Sport Diver's Deep Blue Teen, Natalie Tuke, has joined Broadreach this summer for another adventure – this time to explore the spectacular underwater wonderland of the Red Sea. Over the next three weeks she'll do 30 dives on some of the world's most amazing sites, explore colored canyons in the desert, take in sunrise at the summit of Mt. Sinai, camel trek along the sea, spend time with Bedouins and bond with the other 11 Broadreach teens on her trip. Each day her group will email us tales and photos from their adventures, and we'll post their updates here for you to enjoy. Prepare to get jealous!

To learn more about Broadreach, go to www.gobroadreach.com.

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Headed to the Red Sea!

Welcome back to What's Up! Today is the big day and the Red Sea group will finally meet today as they make their way to the Sinai! Soon they will be diving together at one of the most amazing diving destinations in the world as they get to know each other and learn more about themselves. While you are waiting to hear of their arrival, you can read about their leaders Liz and Ben. Both of them are just as excited about the program as the group is!

Liz Terk Liz ranks among the staff members that have the most experience as participants on Broadreach trips. Throughout high school she went on the Underwater Discoveries Advanced, Marine Biology Accredited, Fiji Vanuatu Quest, Honduras Eco-Adventure and Sinai Experience programs. This will be her fifth summer with Broadreach as a staff member, having led the Underwater Discoveries, Grenadines Voyage and Sinai Experience trips the last four summers. She is glad to be returning to the Red Sea with Broadreach this summer! With her passion for the underwater world and her keen understanding of Broadreach philosophies and goals, Liz is an excellent instructor.

Ben Boyles Ben spent several years as a Broadreach participant in the Caribbean before joining our staff as a dive instructor in 1999. After a total of seven summers in the Caribbean and one in Costa Rica, Ben is ready for new adventures and a fantastic summer in the Red Sea! Ben grew up in Raleigh, the same town as Broadreach's headquarters, so he's spent a lot of time working in our office, even back when he was a participant. He attended college nearby, and received a B.A. in Spanish and another in Communications from UNC-Chapel Hill. When he isn't working for Broadreach, he is pursuing his DDS at UNC-Chapel Hill. Ben's wit and ability to make fun out of any situation make him a favorite among both Broadreachers and staff.

Well worth the travelling!

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Day 3

At last we are here! After hours of sleepless travel and many discussions about the journey to come we are now ready to make our chatter a reality. During our travels, some of us had more difficulty than others, the three musketeers; Natalie Tuke, Alec Faggan, and Keith Peffer, all missed thier flight from JFK to London. With time, we eventually all met up and travelled together to Cairo and then onto Sharm el Sheik.

While in London, the group had quite an extended layover and as opposed to spending any more time in an airport, for we were quite used to this, we took a bus tour of the city seeing most of the major sites which included: St. Pauls, Parliament, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and a brief segment of the "changing of the guard." Our tour guide, Neville a.k.a. Austin Powers, provided us with some much needed formation and entertainment.

At approximatly three o'clock (London time), we returned to the airport for our departing flight to Cairo. Five hours following, we landed in Cairo at 12:00pm and boarded the last of our transportation methods, a bus that would take us to Sharm el Sheik in seven hours.

As the sun was beginning to rise, our bus pulled into the gates here at Sharm. We had finally made it! Without wasting any time, we checked into our view huts overlooking the bay, AWESOME, and made arrangements for our first dive. Bianca, our local dive leader, took us to Fiddle Reef where we underwent our skills test and gave us a taste of what's to come. The clarity of the water is just AMAZING and it has left everyone with an incredible taste as to what is to come ............

Our day ended with a fun, group dinner, where we shared our "glums" and "glows" just before we all went to sleep at around 9:30 (we were all exhausted). In the end, it has become clear to all of us that the traveling was well worth it!

Jenson

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A Wonderful first full day in Sharm! Day 4

After our first good night's sleep in a real, stationary bed in over three whole days, we all woke up ready and eager to begin the first full day of our adventure. Our enthusiastic "RA," Nick, got everyone out of bed, and we descended down our hilltop for a buffet breakfast at 7:15 AM. We then journeyed to the bus that took us to our dive boat, the Verdi, for our first two-tank dive of the summer. We motored out to the sites while we worked away on our Specialty Drift Diver course booklet.

After fighting to get in our wetsuits and damp and smelly booties, we finally jumped into the water to begin our dive at Ras Katy. It was a calm dive with beautiful coral and fish and was also our deepest dive to date. We had a two-hour surface interval to let the nitrogen escape from our bloodstream, but we kept busy through various activities, such as our second scrumptious and cultural Egyptian lunch, "defeating" a group challenge (both of our leaders were quite impressed), and a discussion of our goals, expectations, and fears for the days and weeks ahead.

