Sporting the latest Barbie accessory is Meena
With only a few days of the holiday left it was natural that the children would remember the sunglasses they bought before coming. Maybe it was meeting the italians or more likely just stumbling across them before we left the villa but we were given a beach fashion show by both children when we arrived at the beach. With the Italian girls nowhere to be seen the fashion show was cut short and we all got ready to go snorkeling. To show how appealing the sights of fish close to shore is even Francis, the nanny, who had not even wanted to come to the beach until we persuaded her to leave the house decided to join us by using the spare mask. The children’s constant nagging might have had something to do with it as well.
Not wanting to be outdone Adam gets out his shades
Looks like the Italian influence has made an impression
Adam giving instructions to his sister
On the way down to the sea Adam was curious as to why on this day a lifeguard was sat by the water when all the other days there had been no one. His simple question was, “Where have you been all the other days?” The lifeguard looked a little perplexed and only when he realized that Adam was accompanied by the rest of us did he offer a response. “I have been ill,” came the unconvincing reply. Adam was not finished yet with the lifeguard who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. A small frown was on Adams face as a question formed inside his head. “What would have happened if I was drowning yesterday?” was what finally emerged from a six year old boy clearly concerned at this stage. I wanted to go swimming and we were holding up the queue but at this point I was kind of interested to hear the response myself. We never got an answer from the embarrassed lifeguard ad Adam continued to be suspicious of the man all day.
Meena trying to catch a crab
Adam taking pictures with his own camera
Francis enjoyed her swim and the children enjoyed her joining them but she made it quite clear that was the one and only time she wanted to enter the sea. Back on land Meena and Adam turned into pure naturalists and wanted to explore the animals that were around the edge of the water. Actually Adam seemed to be giving directions and his braver sister was the one that was catching, or at least trying to catch, sand hoppers and crabs. Francis joined in and caught a crab. Seeing that Meena and Adam were afraid of being nipped by the small crab she preceded to pull off the two arms of the crab. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as she then tried to hand the armless crab to Meena. Meena looked at the crab and turned away to me saying, “She pulled his arms off!” I told Francis that she may as well have just stamped on the crab as it now stood little chance of surviving back in the water. She looked at me as if I was crazy and just returned the crab to the sea, as she passed me walking up to the beach her expression was clearly saying, “It’s just a crab you moron!”
Adam taking a close up of Suzy
Suzy, Yasmine and me at Sharm Reef Beach
Adam asking the lifeguard where he had been all the other times we'd visited this beach
Snorkeling with Yasmine and Meena in the afternoon I thought I heard Yasmine say shark from under the water. It’s amazing how a word like that can travel through the water when normally you can’t hear a thing. I quickly popped my head above water and Yasmine said shark again and then I could see her pointing down below. Quickly scanning the water below I could make out a shape that was moving in a shark like way. It turned out to be a large fish but it did look like a shark and there are sharks in the waters of Sharm. Yasmine told me be that she always used to see sharks by the coast when she swam here but now due to over diving and the pollution. It is amazing though how just hearing the word shark in the water stays in your mind. What also crossed my mind was that days earlier I had not fancied my chances with a barn owl, what chance would I really stand with a shark?
Even Francis couldn't miss an opportunity to see the fish
Adam, Suzy and Yasmine enjoying Sharm Reef Beach
The Pacha boat makes a brief appearance
Later in the afternoon Adam and Meena were invited by the Italian girls father to have ice cream. Yasmine and Suzy were sleeping on the beach so I thought it was an ideal time to go snorkeling. I wish that Yasmine had come with me because what I saw she would have loved. After about fifteen minutes I was started to head back towards the steps. Deep in the water below me I saw some strange white shapes but I couldn’t work out what it was. Concentrating on the shapes I gradually realized what it was. It was a giant manta ray. It was massive! Judging from the distance and its wingspan the creature was a wide as I was tall, if not bigger. It slowly glided through the water and was an incredible scene. Seeing the ray moving effortlessly through the water was a wonderful sight and for me was the best thing I had seen in the sea, which is saying a lot after everything we have seen on this holiday. I was torn from going up the steps and getting Yasmine or just watching it. But the ray just seemed to sink into the depths and disappear.
A parrot fish swimming close to shore
Another large colored fish comes in close
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