Море. Порт Галиб. Sea. Port Ghalib.

Sea. Port Ghalib.
While waiting for the April arrival in Marsa, I spent time on the "weather" sites. Wind forecast trends made me worry. I concluded for myself that up to 5 m/s it is still possible to snorkel quite tolerably, it is difficult to snorkel at 5-8 m/s, and after 10 m/s you can only swing on the waves, 15 meters from the reef collapse.
*** Hurghada Airport met us with sand in the air and rather sharp gusts of wind. The sun, breaking through a whitish veil, tried to pretend not to be Egyptian at all. The Pegasus bus sped briskly south. In Mars. I looked through the window into the distance at the mountains appearing on the horizon. From them breathes, some kind of secular calmness, inviolability... ***

My first trip to Egypt was in the Marsa Alam region. And it was she who left an imprint on all further trips to Yegi: neither Sharm nor Taba left those hard-to-describe and barely perceptible impressions like a trip to Marsa. We see this is love : )) And all my expectations, disappointments and delights about Mars will be very subjective.
*** Lounging in a sun lounger, I phlegmatically watch how the waves, wrapped in a pipe, crumble, turning into a "milky" surf. A net with equipment is lying under your feet - to swim or not to swim ! ? The noise of the sea drives into a trance. Too lazy to move. . . ***
Entry into the sea. There are two solid piers. Plazovsky and to the south Interkontinetalevsky, located at the very beginning of the entrance to the bay. The distances between them are maybe 300-400 meters. You can enter from either one or the other. From the Interovsky pier, if you move along the coast towards the port, there will be a small sandy entry. It is quite steep and already two meters from the shore there will be a depth of about two meters. Lifeguards are on duty at the piers. If a red flag was oared on Plazovsky, then a yellow flag could well have been hanging on Interovsky - if you sail towards the sandy entry, then there were less waves there due to the features of the relief. Both piers go beyond the "dump", with depths of 10 meters. As a result, upon entering the sea - respect and respect : )
*** The Intercontinental Pier shudders a little. The slender line of the crest of the wave, having broken on the supports of the pier, rolls over the reef plateau. Chaotic mounds of water, pushing each other, shake orange balls from side to side. Behind them is the entrance to the bay and the buoy marking the border of the ship's passage to the port. . . ***
Where did they swim? Interovsky pier. In the direction of the port - to the sandy entry. A rope with orange balls is stretched along the reef. It is not recommended to swim behind it, and why not, because behind it there is a ship's passage to the port itself. The water here is cloudy. Stingrays and moray eels have been spotted. Well, everything is as usual. You can swim a couple of times.

*** Holding the mask with my hands, I fall into the dark water. A flock of tiny air bubbles scatter from the glass of the mask. Exhale sharply into the tube. Several weeks "in throwing" And WHERE? ! - almost two days of waiting for hotel confirmation - 3 hours at the airport - 5 hours of flight - 4.5 hours of transfer to the hotel - several hours at the hotel for arrangement - and here it is in a moment... muddy water, lonely fish clinging to the reef, BUT the body throws into the blood what he needs for joy. I feel my heart starts to beat faster and I want to scream - I MISSED YOU -MOOORE! : )... ***
Where did they swim? Interovsky pier - Plazovsky pier. Well, everything is correct in reverse order. We used to go from Plaza to Inter and back. It took a little over an hour. If you don’t swim far, then the most interesting option. Turtles were seen once. Well, everything is standard. There is a big one. Depths - I think up to 20 matches. Further gently descending bottom. The water is correspondingly more transparent than in the bay.
*** I move my fin tips a little. Fish from the chatter hide under the overhangs of the reef. Leisurely "soar" over the sandy bottom. Inhale and decisively down. A couple of swings with fins, the clock seems to be 4 meters, I relax and let the water slowly and reluctantly at first, and then push me to the surface faster and faster. Another dive, another... 7 meters - I suppress the first desire to take a breath - a wave of fins - an approaching surface - exhale. Don't go deeper, I haven't been in the water for half a year, I have to dive. . . ***
Where did they swim? Plazovsky pier - to the north outside the hotel. 30-40 minutes one way, then back. Didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary. Standard set. Depths and transparency are similar to the previous one.
*** Even more sand in the water. The rope with orange balls rests on the shore - you can't go any further. I raise my head out of the water - the shore is two meters away. The bottom is sandy, goes down from the water's edge at an angle of 60 degrees. This is the Intercontinental sandy entry. I swam back. . . ***
Where did they swim? Plazovsky pier is a cove to the north of the hotel. Swim for 50 minutes to the beginning of the bay. There is sand in the bay, so the water is murkier. They say you can walk and go there in the center of the bay. Haven't tried. Only swim. I hoped to meet stingrays and turtles there - the hopes were not justified.

*** Headwind and excitement. Somehow it doesn’t really float back to me. Dive of 3 meters and horizontal "flight". It's more pleasant, but not enough cargo. Pulls to the top. When will I buy a couple of quick-release... ***
Where did they swim? Plazovsky pier - to a house with a garden and a fence (as Wikimapia suggests - this is a villa of some kind of His Highness). It was the "farewell swim" on the penultimate day. Across the bay further north. Swimming is worth it. Nice coral carpet. Just hills and valleys. There is a big one. They went there with the wind, they sailed back against. It took about two hours for the whole swim.
*** O! Pier already! Here is a lifeguard - I'll dive in, I, lastly deeper. If you can get something : ) Inhale-exhale-inhale-exhale-inhale.
Down-down-down-7 meters - it became easier, buoyancy is approaching zero -9 I want to breathe in -10 more! ? -11 is enough! - pause two powerful strokes with fins up - the restless silvery surface of the sea is up to me in the height, how much to her? ! Meters 7-6! ? WANT TO BREATHE UP! - a couple more vigorous strokes, how many? 3 meters! ? I need an INHALE! OK, I DO IT! I stop working with flippers, inertia and salt water throw me to the surface - EXHAUST! Water flies out of the tube - VdoOOHh !! ! ***
After the swim. Shower/toilet - 100-150 meters from sunbeds. It's still 100 minutes to the bar : ) It didn't bother us at the moment.
Wind. A couple of days turned out to be "not flying" - so they blabbed a little on the waves and that's it. Quiet for a couple of days. The bulk of the acceptable excitement.
What they didn't do, but they wanted to. It did not make an early-morning swim. They gathered, almost every day, but slept very well, or the weather was alarming... In general, they excused themselves. Lazy : )
*** Lying on the surface, restoring my breath. Carries me! ? Oops! Moved away from the pier, and then the current. Rowing against, it's okay. Rowing... rowing... here it is - a ladder. Ufff! Tired. I'm sitting on the pier. The wind blows salty drops from your hair. I'm good as hell. How I love you - SEA! ***

Well, in short TOTAL: the reef did not disappoint, but did not delight either. Kind of mediocre. More was expected.
*** I slap barefoot on the scorched sun and salty warm wind - the trees of the pier. The mask is shifted to the forehead, flippers under the armpit, salty drops, falling from the "hydra", leave a trace behind me. Just for a couple of minutes, then they will disappear. It remains for me to spend 9 more days here and the "drops" of these days will remain with me. Will not disappear : ))) ***