Red Sea live-aboard
Egypt, April 2013






Day 4
Sunday, April 14th


The sun is shining brightly through the porthole as I wake up this morning. I feel hungry, I feel really hungry today. In spite of the boats slightly rocking on the waves, I don′t feel nauseas at all; just hungry! I guess that that is a good sign. I must have developed some sea legs by now.

As of today I can take the ″motion off the ocean″ without a problem! Hoaaah!

We are diving at the Big Brother Island today. This island lies some 60 km off the Egyptian coast, rising up from deep water. The walls are covered in soft corals, and two of the Red Sea′s most picturesque wrecks, which attract marine life from miles around. The first dive of this day is done on the North side of the reef. The RIB takes us there after which we fall backwards into the water. Around the North side as well as the South side the sea is rather rough. We decent along the soft coral covered wall that drops down into the darkness almost vertically. We then gradually make our way south to the ships mooring location, admiring the abundance of life here. Fish in any color combination can be found here; it is breathtakingly beautiful.





The second dive will be on the shipwreck of the Aida. We all listen to Amr Ibrahim, our Dive Guide during his briefing about the wreck and the site. The Aida was built in France and launched in 1911. She was a smaller vessel than the Numidia, at a length of only 75m and displacing 1,428 tonnes. The ship was powered by a triple-expansion engine, which provided a top speed of nine knots. Originally, she was to be used as a supply vessel, but was commandeered by the Egyptian Navy to ferry troops.

On 15 September 1957 the crew of the Aida were attempting to unload her cargo and disembark replacement lighthouse staff onto the jetty at Big Brother. However, bad weather caused the ship to strike the rocks and she soon began to sink. A tugboat responded quickly and took off the crew and lighthouse personnel. During the storm the ship drifted a few hundred metres northwest before her bows finally embedded themselves into the reef. As the stern sank, it came to rest at an extremely steep angle on the reef, the bow section breaking off and eventually breaking up on the reef top.

Today′s third dive will be on the shipwreck of the Numidia. The ′Numidia′ was a British cargo ship, built in Glasgow in 1901 by the Henderson Company who operated her under the Anchor Line Shipping Company. At 6399 tons and 140 metres long, she was a large vessel, powered by a 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine. On 28th February 1901 the Numidia left her home port on her Maiden voyage, an uneventful return trip to Calcutta.

This was to be her only successfully completed voyage. On 6th July 1901, she set out from Liverpool carrying a general cargo of 7,000 tons and a crew of 97, under the command of Mr John Craig, bound for Calcutta. By the early hours of 19 July she had cleared Suez, passing Shadwan Island that evening around 19:00 hrs. Just before dawn the next day, Big Brother Island was sighted off the port bow.

The Captain altered course thinking he would take the ship over one mile to the west of the Island. He then left the Bridge leaving instructions to be called when the Light was abeam. At about 2:10am the ship ran aground on Big Brothers Island north of the Lighthouse! After two hours of trying to get off the rocks the engines were stopped. By this time the ship was taking on considerable water, and the situation was getting worse - although the pumps were coping.

 





Moored at Little Brother Island

 


By now the sea was building. At 7:30am the S.S. Rhipens came in answer of the Numidia′s distress call, followed by other vessels in an attempt to salvage the ship. The crew abandoned the vessel and although other ships arrived to try and help re-float the Numidia, she was stuck fast. For the next 7 weeks most of the cargo was removed before the Numidia finally sank.

Three great dives, off which two where wreck dives. What more does one need to make a dive day a great dive day? Around four in the afternoon, the mooring cables are loosened and we leave for the Little Brother Island where we will dive tomorrow. The journey does not take that long and as we arrive, we can still see the Big Brother Island in the distance. Having moored the boat we wait for dinner to be served and another diving day.











and welcome!




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Big Brother Island

Big Brother Island



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Amr Ibrahim during the briefing wile Mohammed Abo Agowa listens

Amr Ibrahim during the briefing
wile Mohammed Abo Agowa listens



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Moored at Little Brother Island

Moored at Little Brother Island



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A cup of Java at the end of a bussy diving day

A cup of Java at the end
of a bussy diving day