Hello 
First stay: in Shams Alam from 10/17 to 24/2023
Geographic details are in the video.
The resort
Depending on the site, it is rated 4 or 4.5 *
Room: spacious with a side sea view, very comfortable beds.
Restaurant: delicious and very varied dishes. We were on an “All Inclusive” basis (generous distribution of bottled water), but we did not deprive ourselves of rum and coke (Cuba libre in Spain).
Curiously, some recommendations and prohibitions were written on a few large white signs in German, Italian and Czech but not in English and even less in French.
Some photos Shams Alam resort
The “House reefs”
They are marked from 1 to 6 (see the video)
Weather
It should have been favorable in relation to the phases of the moon, but it was very windy...with practically "sheep" at sea (foam on the crests of the waves) from 10am.
Temperatures: 30°C (and +) for air, 28°C for water
I asked the guide who received us the question: When is there a lot of wind?
Answer: during the changing seasons, (as I had already heard previously)
Question: And when...the seasons change
No answer
I'm kidding
I expected him to tell me, it’s when it’s very windy!
The best period, he told me, is in March - April... but he didn't tell me why or for whom it was the best period.
Our snorkeling outings (surface snorkeling for my other half and free diving for me)
Always in the morning a little after sunrise around 6:40 a.m. to find a calm sea... but you have to get up early.
On 10/18 departure from the beach, north side +/- at the red flag, to see the turtles announced at reception
We saw some, but we were disappointed by this first outing
On 10/19 departure from the pier, like all the following times
A large school of at least a hundred juvenile barracudas measuring +/- 30 cm was circling under the pier, but I did not film them, the poles and scrap decor did not lend itself to this and I was unable to keep them away to film them in better settings
I am not describing the wildlife that you will see in the video
20/10 dolphin trip in Sataya.
1 hour bus ride to Hamata, with huge potholes (I would even say ostrich nests) for the last 10 km.
The vehicles coming from the front drove on their left, zigzagging between these holes. I don't remember seeing such damage during our previous stays... then 2 hours of boat travel
It was a disappointment like the one we experienced at Samaday, a long time ago...no dolphins seen
The boat went to the extreme “East” of Sataya in an area of reefs where dolphins do not go.
The two previous times in 2011 and 2014 to see dolphins the boats had not dropped us into reefs but into other areas.
In addition, in the reefs, the water was very heavy with particles which did not allow me to film.
During the return trip the boat was very shaken... and we too, it was on the verge of seasickness and suddenly, at 4 p.m. the boat's engine stopped... it was a problem.
The neighboring boat came to position itself in front of ours which threw ropes to moor it so that our boat would not drift in the current.
We heard hammer blows being given in the hold to repair and 30 minutes later the engine was able to restart
So I conclude that the tourist pressure is such that only a few boats have access to the “dolphin areas” (like in Samaday), but the excursions are always sold by making us believe that we will be able to see dolphins… then they tell us that they are wild animals and that we were unlucky… but they knew it very well when they put us in the reefs!
21/10 exploration +/- to the west of reef 2 then return to 1, here and there we see bleached corals (temperature too high in certain areas too exposed to the sun) many small reef fish but not wholesale.
22/10 departure on foot towards the north to get into the water at the Gorgonia jetty.
There, it's a pleasant surprise, a lot of reefs, because in 2011 we had not explored this area of southern Gorgonia, we had explored the lagoons and the drop-off of the reef (very difficult to access because the jetty does not did not yet exist). It was especially the northern part that we explored in 2011.
23/10 still looking for a dugong
At reception we were told there were 2 dugongs. We searched for them for around ten hours in total, where there were grassy areas from the red flag to the north, in front of the beach with umbrellas, going south through the part to the west of the “ house reef 2“ and return to “house reef 1“ but without success.
I would have liked to go to the other “house reefs” further from the coast, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but my wife was not comfortable when the depths exceeded 10 m.
It would have been necessary to go there by boat as a video of scuba divers shows… reef 2 and 3
24/10 I pack my bags for the transfer to Mangrove Bay while my other half went snorkeling from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.…(breakfast until 10 a.m.)
Balance sheet
So our outings (3h43 for the longest) were done very early in the morning when the sea was calm... the north wind always picked up around 10am and it was no longer pleasant after that.
Overall the reefs are beautiful with quite a few bleached corals in places.
Interesting reef fauna but without sharks, coral groupers, or large rays, but with a guitar ray whose snout was light gray which I had never encountered.…see video.
No blue trevally either, just a few golden trevally and a furtive big-headed trevally, a moray eel, small groupers and a brown grouper
Apnea (for me)
I haven't filmed freediving since October 2018 at Sentido.
After 5 years of interruption, I had to relearn everything (duck (without arms because I hold the camera mounted on a stabilizing wing), compensation, aquaticity, approach to wildlife, framing, ballast)
I would have liked to go at least 15 m deep but I wasn't ready... I only went to 12 m.