After reviewing our coursework, we were ready for our first drift dive. We had the chance to relax a little bit as the current smoothly dragged us along the wall of a spectacular coral reef, and we had the luxury of not having to swim back to the boat, but instead it awaited our return to the surface. After getting back to land, we broke off into smaller groups and took to the touristy town near the dive shop. We cooled off with ice cream, exchanged some American bills for Egyptian pounds, and were awed by the "McArabia" sandwich at the local Mickey D's.

We returned back to our huts to prepare for an anxiously awaited dinner, when Ben and Natalie were thrilled to find that their luggage had finally arrived to our hotel, and Alec's belongings should be arriving soon. We ate as a group in a restaurant right near our inn, and we were all pleasantly surprised at how good the food was right near our own huts. Then we had our dinner rituals, where the "Pharaoh," Jensen, read a quote called Everything I Needed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. We also toasted our first complete day in Egypt and gave ourselves some time to reflect on the day that had passed.

We concluded our long, action-packed day with our closing ceremony, where we all discussed our "Glums" and "Glows" and passed on the leadership roles to three new people, after we officially named one of the three Alex's (Alex Cox), Horace, and changed the name of the health leader to Anubus. But before we went to sleep, we learned a lot from a local Bedwin friend named Omar, who works in our little village.

Nick

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Best diving yet! Day 5

Our Fourth of July started off with a wakeup call by our new RA, Andy, and a quick but delicious breakfast. We then began our daily routine by heading down to our boat the Verdi. We enjoyed our hour ride out to our new dive site, Woodside Reef while the stragglers finished up their course book to receive our Boat and Naturalist specialties.

Everyone jumped in the water (like penguins!) for the best dive of the trip thus far. Not only did we spot gigantic fish, but we also saw a six-foot moray eel and a HUUUGGGEEE turtle (the size of a large man). Alec enjoyed her first dive this trip hovering over the group with her Dive Buddy Jensen and Instructor Ben. As we put away our gear, another exquisite Egyptian cuisine was served on silver platters. Katie, Nick, Matt, Jensen, Charlie, and even Ben spent the surface interval sweating up a storm under the sweltering sun, while Andy, Elysia, Horus (Alex C.), and Alec snorkeled the deep ocean blue; (we just can't get enough).

The kids without their Naturalist Certification listened to a lecture by Instructor Liz. Just a few more dives and they earn their Naturalist Specialty! Our next Drift dive was enjoyed with the help of a ripping current; we even floated past a shark (spotted by Natalie)! However, Alex B. and Andy could not surmount the overpowering current as they swam on top of each other. After an early return, we spent the late afternoon bargaining with the locals over souvenirs. Keith, however, got some down time by the hotel's pool.

For dinner, we hit the street for delicious rotisserie chicken and several cultural side dishes. Natalie got her own special vegetarian dish, and we all finished the meal with a complementary Egyptian dessert. We celebrated the 4th of July at a local cafe with an amazing view of Sharm el Sheikh. We enjoyed the time talking and laughing with our own comedian, Jake. He was rewarded with the rest of his baggage; Alec's bags should come any year now. Meanwhile, Katie distributed licorice (following the knowledgeable advice of her mother in order to make new friends...it worked!)

-Alec Faggen

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Diving at Ras Katy

Day 6

When the clock struck 7:30 AM, our RA, roused us all from our sleep. We dragged ourselves out of bed (why is it so hot) and stumbled down the steep stairs to our buffet breakfast. After a hot and steamy bus ride, we boarded the Verdi, and set off on our adventures for the day.

When we arrived at Ras Katy, our first dive site, the group separated, as some went on a deep dive for their specialty and Advanced Open Water Certification. Those in pursuit of their AOWC did an experiment to test the effects of Nitrogen Narcosis by writing their name backwards on a slate. The others went on a chillaxed dive where they saw a gnarly eel, a juvenile flounder, lionfish, and an enormous puffer fish.

After the dive (O.M.G. it is soo hot) we were met by yet another wonderful meal cooked aboard the vessel. Later we motored to the next dive site where we got to hang out and swim for a little bit. So after some slammin' swimmin', some of the group completed their AOWC by doing a series of navigation exercises using a compass. During one of these, the divers had to maneuver their way along the ocean floor in a perfect square formation using only their compasses. A few of the other divers got the privilege of seeing a small octopus hiding in the rocks, it was a jolly good time!

