Diving in Sahl Hasheesh

I dived with Pirates at the Pyramisa in beautiful Sahl Hasheesh in the first week of January. The clips here were taken in three dives, all on the local reef reached using a small boat. This video was taken with a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 compact camera. My first attempt at underwater video. The camera in its underwater casing is very small, so holding it steady is a challenge! I have not added any music because I think it is fun just to listen to me breathing and the occasional boat passing by overhead.

Rent a two bedroom apartment in Sahl Hasheesh just three minutes walk from the dive centre.
http://sahlhasheeshholidays.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• diving
• egypt
• sahl hasheesh
• hurghada
• pirates diving
• pyramisa
• lumix TZ7
• Octopus
• blue spotted ray
• lizard fish

[thomasbachelor]

This is a lovely bit of footage. It looks like a great spot for a dive, but I have a few questions on the reef itself.

Have you noticed any damage to the coral around Sahl Hasheesh? I'm thinking of clogging up with sand, bleaching due to water temperature, or physical damage from anchors.

I know they have dumped a lot of sand nearby to build beaches, and I would guess the number of divers is increasing.

[MrWearypanda]

@thomasbachelor Hi there. Sorry for the delay in responding, I only just noticed your comment!

I have dived quite a bit from Hurghada including the north around El Gouna. I do not think that the reef around Sahl Hasheesh is generally any more damage than elsewhere. In fact, there are some sites close to Sahl Hashseesh, including the very local dive on the island reef, where I think the reef is in excellent condition.

Hope this helps.

[MrWearypanda]

@thomasbachelor @thomasbachelor Hi there. Sorry for the delay in responding, I only just noticed your comment!

I have dived quite a bit from Hurghada including the north around El Gouna. I do not think that the reef around Sahl Hasheesh is generally any more damage than elsewhere. In fact, there are some sites close to Sahl Hashseesh, including the very local dive on the island reef, where I think the reef is in excellent condition.

Hope this helps.

[JohnChelt]

Superb video.

Did you use an external flash ?

Also were you on the underwater setting, or another setting?

[MrWearypanda]

Hello John. Thanks for your comments.

No external flash was used. I started using the underwater setting but realised that this was only good down to about 5m, so I switched to setting the white balance using a plastic white top from a food container. The Egyptian dive guides could not work out why I kept taking photos of a plastic lid!

[scubafan67]

2.34 mins in.. i guess the little damsel is defending his turf? too cute!

3.05 mins in.. octopus in the daytime?

4.39 mins in.. neat clam!!! i've never seen one personally

5.25 mins in.. unreal how close the rays let you get.. but did i hear you holding your breath?? shame shame! ;)

nice video clips. thanks for sharing!

btw,.. i too prefer the breathing sounds on my dive videos :)

[MrWearypanda]

Hi.

Yes, the damsel was seeing off the trigger fish, amazing given the size difference.

We quite often see octopus during the day. This one was just a baby and did not go through the normal repertoire of colour changes.

Did you notice the nudibranch underneath the clam?

I was not really holding my breath, just forgot to breath :-) You have to stop making bubbles and move very slowly to get this close.

[Scubadviser]

Very impressive video! Looks like a fabulous dive