Marsa Alam – Marsa Asalaya – English Version

Marsa Asalaya is a very attractive lagoon between Marsa Alam and our resort Holiday Beach

If you click on image above you’ll go to google maps where you can watch where it is the lagoon

We have done 2 dives, the first on left reef and the second on right reef, the dives are very simple and we started from seashore.

The context is on this post: Marsa Alam – Holiday Beach Resort 2009

Before arriving to lagoon from our resort we have drove along the desert…

Leaving the hotel	The desert	The desert again
Military	Far from Port Ghaleb	A build in the middle of desert
How many buildings	Military again?	Abu Dabbab from a different view
Military 3	A great view from Port Ghaleb	I’m preparing…

And we are arrived to lagoon…

Someone is preparing

The instructor Roberto Piazza in the middle of picture.

We have done only one dive with Roberto, the night dive, but I have to say Roberto is a great man, very prepared and so delightful, and we have talked so much with him, and we have past a great time. Thanks Roberto. The next pictures are for you 😉

Technical data from first dive:

Maximum depth: 19,6 meters
Minimum temperatura: 28° C
Dive time: 43 minutes
Diving: SeaWorld
Divemaster: Ramadam

It was very hot and I used a one-piece suit without hood and 2 mm. Obviously I have entered in the sea with the camera… And here are some shots that I made (among them is very difficult to choose). Unfortunately, as we plunged the light was always very high but red disappeared quickly so photos are partially processed in post production to try to pick up a little the red channel and to avoid posting images only monochromatic shades of blue. The pictures taken near surface are less susceptible to this phenomenon and therefore less retouched.

Here our divemaster for these 2 dives, Ramadam

I’m preparing for my first dive into the Red Sea… finally

Me and Ramadam… and look to what I’ve on my hands…

When I plunged I quickly saw a beautiful Acropora and Pocillopora, but this is nothing…

Looking good, isn’t it? And we are just entered…

We can see the level of water…

fire coral

Another view…

Clown fish, Amphiprion bicinctus inside his anemone

Seaview…

An amazing view of this enormous Turbinaria mesenterina

Balloon fish, Arothron diadematus

Pseudoanthias squamipinnis over the reef

Xenia is also here…

Acropora sp

A very particular sponge

Acropora over brain corals

In the pictures there is one of the most beautiful fish, Pygoplites diacantus near a sponge

I don’t know what this coral is, so white and so big… but it was so wonderful

When dimensions count…

The same coral just view before

Fire coral at 20 meters deep

Impressive Acropora sp.

Chaetodon fasciatus

Another purple Acropora so beautiful…

Fire coral

Pseudoanthias squamipinnis over big fire coral

Xenia and Sarcophyton… There are also some softies here in the deep

Pseudoanthias squamipinnis and fire coral

Cheilinus lunulatus

Do you ever noticed I like fire coral?

Acropora and fire coral

A big seashell

So we come out from the sea… and we prepare again for the second dive

Technical data of second dive:

Maximum depth: 19 meters
Minimum temperature: 28° C
Dive time: 52 minutes
Diving: SeaWorld
Divemaster: Ramadam

In this second dive I’m obviously more at ease with the camera and then I took more pictures… and I can say that both dives are worth a while …

Acropora near seashore

Acropora near pink Pocillopora

Fire coral

What a great view…

Chromis viridis inside a fire coral

Two beautiful Chaetodon Lineaolatus

Pink Pocillopora

A very attractive Lionfish, Pterois volitans

In this great picture we see the fire coral again and a Pomacentrus sulfureus and Gonphosus caeruleus

A couple of the butterfly fish more attractive of the Red Sea. Two Chaetodon semilarvatus and in the right a Chaetodon austriacus

Acanthurus sohal run away from me

There are no words to speack about this yellow Acropora…

Balloon fish Arothron hispidus

Chromis viridis over two Acroporas

Who told the story there is no cyanobacters on the sea???

Another great fire coral…

Great LUMAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Incredible view of Acropora with Chromis viridis babies

Zebrasoma Desjardinii

Acroporas

Acropora with purple top

A very big Acropora and so interesting

Cernie (Cephalopholis sexmaculata) hides in the Acropora waiting for something to eat

A M A Z I N G … don’t you?

Yellow glass fish… Parapriacanthus ransonneti, many and many

Yellow glass fish… Parapriacanthus ransonneti, many and many

Yellow glass fish… Parapriacanthus ransonneti, many and many

A very attractive Capnella

Another Capnella almost white

Lumaz & Capnella

Capnella

Me… Dani… aka DaniReef

Sarcophyton

Acropora sp

Two incredible Favites…

Acropora sp.

Fire coral… did you believe I forget them?

Crocodile fish (Papilloculiceps longiceps), the first we saw but surely not the last

Another fire coral…

The top of reef

Do you know what coral is here?…

Sarcophyton (or Lobophyton)

And also for now the pictures are finished… and this is only the beginning, in the next days you’ll see all the big fish and many other interesting pictures, and, obviously, our amazing pictures take in the sea in the night.

Other post linked from the same trip:

– Introduction: Marsa Alam – Holiday Beach Resort 2009
– Marsa Asalaya
– Abu Dabbab
– Marsa Shoona
– House Reef
– Marsa Murein
If you want more informations about fishes of red sea you can buy the Red Sea Guide written by Helmut Debelius… from Amazon

Red Sea Reef Guide of Helmut Debelius ed. Primaris – Hollywood Import & Export Inc. Price: 61,32 $ on amazon.com