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Spending longer underwater than some people work in a week sounds extreme but breaking it down into 40 one hour-long scuba dives way off shore in the Red Sea made it a pleasure, especially during the pandemic!
Most dives last around 1 hour. At least, that is what I typically aim for. Sometimes, if there is strong current or some other issue then they may be shorter and equally, provided that it is safe to do so, it may be worth hanging around under the surface a bit longer (like I did to spend more time with the shark under our boat in the below video).
Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan:
My plan was to do all the dives during the pandemic once domestic travel was possible. I therefore would do the following trips to try and achieve it:
Farazan Banks July 2020 (a total of 9 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 9
Yanbu September 2020 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 21
Yanbu October 2020 (a total of 11 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 32
Rabigh May 2021 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 44
I figured that with 44 dives to go at, I had a 10% buffer / margin of error to make up any shortfall. However, things don’t always go to plan…!
Highlights:
Being able to do this during the pandemic kept me sane; a few things really stand out so I have listed them below:
Interaction with a Silky Shark
Freediving the Aiona
My deepest dive to date
Having a reef named after me (Budgie Smuggler Reef, Marker 35)
Farazan Banks July 2020 (a total of 9 dives over 3 days):
We did 9 dives over the long weekend and had some amazing experiences including a very up close and personal encounter with a beautiful and inquisitive Silky Shark:
The dive sites were as follows:
Day 1:
Canyon Reef
Malathu Island
Shi’b Ammar Reef (night dive)
Day 2:
Belgium Reef
Malathu Island
Marmar Island
Shi’b Ammar Reef (night dive)
Day 3:
Aramco Reef
Aramco Reef
God laughs at people who make plans:
Due to an avoidable and thoroughly regrettable error on my part, I did not download the detailed data files from my dive computer before they were overwritten by the data from new dives. The computer records the total number of dives and has therefore recorded the dive took place but it only has capacity to hold the detailed data for 59 dives.
So, I can prove I was there and that I did 9 dives but if I rely on these dives, I will be unable to prove categorically that these dives equate to 9 of the 40 hours underwater!
This issue was exacerbated by me using my diving watch for freediving. Even when it is on Gauge mode, the number of dives racks up fast and risks overwriting important earlier dive data. I have addressed this by purchasing a separate watch, specifically for freediving.
I hereby commit to downloading my dive computer data after each and every trip going forward!
Moving on:
Since then, I managed to do the other 35 scuba dives so I’m confident that I have spent well over a total of 40 hours underwater. That being said, for the sake of completeness, I will gladly do another 5 dives to collect the 40 dives worth of data and post it on this blog.
For each dive, I’ve put a picture of the relevant dive maps or nautical charts below with some other links and photos etc. I’ve also included the detailed data from my dive computer for each of them. This allows you to see the maximum depth, total time, water temperature and dive profile of each dive, amongst other things.
Yanbu September 2020 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days):
Yanbu, KSA – nautical chart
The dive sites were as follows:
Day 1:
Aiona Wreck
Marker 32
Abu Galawa
Abu Galawa (night)
Day 2:
Mansi
Marker 39 Tes Tes
Marker 35 Budgie Smuggler Reef
Abu Galawa (night)
Day 3:
Marker 34
Marker 29
Shermo Reef / Aiona
Shermo Reef / Aiona (night)
Dive computer information and maps:
Aiona Wreck:
Marker 32:
Abu Galawa:
Abu Galawa (night):
Mansi (HH):
Marker 39 Tes Tes:
Marker 35 Budgie Smuggler Reef:
Abu Galawa:
Marker 34:
Marker 29 (no map available):
Shermo Reef / Aiona:
Shermo Reef / Aiona (night):
The sun setting at Shermo Reef
Yanbu October 2020 (a total of 11 dives over 3 days):
The Aiona is a wreck in the Red Sea. The story I was told is that the ship was captured from the British by German submariners in World War 2. The Germans gifted it to their Turkish allies who ran it onto a reef off the coast of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia and it’s been there ever since!
I’ve explored between 35 and 40 metres deep a number of times on this particular dive site and become familiar with it.
