Final thoughts from the team!

Now that we are coming to the end of our time here in Dahab we felt that we should share with you some of our personal highlights and experiences. It has been a rollercoaster of a 6 weeks and the time has certainly flown by. Here is what the team has to say about their time in Egypt…..

Lydia Bach: I can recall many highlights throughout this expedition, and it is difficult to think about what moment was the most exciting for me. Right at the beginning of this expedition I went for a dive, and was able to see the grouper – moray eel interaction at lighthouse reef. It is amazing to see two different species hunting together, and I have been told that it is something really rare to see. There is a good Youtube video about this interaction here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukiw4wYwqPg

(- The grouper and moray eel I saw were a bit smaller)

Dahab has some beautiful diving sites, and I feel privileged that I was able to spend so much time under water, exploring coral reefs and collecting data. I also really enjoyed designing experiments and collecting data, feeling like I have achieved something by the end of the day.

I learned a lot from this expedition and it has benefited me a lot in terms of experimental design, carrying out fieldwork (under water!) and leading a team. It was an unforgettable time for me and I will miss Dahab and the daily challenges once I get back home. Finally, it was great to meet and get to know Hanaa, who is an amazing person and who I hope to stay friends with for a long time. She is very special to me and I will miss her.

Emily Waddell: As a zoologist, having taken part in expeditions to the rainforests where I studied birds and amphibians, working on a solely marine based expedition in Egypt was completely new to me. It is something which I have learned so much from, in terms of planning and carrying out marine studies as well as learning theory about how reefs function and identifying the animals found within; something which I only briefly learned as part of my undergrad several years ago.

 

 

Despite my short visit, I learned so much every day but one day which sticks out was when the local Bedouin tribe’s leader, Sheikh Salem, invited us for a snorkel. This experience has been a real highlight for me, as it was a great honour, but also the first time that I saw a coral reef close up. The colours were absolutely amazing; I saw a wealth of fish, rays and even a green turtle. I guess it is the first impression I had of this hidden world that was the most special to me. No wonder coral reefs are called the rainforests of the sea! 

Jennifer Freer: It is almost impossible to pick out a few highlights after spending six weeks doing what I love best but there are a few moments I won’t forget.

Our 6am dives were always the highlight of my day - the early morning light, the busy reef activity, the calm waters and no other divers in sight - bliss! 

After a long day in the water it would be off to the lab for data entry, literature searching and writing reports and blogs. Far from being the “boring” part of science, I will always remember the laughs we had in the lab as well as the daily breakthroughs or (occasionally) disappointments.

 

 

Perhaps one of the most special things for me is finding new friends here in Dahab and being welcomed into the community so wonderfully. I have learned so much from them about Egypt’s culture and its people. I will miss everybody here in Dahab, especially Hanaa and Sherif who I hope to stay in touch with. Old friendships have grown even stronger and I can’t imagine a more perfect bunch of people to go on expedition with!

This expedition has taught me so much about designing experiments and carrying out research in the field - the ups, the downs and being able to adapt to ever present challenges. I feel more confident in my diving ability, my scientific skills and my love for marine biology. 

Michael Mckenzie: The highpoint of the expedition for me has to be seeing a Hawksbill Turtle at the Lighthouse Reef. The turtle was around 8m deep and was swimming along past some honeycomb coral. I tried to get dive down as far as possible to see it and got to around 5m where I managed to see that it was a Hawksbill. If there was anything I wanted to see whilst in Egypt this would have been it!

 

 

The most important thing I have learnt whilst being here has been experimental design. Throughout the 6 weeks we have had to adapt constantly to equipment failures, changes in the team and weather conditions and I have learnt how to work around these problems whilst still collecting reliable data. I have also met some great people with whom I will keep in contact with, they have made the expedition such as enjoyable time and I have learnt so much from all of them.

Guy Henderson: I will take so many amazing memories with me when I leave Dahab, it is almost impossible to pick just a few to mention but I’ll give it a shot! 

Seeing an octopus up close and personal in around 1m of water at Sulemon reef was a hair raising experience. The day trip to Nabq was really special, stunning scenery, searching the shore for fossilised corals, strolling through mangroves and tea at a Bedouin camp to finish it all off.

 

Being in the water every day for six weeks working in amongst coral reefs in a variety of epic locations has been a real privilege, but for me the pinnacle has to be the people. Sherif and Hana from the University of Suez Canal, the locals, as well as the dive and research centre staff made us feel so welcome and I was lucky to be part of such an amazing team. Six weeks in the blazing heat working 12 hour days with some...ahem strong characters and not so much as a petty argument is a minor miracle in itself.

I have learned so much during my time here especially with regards to experimental design, field work skills, report writing and data collection. I have spent a lot of time in the lab working on the parasite study and my dissection and general lab skills have come on leaps and bounds. Having the opportunity to learn to dive has been a massive bonus and it is a great skill to have for the future.

Anna Persson: The greatest thing about the expedition I would say was the whole expedition experience itself. I've visited Egypt before as a tourist with my family but this time around I was able to see the country from different eyes as I met and befriended many locals as well as made new friends with Hanaa and Sherif from University of Suez Canal. I also got the opportunity to greatly improve my diving and underwater photography which was amazing.

Being able to learn from the other expedition members has been amazing as well. Not only things useful for university, but small things you wouldn't have thought about yourself. Being able to experience actual fieldwork has also made me absolutely sure that this is what I want to spend my life doing!

Gordon Gale: One of the most amazing things for me was to see the Lighthouse reef for the first time. Having note seen any substantial reefs before this was truly amazing, and to then follow this by seeing the Islands reef a few days later I was completely taken in. Overall the entire experience was incredible from start to finish but meeting all the people along the way that helped us and shared our experiences will be the most memorable. Getting to know the locals from Dahab and our friends Hana and Sherif from the University of Suez Canal has made me want to return to Egypt as it started to feel like a home from home.

To have the opportunity to be expedition photographer was incredible in itself but working alongside and learning from Marine Biologists has given me a deeper appreciation of an area of science I have always been fascinated by and am now motivated to learn more. Learning data capture techniques was fun and interesting and is something I will remember and would be able use again if I am lucky enough to have the chance in the future.

Lydia, Emily, Jen, Michael, Guy, Gordon & Anna