Emperor Divers News

by Emperor Dive Guide, Daniele Zanoni

Since I started working in the diving industry, I have been asked many questions like, "Why do I have to urinate a lot after a dive?" or "Why do I need to drink more water whilst diving?"
So here is my explanation without using too many medical terms.

It's now a CDWS (Egyptian Chamber of Diving and Watersports) requirement that anyone who enters the water must wear proper gear and be observed by a dive master from the boat.

Mary Gleeson, Marketing and PR Co-ordinator for CDWS explains:

When clients join organised excursions; the operator has responsibilities and a few points must be considered:

• Clients must complete liability forms
• Clients must receive a proper briefing (to include planning, directions, precautions, emergencies etc) from a professional (certified snorkel guide or higher) - holding a CDWS ID Professional card who will have supervision over the activities.
• A snorkelling vest should be used when snorkelling
• Supervision maybe be from the surface or in water depending on the site, sea condition, competence, certification, abilities and needs of others

When swimmers go on their own (ie join a boat of divers):

• Clients must complete liability forms
• Clients should receive a briefing
• Guests may just swim with a mask and snorkel
• If swimming in the open sea, a personal floatation device is recommended

As told by Hannah

"My name is Hannah, I am 17 years old and currently attending a sixth form college in Cambridge. This summer I decided to do something different compared to my friends and travelled to Egypt to get some experience in the diving industry as I had decided a year ago that I wanted to become a diving instructor. I had completed my Open Water course two and a half years ago with Emperor Divers and I really trusted the company, that's why I decided to get the experience with them.

Not only was I going to experience a new adventure into the diving industry, but it was also my first time of travelling alone - a very exciting time for me. Before I travelled I worried about everything as I wanted to be prepared for the next six weeks. I got every drug in the chemist and packed all the clothes I could possibly fit in to my suitcase which was not so beneficial at the airport as I was on my own carrying everything!

By Scott Foster

Last month my girlfriend Susi and I finally took the step from recreational diving to technical diving. As Emperor Diver Instructors we obviously did this through Tekstreme (the technical wing of Emperor). The courses we were to be doing were TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures.

These courses increase your Nitrox knowledge and teach you how to use Decompression Procedures - for these purposes you learn to dive in a wing, back plate and twinsets. Then just as you think you're almost getting to grips with that lot, they throw a sling at you just to help you with your 'Dolphiness' dive style. You spend the first couple of days finding your way around the equipment, which involves trying to make the correct hand do the correct thing at the correct time! Trust me, it sounds easy, it even makes sense, but could I get it to work under the water?

The Governor of the Red Sea in Egypt has ordered that the Red Sea will be the first plastic bag free Governorate with effect from 1 January 2009. This decree represents a considerable step forward in tackling the issues caused by excess rubbish and in particular plastic bags in the Red Sea. These pose a massive hazard to birds, turtles, dolphins and other marine creatures after swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic bags blown out to sea. Turtles easily mistake plastic bags for yummy jellyfish.

Situated just two minutes sailing from Emperor Divers' marina is the wreck of the Mohammed Hasabella, an Egyptian fishing trawler.

In Emperor's Red Sea, there is a host of things to see and do. With these excursions on water and land there's every opportunity to make your diving holiday even more memorable.

Report by Derek Oldham aboard Emperor Superior, August 08

Melton Divers last week enjoyed the pure luxury of Emperor's super class boat, Superior. Joining the boat after an eventful flight on the Friday evening, it was pleasant to be welcomed by the efficiency of the guide to the boat.

The next time you dive at either Emperor Marsa Alam or Hurghada you can now enjoy one of the newest and most exciting wrecks in the Red Sea on a day trip.

The day is spent relaxing on the beach at Emperor's Safaga dive centre, where a generous three-course lunch separates two dives on the El Arish El Tor. The wreck is a five-minute speedboat ride from the beach and normally has no more than five divers on it at any one time.

Built in 1981 in Bergen, Norway, the El Arish El Tor was a passenger ferry that operated between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It was sold in 1999 and then remained in Safaga until its unexplained sinking in 2002. It went down with no one on board, but with all its fixtures still in place. The ship's name is still visible on the bow and stern and the company logo adorns the funnel.

The majority of the dive takes place between 25m and 18m on this large wreck - around 105 metres long - and harbours a huge variety of marine life including massive schools of barracudas and Jacks as well as velvetfishes and soldierfish all against a background of cascading soft corals. There is plenty of definition on the wreck too, poking your head into the bridge shows the instruments still largely intact, seats and tables can still be seen in the passenger areas and the enormous propellers are alive with stunning soft coral.

The first dive allows guests to gain an overview of the scale of the wreck, whilst the second allows a more thorough exploration of the details and intricacies including the massive winches, lifejackets, lifeboats and even the pictures on the walls!

Producers from Endemol UK have filmed a new online travel series, The Gap Year
www.bebo.com/thegapyear, and chose Emperor Divers to put two gap travellers through their PADI Open Water course in Sharm El Sheikh.

Amy O'Connor (Australian) and Cara Cioni (American) had their experience of diving the warm Red Sea waters filmed on two videos; one filmed by Director Liz Madeley, the other by Director Saffron Jackson.

Join the girls at these direct links to the two diving videos on The Gap Year site: http://www.bebo.com/watch/7644743690
http://www.bebo.com/watch/7664208873

Amy also wrote a 'from the heart' blog, which you can see here http://www.bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=6256191109&BlogId=7685198175 - or read it right below...

An underwater PADIdise by Amy O'Connor
It's easy to see why we know more about the moon's surface than we do about the ocean bed... the sea is a wondrous underwater paradise.

Completing my PADI open water diving certification has been one of the most rewarding achievements of the Gap Year yet...

Breathing under water for the first time was magical - and achieving neutral buoyancy felt like flying. Diving gives you permission to defy the rules of nature - it is the closest a human being can come to having superhuman
powers.

Being underwater is the most relaxing place to be. You breathing slows down, your senses are amplified and you notice detail that, in today's hectic life, generally passes you by.

On ascent from our final open water dive, I took one last breath from the regulator before surfacing and felt a real sense of accomplishment. I gained not only a certification to add to my name, but an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime.

And the best part of all - I got to share this incredible experience with my friends, Cara and Matty.

Thank you so much to Emperor Divers, in particular Duncan and Terry, for looking after us so well - your energy and fun spirit made the experience all the better!