I’m back to civilization after a week spent offline at a small dive centre in Egypt completing my Open Water Dive course. Main Conclusions: the Red Sea feels like a warm bath, the fish are curious and breathing underwater feels like a strange loophole in the simulation.
I had no expectations. I landed at 2am at a small airport and spent the next 30 minutes getting into an Uber, taking a loop around the airport, having to get out, and then bartering with 20 men to get the best rate for my next two hour taxi ride. Mahmoud sealed the deal. He confirmed our agreed price and said, “you are my sister now”. He stopped to buy us coffee and water halfway through, rolled all of the windows down pushing 180km and didn’t go one moment without a lit cigarette in his mouth.
With the temp reading 27, I arrived just after 4am greeted by Magdy with glass of mango juice. Ah, cold juice. Time for bed.
The next days would be spent with my instructor, Moustafa (AKA Besso) keeping me sane below the surface, and reminding me to calm the fuck down. I don’t think I ever saw bubbles come out of his regulator, but I swear I saw some gills flutter on his neck at one point. Still up for debate.
Days 1 to 4 felt like a condensed semester and were both the most challenging and rewarding days I’ve had in a while. Each dive started with anxious head noise and ended with clarity. 10 dives later, with the longest clocking at 70mins, I can now say I’m happily addicted to life underwater, and get excitement over anxiety when taking the first plunge. The Red Sea and its bustling underwater cities will now hold a special place in my heart.