Here is a video of an earlier trip:
This 40s 4 40 trip, I was with a number of very experienced divers, none more so than my buddy. We wanted to know how deep the sea bed is and so took measurements in the sand, a few meters out from the propeller. Previously, I had only ever hovered above the sea bed, toward the top of the propeller.
By doing so we achieved a depth of 48.7 metres – that’s my deepest dive so far.
Diver above the starboard side of the propeller
Diver going through the starboard side of the propeller
A few metres from the propeller
My buddy depth checking the sea bed
The Port side of the propeller
Even though I was only 5 minutes into my dive, you can see from the below data how little time was available at that depth before I had to ascend to a more shallow depth to stay within no decompression dive limits (<2 minutes):
I descended to 48.7m in 5 minutes, took some pictures and headed back up
Clearly, I was aware of this and started to ascend too quickly for the dive computer’s liking; I was only 8 minutes into my dive and already on my ascent but within one minute of no decompression time!
Dive computer screen warning me to slow down on my ascent – note 1 minute of no deco time remains
Once I had added a few more minutes on my no decompression time by ascending, I slowed my assent rate appropriately.
My deepest dive to date – 48.7m
The rest of the dive was spent at a more shallow depth exploring the wreck itself and the reef to the North of it, before returning to the dive boat. The brief dip during the safety stop was to retrieve something.
Going beyond no decompression limits is not necessarily a problem provided you manage it correctly but I believe it is good practice to stay within no decompression limits when recreational diving unless exceptional circumstances and experience provide good enough reason to go beyond them (e.g. an emergency or something like a specific wreck or incredible marine life).
I experienced no negative effects during or after this dive. I’m left with a recollection of feeling lonely down there and it clearly being time to get back to the surface (full Buddy respect).
Suffice to say, it is of the utmost importance to always dive within your personal limits, relative to your qualifications and who you are with.
Here are some pictures of the Aiona from an earlier trip:
Being reasonably familiar with the Aiona and with the support of my friends and dive operator, I freedived the wreck. The highlight for me was penetrating the wreck through a hatch on the port side and swimming up through the hull of the wreck before exiting through its broken deck to re-surface.
You can watch more about the Aiona in the amazing documentary ‘Desert Seas’ by David Attenborough:
The twenty seventh of my 40 donations goes to the Social Mobility Foundation charity (SMF).
The SMF is a charity that helps talented young people from low-income backgrounds enter top universities and professions. The SMF’s programmes include mentoring, university application support, work placements and skills sessions across the students’ sixth-form and university years.
The Education Select Committee report warns that white pupils on free school meals underachieve from early years in school through to GCSE, A-levels and university entry, compared with pupils on free meals from other ethnic groups.
At GCSE, in 2019, 18% of white British pupils on free meals achieved grade 5 in English and maths, compared with 23% for the average for pupils on free meals
For university entry, 16% of white British pupils on free meals get places, compared with 59% of black African pupils on free meals, 59% of Bangladeshi pupils on free meals and 32% of black Caribbean pupils on free meals.
The underachievement is down to a “poisonous mix of place, family and local culture”, said Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, a regional network of head teachers in one of the areas with the biggest concentrations of disadvantaged white pupils.
Without tackling the underachievement of white working class pupils the wider aim of narrowing the attainment gap between rich and poor will fail, warned former Ofsted chief, Sir Michael Wilshaw.
The fifth of my 40 donations goes to Age UK. Age UK provide companionship, advice and support to older people and their loved ones. Unfortunately, it seems older people are more likely to be adversely affected by Corona.
A combination of two things – a weaker immune system in the first place and a body less able to cope.
We know our immune system gets weaker with age.
“The quality of the antibodies you produce when you’re 70 is a lot worse than when you’re 20,” says Prof Hunter.
And there are some suggestions older men may be more prone to high levels of inflammation which can become deadly.
A lifetime of wear-and-tear takes its toll on the body’s organs and that leaves you less able to survive an infection.
“If you’re 95 and your kidney function is already at 60% of what it used to be and then you hit it with something else, then [your kidneys] may no longer be functioning at the level required for life,” says Dr MacDermott.
HOPELineUK offer support, practical advice and information to young people considering suicide and can also offer help and advice if you’re concerned about someone you know.
CALM, the campaign against living miserably aims to prevent male suicide in the UK and offers anonymous, confidential listening, information and signposting.
