Under Aqaba's Waters

Day 44 Wadi Rum to Aqaba
When I nabbed Difallah’s web connection last night, I should have gone to weatherbet.com and got some dosh on today being a belter. It’s clear as a bell and even at quarter to seven, as the sun starts to bathe the mountains, it isn’t really cold. Perhaps the end of the ski jacket is in sight.

The bus to Aqaba was something of a surprise. For one, it got full. I had to sick with my daypack on my lap, while holding my big back in the aisle. On the way from Petra there’d been a dozen or so tourist and a local or 2, while we piled the bags on the unoccupied back seat. Here, I’m the only tourist. I don’t know where all the others went; hope the desert didn’t get em.

Coming to Aqaba, I saw one of the all time greatest road signs of all time: at a fork in the road, the main road was signed Aqaba City Centre, while the other way was simply the Back Road.

I’d checked in by 9 a.m., which seemed all wrong. I had a very leisurely settle in and shower before heading out. My main aim for the day was to post Petra and confirm my Open Water Padi diving course. I wandered down the beach, looked at the big flag and figured I had loads of time. Stumbling into the dive shop area, I met Talal who’d I’d been exchanging e-mails with and confirmed I’d do the Open Water in the leisurely 5 days we’d discussed. ‘OK. Today is day 1’. I think he saw the look of surprise on my face: ‘it’s OK’, he said handing me the manual ‘you just need to read chapters 1-5.’

Well that doesn’t sound so bad I thought.

‘Fill in the knowledge reviews and we’ll go over it tomorrow. Go to the water in the afternoon.’

Knowledge reviews, that’ll be a bit more work, still sounds OK. I did a few more odds and ends and then sat down with an ice cream (the sun’s out and the sandals are now on the feet) to look at the manual in a little more detail. It’s 250 pages long; there’s a pop quiz every 2 pages or so and there are only 5 chapters. I’m supposed to get through all of this by tomorrow? This is leisurely? Has he any idea how slowly I read?

I bought some lunch for tomorrow and I had about an hour on the net, apart from that my head was in the book, even during dinner. At 10 I had to put it down-I was shattered after 5 consecutive starts of 6 or earlier.

I’d just finished the knowledge review of chapter 2. I was going to be put in detention.


Day 45 Aqaba Adventure Divers-School
I had to catch the school bus at 8.45. I’m not sure when I last really learnt something. I certainly don’t know when I last spent 9 to 5 reading an instruction manual, watching videos telling me stuff and doing multiple guess. Man I read slowly.

My failure to address chapters 3-5 meant that we didn’t get into any water today-just as well it’s quiet season and the training is 1 to 1. It was getting painful, so I promised to do chapter 5 tonight, watched the video lectures for all 5 chapters and did the multiple guess for the first 4. Got 40 out of 40 on that, so my painstaking approach was bearing some fruit. I would never have managed this in 3 days-there’s just too much to read. The theory has taken me nearly 2 days.

Day 46 Aqaba Adventure Divers-Confined dives 1 to 5
I walk to the dive shop each morning, where I meet one of the other instructors. When the Belgian couple he takes diving and the shop manager have arrived, he drives us the 18 km down the coast to the dive centre. This morning we had a little stop at a ‘small gas station’. This particular fuel stop was down an alley and round the back of a couple of buildings. There wasn’t a pump, but we did take on 4 watercooler sized bottles of the good stuff. The ‘benzine’ is brought from Saudi in a ‘small car’; actually in a fairly large BMW, but I guess a van or minibus attracts more attention. It made me wonder if there are any ‘small petrol stations’ in the UK: I guess some farmers run diesel ones. The Belgians wanted to get a photo; to my total unsurprise this was against the rules. From the road you can see Israel and Egypt. Take a boat a few hundred metres, or be brave and swim and you can see Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Yet I haven’t noticed the military presence here, unlike the heavy amount at the Dead Sea.

Each of the 5 chapters of The Manual has a corresponding confined dive: the idea of a confined dive is to learn a number of skills in a controlled environment. They’re normally done in a pool. As I left last night, I casually asked ‘where’s the pool?’ ‘We do the confined dives in the sea: you dive in the sea, not in a pool’. Oh.

I can see this point, but seeing as a number of the skills involve getting water in my eyes, I’d prefer the pool. A pool would be a lot stiller, which gives you one less thing to think about. Also, being in the sea pretty much eliminates the underwater perv options that a pool presents.

