Holidays are peculiar moments, once you’re there you look forward to returning home, once you’re home you wish you could go back to the easy life of sun, sea and … Well maybe not sand. Yes it was holiday season again and it’s been almost 4 years since I stepped foot on Egyptian soil, but this time was a more enriched experience. Travelling with lots of friendly faces for the first time in my life really made flying less of a chore and just made me appreciate that airports can be fun too.

De ja vu kicked in as we left the safe haven of baggage reclaim, and entered the heat wave of desperate Egyptians willing to fight for an extra Euro, but when you’re 17 the word No comes naturally anyway. This time we were settled at the Bay View Hotel, it was … Interesting to say the least, just ask John, he’ll tell you ALL about it.

After being woken up to the sound of Edwin Starr’s “War” (Not the best alarm clock when you’ve endured 5 hours of “Sleep”) we quickly gathered in the dining room for what I would like to call “Breakfast” but once you’ve eaten British food there is no comparison, those of you who tried the toast will know what I mean.

Fast forward about an hour and we were gliding towards the first dive site, Ras Katy. Terry and Donna were our dive guides for the holiday, both of them were excellent in all aspects of their work and they even managed to make briefs interesting. Terry was the most laid back diver I’ve ever met, spicing every dive with a variety of experiences, there was always something for everyone and that’s what made the trip unique. Donna was also a friendly character; she led us on several pleasure dives pointing out some great marine life.

The crew were also extremely friendly, the addition of our skipper’s 10 year old son made a few days entertainment, but there’s only so much clinging that a man can take before he starts plotting revenge. So the stage was set for a busy week of diving, and it was good to be back in foreign waters. Gone were the puke green spores of Gildenberg and the murky depths of stoney cove. Here was a beautiful canvas of crystal clear waters, brightly coloured shoals of roaming fish and stunning formations of coral.

Ras Katy, it was just how I remembered it, a nice easy pleasure dive around a sandy plateau to show just what Sharm has to offer. There were hundreds of tropical fish swarming the coral reefs, and it was hard not to contract the point and wave syndrome that every first time diver experiences. Parrot, Butterfly, Clown and Lion were just a few of the species performing for our newcomers and it really was an enjoyable dive. As the week continued the dives became more challenging and unique, a few drift dives reminded me how unfit I am, the sight of Sue casually swimming past you as you flail in the current really doesn’t help. But being my third time diving abroad I was luckily enough to see some of the uncommon species that lurk in the shadows. Fiddle Garden was generous enough to spring a large Napoleon Ras out of the depths, it was really empowering considering their size yet at the same time graceful and elegant.

The last 2 dives of the holiday sported two beautiful sea turtles for our lucky first time divers, and a pod of Dolphins were thrown into the mix, spice them with Roland’s quote book and you’ve got the perfect holiday.

However the award to favourite dive goes to Ras Bob, it was the most beautiful combination of coral and marine life I’ve ever seen. Every outcrop of table coral almost seemed to choreograph every move with their fishy counterparts, and it was such a breathtaking scenario. Donna led us to a stunning swim through which created a brilliant photo opportunity, I rose to the challenge and managed to spawn some surprising results. Sue reckons that John’s got some hard competition, but I beg to differ, we all know who wins the photo competition almost every year. Huge eels also loomed around the rocky pinnacles so Ras Bob had so much to offer, and we took to it like an Italian diver does to coral reefs. I am of course referring to Jackson’s Reef, which seemed to have become a breeding ground for the inexperienced. We were swarmed by a stampede of Italian divers who don’t seem to understand any direction but forward, and their obsession with grabbing onto coral reefs was ungodly. All that aside the diving was superb, and the people made it ten times more entertaining. Just make sure you keep a weary eye on the surface, you never know when a weight belt might drop drown from the heavens.(Rouba!)

Nights were just as entertaining, the word No came into play almost every 5 seconds due to desperate Egyptians trying to sell you cheap goods. I made a new friend whilst we were abroad - the camel burger. 3 Nights in a row I sank my teeth into the juicy steak filled, cheese coated goodness, and it never got boring. The camel club housed this and many other exotic meals, meaning you were always spoilt for choice because the menus made everything sound heavenly. We had several great nights out with friends and Friday was our last supper before enduring a rather lengthy Saturday of boredom.

Overall the holiday was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for more. Having never dived with the club before I was looking forward to this unique experience, and they delivered. Thanks to Donna and Steve who sorted out all the training for our newcomers, and thanks to all the staff who helped to make this my favourite holiday experience. Just be careful what you say around Roland, with his notebook and Steve’s mind, those two could rule the world.

Sam Stanley