We had the opportunity to travel once again to Port Ghalib, Egypt.
The place is amazing.
Here is one new photo for our Red Sea collection:
Crown Butterflyfish:
ps. click on the photos to see them enlarged.
And one photo of our favourite:
Picasso Triggerfish:
More stories and photos coming soon – stay tuned 🙂
Tala Bay is a perfect vacation place in Southern Jordan. The sandy beach is perfect for sun bathing and the Red Sea offers a unique possibility to photograph exotic fish species. If you prefer swimming pools instead of the sea, you find many nice pools to swim or relax in.
ps. click on the photos to see them enlarged
The food is fabulous in Jordan, just like in Egypt. Baba ganoush, hummus, tabbouleh, fried fish, tasty desserts and the hot chili stuffed olives…
We love the Red Sea. In Tala Bay we had some great adventures in the sea. We got many exciting photos of the sea life.
The Arabian Boxfish:
The Black Peacock Lionfish:
Some funny looking corals:
We experienced also some adventure in the air. When I came to the surface to take a break from photographing the fish, I heard and felt a rumbling noise. I looked around. From the boarder in the south, where Jordan and Saudi Arabia meet, a huge helicopter flew towards a ship nearby.
The helicopter approached the ship and commandos jumped with ropes from the helicopter to the ship.
My husband and I did not know what was going on. Was this a training session, a show for the tourists… or? Everything happened very fast. I did not have time to switch the camera from underwater mode to normal mode, but I got a few good photos.
You can experience many things on holidays 😉
I love the adventures below surface. Watching and photographing the beautiful and interesting fish. Here is a Flagtail Halfmoon Triggerfish:
Stay tuned! More stories to come and many photos of the sea life in the Red Sea 🙂
We had the opportunity to travel to Port Ghalib, Egypt, for the third time.
The place is amazing. I will write more about it soon.
Here is one of the new great photo in our Red Sea collection:
The Masked Pufferfish
ps. click on the photo to see it enlarged.
More stories and photos coming soon – stay tuned 🙂
Dascyllus trimaculatus, the Three Spot Domino fish, is actually quite neat though it is territorial and a bit aggressive. Dascyllus is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae. It is quite a small fish as it grows only up to 13 cm in length. You recognize the fish for the three white spots, of which one can though sometimes be absent.
ps. to enlarge the photos, click on them 🙂
The Halfmoon or Flagtail triggerfish, Sufflamen chrysopterus, is very beautiful with its black velvet like colour. The tail is white and yellow, as you can see in the picture above. It can grow up to 30 cm in length. This triggerfish feeds on a variety of invertebrates and the occasional small fish.
A small Lionfish, Pterois Volitans, swims above the triggerfish (in the above picture). Can you see it? It is just a baby and the colouring is white, beige and brown. The Lionfish is part of the Scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae) species, which take their name from the venomous spines positioned on the dorsal fin.
Above is a funny photo of the Halfmoon triggerfish. Look at those lips. Can you see the small rainbow on the sand
Ostracion cyanurus, the Arabian boxfish, is only 15 cm as an adult. It likes to swim close to the bottom We suddenly saw one below us and took this photo. The Arabian boxfish inhabits areas of moderate coral growth and is usually found close to shelter.
Ostracion meleagris, the Black or Spotted boxfish, explores the bottom of the Red Sea on the bottom of this photo. The male is more colourful than the female. The colouring can be blue to black and the dots can be white or black. The female is dark with white spots. This boxfish does not grow past 25 cm. The one we saw was only about 20 cm in size.
The Black sea urchins at the top of the photo are fabulous. But remember to keep your distance from them. Keep your feet off the bottom.
The Red Sea Clownfish, also known as the Twobar anemonefish, Amphiprion bicinctus, is one funny and beautiful fish. It is one of the most common Clownfish in the Red Sea. It can grow up to 14 cm, but is usually smaller.
There is a long and great beach between Hotel Radisson Blu Tala Bay and the Red Sea. Beach chairs are available and they are not too close to each other. This way you have space and peace, also at the beach. This is a positive rarity.
The magnificent Red Sea offers something for each and everyone. You can see small, big, colourful, dangerous and poisonous fish in the sea. The corals and plants vary depending on where you are, but they all offer a beautiful and colourful show. You can also see small crabs, lizardfish and fabulous sea urchins on the sandy bottom close to the shore.
