Lunch Aboard the Ghost Ship

It had been our plan since our trip to the Al Fahad a few weeks ago, to return and have lunch with Ibrahim and Mohammed, our new Sudani friends. We had hoped that we may have met them before, in Jeddah, as they had expected to get some time on land, to come and deal with their affairs. As it turned out, the call never came, and we wondered if our chance for a second visit would happen or not.

We had spoken with several friends about joining us, but through a sequence of different events, in the end, it  turned out to just be myself and Ali.

That morning, Ali texted to say we would be going, and Mohammed called back. They were excited about our coming, and amazingly, even asked how we liked our fish cooked. 

I don't know how to describe how we felt as we drove the hour and a half's journey down. It isn't often one attends a lunch invitation aboard a shipwreck, so there was a real sense of excitement to see the guys and find out more about them, as well as uncertainty as to what to expect of our meal.

Approaching the Al Fahad

This time, we also went prepared, with Ali's GoPro, and in the absence of a decent underwater camera, we took a pouch that will keep a mobile phone dry while in the water. We were set for the return voyage.

The guys told us that the Al Fahad had been a passenger ferry to Jeddah, bringing pilgrims from Sudan for Hajj and Umra. On board are many life jackets however, providing much nesting material for the pigeons who have made it their home. It is difficult to know therefore, on first impressions, whether the ship was purposefully grounded, or whether it was a genuine accident. Whatever it was, it seems that the lifejackets and lifeboats were left intact. We wondered if perhaps the proximity to the shore meant that these things were not required.

We climbed down over the ancient coral edge of the land that must, at one point have been under water, but now formed a low cliff, about the height of a man, and in some placed cantilevered out over the water. We found an area where there was a broken off piece that we could use as a step down. You don't really want to be sliding off this, as, unlike rock near the shore, it is very sharp, and a wrong move will result in a nasty scratch or graze.

As we walked over the coral shore we were conscious of the damage we may cause, so snorkelled as much as we could, and when we walked, we followed each others' footsteps. It is pretty impossible to reach the sea proper on many parts of the Red Sea shoreline. Many of the private beaches actually dig out a swimming area and fill it with sand for bathers. You certainly can't walk out over the shallows without a pair of hard soled diving boots.

As we placed our heads beneath the water  we were, as usual, astounded by the incredible amount of life just under the surface. Tiny fish teamed about us, and dotted all around were the strange, black sea cucumbers. We paddled out until we came to an area where the coral had risen up and formed a natural barrier from the open water. We removed our fins and waded through the narrow strip of seaweed to the point where the waves broke over the edge of the reef.

It is at this point that we always get the best treat. Putting on our fins again, with our masks over our faces, and occasionally being knocked beneath the waves, we would catch random glimpses of the life below the water line, on the edge of the reef. The colours were astounding. It sat there like an underwater garden, literally teaming with life. Once again, I wished we had brought our diving gear as there is so much to be seen here. Our mission however, was to go for lunch.

I did hope that perhaps a sea turtle might come and join us, or we might catch a glimpse of a shark or dolphin. This time, I was to be disappointed again, but at least it meant we could continue onwards quickly towards the boat.

We swam outwards, and watched the reef sink away beneath us as we reached the open water. The seabed below us became a blurry yellow, where we would occasionally make out indistinct shapes darting around. We stopped occasionally to stick our heads above the water to ensure we weren't thrown off track by the current.

As we got closer to the ship, another reef appeared. We began to see schools of silver fish darting around in front of us. They were later to entertain us as we sat and drank our tea and watched as they broke the surface of the water. We glanced up and saw the guys, giving them a wave before swimming towards the gaping side of the ship, where we had our own, personal barnacle clad, jetty. It was quite difficult to berth there as the water threw me back and forwards quite forcefully, and there was no way that I wanted to be going home with a chest covered in scratches from the barnacles, so I tried to work with the waves and allowed them to push me as I used my hands to keep my front off the surface, until I ran aground and spun over to sit.

I'm certain I felt a tiny pinch on my bottom as I did this, but there was no evidence of a squashed crab as I looked to inspect.

Ali got himself aboard also, and we then began to explore, though this time we had much more fun with the cameras as we photographed the funny angles we seemed to be standing at. The rust also helped to create some quite interesting shots in itself. So we gradually made our way up to meet our friends.

It turns out that the Al Fahad was built in 1966, in Holland, for a British Company, 'Townsend Brothers Ferries', which became 'European Ferries' operating as 'Townsend Thoresen' in 1968. I had secretly hoped it had been a Clydebuilt ship. There is a wreck near Yanbu, called the Iona which I can find little information about, and I haven't yet dived. I always wonder if it may be a Clydebuilt ship. Hopefully I will dive it soon and learn more.

