Safaga Egypt

Safaga  is the gateway for most cruise ship passengers who want to see the Valley  of Kings, Luxor and Karnak Temples.  The tour usually goes from 8am to 9pm so you can guess the travel time.  The town of Safaga itself is a bit of a hole with not a lot to offer those who opt not to go to Luxor except  for one thing: fabulous snorkeling and diving in the Red Sea.  Once again in this town we can see the effect of the Arab Spring in that numerous resorts that were started remain unfinished as a result of the severe downturn in tourism that was a result of the unrest.   The day began with angst as our pick-up from the dive shop did not appear at the port, likely a result of the fact that our berth was altered to the worst possible location at the commercial port, which was a barren desolate place with nothing in sight but dust and rubble.  We took the shuttle bus that dropped us off in the downtown area, which was quite dirty and scruffy with a lot of people sitting around not doing much of anything.  Emerging from the shuttle bus we were accosted by a squadron taxi drivers whose cars all looked to be rusted heaps; but one fellow was quite convincing when he claimed to know exactly where the diving club we had arranged our snorkeling tour with was located.  So the six of us piled into his station wagon (of sorts) after haggling over price.  As we were driving the smell of gasoline in the car was very strong.  We all got slightly distressed when the driver lit a cigarette before pulling out his cell phone to ask someone where the Orca Diving Club was.  At this point we thought our day was done as the boat was leaving at 8:30 and it was 8:29.  He drove up to a big gate and honked and honked his horn and finally a fellow came to open the gate and let us in.  Thankfully we saw the sign for the Orca Dive Club.  From there things got much, much better.  We collected our equipment (we had brought our snorkels so we just needed fins and one of the others in our party collected his diving gear) and we were off to the boat.  It was great with only about 10 other people on the tour, most of whom were divers and all from Germany, so all communication briefings happened in German then English.  The seas had high waves resulting in some great rock and rolling.  There are twenty reefs in the area  and the first reef had choppy seas but not enough to prevent snorkeling so in we went after checking for jellyfish.  The waters were cool but once you got swimming it was great.  Due to the current it was tough to get to the reef and some parts had to be avoided due to the waves.  The Cel however made it and got some nice photos.  After fighting the current Cia returned to the ship but never having used flippers before, did not know how to get up the stairs.  The two Egyptian crew members yelled try backwards so she did, heaving herself slowly up.  As She looked up she saw fear in both mens eyes as they were contemplating the option of having to haul her up.  Finally she made it and the men looked so happy.  Finally the divers came back which was the snorkelers' sign to return to the boat so we could move to the second reef location.  This location was picture perfect with the reef in the form of a circle with a brilliant  blue lagoon in the middle.  The waters were calm and when we looked down we could see many brilliantly purple jellyfish.  Cia's snorkeling time was done and she resigned herself to having to spend the afternoon on the sundeck reading and doing sudokus and avoiding the jellyfish.  Meanwhile the Cel and Peter stared longingly into the water.  Suddenly where there was forty jellyfish there was now hundreds of these vibrant purple animals. Cel and Peter were crestfallen with the appearance of the jellyfish.  They approached the dive master hoping that he would say that this type of beautiful jellyfish did not sting.  He said they did not sting and their  faces lit up and then he clarified that they did not sting if you touched the outside of the creatures.  The inside, he said, you do not want to touch.  Down went there faces again like two young boys who had just lost their favorite truck.  After about a half hour we noticed a significant reduction in the number  of jellyfish.  The two German snorklers jumped in close to the jellyfish for a photo opportunity.  Both Peter and the Cel waited to hear some yelps but none came.  It was all they needed.  In they went and their faces were priceless as the Cel made a yelp.  It appears that the water temperature was significantly lower than at the other location.  But it did not stop them as the two snorkeled for the next hour and a half. Still too many jellyfish for Cia.  Eventually the divers returned equally as cold and Peter and the Cel reluctantly left the water with some wonderful photos to remember the time. Pam, Peter's wife renamed the two  of them  Jellybellies.  Then back to shore to end a wonderful day at the Red Sea.  As we returned our cab driver was there waiting.  We tried to say we did not want him but he still waited.  Eventually we negotiated a price to take us back to the ship but only after we had finished our  beers as we all wanted one more.  Six 680ml Stella beer for a mere $15.  When we arrived back at the ship one of the officers looked at us as we emerged from the vehicle and smirked and remarked, "Nice car!"   I do not think the driver was permitted to linger near the port but was sent promptly on his way once we paid the fare.  What a spectacular day. Cruise tip:  if in Safaga the diving and snorkeling is great for reasonable prices.  You can pay in Egyptian pounds, Euros or with credit cards.  I would recommend the company we used, called Orca Diving Club.  Thanks to Peter for finding this for us. They had a variety of  dive/snorkeling  sites, 20 in total.  Tobia  Kefir was our first  dive site and Gamul Kebir the second.  One meaning small and the other large.