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/.

P.S. The slide-show works pretty fast, but might need some time to load depending on your Internet connection and speed. It is said that patience is a virtue…

The beginning of this year has seen the return of two “old” but familiar faces to the Sinai Divers team at their diving center in Naama Bay, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. Some of you might remember us from our days as dive guides and instructors, but as of January 2011 we are the designated Photo & Video professionals for Sinai Divers, also known as the 2GoBelow team.

We embrace the opportunity to be in the water with our high-end digital SLRs on a daily basis and offer a wide array of services to suit any photographic needs.

You can let us join you on your introductory dive or Discover Scuba Diving program to take home a great selection of professional underwater pictures of yourself. A great way to show your friends and family what adventures you have had during your holiday!

If you already are an underwater photographer – hobbyist or professional – you can take full advantage of our years-long experience in the Red Sea and let us guide you to the best places. An excellent opportunity to improve your results and get the most out of your photo dives.

You have an underwater camera and are looking to learn or further develop your skills? Then you are most welcome to join us on an underwater photography specialty course. You’ll never be short of subjects to cover, as all our courses are conducted on the wonderful Sinai Divers housereef, which is host to a large variety of marine life.

Come and see us at the Sinai Divers Scuba Shop in Naama Bay, we’d be more than happy to go out shooting together!

Photo guiding for Professionals.
Underwater Photo shoots.
Underwater photography courses and workshops.

Looking to improve your underwater photography skills? Then the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Course is ideal for you!

The PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course gets you going quickly with today’s modern digital equipment, whether you use a point-and-shoot snap camera or a sophisticated D-SLR.

All of our photography courses are carried out in Na’ama Bay on the wonderful Sinai Divers house reef, which has a wealth of Marine life from Nudibranchs to Turtles, so you are never short of subjects to capture.

Knowledge Development

PADI Digital Underwater Photographer teaches you the fundamentals of digital underwater photography, on the course you will learn about cameras and housings, preparation, care and maintenance, underwater photography principles, composition, Flash/available light photography, camera techniques, potential problems and hazards of underwater photography (and how to avoid them).

Duration

1 day (2 Dives on the Sinai Divers House Reef, Na’ama Bay)

Requirements

Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water or equivalent (Older then 12 years)
1 recreational dive before the course to check weights, buoyancy and equipment

Course fees:

Course: €110 (camera not included)
Certification Fee: €30
DUP Manual: €25

BOOKINGS and RESERVATIONS

For all bookings and reservations please e-mail Sinai Divers at info@sinaidivers.com. Note: 2GoBelow only conducts courses at the Sinai Divers diving center in Na’ama Bay.

Which leads us straight away to the myriads of speculations invading all media, from broadcast news to on-line articles. Theories trying to explain this very unusual chain of events are springing up like mushrooms and are not always what could be considered testimonials of common sense. There are however, a number of plausible explanations making their way into the world. Fish feeding (see previous blog), shark feeding and even dead sheep floating in the sea. “Shark feeding disrupts the marine ecology and associates man with food in the mind of the sharks”, according to Dr. Hanafy, professor of marine biology at the Suez Canal University. It should come as no surprise then, that sharks could easily mistake snorkellers for food in areas where feeding takes place.

The Oceanic Whitetip shark, the species thought to be responsible for the biting incidents, is an opportunistic feeder with an extremely varied diet and a specific appetite for dead or diseased animals. The dumping of dead sheep in the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba by a livestock-transporting ship, just a few weeks ago, will surely have been an easy feeding opportunity for the Oceanic Whitetip sharks in the area. From here, it only takes a small leap to considering the possibility that the recent shark biting incidents are the result of mistaken identity of prey by the shark. Unfortunately but as most often the case, a human action that triggered an unwanted response in the animal’s behaviour.

All hope is now focussed on the collaboration between the relevant authorities and the team of international experts, all expected to arrive over the next couple of days, to come to an acceptable and safe solution for all parties involved. Without the killing of random sharks in the area.

Sources:
http://www.theepochtimes.com, http://www.redseasharks.org, http://www.cdws.travel, http://www.telegraph.co.uk, http://www.france24.com, http://www.longimanus.info, http://www.sharktrust.org

As pointed out also by the Shark Trust organization, let’s underline the fact that this kind of behaviour is very unusual. Shark “attacks” on humans are extremely rare, and when they do occur, it is a possible case of mistaken identity of a human for the shark’s normal prey. Some of these attacks could also be the result of feeding or antagonistic behaviour of the shark rather than misinterpretation.

In any case, it is plausible that the attacks in Sharm were triggered by a specific activity or event. In fact, one thing that springs to mind is something that unfortunately is occurring more and more along the shores of the Red Sea: fish feeding. Swimmers, snorkellers or simply bathers venture into the sea with pieces of bread or any other kind of food that is guaranteed to attract loads of small reef fishes. They do this because it is fun to watch and it looks great on camera: the wife in bikini surrounded by hordes of tropical fish. What they don’t realize however is that by doing so they not only disturb the natural food balance but are also creating a fish frenzy. A fish frenzy could, in turn, attract a larger predator such as the Oceanic.

