Last year we (GF and me) took an all included vacation to the Red Sea (Marsa Alam) in July.
I brought with me a disposable underwater camera hoping for some good shot...
Amongst one of the sea exit was a tour at a sea "sanctuary" where dolphins (wild ones, not tamed, so unused to humans) go to breed and reast. It'a a coral pillar in a crescent moon shape, with the open side opposed to wherethe main streams and winds blos, providing a safe heaven for the animals to rest...
So, we boarded our boat and reached the place, the instructions from the guides were clear , don't rush, don't scream, be quiet, don't touch the animals (because they could suffer from stress)
Of course there was no guarantee that he dolphins would show up. Nevertheless we swam around the coral pillars (only the main one is in the shape described, all the others are "pillars") taking a little 2 hrs sea trek watching the other beautiful fish and sea animals available around...
There were, I guess 20-30 of us, plus people aborad other 7 boats...that makes a lot of people in the water...
Well, suddenly one of our guides spotted a group of dolphins and all the crowd went beserk, kids screaming, adults elbowing other people to gain our group front, really I was so disgusted that I stopped swimming and let all of them go. Hang 'em, I thought, I'm not going to be so idiot. I hate when my fellow countrymen and women behave in that way. Rather I will not see the dolphins, than to scarethe poor animals to death. Of course, one in 200 wouldn't have made any difference, but it was making it for me. GF was lookimg at me with a mixture of despair but then decided to stick with me...
Well, karma does exists. The raging crowd which we left did push the animals toward us...
In fact they passed so close to the two us that :
I couldn't contain myself and sream (silently, least to scare the animals) with delight :
Of course now I can tell that "dolphin" is a bit generic, the mammals were "spotted dolphins" (pantropical spotted dolphins, I guess, in brief, Stenelle) What beautiful animals, and how fast they were swimming!
Few days after that, we were taken to Brayka Bay, to try and spot the dugong, alas the guy was too shy and did not show up.
But down, at the bottom of the bay we could see sea turtles grazing...
Again we were told not to touch the animals so not to scare 'em...But what saved the turtles from the crowd assault was that were well out of reach, at least 10-15 mt below (but this could be a case similar to estimating our speed while skiing), and we had only masks, snorkels and fins...not bottles...
Nevertheless I gave it a try, asked the guide for permission and dove...this is the result :
Did it a second time for a family with which we had made friends, but two times was more thn enough for my poor, underfit body...
Anyway not bad, considering my poor photography skills, the shitty disposable camera w/o flash and, of course, my physical conditions...
Why am I posting the pictures only one year later? Becausejust wednesday I found a lab which was offering to develop the pictures and digitalize 'em on a CD for an affordable price...
What a joy.
I brought with me a disposable underwater camera hoping for some good shot...
Amongst one of the sea exit was a tour at a sea "sanctuary" where dolphins (wild ones, not tamed, so unused to humans) go to breed and reast. It'a a coral pillar in a crescent moon shape, with the open side opposed to wherethe main streams and winds blos, providing a safe heaven for the animals to rest...
So, we boarded our boat and reached the place, the instructions from the guides were clear , don't rush, don't scream, be quiet, don't touch the animals (because they could suffer from stress)
Of course there was no guarantee that he dolphins would show up. Nevertheless we swam around the coral pillars (only the main one is in the shape described, all the others are "pillars") taking a little 2 hrs sea trek watching the other beautiful fish and sea animals available around...
There were, I guess 20-30 of us, plus people aborad other 7 boats...that makes a lot of people in the water...
Well, suddenly one of our guides spotted a group of dolphins and all the crowd went beserk, kids screaming, adults elbowing other people to gain our group front, really I was so disgusted that I stopped swimming and let all of them go. Hang 'em, I thought, I'm not going to be so idiot. I hate when my fellow countrymen and women behave in that way. Rather I will not see the dolphins, than to scarethe poor animals to death. Of course, one in 200 wouldn't have made any difference, but it was making it for me. GF was lookimg at me with a mixture of despair but then decided to stick with me...
Well, karma does exists. The raging crowd which we left did push the animals toward us...
In fact they passed so close to the two us that :
I couldn't contain myself and sream (silently, least to scare the animals) with delight :
Of course now I can tell that "dolphin" is a bit generic, the mammals were "spotted dolphins" (pantropical spotted dolphins, I guess, in brief, Stenelle) What beautiful animals, and how fast they were swimming!
Few days after that, we were taken to Brayka Bay, to try and spot the dugong, alas the guy was too shy and did not show up.
But down, at the bottom of the bay we could see sea turtles grazing...
Again we were told not to touch the animals so not to scare 'em...But what saved the turtles from the crowd assault was that were well out of reach, at least 10-15 mt below (but this could be a case similar to estimating our speed while skiing), and we had only masks, snorkels and fins...not bottles...
Nevertheless I gave it a try, asked the guide for permission and dove...this is the result :
Did it a second time for a family with which we had made friends, but two times was more thn enough for my poor, underfit body...
Anyway not bad, considering my poor photography skills, the shitty disposable camera w/o flash and, of course, my physical conditions...
Why am I posting the pictures only one year later? Becausejust wednesday I found a lab which was offering to develop the pictures and digitalize 'em on a CD for an affordable price...
What a joy.