My failure to get my school work in on time has meant that I’m doing all 5 confined dives today just as soon as we’ve been over my homework, knowledge review 5, and I’ve sat my final exam. It turned out that half 9 isn’t the best time to sit your finals: I got one question wrong by thinking A and crossing the box for B. It was worth 2 marks and all. So I ended up with 138 out of 140. As a theoretical diver, I’m pretty damn good. I was reminded of wise words ‘Good against remotes is one thing; good against the living……’ So let’s no get ahead and remember diving is done in the sea.

The manual summarises what happens in each confined dive. Actually, it summarises what is required-at no point does it say ‘John will repeatedly stuff up clearing his mask’. I hate doing this and it was skill 2 on confined dive 1, so that combined with my confined sea location was making me a bit nervy. To clear your mask, you first have to unclear it, which I also hate. This means letting water into your mask deliberately, which is totally counter intuitive. I was very good at this, completely flooding the damn thing, which gave me plenty of water to try and clear. We’re doing this sat down in a bit more than 2 metres of water, yet it was still humiliating to have to emerge from the water twice to be asked what was wrong (and what was I doing). Or was it three times.

I got it in the end. Which was just as well as I still had some similar things to come: remove, replace and clear mask underwater; breathe underwater for a minute without mask, then replace and clear; swim around without a mask, then replace and clear.

Here’s something I never thought I’d say. At times I felt like Justin Hawkins, if he is the chief of the Darkness. Before you get worried, this wasn’t because I felt like a washed up loser, wandering why no one likes me and Motley Crue tribute band any more. But with my front fastening wetsuit, my only real choice was to unzip it to the navel when walking round in the heat, jumpsuit-tastic; the dried salt on my face looking like cheap makeup; chuck in the sea’s effect on the blonde locks and I feared a scary sight was on patrol on Aqaba’s beach. Reckon I have better teeth than Hawkins. Justin-if you’re reading this from the Priory-maybe the world’s ready for a Hue and Cry tribute band. The Dampness?

We covered a lot of things including sorting my buoyancy, underwater striptease-taking off my weights and scuba kit before replacing them, have my air turned off so I know what it feels like if it runs out, emergency ascents and sharing a single second stage (the breathing bit) in classic movie out of air stylee. This isn’t really done anymore-almost all gear has an alternate second stage, allowing 2 divers to use one tank without swapping saliva underwater.

I think my favourite skill was the fin pivot: you adjust your buoyancy so that when you exhale you like face flat on the bottom (you do that by adjusting the amount of air in your BCD-buoyancy control device). Then when you breathe in, the air in your lungs means your upper body rises up and you pivot around your fins, which stay touching the bottom. Breathe out and you go back to the bottom; breathe out a little hard and you go down a bit too fast.

Oh and there was a lot of high fiving, but no duding. I think this may be why I prefer diving to surfing.

By the end of the day I was getting carried away and thinking of doing the advanced course in Egypt. (it is the next step, although the title makes it sound like I am getting very carried away). This include options like deep dive, wreck dive, cavern dive (no so appealing), enriched air dive, drift dive (whatever that is) and night dive. Even thinking of buying some gear when I get back home and becoming a total bore.

And I’d just like to wish Robin and his twin a very happy birthday. I’m not sure when you’re reading this (or when I’ll have posted this), but today is February 29th, so it’s their first birthday for 4 years.

Day 47 Aqaba Adventure Divers-Open Water 1 and 2
Today’s witterings are brought to you by the power in the union, wistful nostalgia for an England that never was and a sadness that most love is destined to be unrequited.

Yup I am writing this while listening to the God like genius that is Billy Bragg. I believe I have told many people before that the world would be a better place with more Billy Braggs in it; I’m still delighted that I won a trivial pursuit chocolate at Xmas by answering a question with the answer Billy Bragg (I kept the wrapper with the question and all).

I think I only know two other people who really love Billy Bragg. So many people are missing out.

Thanks to the wonder of earworms Billy Bragg is rarely far from my mind, but he is at the forefront right now as I am enjoying my early birthday present from the Sozz. The magic of iTunes allowed him to send me the new Billy Bragg record (that’s the end of all those album of the year contests then) and carrying a laptop round for the last 6 weeks has finally paid off as I downloaded it while posting on Wadi Rum. Sometimes technology really is a wonder.

