Red Sea: Sterile water with wrecks?

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TSandM

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I'm trying to put together a trip to the Red Sea for next October, and two of the people I'd like to have go are not enthusiastic about the trip. This is because they've seen a bunch of photographs showing extremely clear water and very sterile-looking wrecks, with little sea life appearing to be on them. They're macro photographers and nudibranch nuts, and think the diving won't be very interesting for them.

So, is the Red Sea a good place for macro photographers? Can anybody post some photographs that I can use to help convince my friends?
 
In my opinion, and after my experience, the red sea is not the best place to go for macro. Indian ocean is alot better. The only nudees for example I've seen in the red sea are small pysjamas-nudees. I have seen alot of pipefish though.

I have read about and seen pictures of ghost pipefish and spanish dancers... but never seen any myself.

If you have a look at my pictures, all the nudees are from the Phillipines... none from the red sea.

There are other factors one has to take into considerations aswell, like distance and price. The red sea offers great diving for a relatively short flight (5 hours aprox from most of Europe) in the autumn/winter/spring season...

If you are looking for a short diving holiday this winter, and you are based in europe, few places can compete with the availability of the red sea....

I only have 60 dives or something in the red sea, mainly in the north (Sharm, Dahab, El Gouna) someone with more experience might give you a more comprehensive answer. Maybee its more small life down south.

Br
Martin
 
Certainly wouldn't say its sterile there. Admittedly the only other coral reef ive seen was the florida keys which by comparison was battered, sterile and dead. Red sea had 100x more life and colour.

Further south around the Brothers etc the life is amazing. Wasn't great for macro though (some nudibranch, spanish dancers, frog fish etc) but then again i wasnt looking for that.

Got some photos on a trip report ive just written here:

The Brothers on M/V Valerie (A report so long it could be in real time) - YD Scuba Diving Forums

Photo gallery is here:
http://www.hvsac.co.uk/gallery2/v/valerie/

If its clear, sterile water with wrecks you're after consider anywhere in the Mediterranean! If its clear sterile water without even wrecks then Greece is your ideal location.
 
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I'd say it depends on where your friends normally dive. The Red Sea is not known as a muck/critter place, like say Lembeh, PNG, Mabul or other regions in the Indo Pacific. The spieces diversity is not as good as in those places. But it's about 3x better than in the Carribean.
Assuming that we're talking about the Egyptian Red Sea, the big draw inmo is the 'scenic' diving – clear blue water, colorful healthy, coral and steep walls. It's definetely not sterile. Lots of fish. And some great wrecks and pretty good chances for sharks and other big fish, considering you're going to the right place in the right time. From a photographic point of view, I mainly consider it as a wide angle destination.
 
Pristine wrecks and no fish in the way sounds good to me, however if they are into macro the Phillippines would be perfect, every color of nudibranch you could ever want to see, pygmy sea horses, a whole bunch of small things, I personally was bored, but im sure most would find it fantastic
 
by the way we dove out of puerta galera, and if the resort offers a island excursion for lunch one day def. do it, it was amazing.
 
One of the things I took away from DEMA is that there is diving for EVERYBODY. Maybe this couple shouldn't do the Red Sea trip; but I think they are being overly influenced by a bunch of photographs made by a friend who went there, whose idea of sea life is "a fish or a shark or a rock", and who absolutely loves wrecks :)
 
If they are used to the caribbean, they will find the red sea to have more life, but less sharks.

I was diving in RAs Moh. once with somene who had their own diveshop on the dutch antilles or something, and the DM (a young guy) was very dissapointed over the red sea because his expectations were to see whale sharks, tiger sharks and so on.. and he didnt. He was so upset he even refused to dive while we were on the boat!

If they will be happy in the red sea depends on their expectations and if they feel they are met or not and how the red sea compares to other place where they have dived. If you are located in the US and plan a "great journey" for more than 2 weeks, and investe alot of money and time into it, maybee you should also consider Thailand, Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Where are your friends used to dive? Where have they been travelling before?
 
They primarily dive in Monterey. They do a lot of macro photography. I don't know what remote sites they have dived.
 

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