Egypt is known for many things, art , culture, history, architecture, anthropology, social studies, religious studies etc. But the one thing that no one associates with Egypt is water sports. Egypt has a long Red Sea Cost. The calm serene blue and transparent waters of the Red Sea is an unforgettable experience. When my hotel guy in Cairo told me about it I was curious. After looking at my schedule and the rates in decided to go to Hurgada an Egyptian city of the cost of the Red Sea.

That is a pic of me trying to be very very cool indeed !

The reason I Chose Hurgada was it was closest from Luxor where I was visiting the Valley of the Kings. Also i was told that it was the cheapest. To be frank I was a little apprehensive when i heard the word 'cheap' with 'deep sea diving'. Somehow they did not belong togather ....It was going to be an unforgettable experience !

So this is what the cabin looks like.

One thing most people may not be aware of is the huge Russian population in Hurgada. It has the biggest Russian Population in Egypt and also has the highest number of Russian Tourists visiting the place. I made some friends on the cruise !
She was sweet to me :)

Russian Chiilers :)

So now I have been suited up and was sitting on the edge of the boat. They take a pic of me - the sacrificial lamb for the day ! The Sweet Russian lady waving at the back almost seemed to sense what was to come.

I was given some gibberish which was apparently diving safety and technical instructions in half-English half Egyptian. I figured he was telling me what to do in case I chocked under water. It took all of 30 secs for him to impart these precious life saving training. In the west or even in India as per regulations , that would have taken the major part of the day !!!
Thats the Doode Doing the Job ! We became good friends :)

Anyways as soon as those divine words were spoken. I was Pushed ! Thats correct ! One nice push and all the fear vanished. Not that i had much of a choice. I did not mind it much since thats pretty much how the eastern part of the world kind of does things !

I went down gasping for Air. The Diving apparatus is not easy to breath with, if one is not trained in it. Here i was in the middle of the Red Sea with a Diving Suit on for the first time in my life gasping for air like a fish out of water !
Thats literally the first pic of me in water, diving . This was taken after I re-surfaced breathless !! As per them apparently it was hilarious !

One of my favourite pics. Ever since i first read 20000 Leagues under the Sea, It was a life long dream of mine to touch the ocean floor.

Thats me not being able to breath again under water while i was in the middle of my dive. I panicked and had to re-surface . Thankfully my so called diving instructor was kind of capture this moment of panic ! here goes ....

I managed to cough and splutter and puke out as much Red Sea as possible. After 5 mins i went down again . This time it was much better. I could breath more confidently. Nothing like a brush with Death to speed up the learning process !

As you can see the Ocean holds many treasures ...Enjoy the pics of the Beautiful Coral Reefs and the Flora and Fauna of the Red Sea. Including Fish, Small Octopus, Corals , Plants etc...

All said and done it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life . Thank you Egypt !

If liked this Egypt post. You can check out my earlier post on The Nile River Ride.

https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@sajannair/travelogue-s12-egypt-07-nile-river-ride

Like all good things this too must come to an end. With this we come to the end of the Egypt Series.

Next Chapter we start with " Incredible India" . Togather we shall cover many wonders of this incredible land that has Deserts, Ocean, Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Snow capped mountains, Rain forests , Glaciers, Cultures, Music, Art, History, Architecture and everything else !

If you like my posts follow me @sajannair