This appears to be an album that could introduce the wonder of Bragg to the uninitiated/non-believer: it’s called ‘Mr Love and Justice’, which is a pretty fair summary of what the Braggster is about. The album then runs two sides of the same songs-one in classic Bragg guitar and mic mode (not got there yet) and the other with his band the Blokes. Very much the two sides of Bragg; it’s worth noting that his turning point to more involved arrangements was ‘Don’t Try this at Home’ in the early 90s, for me his finest album, which saw contributions from several members of R.E.M. as well as some Stipe backing vocals. Even the biggest band in the world owes Bragg.

While I’m at it, I’m just going to recount one more time my favourite song intro ever. 97 or 98, Sozz and I are in Bristol to see the man himself (first time for both of us): a time when the Spice Girls were selling a couple of records. Billy took time out to introduce us to the 5 members of the blokes backing him. ‘On Drums Posh Bloke, bass Ginger bloke….Baby Bloke,…..Scary Bloke……., Sporty bloke. {Pause}. I’m Ugly Bloke and this is my song.’
I was 21 years when I wrote this song
I’m 22 now but I won’t be for long
Not a dry eye in the house.

My first memory of Billy Bragg is my first year at Rugby and someone 3 or 4 years above me came back from Our Price and proceeded to remove a new Billy Bragg album (yup, vinyl) with one of his great ‘pay no more than £3.99 for this record’ stickers on. You see you don’t have to subscribe to Socialist Worker to love the Braggster, it’s politically aware romance for all.

Smash the system.

OK. Should I talk abut diving now? I bet Billy would be a great diver. Enough? Oh alright.

I saw quite a lot of fish today, even though the emphasis is still on skills. Lion and stone fish, some lovely coral and the first time I can remember seeing a Moray Eel. It looked pretty harmless peering out of its coral lair, but I understand a wide berth is in order. Sadly we also did some litter picking, still it showed I was managing my buoyancy nicely enough.

I cleared my mask first time today and all essentially went well except that I was again too casual with my out of air signals. I need to work on my acting as I’m clearly not conveying any urgency in my ‘I’m under 10m of water and have no air’ hand signals.

The swimming and floating tests were snuck on the end of the two dives. I’d clean forgotten about these: these were definitely my number one dread. I have a swimming style that involves massive effort and little progress: I opted for the 300m option with mask and fins-the no mask option was just 200m, but the sea was getting quite choppy. I’d far rather swim a 1,000m under water with my scuba than either of these options. And as for the floating test. The Manual states on numerous occasions that most people float. I don’t: just another thing I have in common with dozens of leading international sportsmen. I think our high proportion of dense muscle makes floating highly unlikely. I wonder if Billy Bragg floats. Anyway, I drank a fair amount of sea in the floating test. Still got through it, so just 2 dives tomorrow. Fingers crossed I’ll be certified in 24 hours.

I also handed over my photos today: I had to get 3 (I forget what happens to the 2 that aren’t going on my diving card) and despite telling the photo shop I only wanted 3, they still gave me the full set. So I have 5 left over passport photos and this:



Apparently I can give it to my girlfriend: well, it’s a novel way of dumping someone.

As well as looking to do my Advanced in Dahab, I’m now also up for the idea of learning to be an ice diver. I’ve even been wondering whether you can dive if you take one of those trips to the Antarctic. You’d need to add 4m to your calculations for no decompression-to account for the cold you see. Really have learnt something.

I had a slightly early finish, so over lunch I had a read on Aqaba and thought about what I might do. I figured I’d leave the fort till Monday and it was too windy to sit on the beach and read Oscar Wilde, so I turned to the Jordan Experience. The one non-diving thing I’d really clocked about Aqaba before arriving. Here are some extracts from the Jordan Experience flyer.

“Thrill to this multisensory experience, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It is a journey through the country’s most spectacular and captivating sites……walk through our Siq with its enchanting sounds of birds and horses…..enter the gathering room where you will get chance to watch scenes from the internationally known TV show ‘The Royal Tour’ showing his majesty King Abdullah travelling across Jordan {they really love him; I was told today he once rode his motorbike from Amman to Aqaba-about a 4 hour journey, not the most impressive feat}…..the Jordan Experience culminates with an amazing aerial trip over Jordan with moving seats and the largest screen in the region.”