It seems that the boat was initially known as the 'Free Enterprise III' but was renamed when bought by The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, when it became known as 'Mona's Isle VI'. It covered Dover - Calais routes as well as Dover - Zeebrugge. This was followed by Cairnryan - Larne, Portsmouth - Cherbourg, Heysham - Douglas.

In 1986, Mona's Isle VI was bought by Egyptian owners and renamed the 'Al Fahad'

It is quite difficult to move on the boat as it's tilt is quite extreme, however Ibrahim met us as we approached the end of the dark, unlit corridor. He kindly took our fins, and Ali's mask. It was only as I looked at the photographs afterwards that I spent the journey upstairs to their living area with the mask on my forehead. He moved so nimbly around, well exercised in walking on such a tilted surface. It isn't the tilt so much as the angle of the walls, and the often smooth, laminated floors. The dizzy feeling caused by the strange angle, combined with wet boots on linoleum means that it is very easy to fall. The guys can literally run around the ship however.

We laid down our things at the area where we had first seen our friends staring down at us as we snorkelled past a few weeks ago. It is still amusing to think of the fright that I got, and to remember my thoughts of it being a ghost ship. Now, we sat there comfortably, as Ali chatted away, asking questions and translating mine. Sometimes chatting with a translator can be frustrating, but this was just fascinating. The guys were friendly and interesting and were keen to learn more of us also.

It turns out that both of the guys come from the same town in Sudan. They have invited us there once they return. They had been supposed to visit Jeddah in the previous week, but their boss had been ill and was unable to collect them. At this point, they were unsure if they would be able to return to Sudan when planned. They were nearing the end of their tenure and were keen to return to their families.

As we sipped our tea, we watched the cockroaches milling around our feet. These of course had been on board the ship since the day that the ship launched, but they had had a very long time unhindered, to multiply, and although we hadn't noticed them on our first visit, we noticed they were a very real feature of live onboard this sad vessel.

We were curious to know what brought these guys to be living on a shipwreck off the coast of Jeddah. Apparently the guys both have degrees, one in Economics and the other in Electrical Engineering. They had struggled so long to find work back in Sudan, due to the political situation there, that when this job became available, they jumped at the opportunity. It is humbling to think about how difficult things must be for someone that they would be forced to take a job like this to survive. While I suppose their daily life isn't entirely stressful, they are surrounded by cockroaches and pigeons and live on a crumbling iron hulk, and are not allowed to go on land for the majority of the time. It certainly brings some perspective, and shows how differently life can turn out for someone, purely based upon their country of birth.

They are from North Sudan. They tell us that most North Sudanis are closer to Arabs in their appearance and are mostly Muslim. We asked about why Ibrahim was so dark, however it seems that while most are ligter in skin, there is still a large mix and that to differentiate between colours Ibrahim would be known as 'green'. It amused us to see how they differentiated between skin tones, but when asked whether there was any kind of segregation or abuse associated with being a particular colour, they said that there was not. Ibrahim even showed me a photograph of himself and his class who had completed a 'River Safety' course with the British Council, before coming over. I pointed to one of the guys who I assumed may have been involved in running the course, a long haired, very European looking man. It turned out that he, himself, was also Sudani. It never occurred to me that this part of Africa would also have a white population.

We took another tour of the ship while we waited on lunch being prepared. They had told us that after they had spoken to Ali that morning, they had checked their nets to find two large fish waiting there. One was Najil, a popular fish in Jeddah.

This time we worked our way down, passing a sign that demonstrated information on preparation and ablutions for Umra. We then descended a steep staircase (made even steeper by the angle of the boat, until we reached a lower deck, and worked our way along the side of the ship. We found our way into a dining room area with long tables laid out and attached to the floor and through to the other end of the ship before wandering back up to our friends.

When we saw our meal we were astounded. It was reminiscent of going to a grandparent's house as they had clearly pulled out the best tablecloth which looked like a fluorescent orange blanket. They had levelled out a section of the deck with some sheets of plywood, to be able to create a level surface to sit a table and chairs on.There was a delicious looking salad and some Saudi bread, and in the centre of the table was a huge plate of grilled fish and kabsa (Saudi style rice). Along side all this was a plate with some strawberry jam and halva (an arabic sweet made from tahini which is a tasty sesame butter).

The fish was cooked to perfection and was even seasoned. We ate there using our hands and the bread to pick up our food. I had to make sure to use my right hand only as in Muslim culture, this is the hand used for eating.

