News October - December 2007 at Camel Dive Club
Camel Divers Have Stunning Encounters
 Camel divers marked the 6th of November as a special dive day in their logbooks. Guided by Camel Dive Club’s instructor Sambouk the group encountered two rare visitors to the Red Sea in the Ras Mohamed area: a fuzzy ghost pipefish and a huge manta ray.
After the early dive on fabulous Shark Reef the divers headed for Dunraven wreck. This 130 year old cargo ship is home to many underwater inhabitants. At the bow a large school of batfish hovered over the divers’ heads like silver clouds. On entering the hull the group noticed something that looked like a transparent seahorse. It was a young ghost pipefish with the tiny entrails visible clearly. This member of the seahorse family uses his hairy outgrowths for perfect camouflage. “Ghost pipe fish are very rare in this area and extremely hard to spot. A challenge for every photographer and a stunning encounter” recalls Sambouk.
On exiting the wreck, the Camel divers passed a giant moray eel and then the boat took them to Jackfish Alley. This dive site in the Ras Mohamed National Park is famous for clusters of jackfish, barracudas and a small cave. “The slight current was promising for bigger fish to pass by, but this was beyond expectation” says Sambouk. Just as the group left the cave at 7m, a big manta ray circled closely above. It inspected the divers and their bubbles curiously, posed for pictures then gracefully headed for the depth. Again, this encounter was a rare one. With great luck Mantas can be seen in the summer months when they plough the Red Sea for plankton. In autumn they head back to the Indian Ocean. “Very much to our delight, this one must have missed the starting gun” Sambouk laughs. Back at the dive centre the divers were able to prove their sightings to the others – thanks to Camel diver Ronnie Guthrie’s digital underwater photography.Camel Dive Club Receives PADI Accessibility Award
 Camel Dive Club & Hotel became the only dive business in Sharm El Sheikh to receive a prestigious PADI Accessibility Award in November. The award designates a dive business with special commitment to divers with disabilities. By presenting the award to Camel Dive Club Manager Miki Clark, PADI International Regional Manager Terry Johnson confirmed that Camel meets PADI’s comprehensive list of criteria.
The dive centre, 4* hotel with pool and all restaurants were built specifically with disabled guests in mind. Wide corridors, ramps and lifts allow unlimited and easy access for wheelchair users. Five hotel rooms are deliberately designed to accommodate guests with restricted mobility, bathrooms included.
“Our complete facilities’ design provides a relaxing holiday experience” says Miki, “and when it comes to diving we have comprehensive experience of guests with special needs.” Camel trains its dive staff in disability practices and some are members of IAHD, the International Association of Handicapped Divers. Camel Dive Club’s complete range of diving courses is accessible to all, at every level: in September 2004 Camel Dive Club certified its first PADI dive instructor in a wheelchair.
“Everybody can participate in our dive excursions” explains Miki, “and our dive boats are accessible for wheelchair users. Our trained boat crews know how to give a hand – at the right time, in the right place”. Camel Dive Club & Hotel is only 5 minutes away from the jetty, another advantage as wheelchair users can simply wheel themselves to the jetty.
PADI sets high standards for the Accessibility Award with good reason. It has to be sure that divers with restricted mobility receive the service they need. According to Terry “often small things make a big difference to an enjoyable diving experience. With its facilities and its supportive staff Camel Dive Club & Hotel fills a gap in the Sharm El Sheikh area.”Camel Sponsored Free Diver Sets New Italian Record
 Sharm resident Federico Mana sets the new Italian record during the AIDA 4th International Free Diving Championship. The competition took place in Sharm El Sheikh from October 31st until November 3rd . In the “Constant Weight No Fins” category, Federico reached 60 m thus adding 8m to his previous Italian record of July 2007. Camel Dive Club sponsors the free diving champion.
For 4 days 100 athletes from 29 countries competed in the event organized by Apnea Academy Red Sea. The championship covered the two disciplines “Constant Weight” and “Constant Weight No Fins”. The free divers have to reach a predefined depth on one breath. They are not allowed to touch the reference line during the descent and ascent. The athletes must not change their weight system under water. Immediately after surfacing, the divers have to give specific hand signals to the judges. This shows that the athlete is alert and conscious fully.
In the category “Constant Weight”, where free divers use fins, Federico dived to 78m. This makes him world number ten in the AIDA international ranking. After his dives the smiling Sharm champion said: “I am very happy with both results. I am proud to have set the new Italian record and to be among the first 10 of the free diving world elite.” Federico thanked his trainer Guido and Camel Dive Club for their support and encouragement.
Federico, who started free diving just 6 months ago, is a Yoga trainer in Sharm El Sheikh. From now on, he also is the rising star of the free diving community. For further information, see www.federicomana.com.Camel Dive Club Supports Red Sea Turtle Project
 Sharm El Sheikh’s diving community gathered at the Red Sea Turtles Party at La Favola restaurant at the end of October. The founders of the Red Sea Turtle Project, Marco Giovannini and Claudio di Manao, informed the audience about their initiative to protect the Red Sea turtles.
