TRAVELSPECIAL
Exploring the propeller on the Dunraven wreck
Evans . Son Gwyn ( or ‘ G ’ ) jumped onboard a few years later and now manages the operation while the couple , now in their sixties , adopt a more hands-off approach .
Their boat , the spacious and wellequipped Elite , is skippered by experienced Captain Yahia , who has a decades-long long association with the owners . My days commenced with a shuttle pick-up and only a short drive to the harbour .
After a concise , informative and sometimes hilarious briefing , divers make their way from the upper deck to the lower , where there ’ s plenty of room to kit-up . Elite ’ s crew and dive guides are very knowledgeable and if you need a helping hand , they ’ re with you in an instant . Two dives per day are the norm , plus an optional third . With a multitude of great sites within striking distance , my week-long stay barely scratched the surface .
Classic dives that keep delivering
Some 20km south of Sharm lies the Ras Mohammed National Park , the first protected marine park in Egypt . It ’ s 480 square kilometre extent incorporates Shark and Yolanda Reefs , combined into a single dive .
Commencing at the shallow Anemone City , divers can get an early fix of the symbiotic relationship between anemonefish and their hosts . A deep gorge announces Shark Reef , rising up from the depths . From July onwards , large schools of barracuda and jackfish are common , but even without them there ’ s plenty to enjoy .
Moving onto Yolanda ’ s coral garden , enormous , red gorgonian sea fans hang in the current . There are colourful hard and soft corals , giant moray eels , triggerfish , squirrelfish and masked butterfly fish . Shoals of golden anthias reflect the sunlight as they cruise the coral .
Striking the reef on April Fool ’ s Day 1980 , the vessel Yolanda ( from which the reef takes its name ), initially sat in 25 metres . Some five years later , a storm slid her to a much deeper resting place at 145 metres . Her cargo , toilets and other similar porcelain products are spread about in
Elite in action
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Pre-dive briefing on board Elite