TRAVELSPECIAL
Fire coral on the wall at Big Brother and take their time underwater , eyes now attuned to the reefs . We found batfish , octopus and a titan triggerfish in prenesting mode . Not aggressive as such , but distinctly spiky .
The final day saw two wonderful dives at Small Giftun Island , enjoying a comprehensive array of Red Sea reef life . A single dive yielded giant moray eels ; anemonefish in bubble anemones ; tasselled scorpionfish ; speckled hawkfish and – a personal triumph – a long-nosed hawkfish hidden away in the folds of a gorgonian coral . How can you not love the Red Sea ? Wonderful though the Red Sea is , our liveaboard came close to claiming the glory . There is a wonderful , warming smugness that comes with being the biggest and best boat on any given site . You look out at the impoverished day boats bucking helplessly on their moorings and smile knowingly as you contemplate coffee , perhaps a slice of cake . It may not be the only super-spacious
liveaboard in the Red Sea these days , but Scuba Scene is up there with the very best . To this I add the caveat that any liveaboard is only as good as its annual maintenance . If Elke and Ahmed can maintain their high standards , I anticipate many more positive reports from guests of M / Y Scuba Scene .
Finally , a word about the swimming pool . It could be a nice way to cool off during the summer months , however it remained unused on our voyage . The real reason for having a pool on a liveaboard is to lord it over all the vessels that don ’ t have one . A classic case of Red Sea one-upmanship . �
Finally ... an oceanic white-tip shark
Blue spotted ray
Essentials
Book it : M / Y Scuba Scene is represented by tour operator Oyster Diving . Find out more at oysterdiving . com / trip / scuba-scene-red-sea-egypt . Oyster is offering up to 40 % off sailings on or before 24 June 2024 , or December 2024 and January 2025 . Tel : 0800 6990243 , email : info @ oysterdiving . com
Sample package : 10-17 June including return flights with EasyJet from London Gatwick , 23kg luggage , transfers , seven nights ’ accommodation in a twin or double cabin , all meals and treats and up to four dives a day for £ 1,725 per person . The boatonly price is £ 1,195 .
Safety : A full rundown of the liveaboard ’ s safety features can be found at https :// tinyurl . com / scubascene
Photo week : Photo-pro Saeed Rashid leads a workshop in August 2024 . https :// tinyurl . com / photosaeed
Shark Week : A voyage to the offshore islands in search of sharks with the benefit of Elke ’ s experience , 4-11 November https :// tinyurl . com / Elkesharks
Itineraries : North and Brothers ; North and Tiran ; Brothers - Daedalus - Elphinstone ; Daedalus and Zabargad ; Daedalus and St Johns .
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