Turtles are a common sight while diving in Sharm El Sheikh. “The turtle population is intact in the Sinai area, but all divers have to care for the survival of this endangered species” Marco said. He informed divers that stress and pollution are the biggest dangers for these wonderful creatures. In cooperation with PADI Project AWARE and Ras Mohammed National Park experts, the project aims to limit these dangers.
Marco asked all divers to report sightings in order to create a map of sea turtle populations. Camel Dive Club’s divers will help monitor turtle numbers by submitting sighting reports. Also the Red Sea Turtle Project will develop a map of turtle nesting grounds. “These areas need special protection, since they carry the next generation of turtles” Marco explains.
At the party the organizers presented a movie showing unique pictures of Red Sea turtles. Later it was time for everyone to enjoy live music, socialize and share thoughts.
In order to protect our underwater environment we need to know it. If you are interested in learning more about the marine ecosystem join Camel Dive Club’s
PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty course. Please contribute your turtle sightings to the Red Sea Turtle Project.Orca-Karstadt Competition Winners Enjoy Their Stay at Camel
 In mid October competition winners Mrs. Nancy Schmitz and Mr. Eddy Wuytack stayed at Camel Dive Club & Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh. They won a competition featured by 103 Karstadt stores throughout Germany, in the stores’ brochure “Snorkeling and Diving”. Orca Reisen and Camel Dive Club & Hotel offered the prize, a week’s diving holiday in the Red Sea.
Neither of the lucky winners is a diver so their prize was converted into a week of snorkeling and relaxing on Camel Dive Club’s boats. The Reef Discovery programme was the perfect way to introduce Mrs. Schmitz and Mr. Wuytack to the colourful underwater world. Camel Dive Club’s dive instructor Tom showed them the reefs of Tiran and Ras Mohammed. The couple was fascinated by the diversity of fish and the bright colours of the reef.
“Overall it was a delightful experience” Mrs. Schmitz says, “our trip was very well organized by Orca. Camel Dive Club & Hotel is a friendly place in the heart of Sharm El Sheikh, where we felt welcome from the start. The hotel’s restaurants’ food was excellent, we liked the Tandoori Indian restaurant in particular. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful. Thank you for everything.”Camel Tec Divers Explore Lara Wreck
 On October 2nd Camel Dive Club’s tec dive director Ian Brown with Camel’s tec instructors Manuel, Kosta, Tom and Claudio explored the unknown remains of the Lara ship wreck at nearby Jackson Reef, Straits of Tiran. Because of its depth, very few divers have visited the wreck. Camel’s tec team decided to have a closer look.
The cargo ship Lara struck the north side of Jackson Reef in 1982 and sat upright on the reef plate. There are rumours about insurance fraud and drug smuggling and in fact the wreck was taken apart to disguise the truth. Huge parts were dropped deliberately into the sea. They sank to more than 50 m thus restricting inspection to technical divers. “After all we have heard about the wreck, we were driven by curiosity about what’s actually down there. This was the perfect combination of technical diving and wreck diving” says Ian. The team was lucky to find the best weather conditions for their demanding dive.
The technical divers descended to 45 m to examine the upper structure of the wreck. The group inspected large steel parts, pipes and what looked like parts of the engines. At 70 m the most spectacular piece came to rest: the huge propeller. Further down the divers spotted “something that looked like a life boat”. After 15 minutes of bottom time the team had to ascend. On their way to the surface the divers looked for hammerhead sharks, Jackson Reef’s regular tenants. “But with our twin sets and bailout tanks, heavy tec armor and lots of hoses we scared them away” laughs Ian. There is more to discover on the Lara wreck and the tec team will visit again soon.
Watch Camel Dive Club’s technical dive on the Lara wreck with YouTube.Camel Dive Club puts Mares BCD to the test
 Mares, the leading manufacturer of diving equipment chose Camel Dive Club to test exclusively a new high quality BCD. For Dieter Heinz, Mares International Diving Center Manager, Camel Dive Club provides optimal conditions for Red Sea testing. Erich Reboucas, Camel’s videographer and frequent diver by profession was chosen to put the BCD on the test. He analyzed the BCD’s buoyancy, durability, comfort and weight during more than 3 weeks of daily diving. Mares will use Erich’s recommendations to improve performance of the BCD further before launching it.
Erich reported on “excellent buoyancy and great comfort both underwater and above. The BCD which has not been given a product name yet, is a simple design for recreational diving. It features a new comfortable way to store the octopus in a pocket.
Testing the BCD gave Camel Dive Club another opportunity to take part in the development of high quality equipment. If you want to take your own BCD to the test or improve your diving join our PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course.
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