News July - September 2005 at Camel Dive Club
It's Shark Season at Camel Dive Club
Heard the story about the tiger sharks? For once it's not just a rumour that
started after a few beers in the Camel Bar. Local dive guides have seen some
rather large sharks in Sharm's waters recently. Three tiger sharks have been
cruising around Ras Mohammed National Park. They join our regular summer visitors
the black tip sharks, and schools of hundreds of barracuda, snapper, trevally
and unicorn fish gathering at Shark Reef.
The Straits of Tiran also provides shark-spotting opportunities. With calm
conditions and a little luck, a school of up to 20 hammerhead sharks can be
found just behind Jackson Reef. Jump next to the wreck of the Lara, head away
from the reef at 20m and wait. There is no need to search, the hammerheads
will come to you - they are very inquisitive!
So, want to enjoy world-class diving and some shark spotting? Camel runs
daily boat diving trips to Ras Mohammed or Tiran. And good news for holiday
bargain hunters! Many tour operators that offer diving and/or accommodation
with Camel Dive Club & Hotel have special deals this Autumn. For more details,
contact your local travel agent, or email info@cameldive.com. With thanks
to Monika Richter for photos (we're jealous!).
Camel Dive Club marches for peace
Camel Dive Club joined staff from other Sharm dive centres in a silent march for peace on Monday 1st August. The march was organised by the South Sinai Diving and Marine Activities Association (SSDM). It followed a route along Na'ama Bay promenade to Peace Road, ending in front of the Ghazala Gardens Hotel which suffered a bomb attack on 23rd July.
The march was attended by Egyptian Member of Parliament Dr. M. Saleh, who is Chairman of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Ministry of Tourism for Diving, Amr Abou Fath, President of the SSDM, and Mark Caney of PADI International. Nearly 400 diving staff from a cross-section of Sharm dive centres turned out to show their support. At the organisers' request the march was silent, but there were plenty of flags and banners on display. The atmosphere was very positive.
The march demonstrated the solidarity of all those involved in Sharm el Sheikh's diving industry following the attacks of 23rd July. A speech in English and German by Mr Saleh recognized the importance of the diving industry to Sharm el Sheikh and to Egypt's tourism industry as a whole. Simone Pelucchi, General Manager at Camel Dive Club, said '"We will not let our lives be disrupted. This is one of the best seasons of the year for diving, and our diving operations are running normally". His sentiment was echoed by other Sharm el Sheikh businesses, which report business at normal levels for the time of year.
Camel Instructors Get Top Scores
Camel's newest instructors have a lot to celebrate! All nine candidates breezed
through the two-day PADI Instructor Examinations held in Sharm on 21st-22nd
June, gaining top scores. In fact, they did so well that the lowest score
for Camel's candidates in any part of the exams, which consisted of theory,
knowledge presentations, pool and open water skills, was 4.8 out of 5 - equivalent
to 96%. This makes them part of one of Camel's most successful Instructor
Development Courses (IDCs) ever!
The group was a mix of nationalities and backgrounds, but all agreed that
the IDC was faultlessly organised and most of all, FUN! Course Director Paul
Toomer was successful yet again in convincing candidates that another beer
would improve their scores - a strategy which obviously works! Master Instructor
Marco Giovannini over saw the overall running of the IDC - and, along with
Staff Instructor Silke Beckmann, was on hand to assist candidates overcome
any difficulties.
Sonja Schulz, one of the successful candidates, sees the IDC as a solid foundation
for continuing her diving career. "I now feel really ready to start work as
an instructor - in fact, I'm excited about it!" Congratulations to Georg,
Hany, Sonja, Jayne, Mark, Marcus, Emily, Kevin and Sarah. We wish you every
success as PADI Instructors!
For information about PADI Instructor courses,
including Instructor Specialties, Emergency First
Response/Care for Children, Master Scuba Diver
Trainer upgrade, Staff Instructor and PADI cross-over,
see our web
area or contact Marco on idc@cameldive.com.
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