Tiger, tiger burning bright!

[Belushi]

I have just had the following mail from my freind Chad in Sharm El Sheik in Egypt
".... Conditions are terrible. Air 38, water 28, visibility around 40 metres, tigers, silkys, oceanics, white tips, black tips, bull and whale sharks, mantas, eagle rays, can't see the reef for the fish."

... and for those in imperial measurements ...
Air - 100 deg F
water - 83 deg F
viz 130 feet

The fatherless swine only sent me a video of a 4 metre (13ft) Tiger shark in the straights of Tiran

I NEED TO GO DIVING !!!!!!!

 

[Ranz]

Make room for me on the flight leaving! When we leaving?
:mean:
Ranz

 

[doc.b.kamp]

This had better be a wind up, I'm due to head off to Sharm in a couple of weeks, having just passed my openwater but never done any actual open water diving. I DON'T want to be confronted by a big tiger shark as soon as I get in the water. I thought tigers were rare in the northern red sea and I didn't think bull sharks were in the the red sea!

 

[Belushi]

"This had better be a wind up, I'm due to head off to Sharm in a couple of weeks"

Lucky b'stard! It is not a wind up. I have the video snippet as the mobile underwater eating machine swims along as large as you like and twice as scary. The entire video of him and his three mates is winging its way to me as we speak.

I thought tigers were rare in the northern red sea and I didn't think bull sharks were in the the red sea!

Sir, with the greatest respect, the Red Sea is 1200 metres deep, and the only body of water in the world, with a tidal flow, that has a constant temperature from top to bottom of between 20degC and 27degC. At those temps, you can get everything and anything in the Red Sea.

Plus, Oceanics & Silkys ain't no picnic!

It has been the best year for the last 10 years for seeing big stuff in the Red Sea. (quote from Chad, my mate)

 

[Jonathan]

me , me - I wanna go too!

I've done about 80 dives in the Red Sea and only seen one shark though, a white tip cruising past on Shark Pass (where else!!).

Luckily made up for that on my last holiday where I saw sharks on all 16 dives including an Oceanic Silver Tip that gave me the once over - great stuff but it was the Marshall Islands.....

Jonathan

 

[vicky]

Or he isn't in the Sharm El Sheikh, or he is a little exagerating.

I've been in the last 15 years many dozens of times in Sharm and its surroundings, done hundreds of dives there.
Sharks are prevailent, but not on every dive you'll meet them. There are high chances to see some Black/White tips in Ras Mohammad or Tiran. Especially if you are among the first divers of the day. After a few dozens of divers in the site the sharks get tired and go away for the rest of the day...Other Sharks that you can see are Leopard and Zebra Sharks dwelling on the sandy bottom.

Bull sharks? Never seen one there and I'm doubtfull if they roam these waters.
Whale sharks? Never seen one in Sinai. Sometimes on the spring there are reports of a Whale Shark in the area but you need lots of luck to see one..In all the hundreds of dives in Sinai I've never seen a single Whale or Bull Shark.

Mantas and Eagle rays? Well, there are some, but most of the time I've seen people confusing the (by far) more common Blue Spotted Stingray or a regular Stingray with a Manta or Eagle ray.
Mantas and Eagle rays were very common in Sinai about 10 years ago, today you must be a lucky bastard to see one. Most probably it was a misidentification.

Tiger Sharks? Oh, they are there, but usually in open water looking for free meals from littering ships. It is very very rare to see one near a reef.
Don't get me wrong: Sinai has some of the most colorful reefs in the world, abundant with a huge variety of reef fishes, but you wont see much of "big game" fish. At least not in Sharm/Tiran area.

 

[Belushi]

Either your friend is a *really* lucky bastard Or he isn't in the Sharm El Sheikh, or he is a little exagerating

Well, yes he is really lucky, as he lives on the cliffs overlooking Ras Mohammed, and he is the Manager of the Royal Diving Fleet. He has been in the Sinai for the last 10 years and he knows the area like the back of his hand. I know, I have also worked there for a year. Want to tell me that I haven't seen manta jumping?

Most probably it was a misidentification.

Oh but wait, I obviously confused a 3m black and white manta with flaps at the front with a 75cm little tan coloured fish with blue spots. How the hell do you confuse the two? I think he can probably tell the difference between a manta and an eagle ray as well

Bull sharks? Never seen one there and I'm doubtfull if they roam these waters.
Whale sharks? Never seen one in Sinai.

So, because you have never seen one, does that mean that there aren't any? Would you like to see the video clip of the tiger shark? I can send it to you.

The Red Sea is a fairly large place and exceptionally deep. Lots of things abound, and hang out. Fish do do some very strange things. Ever an Orca in Thailand? sound fairly unlikely doesn't it? Ask a livaboard load of divers what they saw and they will all answer Orca.

Largest Great White Shark ever caught? Off the coast of Malta.

It has been the best year for the last 10 years for seeing big stuff in the Red Sea. (quote from Chad, my mate

but you wont see much of "big game" fish. At least not in Sharm/Tiran area.)

 

[Jonathan]

An Eagle Wray followed us up Jack Fish Alley - fantastic! Definintely not a blue spotted......

Jonathan

 

[vicky]

misidentified a 3m Manta with a blue spotted stingray, But many divers do and many divers don't know the names of most fish they see. And many divers do mistake a 3m Stingray with a 3m Manta (yes, some stingrays achieve tremendous sharks)...
And I know there are Whale sharks in the Red Sea, but ask your friend and he'll tell you they usually come in the spring for a brief time and then go on. If he has been living there for 10 years he should know that there aren't many whale sharks in Ras Mohammed area.
Mantas? I know there are. But 15 years ago one could see several Mantas (and Eagle Rays) on every dive to Ras Um Sid. Now you are a lucky bastard if you see one. Something happened that every year it is more difficult to see those fish over here...
Silkys? Bull Sharks? Oceanics? Don't know..

Anyway I'll be there again next week and I'll report if I see a bit of these amazing things...

 

[clive francis]

I'm off to Marsa Alam on the 30.08.02, so if they are seeing stuff like that up there, what are we going to see a lot further south!

my friend asked "wouldn't you be scared seeing a 4m tiger shark?"

"no not really" i said, "what about if it came after you?"

"my dear friend, I can swim through water, quicker than it can swim through sh*t!" I said, his reply was "you idiot!"

hey it is all about the buzzzzzzzzzzz!