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Thomas Reef

Sailing on from Gordon, we come to the next reef in the line up; Thomas Reef. This is a tiny blob of a reef, so small in fact that if the currents allow, and you are good on your air, it is sometimes possible to completely circle the reef in one dive. I will say however, that I have never quite had the right conditions to complete the whole loop, but I love trying when I get the chance, and have come close a couple of times.

This is one of my favourite reefs, as it is sooo pretty. Being small however, it is not a reef we can dive every day. It offers very little protection from the prevailing winds, and can result in a very short dive if the currents are running and the surface conditions rough.

Hence this is a dive we usually do in good weather. But it is so well worth the wait.

Like Gordon's white, sandy plateau, this dive too has a noteable feature... its canyon. A deep rift in the sandy ridge that plunges down from about 35M to depths just shy of 100M! Hence the canyon itself is not part of our recreational itinery. Should you wish to perform this as a technical dive, I have heard that it is a truly awesome experience to drop into the narrow chasm. Having said that, with advanced divers, we do like to hover over the top of the canyon at about 28M and look down! Very cool.

As a recreational dive, this reef is glorious for its beautiful corals and hordes of fish. Being so small, it is vulnerable to the strong currents, but it is these very currents that bring the nutrients that feed all that life. Whilst Gordon can be done as a mooring dive, Thomas is always a drift, with no permanent moorings (shamandouras) available at all.

We usually drop on the Southern most corner of the reef, checking the current to see that it is indeed running in the usual direction (allowing us to dive with the reef on our left). I usually start the dive swimming gently against the current if it allows, for a little while, partly to extend the distance before we may have to turn the dive, but also in order to take in the beauty of this corner of the reef. This is where the sun hits, and we get massive shoals of fusiliers, jack fish and trevallies hanging around there. After a few minutes, or if the current gets too strong against us, I then turn out into the blue, and take a left turn into the current. This is where I also start to drop down towards the sandy plateau that lies beneath us. Here you will find several very cool pinnacles and two giant gorgonian fences or hurdles at around 26M. If you can, take a moment to look for the tiny long nosed hawfish. A white fish, adorned with a bright red cross hatching that you would never imagine could be any kind of disguise until you see how it magically disappears amongst the branches of its gorgonian home.

After flying over the hurdles, I continue to veer away from the main reef out towards the blue, where I soon see the canyon open out as a dark crack beneath us. It just gives such a great sense of perspective here, to look down as we drift over it, passing one arch (bridge of coral) and then another. It is also around here that we can get some huge tuna, almost shark like in size that is always a great sight. And of course in summer, there is every chance that a big beastie could be passing by, especially if the currents are strong.

Once we have passed the second arch, I tend to head back in towards the main reef, shallowing off as I get to the wall, in order to extend our dive time. The shallows here are truly stunning, with fire corals, purple broccoli corals and just about every colour you can imagine hanging off the reef. The visibility tends to be really clear in the whole Tiran area, because of the deep waters, so it is a great time to just take in that big blue out to the side of you.

If conditions are windy, it is not long before a u-turn is needed in order to end the dive in the relative shelter of the front or South Eastern side of the reef. However if the sea is flat, we can just keep flying around the corner to the back of the reef. On the corner the wall slopes out slightly and currents can chop and change a touch, so we always look at the tiny orange anthias to see what to expect up ahead. They always swim into the current, and act as perfect road signs for us so that we can use the current to our advantage, rather than being completely at its mercy.

As we fly around the corner, the current usually picks up and very little finning is needed, just a little to control our direction, and again big gatherings of fish build up gathering nutrients or hunting for other fish.

The back or Northern side of the reef is another story altogether. The mood changes (and often the current!) and we are once again on a wall, but this time a shady, moody wall, full of drooping, coral laden overhangs and small caverns. Take your time to take a peek under the overhangs as they can be home to all sorts of life.

Sometimes we hit a counter current here, so have to gently work against it in the hope of catching the run of water heading in from the North. If that doesn't happen, or the current is too strong, we sometimes simply meander our way, zig-zagging back up the reef for the last few minutes of our dive.

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