After eating  we retired to the other side of the ship for tea. They used an interesting root to flavour the tea. It provided a unique flavour and was very tasty. After this, they took us on a tour.

First of all we popped right down to the bottom of the ship where we stood above the garage which was now filled with water. We stood there, right on the water level and watched as the waves crashed against the side of the boat, and peered through the holes in the floor at the slate blue water below.

There are no cars on the boat as apparently she developed engine trouble in 2004, and was anchored in Saudi waters where she now sits. It was reported that she was later found partially submerged, so how, exactly, she came to be resting on top of this reef is still unclear.

Another source states that she was wrecked in 1998. I guess that local accounts may give a clearer idea of how long she has been there. However, from the sea level, we worked our way along the westerly side of the ship, up to the bridge. When we got there we found that some of the important instruments, such as the compass, were missing, however we looked around and found the periscope, sadly, covered in grime from above, therefore showing nothing of any significance, and a control desk with an old Bakelite telephone, and a microphone. Beside this were several maps and a newspaper. This is where thinks get confusing, because the newspaper was a copy of the Egyptian Gazette, an English language newspaper dated Sunday 30th April 1995. It seems odd that a boat, abandoned in either 2004, or 1998, would have a newspaper left sitting on the counter, dated in 1995. I suppose there will have been many people who will have come and gone from the wreck in the intervening years, but if anything, you would have expected them to take the newspaper instead of leave one sitting out on the counter, apparently untouched.

We continued on the the rear end of the boat to find a ladder leading us up one of the towers. It contained a mast that had long since lost it's own ladder so we couldn't climb any further, but it gave us a good view down over an open space of deck at the rear end of the ship, and as we turned around we also saw, on the mast at the other end, near the crow's next I assume, what looked like some kind of bird of prey. It is hard to make out what it is from the resolution, but looks like it may be some kind of kestrel.

We headed back down from here and back to the dining area where we passed round and they led us to the area where they sleep. It was strange to see two beds perched up at such an odd angle, but of course this was merely to make it possible to sleep in them without dropping off into the sea. There was a large are where, once again, they had levelled out a floor to provide an area to sit and while away the long, dark evenings, listening to the radio.

It had been our intention to return to the water and snorkel round the boat, but as we made this suggestion the guys reminded us that sunset was near once again, and that if we wanted to make it to land safely, we really needed to head straight back. It was a disappointing thought, as I would love to see around the reef. Occasionally the area round the wreck is visited by dolphins, and there is also a small shark that visits now and again. To be able to see these would be a dream come true, however we had a great time visiting with our friends and will simply have to return again to visit.

So there are still a number of mysteries associated with this ship. It is an interesting tale, to find that the ship has sailed on routes between the UK and parts of Europe, but what exactly its role was in Saudi, and Egypt still remains a mystery. Ibrahim and Mohammed tell us that it was used to ferry people from Sudan to Jeddah on their way to Makkah. There are certainly posters on display to suggest it was used for pilgrimage  Searches online however, suggest that it was sailed between Suez and Jeddah, down the Suez Canal. This could also have been involved in pilgrimage I suppose. The greatest mystery for me however, is why an Egyptian owned boat is allowed to be abandoned in Saudi waters to disintegrate, and still, why they are allowed to have people living aboard these vessels in such inhospitable conditions.

I'm not complaining however. It has made a great story for me to tell, and had brought me some new, and unexpected friends.

So as we swam back to shore, we made a point of stopping and catching a glimpse of this mysterious ship, as it looked quite majestic, silhouetted against the sunset, hiding the years of battering by the waves, the only clue to its situation being the strange angle at which it sat.

Watch Ali's video of our adventure here:
http://youtu.be/Oxa2gu-3r_8

Some of my sources for the historical details:

http://www.mareud.com/mysteryship1.html

http://www.ferry-site.dk/ferry.php?id=6611461&lang=en

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/FE3.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Free_Enterprise_(1966)

How Many People Can Say They Have Snorkelled in the Desert?

In August 2012, my friend Ali (with whom it seems I have most of my adventures) told me that he had discovered a cave near Riyadh, that not only went deep underground, but that also had a mysterious underground lake at the bottom. His suggestion was that after our Eid break with his family in Bahrain, we should drive back and explore this interesting phenomenon.

We researched the spot online and found that the place had previously been explored by a number of people, but the last recorded visit seemed to be around 10 years ago. The cave was supposedly made up of several chambers, the first of which was a steep decline down to a point at the bottom where there was a small opening in the rock, through to a secondary chamber. Passing through this chamber into a third, brought the explorers to an underground lake around 100m wide, by 30m deep. The cave had been explored and dived before, but this only slightly deflated our desire to go and explore what we initially thought may have been a previously unexplored area.

