Diving in Iceland

crack camping

See the episode above, and click on the images for better viewing, as in all my blog posts.

This time, I have visited Thingvellir, or rather Þingvellir, which has a special place in Icelands history. Since 1930 it has been a national park, and since 2004 it has been listed as a a World Heritage Site. This amazing place lies in a rift valley on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, literally in between the continental plates.

diving through the crack in Silfra

Diving in Silfra

There are many good dive spots in Iceland, most of them related to some kind of geothermal or seismic activity. I met Tobias Klose that is running dive.is, a great company providing the best of equipment and security. It is fun to get to know people that show true enthusiasm for their work, and Tobias seems to have found his place in the world. He sent Andri Ómarsson to guide me.
    Silfra is one of the most spectacular destinations for any diver looking for spectacular scenery. No live to see at all, but who needs fish when you can stretch your arms out and touch two continental shelves?! This is unlike any dive, any place - strongly recommended.

the crack on the bed of Thingvellir

Andri Ómarsson and Gunnar - great buddies

Kleifarvatn

This lake is found only half an hours drive south of Reykjavik, in a desolate volcanic landscape.
    After an earthquake in 2000, the lake started draining by one centimetre per day, but it is still there, so I assume the crack has later been clogged up. What emerged in the southern end of the lake after the quake, was some holes from where gas and hot water stream out, followed by shivers and rumbles.

Alþingi

What Thingvellir is most known for, is that the "Althing" found place here from 930 until 1798, being the parliament of Iceland from the time when it took 17 days for the most remote chieftain to reach the supreme legislative and judicial authority of the country. Iceland was not easily travelled back in those days, so it took a while, even if this place was chosen partially because of its convenient location...
     The law speaker spoke from the Lögberg, the law rock, and was elected for periods of three years, in an amazingly open democracy.

Hellisheidi geothermal power station

Geothermal power

Five major geothermal power plants provides about a quarter of the nation's energy. In addition to electricity, the geothermal water heat up and provide hot water for most buildings in Iceland. Hydro power makes up for the rest of the electricity need, making Iceland close to 100% nice on the environmental clean energy scale (read more in Scientific American). If they only could run those monster trucks on batteries, then I would be really satisfied with them (more about those monsters in a later episode...).
    Hellisheidi geothermal power plant is  actually the biggest of its kind worldwide, quite a cool thing to visit, bot to see the drill holes all over the mountain (vulcano) and the station itself, with its visitors centre.

inside Hellisheidi geothermal power station

above Hellisheidi geothermal power station

Diving in Dahab II

Puffer Fish, only deadly if eaten.

This is what to look for.

We were only in Dahab for three days, of which two were diving. The Bishbishi camp was recommended to us, and I will gladly pass on the recommendation, as Jimmy and his mates offer a safe and inexpensive place to sleep, with whatever advice and arrangements you would need.

Jimmy Dahab with hat, and Oula Dahab.

This is typically your first impression.

Jim was the best possible buddy.

After the first perfect days, the wind picked up, but Aqua Divers knew of a sheltered spot a short drive to the south. Visibility was reduced because of the agitated water, and the waves kept some of the sunlight out, but the experience was never the less very good.

Jim, my experienced buddy from yesterday (read Diving in Dahab I) took me on a drift dive along the corals, not much deeper than 25 meters, reducing air consumption. The first of two dives lasted just about one hour, which is more than I've done in one single dive before.

porcupine fish

colourful one ...

total relaxation

octopussy

funny wormlike thing

Even if nothing appears out of the big blue, there are so much to look at, and having a buddy you trust makes the pleasure even greater. One has to wonder why nature has created all these colours and shapes. The intricate systems of fish depending on certain corals for survival, the fine balance with water temperature and acidity of the seas. All these accurately tuned mechanisms that our generation of humans are putting at grave risk, in our selfish quest for "higher living standard". Our wonderful planet would for certain be much better off without homo sapiens.

Geometric Moray, the most common moray in the Red sea.

small scorpion fish, according to Jim

blue spotted puffer

Maybe the fight for the water world is already lost, or maybe it can still be saved. The word "maybe" is popping up far to often, when it comes to human interference in nature. There is so much we do not know, and science has a hard time keeping up with accelerating changes. We remain ignorants in so many fields, but still act as if we knew. Or actually ever more often do even worse than that, when we do have the knowledge, but ignore it for the sake of short term benefits.

Milad Sawires is diving instructor at Aqua Divers in Dahab - recommended!!

Go get your dive mask, be sure not to touch anything and try to understand what our pollution, plastic, CO2 and overfishing are exterminating. Then use your vote, your shopping habits and your voice - in order make a difference!

Last dive in Marsa Alam

A BIG Puffer!

The first two days were right out cold. It is less fun diving when you end up with a headache and a shivering body. I was hoping for better conditions, and got it. Yesterday was good and today was great.
There were only two Swedish girls and I on the boat, and we saw no other divers under water. The sun was shining and added good color and light to the scene.

take off

the small is "normal"

One of the girls were less experienced, so Muhamed took special care of her, while Hanna and I stayed as buddies not far from them. We started out at first dive running into the biggest puffer I've ever seen. It turned out to be a puffer day, as we saw three different kinds, and Hanna was the first to spot most of them. That is what buddies are for... ;)

Before turning at the point of the reef, we were circled in by a school of barracudas. They are graceful and elegant, among the fastest in the neighborhood. We then floated over a landscape of corals and abundant fish life before returning.

A find school of Barracudas. Checking us out.

