Imagine one of the top ten dive sites in the Red Sea. Suppose that it hadn’t been dived for three years and you had been handed the opportunity to dive it! What if this dive site were ‘in the blue’ 150 miles from land. You might expect large Pelagics, exceptional visibility, and virgin corals. You wouldn’t be disappointed if you’re talking about the legendary Brothers Islands in the centre of the Red Sea.
We had exactly that opportunity; to be in the first party to dive these remote islands since diving officially resumed there in 1998. True to expectations we discovered pristine corals, spectacular marine life, and exceptional visibility.
We arrived at the Brothers in flat calm to find the two outcrops scorching in the sun, the only visual relief in a vast horizon. You could sense the anticipation as the entire boat suddenly got self-motivated to kit up. You just knew that we were in for an exceptional dive.
Sure enough, even before we got in the water we were treated to a wildlife spectacle. As we were being shuttled from the liveaboard to the drop-off by our Egyptian boathandler (known affectionately as Captain Zodiac) a pod of 10 spinner dolphins bow-waved us.
The large Brothers Island is only 400M long and its only distinguishing feature is the Victorian lighthouse that the British built in the 1880’s. A small jetty protrudes from the island and your arrival is such an event that the inhabitants (Egyptian soldiers on rotational duty) race to greet you. You’d have to upset someone to get given that job!
We were dropped, on that first dive, on the Aida a cargo ship that went down in 1957 during a mooring procedure that went wrong whilst transporting troops to Alexandria. The crew scrambled ashore leaving the Aida to slide down the side of the large Island finally resting its stern in 60 metres with its bow in 20 metres. Although having sunk ten years later than the wrecks of Truk the soft coral growth encrusting the Aida could rival any of the Japanese, Pacific wrecks. Whilst not on the same scale it is, nevertheless, a must-dive site for any ‘wreckie’ worth his (or her) salt. One enduring memory of this wreck was that of a 4 metre Thresher shark lazily cruising the 10-metre contour above us as we ascended. Now, you don’t see that often!
Another, older wreck not far from the Aida was our second dive. Apparently, in her cargo were train wheels that scattered as she sank and which were now home to a profuse variety of creatures. There was plenty of marine life action here with larger fish involved in ‘domestics’, vying for territory and, uncharacteristically, ignoring the divers completely.
The small Brothers Island is only twenty odd metres across with absolutely nothing on it except for a few piles of rocks that some bored visitor piled up. Underwater it is a different story; the small Brother is renowned for Hammerheads! These unusual sharks cruise their territory at 30M and deeper on the southern side.
The internationally recognised sign to make when you see a hammerhead is to hit yourself on the head with your fist (hammer-head, get it?) and this site will definitely make you knock you senseless! However, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing your buddy give this sign when they see sharks in their limit of visibility but not yours. It is guaranteed that, by the time you swim to them, they have moved on.
The Brothers have always been sparsely dived due to their inaccessibility 100 miles offshore in the middle of the (southern Egyptian) Red Sea opposite Al Quseir. In the ;old days; a few of the larger (and braver) day boats offered trips out there during the summer months. Amenities were sparse with all aboard sleeping on deck and sharing one toilet (if you were lucky!). If the weather blew up you had to shelter in the lee of the Big Brother (is he Jake or Elwood?) and wait it out, sometimes for weeks, forget your flights!
Now the Egyptian Dive industry has matured and a new generation of liveaboard boats are available to take you to the Brothers in comfort, if not downright luxury. The premier vessel visiting the Brothers on a regular basis is a boat you may not have heard of before, the Shalakamy Explorer 1. She and her sister ship, Shalakamy Explorer 2, are big boats (36M long x 10M beam) and therefore ocean going, stable platforms well able to take the worst that the weather can throw at you. This is reassuring as a dive holiday can soon turn into an expedition if the weather blows up when you are so far out at sea. It did whilst we were out there!
Anything you’ve ever experienced inshore on the Red Sea does not prepare you when you get a prolonged Northerly blow in such an exposed position. You know that you’re in a storm when waves are crashing over the third deck! At such times movement is not recommended - best wedge yourself in somewhere safe and hope that anything not tied down does not crash on you!
A large boat certainly gives confidence in bad weather but might it not also be the case that you will find yourself in dangerous seas more often because you have a bigger boat? Don’t be put off, the sea can calm down as quickly as it blows up and diving is back on the agenda with very little loss of visibility.
If your appetite for Red Sea diving has been jaded by too many visits striking out for such an obscure site will rekindle your enthusiasm.
The Explorer is well able to cope with big seas. She cost 7 million Egyptian pounds to build and is (over) powered by two 750HP Caterpillar engines, beautifully fitted out in soft wood panelling, and this boat even sports a Disco complete with mirrored ceiling! The cabins are like Hilton hotel rooms complete with your own TV (which sometimes receives two Egyptian TV channels) and a mini-bar. There is a shower room with toilet en-suite, which is a complete luxury if you are used to competing for shower time at the end of the diving day.
You might have reservations about a dive boat that takes 24 but the reality is that other (day) boats cause overcrowded dive sites. Whilst working inshore, the Explorer can leave port after the day boats and (at 25 knots) you can arrive at the dive site and be in the water well before them! With the capability to reach the sites that other boats cannot you often find yourself the only group on a site.
It seems that the trend is towards larger, more luxurious boats generally in the Egyptian Red Sea. No one would argue with quality yet I remember when Sharm El Shiek was a hut on the beach with a compressor in it. We used to safari camp where there are now hotels. You could shore dive on the most prolific coral in the World without seeing another soul. Ten years later and this area is decimated underwater, literally kicked to bits by the numerous dive parties and choked by the debris of over development on land.
There are still unspoiled sites but you have to go offshore (and south) to find those pristine reefs. However, if the boats are getting bigger to reach these sites is it a good thing? I dread to think of the environmental impact on even these offshore sites that a sudden increase of capacity (by doubling of boat size) would have!
A trip to the Brothers need not be a prolonged affair. You can dive all sides of each island in two days. If travelling from Hurghada you would expect to dive several other sites, including Safaga, on the outward and return journeys. There are some interesting sites to be explored in that area.
One such site is the wreck of the Salem Express. You may remember that this was the ferry that sank only four years ago with massive loss of life whilst carrying pilgrims back from Mecca. Most divers came down firmly on respecting the sanctity of this wreck but perhaps it is time to review this idea. The wreck has seemed to make peace with the sea; soft coral growth is quite advanced and fish life prolific.
Who can say what is a respectable time period to wait before diving such a tragic wreck? In the case of the Salem Express it was certainly premature, it was on the local boats’ dive itineraries practically as soon as the bodies were cleared and this is clearly distasteful. However, time heals, and, although there are still some personal belongings scattered around the seabed such memorabilia need only be respected as a poignant reminder of those who lost their life the tragic night that the Salem Express hit the reef.
I certainly had a very relaxed dive on her and so overcame my initial apprehension. She is lying on her side she can be thoroughly explored by traversing the centre line at 20M. This strategy takes in the photographic hot spots and gives you enough bottom time to explore from the bridge to the prop and back in one dive.
I hadn’t been to the Red Sea for three years and so a successful trip rekindled my enthusiasm for the diving. The Red Sea still has much to offer and perhaps it was only due to the layoff that I noticed the increased sense of over development and commercialism there
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