Running on empty!

Well I've never spent so much time deliberating about which picture to blip. I only took 165 today. They have finally sent my little 40GB ibook over the edge to the point it was screaming 'start-up disc full - No more, no more!' It's my own fault, I was supposed to be 'weeding' my photo library and deleting stuff in Jeddah. It was my 'project'.

As you've probably gathered from earlier blips though, I've been keeping myself out of mischief another way. Two months ago today, by the date, I took my first lesson of the PADI open-water scuba diving course. It seems like ages and ages ago but in that eight weeks, I've clocked up 915 minutes at various depths, to as much as 30m beneath the Red Sea. That's over fifteen hours!!! I've also acquired a number of scars on my legs from various bumps and scratches during the 22 dives logged. Not so good!

Today, I did my bit for the environment. It seemed quite fitting that I helped to 'clean up the sea' for my last dives, before I leave Jeddah. I signed up for the 'Project Aware - International Underwater Clean-up Day, sponsored by Desert Sea Divers, PADI and PERSGA. (The Regional Organisation for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. - I know the acronym doesn't correspond!) I was fortunate, because the International Clean-up Day actually falls on the 14th September, but because Ramadan kicks off next Weds/Thursday, Saudi does its bit a week earlier than the rest of the world.

Three boats, about 45 divers plus crew hit the waves and hooked up at three different locations. We collected a huge amount of rubbish, fishing line (tangled around the coral) and other random objects, using net bags and lifting equipment (glad I did the search & recovery dive on my advanced course!) to remove it from the bottom of the sea. It apparently takes over 600 years for a plastic bag to decompose underwater. (Not sure who worked that one out but still, a fair while!) We found broken anchors, rope, metal bars, shoes and a coffee pot, in addition to the mass of plastic bottles and drinks cans. My most bizarre find was a carpet/rug! It was in a bit of state and weighed a tonne. My only explanation of how it got there would be to suggest that it ran out of magic as it was flying above the sea!

It was a very successful and rewarding day. The coral was stunning, the fish were in abundance and I even clocked a blue-spotted ray as I was on the lookout for plastic! I had my dive-log book signed and stamped by a PADI course-director, who was there with the guy from PERSGA, to collect data and record the event on film and camera. The papers were there to wave us off and greet us back so I'd imagine I've made it into an Arabic newspaper as well! Watch this space!

I've LOVED the diving here- it's been absolutely amazing and I can't wait until I get another opportunity to do it. I feel very lucky to have dived in Saudi Arabia, with fabulous 'buddies' that I've met here. It felt strange washing my dive gear tonight when I got back. It's being packed tomorrow. :-(

EDIT: I did make the papers! Ha ha ha. This will be met with 'it could be anybody' comments but I can assure you, the one on the left, holding the bag is me!