Nuweiba, Egypt

Hi I've just returned from a brilliant underwater photography trip to Nuweiba. I went with 17 other Photographers. My first trip away by myself (apart from my Dad being there). I was a little worried at first but it turned out to be really good fun and very sociable.

The weather was hot hot hot and the water was 25 0r 26oC. The Coral Hilton Hotel was great with 2 pools and beautiful gardens.

I completed 13 dives including one 6am dawn dive and 2 night dives. I joined the trip to improve my photography especially taking wide angle photographs.

This is Dad on a night dive surrounded with Lionfish and Jelly fish.

The photographers were a wide mix of people all from different areas in the country and different working backgrounds. We all got on extremely well underwater and topside.

The reef in Nuweiba is jam packed with exciting things to photograph. From a big Spanish Dancer Nudibranch, to Lion fish, turtles, pipefish, shrimp, sea horse, frog fish all sorts of wonderfull looking species.

A big Octopus a photographers pictured below;

On the way out from one dive we started to collect litter, plastic bags etc that were floating in the water. After doing this I looked down and found a Frogfish nestling itself into my shoulder as though I was a reef! It must have been hiding in the plastic bag. We took a few photos of it on the cameras and then placed it back on the reef. This was a great find as we all love Frogfish and we hadn't seen one so far! I also amazingly spotted a sea horse in amongst a huge patch of sea grass. How I found him I don't know but he was definately once of the exciting parts of the trip. Photo in my portfolio below.

As the trip was about diving I hardly caught the sun with only an hour sat by the pool for the last 2 days. The rest of the trip was dive, review and edit photos, eat and the process was repeated 2 or 3 times a day.

It was my Dad's birthday while we were away so we managed to gather the photographers and all have dinner together with the waiters bringing out a giant half fruit half chocolate cake and singing in Egyptian funky style Happy Birthday to you.

On the last night we all gathered up our best pictures of the week and put them into a portfolio of 6 images. The Emperor Dive Centre staff, Dad and Heather and all the other photographers voted for their favourite portfolio and best image of the week. This was my portfolio;

Irish Andy ran away with the Best Portfolio gaining a huge amount of votes. His work was very impressive.

This is Andy looking at a beautiful small Spanish Dancer.

I came 3rd in the competition winning a lovely Emperor Dive polo shirt. And amazingly I won best image of the week with a photo of a lionfish reflected in the surface of the water by the jetty. It was taken only the previous evening on a night dive where we all got a bit too carried away and exceeded the 60minute dive limit by a further 45 minutes - oops.

I have to say diving in Nuweiba was addictive. I didn't managed to do any other the fun activities that the hotel offers - aqua aerobics, crazy golf, belly dancing lessons, kareoke night etc.

A little funny from my flight out;

I was sat next to an old man and his wife. He had fallen asleep. He woke up and was just staring at me from 6inches away from my face. I said 'I think you are asleep!' he said he was having a wonderful dream and was just about to kiss me! Yikes his wife was right there and on a plane there is nowhere to run too. We just had a giggle about it!

To do something a little alternative me and Rhiannon decided that it would be cool to photograph some camels in the sea. As Rhiannon had bad ear troubles and didn't get to do much diving she went off to negotiate with the local Bedwin men and women to get the camels in the water.

We had great fun shooting them. Julie also took a funny video of me encouraging the camels through the water, but the tables were turned as the men gee'd the camels on and I was basically running away tring not to get run over. They are big impressive creatures! I know I'm a chicken!

Love

Anna

Nuweiba 14th - 21st May

Hi Everyone

Its not for as long as usual but Anna is off on her travels again.

This time she will be leaving Chris behind in Cardiff. She is going on an underwater photography trip to Nuweiba, Egypt.

Photos to follow, possibly after the trip. 14th - 21st May 2007.

Chris and Anna went to Nuweiba in 2005, here are some photos