Who could resist that? But they even miss out the best bit. What the flyer doesn’t mention is that the ‘amazing aerial trip’ is on a flying carpet. So I turn up for the Saturday showing at 5 pm (last show 6). The ticket sales girl tells me they need 4 people to put on the amazing spectacle. I left at 5.10-they were 3 people short. Bloody tourists……

Over dinner I was reading about Egypt. I’m kind of committed now, but I wonder if I would have gone if I’d really thought about it beforehand. I made a politically influenced decision not to go to Israel and with what has happened in Egypt regarding political openness and human rights, I’m not sure I should be going there either. Interestingly Egypt is highly dependent on US Aid. They get $600 million a year and another $1.3 billion in military aid. You what? Does that not sound just a little bit crazy.

I know a lot of travellers plan their birthdays so they’re in a special place and doing something special. Here’s my plan for Tuesday.

10.00 Get Taxi to port for 2 hours messing around prior to
12.00 Ferry to Egypt. Astronomical $60 for a one hour trip to
1.00 Nuweiba. Enter Egypt, expecting border control fun. Walk to bus stop, through what sounds like a fair bit of hassle then sit around till
4.00 Bus to Dahab.
6.00 Or so, arrive Dahab and find my way to the Penguin resort. It was sounded good and Jade’s just told me to stay there, so fingers crossed it may be a spot for a beer or two.

Not the greatest day ever. And you know what? I couldn’t give a monkeys. I’ve already been given the greatest birthday gift a man could have-Billy Bragg’s Mr Love and Justice. Maybe if I play it in Egypt it’ll help them smash the system.

Day 48 Aqaba Adventure Divers-Open Water 3 and 4
I am now a certified diver, I have a temporary card and a permanent one will be sent to me together with my certificate-pucker stuff this. Technically this means I can jump in the water with another qualified diver and sink away to my hearts content; realistically it would be unwise of me to do this at a great many sites. I deliberately didn’t take any photos until I’d passed, it felt like tempting fate. So here’s a classic scuba psycho shot



and here I am with Moutaz, my super teacher dude



You’ll notice that I of course have no underwater photos, since I don’t have the right casing for my camera. One of the dives that is an option in the Advanced Open Water is underwater digital photographer; if I can get a casing in Dahab, I may go with that if possible. I’ll see what they recommend in Dahab, but as I don’t expect I’ll be able to do an ice dive I feel fairly set on doing the wreck and night dives, which I expect to be terrifying in the dark. Deep dive and navigation are compulsory for the Advanced: the latter may be interesting as the compass skills today were rather taxing. You have to hold your right arm out straight in front, hold your right elbow with your left hand so that he compass on your left wrist is in front of you; then you follow the bearing you want, while counting the number of kick cycles (so you know how far to come back). This got a bit much for me and I was concentrating on all this so much that I forgot to breathe.

I’ve never been much of a swimmer and I’ve never been very comfortable in water: I’ve done a fair bit of snorkelling, but always disliked the snorkel itself. I’m not one of those of snorkellers who hyperventilates and dives down for a closer inspection. I’m no water baby, so I’m really rather pleased with myself. By the last dive today, which was just for kicks really, as we’d done all the required skills in the first 3, I was much better than I ever thought likely at this stage. I was really in control and was even swimming slowly, previously I’d been burning round a bit all over excited. Slow and steady gives you a lot more time for the air in your tank.

I’ve decided to have a chill day tomorrow to give my ears and body a rest: all the dives here are shore dives, which means in addition to the actual diving, each of my 9 dives involved walking down the beach and into the water fully kitted up. Then back afterwards-my shoulders have been a bit sore at night. Still, I’ll miss the bus ride to the dive sights:



I went to watch the sunset and read some more about Egypt and on the way dropped by the Jordan Experience-still not got a quorum, give it one last go tomorrow.

I’ll be heading to Egypt 5 days ahead of schedule, which is quite impressive as my original plan was 3 days short: I guess Johnny A may not be too shocked that I’ve gone 8 days quicker than I had thought. It looks just as well from what I’m reading about Egypt. Luxor sounds like one of the most ridiculous places on earth: named the world’s biggest open air museum both banks have a plethora of things to see. I think I’ll need a week and I hadn’t budgeted for any more diving in Dahab.

Still, it’s all good……