Come dive with me

Scuba newbie Kathy Longley tries her new-found skill in the Red Sea. She may not part the waters, but travels in the steps of Moses in Egypt

Submerged in the Red Sea at 12m fish swirl around me in a kaleidoscope of colours as I marvel at this new and exotic underwater world. Glancing down to the sandy bottom I see two blue-spotted rays playfully darting back and forth in what looks like a mating ritual. I signal excitedly to my buddy using my newly acquired underwater sign language, but he is absorbed with a huge potato cod he has discovered lurking beneath part of an old shipwreck.

When my partner, Paul, first suggested that we do a diving course I thought the stress of our upcoming wedding had addled his brains; how on earth did he think I would be able to dive? I struggle with hydrotherapy! He convinced me, however, to give it a go and before I knew it he was tugging me into a wetsuit, securing my fins and mask and lowering me into the swimming pool. Once in the pool I was loaded up with a weight belt, jacket, tank and regulator, ensuring that the water took the weight rather than my painful shoulder and back muscles.

Breathing under water for the first time is a very weird experience; you tend to want to breathe through your nose and have to keep reminding yourself that your air supply is attached to your mouth. Once you’ve got the hang of it though you’re ready to start learning all the scuba-diving skills, the most important of which I soon discovered was neutral buoyancy. Neutral buoyancy means that you hang in the water at the level you want to be, without sinking to the bottom or rising to the top. The idea is that you can then drift along with minimal effort enjoying the underwater scenery, making diving an ideal sport for those of us with limited mobility.

Having mastered the basics in the pool, Paul and I jetted off to Egypt on honeymoon to test our newly acquired skills in open water. We signed up with a company called Camel Dive based in Naama Bay, Sharm El Sheikh. We were attracted to Camel Dive because they are the only centre in Sharm to have received the prestigious PADI Accessibility Award, which designates a centre as having a special commitment to divers with disabilities. In fact, the dive centre with its four-star hotel and restaurants was specifically built with disabled guests in mind, including wide corridors, lifts, ramps and five hotel rooms specifically designed for guests with restricted mobility.

Our instructor, Neal, was unfazed when I explained the additional help I would need with setting up my equipment, putting it on in the water and breaking up the dive sessions over several days so I did not exhaust myself or increase my pain levels. We were keen to get started, but soon discovered that diving in the sea was a whole new ball game. Ridiculously, the fact that the sea is salty and in constant motion somehow takes you by surprise, and when combined with the strange, foreign surroundings and a depth that seems never-ending, it appears to wipe all those newly acquired skills firmly from your brain, leaving you bobbing up and down uncontrollably in the water absorbing precious air at a very rapid rate! Luckily, Neal was ready for this common reaction and soon had us floating along in a straight line pointing out colourful corals and fish for distraction. In a short time calm was restored and we became totally awestruck by this enchanting new world.

Our training all took place on the home reefs near the shore, but once we were qualified we were allowed to head out to the world-renowned Ras Mohammed National Park. This involved dragging ourselves out of bed at 7.30am (not overly conducive to a honeymoon) to get to the harbour on time to catch the boat, whereas if you stay at the Camel Hotel you can simply walk or wheel yourself directly down to the jetty just five minutes away, and no doubt get an extra hour in bed.

I was lifted onto the boat by the crew members and found that I could easily access the ground level, although there was not a disabled toilet on board. The crew and staff from Camel could not have been more helpful with helping me set up my equipment and performing a seated entry into the sea. This involved me sitting on the edge of the boat while they kitted me up and then held the weight of the tank while I slipped into the water. This turned out to be easier than putting the kit on amongst the waves. Once under the water the weightlessness is simply a joy as the current gently moves you along leaving you free to simply look around and marvel. If you need to swim then your fins or the alternative of webbed diving gloves make it a breeze. Much less effort and far more fun than hydrotherapy! I can certainly see why people with disabilities love this hobby and return to Camel Dive year after year. I just hope on my next excursion that I actually get to see a turtle, as among all the amazing things we saw they were decidedly lacking.

Of course diving is just one of the activities Egypt has to offer and if you’re looking for a contrast head out into the vast desert areas. You can choose from a camel safari, sand buggy adventures or a trip up into the Sinai Mountains to stand where Moses received the Ten Commandments. As a visit to Mount Sinai itself involves climbing 750 steps we opted for the next best thing, St Catherine’s Monastery, nestled at the foot of Mount Sinai and believed to be the site of the Burning Bush.

The scenery along the winding road through the desert is stunning with rising peaks of red rock carved into all kinds of fantastical shapes by the wind and sand. Interspersed among rock and sand are sporadic Bedouin settlements consisting of small brick houses and a handful of camels. Stopping to admire a viewpoint, we were met by inquisitive Bedouin children and men in their traditional garb selling pottery and jewellery. Despite their fairly shabby appearance, we were warned that the Bedouins are not as poor as they may appear as many of them now work with jeeps rather than camels and make a good living from the tourist trade.

St Catherine’s Monastery is still inhabited by monks and therefore is only open in the mornings and has restricted viewing. It is worth coming for the scenery alone and the absolute silence you can find if you wander a short distance away from the main tourist areas. The inside of the monastery is not accessible by wheelchair, but it is such a small area I was able to walk around it. You can see the Well of Moses, the Chapel of the Burning Bush and of course the famous bush itself which is said to be evergreen and not possible to cultivate outside of the monastery. We were entertained by the many pilgrims trying to surreptitiously break off twigs as souvenirs and hiding them in their bags before they were spotted by officials.

In my opinion a trip to Egypt would not be complete without seeing the pyramids and Sphinx, so we booked ourselves on a day trip to Cairo, only a 45 minute flight from Sharm. I was totally awestruck by these ancient monuments rising majestically upward toward the sun and was quite happy to just sit there and gaze at their magnificence. Not that you get much opportunity to sit quietly, as within about 30 seconds you are being accosted by children trying to sell you cheap postcards and plastic pyramid models or assailed by Egyptian men determined to get you up on their camel. We were strongly advised to avoid all such temptations and politely refused all offers while we fought our way to the foot of one of the pyramids to lay our hands reverently on the ancient rock.

Cairo itself is a rather manic but exciting city with people everywhere, pushing and jostling their way along.

I was astounded at how people quite calmly risk their lives by walking out in front of the crazy zigzagging Egyptian drivers in an attempt to cross the road. The Museum of Antiquities is well worth a visit, but be prepared for long queues and elbow fights to see the treasures of Tutankhamun.

Overall for me, Egypt is a land of exciting contrasts where you can experience vast desert, ancient history and the spectacular underwater world; it has something for everyone and is well worth a visit.

INFORMATION
Rates for PADI Open Water course plus accommodation at Camel Dive:
Low-season special offers cost from 376 Euros.

For more details visit: cameldive.com/special-offers/ booking/camel-hotel-padi-open-water/
Camel don’t sell flights but packages for Camel Hotel + flights + diving are available from Scuba Travel (and can sometimes work out cheaper): scuba.co.uk.

Note that it’s always cheaper to book the diving course in advance.