Al-Wasel 1

We went to a spot which is located about half an hour boat journey. Amazing!!! It's a coral island in the middle of the Red Sea. Al-Wasel, that's the name where we went. Al-Wasel means a cluster of coral islands, meaning there are many coral islands surrounding the area and there are more than 10 diving spots just in that area.

Of course, these photos are not professionally taken.

We managed to make 2 dives, each dive took about 30 to 40 minutes with a depth down to 40 ft even though the area is about 60 ft deep. I had a problem with equalizing the pressure that I was not able to go further down. Anyway it was fantastic. The visibility was excellent. Unfortunately, the camera that Pok Lah brought has limited memory of 16 MB, so only a handful of photo shots were secured. Since the camera was a cheap one (SR300), the quality was not that excellent. Will buy the good one later, that's for sure.

The rest of the photos are at http://picasaweb.google.com/Zuraili/AlWasel1

YANBU DIVE SITES

The city of Yanbu al Bahar , which in Arabic means “Yanbu by the Sea”, is located 300km North of Jeddah, on the same longitude as the Zabargad Islands in Egypt . Leaving the port of El Sharm several dive sites located in the stretch of sea between Al Hasani Island, north of Yanbu and Sha’ah al Abjad in the South can be reached. 8 miles to the West is the Gotha el Sharm reef , a first taste of this untouched sea with its magnificent coral sculptures still intact.

Close by, on the north side of the reef one can dive on the wreck of the Shouna. The epicentre of the cruise is the Seen Reefs complex, found approx. 27 miles from the departure port. Sha’ab al Markeb , Abu Sulul , Mansi , Tawil , Abu Galawa , Shabarir and Testes; each has its own unique characteristics but all have in common the spectacular surroundings and strong presence of large pelagic fish. These dives are considered to be among the best the Red Sea has to offer, clear waters, intact coral, steep walls and many pelagic fish that are becoming used to the presence of man.

Numerous hammerhead, longimanus, white and grey sharks swim freely and undisturbed in these waters. The cruise continues towards the northern reefs and the dives sites of sha’ab Gurush , sha’ab Suflani and sha’ab Sadiki , true coral atolls emerging from the blue depths. Dives around here are exceptional and the untouched atolls provide a fitting backdrop.

By: www.diving-world.com