With my flight imminent, I began to ponder possible scenarios. As a negative PCR test was required 96 hours before flights from Canada to Egypt, I made my appointment 72 hours prior to departure, at a cost of CA$185.00! A pain to be sure, but I was actually going to travel again. To be safe, I purchased extra Covid insurance, which was not cheap. With flights booked, all that remained was travel insurance and a PCR test. My flight route would take me from Toronto to Hurghada, via Istanbul. Add sharks and pelagics to the mix, and it was the perfect antidote to Covid blues! Getting there The south also maintained the most pristine coral reefs, with a greater abundance of species resilient to climate change. Remote sites meant fewer boats, reducing the likelihood of diver logjams. How could I refuse?ĭeparting from Hurghada, our weeklong itinerary would encompass some of the south’s most renowned dive locations, well out of the reach of day-trippers. The idea of visiting Egypt and not seeing the pyramids was tantamount to sacrilege. With the combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the off-season summer heat, tourist numbers would be significantly lower. In addition to the liveaboard, an eight-day land extension was also on offer. An extension of the Indian Ocean, it shares many of the same habitats and marine life but is home to numerous endemic species. Photo by Scott BennettĪs the world’s northernmost tropical sea, the Red Sea is also one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth, due to scant rainfall and high evaporation rates. However, when the government announced the lifting of quarantine for vaccinated travellers from mid-July, I immediately sent Raf a two-word text: “I’m in!” Reef wall at Rocky Island. I was keen, but as a Canadian, there was a deal-breaker: the Canadian government’s mandatory hotel quarantine for returning travellers. The global pandemic halted the 2020 expedition, but this year, they were fortunate enough to be able to lay on the charter-this time to the southernmost point of the Egyptian coast and the deserted islands of Rocky and Zabargad-and they invited me to join them. Every year, my friends Raf and Cisca Jah, who run the African and Oriental Travel Company, charter the MV Nouran from Red Sea Explorers to dive the less-visited parts of the Egyptian Red Sea.
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