Ras Mohammed

Tuesday June 5th
Ras Mohammed














Dive Site:Raz Ghozlani
Max. Depth: 30.1m
Ave. Depth: 17m
Bottom Time: 51mins

S.I.:1.16
Dive Site:Shark Reef & Yolanda
Max. Depth: 27.4m
Ave. Depth: 12.5m
B.T.: 66mins

Met Dave the turtle, quite a celebrity in those there parts!!!Dave is hawksbill turtle and regular sight to divers in this area. In January this year, an instructor from Red Sea Diving College was contacted by Sinai Protectorate Wildlife Unit as Dave had suffered injuries to his shell, caused by a boat propeller at the end of last year, and was becoming progressively unhealthier despite efforts to keep his wound dry and clean. With the permission of the National Park the staff at the diving college erected a stone-walled base enclosure topped with heavy plastic netting and rope, within his natural habitat; warm, clean water continuously flowing. Although weak Dave could float and breathe unaided, and the staff started a daily ritual of initially tube-feeding, and then hand feeding Dave. Turtles must eat with their head at a 45 degree angle, and maintain this position for 5 mins. after feeding, so a few staff were needed!!! Along with vitamin and antibiotic injections, and proper wound care Dave quickly regained his strength. A fibreglass cast of his shell was then made, covering but not directly applied to the wound so that Dave can heal from within...the fibreglass should at some point come free. He has now been released back to his old stomping grounds where we came across the plucky chap...aaaah!!


As for the Yolanda part of the name...this is wreck for tec-divers...but it's cargo of toilets, baths, tiles and lino are at around the 20m-ish mark, stacked together and now artificial reefs covered in such delights as fire coral, home to scorpionfish, stonefish and lionfish, and a convenient resting place for blue-spotted rays. This is a wicked dive site, espcially hanging out in the azure blue...