egypt diving pics (27.05.06 - 04.06.06)

so i finally managed to get some egypt diving pics up. thanks must go to freddie bastable for his awesome camera work. this was my first time diving, and i was not prepared for how tranquil and calm it would feel under water... it's kinda like rushing around in a slipknot-like world and then gently dipping into a jose gonzalez state of conciousness for a few hours... the big blue.

one night to be confused
one night to speed up truth
we had a promise made
four hands and then away

i started my diving tutorage in dahab... a quaint, bohemian town on the sinai peninsular directly opposite saudi arabia. dahab basically consists of one main pedestrian promenade, flanked by bedouin beach-bar-come-restaurant establishments and dive shops.

both under influence
we had divine sense
to know what to say
mind is a razor blade

our typical day consisted of cruising down to our local beach bar in the morning and checking out the sea conditions, whilst sipping on mango lassies and munching banana and honey pancakes for breakfast. we’d then head off for the morning dive. arrive back at the bar at approx midday. chill out on floor on thick egyptian cushions under the shelter of the brown grass roof eating lunch. head off for the afternoon dive. and then return to the beach bar for a sun-downer / coffee and a strawberry shisha. repeat for eight days.

one night of magic rush
the start a simple touch
one night to push and scream
and then relief

my first few days consisted of watching video's, writing tests, and the occassional open water dive... so i didn't see the other boys for a few days. i eventually managed to join them for a dive on about the third day and soon found out that the only thing that determines whether you are a good diver or not is how much air you suck. hold your breath and stay down for an hour and you are a star. run out of air and force the rest of your dive party up and you are frowned upon. needless to say... i became the leper in the dive colony... nobody wanted to team up with me.

ten days of perfect tunes
the colors red and blue
we had a promise made
we were in love

kirk, despite his huge bulk is very graceful and air-consumption effecient under water... kinda like a giant porpoise. pay careful attention to the text-book bouyancy in the second picture.



freddie is a star diver... he is a qualified trainer dude and can out last anyone on air... even the other dive master dudes... that is the sign of a good diver. fred reminds me of some sort of fast, slim, silver fish.

some picks from dives around dahab:



the last day we dived a world war ii wreck called the thistledorm. it was an awesome dive... despite the compo from the english dive-pro folk onboard. the wreck itself is super eerie...



and you, you knew the hands of the devil
and you, kept us awake with wolf teeth
sharing different heartbeats
in one night

you can read about our entire egypt trip and the search for the meaning of life here.

to call for hands of above
to lean on
wouldn't be good enough
for me now