A Red Sea, Enchanted Garden of eels.
Kathleen’s first Red Sea Dive.
Having had a lifelong love of the sea and all things marine, I longed to learn to scuba dive. When I met my husband-to-be and learned that he was a diving instructor I thought to myself that this was an opportunity not to be missed! John insisted that I do all the pool training necessary to become qualified. In fact, I found this quite easy because I had more or less grown up in the sea. I had no fear of the water but great respect for it. We had been snorkeling many times and I was fortunate that most things came naturally.
Meet a Lionfish.
Where better to have my first open water dive but in the Red Sea? We booked a trip to Dahab, about two-thirds of the way down the Sinai Peninsula on the Gulf of Aqaba. Now to get into the equipment for my first real dive. I couldn’t wait for John to get himself ready and proceed into the shallow water of the bay. It was magical. I first came across lionfish, highly venomous but, as I was very wary of touching anything, kept my distance. John soon found me.
Eeels growing out of the sand.
We had many fascinating dives but one I remember best was when we came across garden eels. We were swimming along a sandy stretch when, in the distance, we saw what looked like tall grass waving in the current. As we approached, this “grass” disappeared into the sand. Through a series of gestures, John explained what this “grass” really was – garden eels. I wanted to get closer to observe but every time I approached the eels disappeared! I then decided to sit on the seafloor, quietly, and wait. Very gradually the eels emerged from their burrows and started swaying in the current and feeding on plankton. Eventually, I was surrounded by eels! This was one of the highlights of our trip to the Red Sea, an unforgettable experience.
For more information on garden eels take a look at In the Garden of Eels – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Research more data about Red Sea Garden Eels.