We returned to town and took a refreshing dip in the pool at Camel Dive. We were excited to get back to land, and traveled home in an even hotter and steamier bus ride than before. We finished off the day wit a nice dinner. We all sat and watched the sunset with Omar, and, later, "went to bed".

-Nick Ross

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RS12 lends a hand!

Day 7

What's Up (Azek in Arabic)? Today, our RA, who shall not be named, woke us up at 7:30 AM, commencing our action packed day. We arrived at The Sharm El Sheikh Search and Rescue station eager for the knowledge that awaited us. Our informational guru, Sameh, warmed up our thinking caps with a test in navigation. He taught us how to pinpoint a specific location on a map and a GPS device.

After mastering that skill, we moved on to real life search and rescue situations. We were taken outside and given an overview of the super cool, lightening fast rescue boats. When we were brought back inside, the doctor on site, Osama, began a fascinating presentation on medical procedures in emergency situations, when all of the sudden, an emergency call comes into the station!!!! The medical team was out of the building in a flash- and we watched them rev-up the engines and take off on their mission.

After settling back into the conference room, and resuming our learning session, we were interrupted once again by another emergency!!!! The rescue team took off once again. We discovered the efficiency of the search and rescue team and their importance in the community.

Speaking of community, we all gave back today when we helped pick up trash on a neighboring beach. We all felt a sense of overwhelming gratification when we observed how much better that bad boy looked when we got through with it. The only person whose sense of bliss was slightly tarnished was Ben (our instructor), whose bag was tinkled on by the untamed beast, BUTCH. Other than that, and the soggy grilled cheese lunches, the day was pretty sweet.

We concluded our action packed day with a ride on the totally raaaaad emergency vessels. Each of us were able to drive them. Then we headed out of the search and recovery station and to "Old" Sharm el Sheikh (which was totally different from Nama bay, which is where we usually spend time in town) and ate a dinner of unidentified meat products, except for the vegetarian, who shall not be named either, who was served french fries. We enjoyed rice and lots different side dishes as well. After concluding our customary "glums" and "glows", we called it quits.

Bye, Charlie and his magical friends

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It doesn't get much better than this! Day 8

The day started off like any other day (if you were living in a Bedouin hut!) The group climbed down the 126 stairs to eat a traditional breakfast consisting of toast, eggs, sweet oatmeal and fresh squeezed orange juice. We then jumped on board the Verdi to depart to our first dive site, Jackson (a favorite of many worldly divers!) The group saw red anemone at 75 feet under water, (a color that normally does not appear at that depth), equipped with a clown fish (like Finding Nemo!) Some lucky divers also got to see an eel and a Stone Fish (the name does not lie; it does indeed look like a stone).

We broke down our gear to eat a delicious lunch of chicken, pita, veggies, potatoes, pasta and Egyptian dips. Some of us got to bask in the sun, while most of the group participated in a Rescue lecture in order to receive our Rescue Certification. Meanwhile, the crew jetted us to our next dive site, Ras Nas Rhandydjhgjdy (the spelling might be a bit off!) Here, the divers jumped in for a Drift Dive floating past spectacular coral and more red anemone (among other dazzling sea creatures!)

After the second dive, we of course relaxed in the Egyptian sun riding back to Camel Dive Resort. While waiting for a transport bus, some of the group jumped in the pool while others ran to get ice cream (not a bad day so far, eh?)

Dinner was spent back at a nearby restaurant, meeting Carlos (a photographer from Spain who will spend a week with us!) After our amazing meal of pizza, salads, pasta, chicken and any other dish you can imagine, we worked off our meal walking up the 126 stairs to finish our dinner rituals. Here, we found out about the tragic London attacks (a glum for all of us). We hope all of our family and friends are safe and as fortunate as we feel here.

Elysia

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Sharks and Yolanda Reefs take the cake! Day 9

This morning we were awakened at 7:15, and we were ready to go after falling back asleep until 7:27 (on average). After eating breakfast a little too slowly, and without any freshly squeezed O.J., we dashed to the bus for our ride to the docks. We boarded our boat the Verdi (also pronounced VeeerrrrdY).

Every single one of us passed out cold on the way to our first dive site, the intriguing and marvelous Ras Ghazlani. Yet although Raz Ghaz rocked our worlds, it was a small cactus in a large desert compared to our second dive site, the world renown Sharks and Yolanda Reefs, which clearly took the cake.

