Be Free in The Egyptian Red Sea

Dec 9, 2016

By Kathryn Hodgson

Be Free in The Egyptian Red Sea

The Red Sea. A place for world-class diving in warm, gin-clear waters. It is a playground for scuba divers and snorkelers of all ages, a honeymoon destination for happy couples and an affordable beach resort for families.

‘The Red Sea. A place of adventure, somewhere to escape to and enjoy ocean giants such as whale sharks and thriving coral reefs.’

I muttered brochure descriptions to myself as I stood at the water’s edge, weighed down with scuba equipment and my heart racing with fear. Curling my toes into the golden sand, I dug deep to find courage and prepared to dive for the one hundredth time. Sheer obstinacy had carried me to this moment as a thirty-something trainee scuba instructor with a chronic fear of being underwater. I looked back at the palms lining the beach and thought of my old life in England. I had given it all up to be there, to conquer my fear and run towards a life in the ocean.

The beauty of travel isn’t just the exotic destinations, diverse wildlife and cultures that are explored. It is the opportunity to step away from daily life and experience a journey on many levels that makes travel so irresistible. People find themselves when they pack up a suitcase and leap into the unknown. Travel pushes beyond the impossible to where dreams are created.

As I descended towards the sand below me I thought of my dreams and breathed bubbles up to the surface. Months of hypnotherapy and visualization practices came to mind and my hand shook as I checked my depth gauge. I would put all I had worked toward for three years into practice and find my freedom. There was no going back, failure was not an option. The metres ticked by as I descended and admired vibrant tropical fish and soft corals that swayed gently in the current. A small torpedo ray glided past and ignored me, in search of its next meal in the sand.

I stopped, knelt on the sand and nodded at my dive buddy. He knew why we were there, what the moment symbolized. As we drifted with the current once more I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and pulled my scuba mask off. Panic threatened to engulf me and my throat tightened but I held on to the moment. I stilled my mind, opened my eyes to the world and eventually I smiled. I could see nothing more than sand and turquoise water, I had lost all sense of the world around me but I could feel the water against my face.

I was truly alive at the Red Sea. I was without limits and finally I knew what it was to be me.

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About the Author

Kathryn Hodgson

Kathryn is an environmental educator, public speaker and co-founder of the marine conservation cause Friends for Sharks. In 2015 she completed 87 public speaking events in 8 different countries during a World Tour for Sharks, including throughout both islands of New Zealand. Kathryn trained as a scuba diving instructor in Egypt, worked as a great white shark wildlife guide in South Africa and currently lives in West Auckland. Kathryn is the Managing Editor of The Scuba News New Zealand, is a reg

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