Another Toyota minibus is transferring a German couple back to their hotel at Marsa Alam. They had taken a couple of days in the middle of their hotel holiday to dive from Wadi Lahami. I hitch a ride as far as Deep South Diving's camp at Awlad Bakara, a small fishing village 14 kilometres south of Marsa Alam.
Before setting out on this trip I was concerned that the complexity of connections was one of the weak points of the whole project. Now I conclude that connections are actually going rather well.
This camp is designed to be more permanent. Thatched African huts are built on the hillside above the Wadi. The whole camp is protected from floods by a bank and moat, a wobbly jungle suspension bridge spanning the gap. Toilets and showers are again modern and clean in a solid brick building, water arriving daily by road tanker.
Diving is from any of a large wooden day boat, a speedboat, a RIB or from the shore by Jeep. It all depends on who wants to go where.
The day boat is moored off the beach. I join the other divers to be ferried 50 metres out by speedboat. Our equipment follows by pedallo, local boys providing an enthusiastic support crew.
Offshore diving is split between two main areas of reef. In calm conditions, the boat goes to the outside of Elphinstone reef, famous for shark encounters. In less favourable conditions Shaab Samadai provides a closer and more sheltered reef complex, though the outside of the reef is equally rated for big critters.
The wind is blowing strongly from the north, so we shelter behind the main reef at Shaab Samadai. It's a large reef with many diving possibilities. Dolphin house is an area of the lagoon in which a pod of dolphins have made their home. It is protected from boat traffic by a rope and a line of buoys. The dolphins are not home today.
Karim, dive instructor and owner of Deep South Diving, leads me through a series of caves at the back of the reef. I don't know why I am fascinated by reef caves. When I look at it abstractly, there is much more life outside on the reef wall.
Our route winds through the maze, streams of light twinkling down through cracks in the rook. Considering the number of liveaboards that are on the reef today, the caves are surprisingly un-crowded. We only have to give way once to let a train of divers pass in front of us.
Exiting the cave complex we work hard into the current. I am rewarded by a monstrous nest of anemones and clown fish. Green tentacles flapping in the current while the clown fish swim frantically above, snapping at minute particles in the water.
Next day the sea is again too rough for Elphinstone. My last chance for one of the fabled big critter southern wall dives has now gone. In some ways I am disappointed, but looking at it realistically my chances of a good shark encounter on any single dive would not be that high. I would have to dive these sites intensively for a week or two for a reasonable probability of such sightings.
The previous evening two other divers had recanted their day of shore diving at a big complex of caves and canyons in the fringing reef at Halig Abu Dabab just north of Marsa Alam. Halig translates to "throat", though I don't know whether that refers to the caves or the bay just round the corner. With a need to be moving north later in the day, Karim suggests taking a Jeep to shore dive the caves followed by a local dive from the speedboat. I don't need asking twice.
The entrance to the caves is through a large pool in the back reef. Karim and I wade out towing our kit through a strong rip current. A few metres down and we are sheltered from the current. If anything there is a slight counter current as we explore the pool. On the opposite side of the pool we have a choice of cave entrances.
Inside the caves the counter current grows rapidly in strength. There is little danger of getting lost, but we have to think carefully to follow a route that can be retraced. Each cave and canyon presents a different spectrum of life. Soft corals, upside down fish, barracuda, sweetlips, blue spotted rays, grouper, lion fish, shrimps and sand eels have each staked out their own sectarian neighbourhoods. It's a physically challenging and exhilarating dive. Definitely for small groups and experienced divers only. An hour later Karim and I emerge with big grins on our faces having shared the challenge. I would estimate we had explored less than half of the system.