NATURAL PARKS: Elphinstone Reef - Egypt
7
miles east from the Egyptian shoreline at Marsa Abu Dabbab (the popular beach
and bay near Marsa Alan Hilton), you will be able to find this sea resort in
the open sea. Considered one of the most exciting diving destinations of the
world, Elphinstone Reef could be your best choice for this summertime if you
think your exploration underneath the water has to be unforgettable. It will be
of course. There are a couple of small breakers, the only signs that just below
the sea’s surface stands the summit of a subterranean mountain. The natural
monument is rich in colorful corals, fish species, and attracting the interest
of hungry barracuda, dolphins and sharks.
You
might wonder how this tiny speck on the charts - a three hundred meter
finger-like stretch of reef, just twenty to forty meters wide, could be such an
attraction. This sliver of reef runs approximately north-south. The middle
section can usually be seen from the surface breakers as it lies barely
concealed below the surface at a depth of just one to two meters. However
the reef descends down to an arrowhead point at around 40 meters at its
southern most point while the northern section descends in steps to around 42 meters.
Go any further north or south and you descend near vertical cliffs. Similarly
the east side is also an almost perpendicular drop off while the west is less
steep and slightly sandier with a number of overhangs and small caves.
All this
considered the depth descends to several hundred meters into the deep blue -
making for an eerie but beautiful contrast with the reef's many colorful coral
types, especially the purple and pink soft corals and graceful red gorgonians -
their tentacles moving slowly in the strong sea currents.
Furthermore, there is the dangerously enticing sarcophagus archway at a depth
of 52 to 65 meters near the southern tip of the reef. Legend narrates
that one of Egypt's Pharaohs lies buried here and you can just make out in the
dim light the shape of a sarcophagus shaped mass encrusted in coral.
However you should not descend this deep without your professional
guide's approval. This type of depth far from the shoreline is only for
very advanced and experienced divers.
Two pinnacles of coral seem to be accessible on the northern plateau at around
42 meters depth but most divers would be better advised not to descend below 30
meters which is sufficient to explore most of the reef's length.
Visibility is generally good at an average of 20 meters.
Late
summer and early fall have the warmest sea temperatures (84 degrees in August
compared to 71 in March) however as August is also a peak diving season it can
get disappointingly crowded so the autumn is probably ideal. Sharks can
be seen all year round although oceanic white tips are mostly numerous during
the October to December period.
Go very early at around dawn for the best chance to avoid the crowds and also
the most likely time to see sharks. By eight or nine o'clock the area can
sometimes get quite congested.
You
are not guaranteed to see sharks but you have to remember that these are wild
creatures and that you do stand a very good chance, especially if you make
repeat visits. Some divers have been fortunate enough to have had several shark
encounters at the reef. Shark species you might encounter are not just the
inquisitive oceanic white tips and the strangely shaped hammerheads, but also
silky sharks, grey reef sharks, the evasive black tip and possibly even the
mighty and majestic plankton feeding whale shark. There were even several
sightings of tiger sharks during 2009.
And besides sharks, you can also discover all manner of marine life.
Solitary giant barracuda usually lurking at the edge of the reef and shoals
of jacks and black snappers closer in as well as huge dogtooth tuna,
beautifully colored Napoleons and the snake-like Moray eel. Of course many
other fish species, too numerous to list, can be found as well as occasional
turtle sightings on the sandier west side and frequent visits by dolphins whose
company can be a great consolation.
Cairo
has direct flights to and from most European countries and many countries
worldwide. So it is a convenient hub for many tourists who wish to fly to
Marsa Alam but who find either that there is no direct flight from their
country or that the timetable for the direct flights is very limited or who
simply prefer to travel business or first class on an up market national
carrier rather than subject themselves to the sometimes arduous conditions of
long haul charter flights. Marsa Alam flights depart from terminal three,
Cairo's most recent terminal completed in 2009. It is also the arrival terminal
for some international flights including Egypt Air, LOT, Singapore
Airways and Turkish Airlines. But if you arrive at a different terminal don't
worry as there is a fast and efficient automated people mover linking terminals
one and two with terminal three within five minutes.
 |
| Marsa Abu Dabab beach front |
Elphinstone
reef can be a very hostile environment for the ill-prepared. Several people
disappeared in a tragic incident in 2007. Therefore, if you want to dive at
Elphinstone, you must had an Advanced Open Water Diver certificate and you
should have experience of at least 50 dives and also experience of deep diving,
drift diving and rough sea conditions. Your guide should give you a
comprehensive briefing and you should know what to do in the event of anything
unexpected and also consider what to do if the current is stronger than
anticipated. Dive guides should also be honest about the depths involved
and check that all divers are suitably qualified and aware of the challenges
they may be about to meet. It's no fun if you find yourself in difficulty at
depth as this diver recalled of her last trip to Elphinstone Reef.