I try to breath deeper to avoid the annoying headache. I do not use much air anyway, so I actually practice in using more, rather than less. And it seems to work.

Add caption

Second dive was across the little bay in the reef. We swam over a giant mussle, by far the biggest I've seen, and was led out to some freestanding corrals, like an underwater island of life, rather big.
    The deep blue stretched to all sides, but Muhamed knew the way. All in all a great guy, who took just as much care as he had to, to keep us under control. The least experienced of the girls was led to the boat finishing her dive while Hanna and I could have some more time around the boat, where fish just crowded the place.

It is important not only to look for fish, the corrals are awesome!.

    The second oversized puffer - a Starry Puffer this time - swam along with me before we ended the dive, in just over 40 minutes. Not cold, only a vague headache after surfacing.
    I jumped in again, only in my swimwear, just to have the "nude" feeling. Wonderful.

I look forward to returning to this sea, maybe on a liveaboard next time.



On the two last photos you see todays Masked Puffer and a small red fish that was previously a female! He now has a harem of dozens of orange females, of which he was the mightiest one when the former male died. What a world!


Welcome to Egypt!

Dykking i Egypt

I have had three days under water in Marsa Alam. This is an "all inclusive resort" of the kind I normally  avoid, but if you want to dive, this is the way to do it. I will let the photos speak for themselves and make another post soon, about this place, the dive company and the way to get here from Cairo.

"alt OK!"

Muhammed guide

En flott musling ...

... og en til!

blue-spotted skate

Ferdighetsnivået mitt holdes på et nøkternt nivå av de ganske lange pausene jeg har mellom hver gang jeg dykker. Siste gang var i Lofoten sist vår. Jeg har derfor bestemt meg for å operere med en erfaring på 25 dykk, permanent. Slik får guidene ikke for store forhåpninger og kan heller dømme meg ut i fra det de ser.
    Her har jeg Muhamed, en egypter som virker veldig grundig og pålitelig. Det går ikke lenge før det ser ut til at han trives med å ha meg som klient.

Bortsett fra å ivareta sikkerheten omkring dykket, vil en god instruktør/guide kjenne området godt, og peke ut spesielle plasser hvor fisk eller koraller av spesiell interesse holder til. I tillegg vet de hva de skal se etter, slik at de ofte får øye på ting som ellers ville gått meg hus forbi.

Tostripet Klovnefisk, også kalt Anemonefisk.

De vokter anemonen, som beskytter dem.

Det er kjempegøy å ligge å kikke. Her en Masked Butterfly Fish.

Surgeonfish - med gule "skalpeller".

Lionfish skal du ikke kødde med.

Yellow Butterfly Fish

Blekksprut i skjul

Gunnar - min "buddy" i dag.

Det er få dykkere her i januar, så jeg hadde Muhamed for meg selv i går. I dag var to herrer fra henholdsvis Sverige og Norge med, og jeg fikk svenske Gunnar som buddy, mens Muhamed tok seg spesielt av norske Ivar, en kul fyr på 70, som lærte seg å dykke for få år siden.

    Muhamed så at Gunnar og jeg greide oss fint alene, så vi avtalte svømmemønster, trykkrutiner og rute, og var litt for oss selv langs revet. Gunnar fulgte meg som en skygge, også interessert i å fotografere, så vi passet fint sammen.

    På vei tilbake hadde vi kommet opp til omlag ti meter da jeg fikk øye på noe som først så ut som en stein nede på tjue meter.
    Jeg måtte se flere ganger, og var litt stolt over at det for en gang skyld var meg selv som fikk øye på noe spesielt et stykke unna. En vidunderlig flott skilpadde lå der nede, så vi seg langsomt ned, med tid for kameraet til å finne fokus og holdes i ro.

    Etter et par sekunder lettet den massive kroppen, vektløst, og fløy langsomt utover i det store blå. Virkelig et flott syn. Nå har jeg en dykkedag igjen, før jeg returnerer til Kairo. Jeg savner en skikkelig shisha nå ...

... er den ikke fin?

Welcome to Egypt!

Dykking i Lofoten

Therese

Tar du til høyre ved Narvik og peiser på vestover, kommer du på et tidspunkt til Å, ytterst i Lofoten. Da har du kanskje kommet litt for langt, men uti her er jeg nå, nærmere bestemt i perlen Reine.
    I nesten ufattelig vakre omgivelser storkoser meg i lag med noen av planetens beste folk. Jeg snakker om Therese og Lars-Åge, som driver opplevelsesfirmaet Aqua Lofoten Coast adventure. I "Lofoten Surprise" skrev jeg om hvordan jeg støtte på dem, her langt ute i Lofoten. De bor på et herlig sted og har spennende ting å tilby. Jeg skrev faktisk også om dem "her".

Lars-Åge

Det vil komme mer om dagene her ute, men de to siste dagene har vært så herlige at jeg bare må gi deg en smakebit. Etter å ha dykket ned for å identifisere et vrak på vel 30 meters dyp, skulle vi utover på heldagstur med fire litauere. Jeg "bare" snorklet denne gang, og fikk på meg en tørrdrakt med  blybelte, så jeg hadde mulighet for å gå ned.

Fridykking er noe jeg burde gjort mye mer. Det er rått å sette beinå i været og sparke seg nedover mot tareskogen. Vannet er klart og du er vektløs, uten flaske på ryggen. Verden virker langt unna i sekundene det varer. Vel. Klikk på bildene, så skjønner du vel hvorfor jeg smiler. Mer kommer, både fra denne turen og Vesterålen..

God Tur!