The difference in the sea life between Egypt and Jordan is the amount of venomous fish we saw in Jordan. It was quite exciting to see and photograph new fish species and venomous fish. In Egypt the sea life is more colourful than in Jordan.
Here are some of the fish we saw and photographed, and a few photos from other divers:
The Lionfish (Pterois Volitans) is part of the Scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae) species, which take their name from the venomous spines positioned on the dorsal fin. They are also voracious predators.
The Red Lionfish:
The Black Lionfish (Pterois Miles) is extremely beautiful.
ps. to enlarge the photos, click on them 😉
We also saw a Lionfish which was a bit brown and beige. You find it on the left of the brain coral:
The Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala), for example the Tassled Scorpionfish, is also part of the Scorpionfish (Scorpaenidae) species. It is quite a venomous fish. It is sometimes called “false stonefish” as the resemblance to the Stonefish is remarkable. The mouth of the Scorpionfish is more hiorizontal than the one of the Stonefish.
A Scorpionfish next to a black Sea Urchin inside a small rock:
Whilst I photographed a small Scorpionfish, it suddenly moved, which is rare, and “flew” away. I am glad it “flew” away from me, not towards me.
The Stonefish (Synanceia Verrucosa), is the most venomous fish in the world!
You better not step on one of these. You can be paralyzed and you can die. Stonefish use incredible camouflage to ambush their prey. They blend into their environment very well. They live in shallow waters and are a danger to bathers who may step on them.
It is not always easy to see if you are looking at, or photographing, a small Stonefish or a Scorpionfish. The sea sways you a bit and you cannot swim too close. We are yet not sure if we saw a Stonefish or not. I show you a few pictures taken by other divers:
Sea Urchins
We were lucky. A nice man from Lappeenranta, Finland, warned us about the hundreds of Sea Urchins (Echinoidea) just minutes before we stepped into the Red Sea.
We moved carefully step by step until the water was about 30 cm deep. Then we dove carefully into the Red Sea, sliding above the Sea Urchins and other dangerous species. I saw hundreds of black Sea Urchins. First I was a bit “scared” how all this will end, but then I relaxed and focused on the superb views around me, took photographs and remembered to keep my feet at least 60 cm above the bottom.
The Sea Urchin’s body, closed in a compact shell, is covered with spines which are mobile. The mouth is surrounded by strong teeth and opens underneath. This allows this echinoderm to crop algae.
We had invested in a new waterproof camera. Not a too expensive one, but a good one for amateurs like us. We took hundreds of pictures and also some videos. We spent half of the days in the Red Sea. I can warmly recommend this hobby.
During the 4th day something odd happened. I was stung in the sea. I wondered if I only imagined it. I could not see anything and no more stungs were felt. The next day I was stung maybe a hundred times. Small burning stings hit me everywhere. I got worried and a bit scared. My husband appeared next to me and when I got my ears above the water, he told me we were in the middle of a cloud of Jellyfish. I took some pictures quickly and swam to the shore.
I spoke with the life guard to check if he knew about these Jellyfish. He did. He said they should not be dangerous, but it could be a good idea to wait and see if I would feel sick or get red arms and legs. Then it would be good to see the doctor at the hotel.
No strange feelings or red skin! I was so happy. What an exciting experience, though I cannot recommend to try how many small electric stings feel.
In Egypt we fell in love with the Picasso Triggerfish, which is part of the Balistidae species. There are some 40 different Balistidae fish. Here is a Picasso Triggerfish, which we saw at Port Ghalib, Egypt some years ago:
In Jordan we saw a a black Triggerfish (Sufflamen Chrysopterus), which was very beautiful. It was a Halfmoon Triggerfish. Here is a picture of it with a small Lionfish:
You can see more pictures on my Pinterest page. Welcome to follow my Pinterest boards.
We love the Red Sea:
I admire Jacques-Yves Cousteau. His incredible adventures in the sea have affected many of us. I think Cousteau has something to do with my interest to take some PADI Open Water diving courses 20 years ago and that I am now a great fan of the Red Sea. My husband shares my passion to explore the shores of the Red Sea and photograph the beautiful sea life.
THE RED SEA AND EUROPE 