As much as the events from the last couple of days are regrettable (and hopefully the victims will recover completely from their injuries), we can only hope that what happened will not trigger the usual “shark hysteria”, resulting in the killing of numerous innocent creatures. If one has a closer look at the statistics, more humans are killed every year by dogs, bees, lightning and vending-machine-related accidents than by sharks. Sharks are among the most misunderstood creatures on the planet, thanks to years and years of misleading media attention (think about “Jaws”), turning them into ruthless killing machines.

At this day and age, sharks have gone from the magnificent predators of the oceans to prey, with over 100 million (!) of them being slaughtered every year for their fins, mainly destined to the Asian market. Most often sharks are still alive when their carcass gets thrown back into the sea after having their fins cut off. In the near future, sharks could easily be wiped off the planet (thanks to human greed), which will almost certainly destabilize the planet’s marine ecosystems. Sharks are vitally important to marine ecosystems because they remove diseased animals and maintain the ocean’s balance of predators and prey. The fact that they have been around for over 400 million years would make you think that nature created them for a reason!

So, before we all give in to “Shark el Sheikh” hysteria, let’s get informed, educated and learn the truth about sharks. And think twice next time you want to get a snack out of a vending machine.

To find out more about sharks, check out the following websites:
Sharkwater: www.sharkwater.com, Shark Trust: www.sharktrust.org

Sources: www.sharkwater.com, www.sharktrust.org

You can read the full article about the Red Sea Dolphin Project here: http://www.2gobelow.com/2010/09/dolphin-conservation-red-sea/.

Counting dolphins
This particular expedition was part of the Red Sea Dolphin Project, developed with the aim to find out which species of dolphins and whales (scientifically known as “cetaceans”) are actually present in the southern Red Sea. On top of that, the research team also wanted to find out how these cetaceans are distributed and how many there roughly are of each species. One of their research methods is collecting photographs of the animals for identification purposes. And that’s why, being a (underwater) photographer, I decided to participate.

Every day, under the scorching sun, we would sail the boat off coast from point A to point B, following a saw-toothed pattern (this has to do with the scientific basis that warrants the validity of the research information). All eyes were constantly fixated on the endless blue horizon, in the hope of seeing dolphins. And what a feeling when we did! It is hard to explain in words, but seeing a large school of Spinner dolphins joining the boat, riding along with the bow and occasionally jumping out of the water showing off their incredible agility, is a magnificent and emotional sight. Especially when there are some mothers with their calves joining in the fun and you can observe the little ones trying to keep up with the others. The expectations were exceeded by far when – within the first two weeks of the expedition – we reached a total of 90 dolphin encounters and identified 6 different species!

We would observe and count the animals from the deck or the bow of the boat, getting as many pictures as possible and trying our best not to get seasick at the same time. Quite a challenge when you’re lying on your belly, looking down through the camera’s viewfinder with the boat moving up and down on the rhythm of the waves… Especially if the goal is to get a clear shot from the dolphins’ dorsal fin, crucial in the identification process. This is because the fins often have specific markings and scars that will help to identify the animal. Together with all the other data that have been collected (from the amount of dolphin sightings on a particular stretch of the survey, to the species that were identified and the number of individuals counted), this information will eventually form a knowledge base. A knowledge base which, at the moment, is still largely empty. And that’s exactly why the Red Sea Dolphin Project was developed.

Environmental threats

But what’s the point to all of this? Well, over the last 15 years the Red Sea has grown and is still growing to become a mass-tourist destination. Many previously unspoiled coastal areas have already been transformed into hotels & resorts and the coastline from Marsa Alaam (ca. 300 km. south of Hurghada) up to Sudan is next on the list of tourist development. At the moment, very little is known about the pristine yet delicate ecosystems along the southern shores and off coast. But one thing is clear: these ecosystems will undoubtedly suffer from the ongoing coastal development. Coral reefs are likely to suffer severe damage because of coastal construction. This could lead to a decline in numbers or even the disappearance of fish, which could in turn cause a serious food shortage for larger marine inhabitants like sharks and dolphins. And with no more food around, these wonderful creatures could slowly disappear. However, it is impossible to protect something if you have no information about it. That’s why counting dolphins can contribute to environmental conservation in the Red Sea.

With all the information collected from expeditions like this one, relevant steps and action can be undertaken that can then lead to conservation and sustainable use of certain areas in the near future. Specific habitats could be identified and classified as Marine Protected Areas, so that the natural resources can continue to exist and enjoyed for generations to come.

Ready to join?
So why not join the team for an unforgettable experience and contribute your time and effort to make a difference? Join the team and help protect the Red Sea!

Find out more at: http://www.hepca.com/red-sea-dolphin-project.aspx or read the Red Sea Dolphin blog: http://redseadolphinproject.wordpress.com/. All the dolphin images are available in our New Uploads Gallery.

Happy sailing!

To avoid you having to search the whole site to find the new stuff, we have conveniently placed them in their own gallery “Latest uploads”, why not pass some time and take a peak, as ever we would love to receive your comments and feedback.

To see the  full image selection click here.

Ps Mum click on the blue writing to go to the gallery!!

Here are a few of the new images that are available in our gallery collections here on 2Gobelow, we hope you enjoy them.

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