The video ( please use 1080p60HD)
A+
dcvf
First stay: in Shams Alam from 10/17 to 24/2023
Geographic details are in the video.
The resort
Depending on the site, it is rated 4 or 4.5 *
Room: spacious with a side sea view, very comfortable beds.
Restaurant: delicious and very varied dishes. We were on an “All Inclusive” basis (generous distribution of bottled water), but we did not deprive ourselves of rum and coke (Cuba libre in Spain).
Curiously, some recommendations and prohibitions were written on a few large white signs in German, Italian and Czech but not in English and even less in French.
Some photos Shams Alam resort
The “House reefs”
They are marked from 1 to 6 (see the video)
Weather
It should have been favorable in relation to the phases of the moon, but it was very windy...with practically "sheep" at sea (foam on the crests of the waves) from 10am.
Temperatures: 30°C (and +) for air, 28°C for water
I asked the guide who received us the question: When is there a lot of wind?
Answer: during the changing seasons, (as I had already heard previously)
Question: And when...the seasons change
No answer
I'm kidding
I expected him to tell me, it’s when it’s very windy!
The best period, he told me, is in March - April... but he didn't tell me why or for whom it was the best period.
Our snorkeling outings (surface snorkeling for my other half and free diving for me)
Always in the morning a little after sunrise around 6:40 a.m. to find a calm sea... but you have to get up early.
On 10/18 departure from the beach, north side +/- at the red flag, to see the turtles announced at reception
We saw some, but we were disappointed by this first outing
On 10/19 departure from the pier, like all the following times
A large school of at least a hundred juvenile barracudas measuring +/- 30 cm was circling under the pier, but I did not film them, the poles and scrap decor did not lend itself to this and I was unable to keep them away to film them in better settings
I am not describing the wildlife that you will see in the video
20/10 dolphin trip in Sataya.
1 hour bus ride to Hamata, with huge potholes (I would even say ostrich nests) for the last 10 km.
The vehicles coming from the front drove on their left, zigzagging between these holes. I don't remember seeing such damage during our previous stays... then 2 hours of boat travel
It was a disappointment like the one we experienced at Samaday, a long time ago...no dolphins seen
The boat went to the extreme “East” of Sataya in an area of reefs where dolphins do not go.
The two previous times in 2011 and 2014 to see dolphins the boats had not dropped us into reefs but into other areas.
In addition, in the reefs, the water was very heavy with particles which did not allow me to film.
During the return trip the boat was very shaken... and we too, it was on the verge of seasickness and suddenly, at 4 p.m. the boat's engine stopped... it was a problem.
The neighboring boat came to position itself in front of ours which threw ropes to moor it so that our boat would not drift in the current.
We heard hammer blows being given in the hold to repair and 30 minutes later the engine was able to restart
So I conclude that the tourist pressure is such that only a few boats have access to the “dolphin areas” (like in Samaday), but the excursions are always sold by making us believe that we will be able to see dolphins… then they tell us that they are wild animals and that we were unlucky… but they knew it very well when they put us in the reefs!
21/10 exploration +/- to the west of reef 2 then return to 1, here and there we see bleached corals (temperature too high in certain areas too exposed to the sun) many small reef fish but not wholesale.
22/10 departure on foot towards the north to get into the water at the Gorgonia jetty.
There, it's a pleasant surprise, a lot of reefs, because in 2011 we had not explored this area of southern Gorgonia, we had explored the lagoons and the drop-off of the reef (very difficult to access because the jetty does not did not yet exist). It was especially the northern part that we explored in 2011.
23/10 still looking for a dugong
At reception we were told there were 2 dugongs. We searched for them for around ten hours in total, where there were grassy areas from the red flag to the north, in front of the beach with umbrellas, going south through the part to the west of the “ house reef 2“ and return to “house reef 1“ but without success.
I would have liked to go to the other “house reefs” further from the coast, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but my wife was not comfortable when the depths exceeded 10 m.
It would have been necessary to go there by boat as a video of scuba divers shows… reef 2 and 3
24/10 I pack my bags for the transfer to Mangrove Bay while my other half went snorkeling from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.…(breakfast until 10 a.m.)
Balance sheet
So our outings (3h43 for the longest) were done very early in the morning when the sea was calm... the north wind always picked up around 10am and it was no longer pleasant after that.
Overall the reefs are beautiful with quite a few bleached corals in places.
Interesting reef fauna but without sharks, coral groupers, or large rays, but with a guitar ray whose snout was light gray which I had never encountered.…see video.
No blue trevally either, just a few golden trevally and a furtive big-headed trevally, a moray eel, small groupers and a brown grouper
Apnea (for me)
I haven't filmed freediving since October 2018 at Sentido.
After 5 years of interruption, I had to relearn everything (duck (without arms because I hold the camera mounted on a stabilizing wing), compensation, aquaticity, approach to wildlife, framing, ballast)
I would have liked to go at least 15 m deep but I wasn't ready... I only went to 12 m.
The video ( please use 1080p60HD)
A+
dcvf
