UKDIVING had learned from it . Scoones ’ craft showed the reef at its most beautiful , while David Attenborough ’ s narration revealed that while coral reefs may present a vision of paradise , there is also an ongoing struggle for life . Elevated in the water column , those serene pillars of coral are prime real estate , offering elevated access to the nutrients drifting in the gentle current . For this reason , you get different types of coral vying for territory on the limestone towers ; the beautiful diversity is a result of the corals , sponges and tunicates jostling – in very slow motion – for position .
Dumped !
I often buddy with Saeed , but on this occasion he gleefully binned me , opting instead to flutter between the guests , ever the social gadfly . Rejected , I buddied up with my cabin mate , Samuel Thomsen , 24 , who was one of 2024 ’ s crop of Our World Underwater Scholars . This is the scholarship scheme that aims to help young people establish careers in the underwater world . The scholars receive grants and are supported through a series of placements and experiences in different underwater experiences . They emerge from the process brimming with knowledge and enhanced CVs .
Sam was incredibly well informed when it came to coral reef ecology ; equally important , he is pretty much the only person with whom I have shared a cabin not to complain about my snoring ! We got along very well , but he was exhausted from his previous stint of work experience , volunteering with HEPCA , the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association . I suggested he skip a few dives , but as always on liveaboards there is the FOMO Factor , a deep seated Fear of Missing Out .
We moved north , diving a low energy but always beautiful Ras Mohammed , then heading up the Gulf of Aqaba to the Straits
Our World scholar Samuel Thomsen
Coral bleaching on a reef top in Tiran
of Tiran . Here , we enjoyed the rest of the day diving the famous reefs of Gordon , Jackson and Thomas . Disturbingly , these beautiful walls had a high level of coral bleaching in the shallow sections – from the surface down to about 12 metres .
I ’ ve already written about the phenomenon , so if you ’ d like to find out about it in detail , please check out my article in the November 2024 issue of SCUBA [ The Red Sea Turns White , page 40 ]. Suffice to say that in the summer and autumn of 2024 , Egypt experienced unprecedented levels of coral bleaching . It ’ s still too early to speculate on the recovery , but as with so many aspects of nature in the modern world , the future is uncertain .
Photo-pro Saeed Rashid illuminates soft coral
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