Our
guests, before getting to Sudan, took advantage of this opportunity and spent
two days in Dubai, had a tour around the city, a tour in the desert and then a
bit of shopping. They’ve arrived on Monday, with “Fly Dubai”, regularly and on
schedule. This week
forecast is 5 knots of changeable wind or absence of wind from Monday to
Wednesday. Then, as usual during this season, the wind from SE starts strongly
to blow inside the strait of Bab el Mandeb in the extreme South of the Red Sea,
so strong to make a weak effect get up to Sudan: 10-15 knots from SE foreseen
from Thursday to Sunday. 
This means
good weather, still and flat sea as last week, humid heat, with the possibility
to make without any difficulty our return itinerary, deciding the programme at
our pleasure without taking into account the meteorology, even a favourable
light push from SE for the transfer Northwards. Waning moon, instead of a
sickle it looks like a light brushstroke for our evenings totally becalmed. The
beautiful sunsets are rosy and orange where even poor fishing boats seem to
shine and gild.
We start
the diving programme on Tuesday morning with the check dive around the wreck of
Umbria and a second dive entering into the ship for the most passionate. Some
of our guests are in Sudan for the first time, some others are back again and
the wreck has preserved its fascination and its mystery for everybody, old and
new guests. Then we move on to Sanganeb, having the chance to choose as it’s
more convenient, for the Wednesday’s dawn, the dive in the North Point, then
heading for Sha’ab Rumi.
Sh’ab Rumi
is again dedicated to the flight, this morning we spot a beautiful specimen of
heron: the purple heron, a few grey herons desperately looking for some
protruding rocks of the barrier to have a little rest. Flights in the distance,
still herons: they look like confetti, almost like thin Ariadne’s threads
joining our continents. A kestrel, a young sweet little goatsucker with a
marble plumage, new kinds of turtledove with an elegant delicate plumage.
This
morning our kestrel definitely paraded with large whirls and high librates
close to the clouds. Suddenly, unexpectedly, closed its wings and nosedived.
Since there were no preys nearby and being just under its nosedive, I had the
distinct impression that it was a game, a high speed plunge just for pure
pleasure: flight inebriation. With the exception of stopping at the last
minute, to lean calmly on the radar and look around with its big round eyes...
The
dolphins showed up again: stenella of the lagoon of Sha’ab Rumi. Totally absent
last week, they rushed toward Sherazade as soon as we’ve put the bow into the
pass at our arrival, escorting us up to the anchorage and they did the same,
almost flying instead of swimming, when at midday we’ve left Sha’ab Rumi in the
direction of Suedi.
They stay
on the east side of the barrier, where the barrier is deeper for a few hundred
metres and it doesn’t reach the surface. On that side they come in and out the
blue water or they play surfing on the undertow waves: the waves become thicker
and steeper by passing on the rocks from the blue water to the lagoon, and
therefore they are more interesting to play.
It’s definitely their favourite spot.
Where between a dive and another one it’s possible to reach them in order to
swim together: one of the gifts of Sha’ab Rumi, apart from the scheduled dives,
to swim along with the stenella, an unforgettable emotion to everyone, leaving
a joyful charged emotion lasting for the whole week. Water temperature is
always about 30°, with no current. Hammerhead sharks are quite deep, both in
Sanganeb and Sha’ab Rumi, grey sharks are rarer. On the other hand there is an
incredible explosion of school fish:
jack fish, red snappers, parrots called rhinos, so strange and
fascinating to seem prehistoric fish, any sort of groupers. Fish undoubtedly
increased since last week. Thick swirls of silver barracudas at each dive. The
photographers, strict category, are happy.
We stay
overnight at Suedi, departure during the night to wake up at Qita el Banna,
then it follows Merlo, Abington, Angarosh.
On Friday
with the wind from SE a whirling current from SE occurred, current is a
synonymous of sightings, and so it was in Abington: during the dive we’ve seen
grey sharks, white-tipped sharks and lone hammerheads, beautiful the wall from
the extreme East point to the Northern side of the barrier. Wall not always
approachable when the winds are predominantly from NW.
Strong
tide even at Angarosh: a beautiful school of hammerheads sharks compensated the
effort.
We stay
overnight at Shambaia.
The final
is a surprise, we still have two more days cruising…
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