We "chumped" into the water, a little tired, but were revived by schools of fish, ranging from medium-sized fish to "ledium/marge" fish, including batfish, angelfish-shape fish, and swarms of great barracuda. OH YOLANDA, the fun didn't stop there! We ooood and awwwed at fighting eels, stonefish, the lionfish (tigerfish and bearfish, oh my!). BABY YOLANDA, the dive didn't stop there. We stayed close to the reef and saw the remnants of a sunken pirate ship, with piles among piles of TOILETS. Holy toilet handle Batman!

We surprisingly napped during our second surface interval upon the sweaty white pads on the Verdi before our final dive of the day at Ras Ummmmmm? Sid, not to be confused with Fiddle of course. The third dive was no second dive, but Carlos still found a million and one things to take pictures of, including us. We departed the Verdi for a bitter-sweet goodbye and with tears in our eyes, we said farewell to our dear and smokin' dive leader, BIANCA.

We then shopped around the town for a final hurah, desperately bargaining for good deals for gifts for "other people." We then went to a totally sweet and totally Egyptian meal, that costs just about nothing. We all enjoyed the food, until it reached our stomachs. We then hopped in a mini van for an eventful taxi ride. Our driver also gave us a little tour of the "ocean," and when we got back to our little huts, we packed for of four-day adventure to the wild and crazy world of the Sinai... (insert Arabian music here)

Peace out. A-town.

Keith P. and some magical helpers

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Camel trek to Mt. Sinai Day 10

Today we woke up with a long day ahead of us. We were heading out to the desert!! We only brought a small duffle bag (which was hard for some) and our sleeping bags then headed down stairs for our last breakfast at Sharks Bay.

After breakfast we met up with our guides standing out side our jeeps, packed everything in it and headed on out. First thing in store for us was a camel ride. After a couple of hours of driving we arrived at a beautiful spot along the water. Our guide instructed us on how to get on these crazy animals.

After we all got settled on the camels we started our hour and a half camel experience. The sight was absolutely breathtaking! To our right was the ocean and Saudi Arabia and to our left were tall sand mountains and cliffs. We stopped at a Bedouin village for lunch and said goodbye to our camels and hellllooo to food.

While we were eating the Bedouin girls appeared to sell their jewelry and head wraps. Most of the boy's bought head wraps and some of the girls bought jewelry. After relaxing we headed back into our jeeps and drove for a while until we finally reached our final destination for the night, right at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

We unpacked our sleeping bags and had a good pasta dinner. We all passed out by 10:00 anticipating our 2:00am wake to hike the mountain... Which we know is going to be an experience!

-Natalie Tuke

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A sunrise hike and a refreshing oasis... Day 11

Today we were awoken at 2:00 am by the sweet sound of our Rah's voice and the glare of his dive light. We quickly readied ourselves for the long hike ahead of us. After a quick cup of tea we departed around 2:30. We followed the long winding path up the mountain surrounded by other hikers making the pilgrimage to Mt. Sinai as well as those wonderful animals, camels.

After a three hour hike in the dark guided by our flashlights, and a final flight of steps, we were finally at the top. We all sat and watched the most beautiful scene unfold before our eyes. Slowly the mountains of the Sinai began to change color, first gray, then brown, then orange and the sun took its time rising.

After some photos, water and some snacks we began our descent back to our bags and the jeeps. After a very satisfying breakfast we packed up our stuff and headed to St Catherine's monastery. It is the oldest monastery in the world. We took some pictures and saw two little boys get into a fight. Our guide quickly stepped in and got them to calm down.

After all the hiking we treated with extremely refreshing dip at the oasis. Cold water is pumped up from an under group river into a bathtub that we were all able to dunk in. From the oasis we headed to where we would spend the night. While waiting for the dinner we enjoyed a competitive game of Broadreach Baseball. We all fell asleep exhausted under a million stars.

jake berger

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Hiking through beautiful canyons Day 12

Our rah woke us up at 6 am under the glorious Sinai sun. We gathered our stuff, had a quick breakfast and got ready for another hike. We hopped into the jeeps and bumped our way to the colored canyons.

We walked down a steep hill into the canyon. The canyons were absolutely beautiful. We snaked our way through beautifully colored cliffs some reaching about 100 or more feet above us. At one point we all had to shimmy our way between two rocks. Our guide told us how the beautiful reds and oranges came from marine deposits.

After a steep climb at the end of the hike many of us rewarded ourselves with a cold beverage. We climbed back into the jeeps where we spent the rest of the day.

After being in the desert for the past three days it was great to jump into the ocean again. Some of us went snorkeling while the rest of us we happy to just chill on the beach. We also enjoyed an awesome three course meal. We then headed to our last stop in the desert. We all settled in under the stars anticipating tomorrow's return to scuba diving and all the wonderful things the ocean has in store for us.

-alex berman