. Finally the enchanting spectacle of the sun reflecting on the rippled seabed came to life again.
Fish swarmed together in great numbers and exhibited normal schooling behavior. Like the Sergeant Majors, usually scattered around the reef chasing after snorkelers in the hope of getting a crumb of bread. 
Lionfish also seemed to hang out together more than usual – but that could have also been the competition for hunting an excessive amount of small baitfish… The school of Blue-striped snapper seemed to be getting bigger by the day and contrasted beautifully against the reef with their bright yellow color.
Many of the usual reef inhabitants appeared more relaxed and were easily approachable. The green turtle, a permanent resident of the vast fields of seagrass in the bay, seemed almost seemed visibly relieved that she could quietly surface to breathe without being chased by hordes of over-enthusiastic snorkelers. There were also many more encounters with unusual visitors to the bay. A number of times we spotted a Hawksbill turtle, who usually prefers reefs with al lot of soft coral for feeding, but now showed up a number of times in the hard coral-covered bay.
One of the highlights though, was the discovery of a Mimic Octopus! The suspicion that these special animals would be part of the residents in the bay, was always there. But to see this confirmed with our own eyes was unbelievable. Mimic octopi are very small (in comparison to a 94 mm. diameter wide-angle conversion lens), but no other underwater creature can top their ability of mimicking other animals. Another skill they have is selecting special shelters, as another specimen demonstrated: it had found a hiding place in an empty shell, but was curious enough to show itself. It seemed as if the peaceful surroundings had given all animals an extra bit of bravery.
All this serenity stands in stark contrast to the “normal” course of events in and around Sharm el Sheikh. Undoubtedly the silence and peacefulness has been beneficial to all marine life in bays and reefs. But sooner or later tourism will pick up and people will flock again in great numbers to the Red Sea Riviera. Should this old new paradise of piece & quiet on earth be maintained in the future? Absolutely. Will the Egyptian people manage to find a balance between mass tourism and sustainable management of the enormous natural treasures under water? Hard to say.
In a divided country with an uncertain future, we can only hope that the Egyptians agree on one thing: that the Red Sea and its inhabitants are as invaluable and important as the great pyramids. And therefore also belong to Egypt’s cultural and natural heritage. So, as the locals say: “Insjallah” (God willing).
This blog post has also been published in Dutch: http://www.duikeninbeeld.tv/duiken/artikel/revolutionaire-stilte/.