May 22, 2019

After hearing last night that our Luxor/Cairo trip was cancelled, we didn’t know what our plans would be for the day, maybe a quiet ship day.  Safaga is a very industrial town with not much going on, and it is still Ramadan, so even less to do. 

Here is the view as we arrived in port. A few beautiful yachts here.

Norm and I were having breakfast when our friend Ellen came by and asked if either of us wanted to go snorkeling.  Marilyn had a ticket and has a cold and didn’t think she should go.  It was leaving in about 30 minutes.  So Norm encouraged me to take the ticket, which I did.  Got into a swimsuit, put the lotion on, and away I went with the group.

Here are some pictures of the town as we traveled to the boat.  It was about a 15 minute trip. There is a lot of construction going on here.

I loved the snorkel trip yesterday, but I have to say that this is the best snorkeling I have ever done, anywhere.  The weather was absolutely perfect, no wind or current like yesterday and the water was crystal clear. The coral varieties and fish were just beautiful.

We were greeted by our guide, Mohammed (when he gave his name, he said “Mohammed, like everyone!” He accompanied us on the boat and told me to call him the “dolphin whisperer” in the off chance we would see any.  We didn’t but he was a fun guy to talk with.

Here are some of the crew members. The man in charge, first picture, was from Germany!

Why was this donkey at the snorkel dock?  Don’t know.

We  made two snorkel stops.

I took Norm’s camera, not the go pro. I got some pretty good pictures but there was so much else that I didn’t capture and photos never do it justice anyway.  Mohammed had given us a fish and coral chart and it helped to identify some of the fish.

It was so terrific that I texted Norm that we should both go again tomorrow if we can get tickets!!  And we did, so watch for more great photos. 

I saw a small ray and also an octopus but couldn’t get the octopus fast enough.

The ray is in this shot. It is a blue spotted sting ray.  They are quite small and hard to find.

Both snorkeling spots were great, the second even better than the first.  Can’t wait to come back tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of boats, people, the clear water, and a military island that we saw.

What a great day.  Looking forward to tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from the way back to the ship.