Diving

I've been diving since I joined Victoria College. I'm now a PADI Rescue Diver

A Tasmanian , called Phil Wells, joined the staff of Victoria College at the same time as me. He'd been a diver since he was old enough to walk and he decided to run a school trip to the Red Sea. I'd always been fascinated by the films of Jacques Cousteau and this was the perfect opportunity.

I trained as a PADI Open Water diver, with Dive Buddies from St Aubin. The open water dives were made off St Catherines Breakwater in late January and February so I'd be qualified to go to the Red Sea at Easter. Despite the freezing cold water it was good fun.

That was almost 2 years ago and now I've just qualified as a Rescue Diver and will be running the school dive trips from now on as Phil has returned to Australia. The next trip is October half term - we're going to Sharm-el-Sheikh in the Sinai.

Here are 2 good reasons for diving the Red Sea. Round the coral reefs you find hundreds of these Masked Butterfly fish. I once saw a shoal of them spiral round a rock spire. What a beautiful sight.

When I was training, the water was about 9 degrees and the visibility was only a few metres. The visibility in the Red Sea is approximately 25 to 30 metres and the temperature is a balmy 20 degrees. Is it any wonder the Red Sea is a

popular dive location for UK divers? This picture was taken from the cliff overlooking the beach at Ras-um-Sid.
A beautiful dive and snorkel reef lies just metres off shore.

The first time I went to the Red Sea was to Hurghada during the Easter holiday. We had a brilliant crew, captain and dive guide. Thanks to Rose, the Cairo 1 and Emperor Divers.

We were on a night dive once and I was swimming along, minding my own business, fascinated by the life on the reef,  when I looked up ahead of me. There, a few feet in front of me, was a lionfish just hanging head-down with its spines pointing at me. This fish is quite poisonous and I got quite a fright.