Myself, Ali and Mido drove through the night from Bahrain and arrived in Riyadh in the early morning, where we met Tariq, who had been visiting family there. After some early morning tea, we hit the road again to find the cave.

The cave was called Ain Heet, 'ain' being the Arabic for eye. We had found the coordinates but as we drove, it seemed like we possibly wouldn't find it, until, as we turned a corner, we saw a magnificent cliff face in front of us. Excitedly, we got out of the car and jogged over to take a closer look. Sure enough, as we looked down towards what should have been the base of the cliff, we saw that it didn't meet the sand, but instead curved inwards to form a large, wide opening, shaped, interestingly, like an eye.

Apparently the cave had been subject to quite a number of geological surveys as it contains a layer of the rock (ahyndrite) that is commonly found when looking for evidence of oil. My understanding is that it is this kind of rock that provides a kind of 'cap' that seals the oil underneath, so if you find it, even without there being actual oil present, it is likely that there will be other areas where oil can be found in the locality.

Oil had already been discovered in other nearby parts of Saudi, but the discovery of the ahyndrite reignited the search for further deposits, leading to more discoveries.

We climbed down over a lot of loose rock, taking notice of the garbage around us. Mostly old plastic water bottles, and the graffiti on areas that just seemed unreachable. How do people manage to spray pain areas that seem humanly impossible to reach? It was sad to see, but thankfully did not deprive us of the sense of adventure that had been building up in anticipation of the trip. We could not see the bottom of the cave as the descent was so steep that the roof of the cave obscured our view.

As we continued on, we noticed that many pigeons seemed to have made this cave their home. We were hoping for bats, but it was nice to see that the cave was not entirely devoid of life. They seemed to have a pretty localised roosting section because we passed an area that was covered in bird faeces. We navigated around it and continues our descent.

Eventually we reached a point where we noticed that things were much darker and we could tell that there was a flat, black surface below us. We could see the water and negotiated our way down to its edge.

We were surprised to find it so soon however. The information had said that the water was to be found through several chambers, but we were still in the first. We considered that if you can find an underground lake in the middle of the desert, then it isn't at all impossible that the water may have risen. It was also possible, we thought, that cave had collapsed slightly, opening a way to the lake without having to negotiate the chambers.

The first thing that we noticed was that the surface of the water was covered in what looked like a fine dust. We couldn't be certain what it was and at first it deterred us from continuing further. If the roof had collapsed, then it wasn't impossible, we reasoned, that this could be left over from such an event.We also noticed man made debris floating on the surface of the water. As we discussed it, we were anxious that this meant that the water was not as pure as we had expected. We managed to clear some of the 'dust' to discover that below, the water looked crystal clear. Ali and I made the decision to go in.

We quickly changed into our swimming gear and got our masks, fins, and underwater torches ready. Ali was first in and he took the gradual route, wading from the shallower end. I sat, perched on the edge and pushed myself forward into the cool water. Tariq stood by the side debating with himself as to whether to join us as he was suspicious of the dust layer on top.

What we saw below was incredible. The water seemed to disappear down for a surprising depth. Our torches could not shine light so far. The area that I accessed the water from was a massive boulder that was perched against the wall at the side. It was an inviting route for exploration but required us to return with diving gear and an experienced cave diver. There is no way we would have risked free diving down and underneath, with the possibility of being trapped under the rock.

Tariq's resolve soon gave in as we told him that the water was so clear beneath. He was keen to join us and quickly was swimming around and gazing at the fascinating sights below, all anxiety gone.

We swam around for 10 minutes, had our photos taken by Mido who stayed on the side. We talked about ways we could go back to explore some more, finding a cave diver friend and taking some equipment to clean the place up. We were truly fascinated and we were excited about our return visit.

At this point we dressed again (well most of us), and began the climb back out of the cave to make our return trip to Jeddah, a 9 hour drive away. We talked and joked about the return visit.

Prior to making the trip we conducted some online research, however there was apparently very little information on the cave. Saudi people, in general, do not explore terribly much, unless it is to find a camping spot to stop and eat. This is a huge generalisation, but what it means is that there is not a lot of information on places such as this, and what there is, seemed hard to find.

We talked about taking water samples, but didn't know who we could find to analyse them. We discussed caving safety and took some ropes with us, but in the end did not need to use them as we remained in the main chamber. We were simply a group of friends, interested in trying new things and looking for adventure. The experience has made me keen to look into caving as a potential pass time. There are apparently a number of places in Saudi that are ready to be explored. The challenge now is to find the people who can help me make this a reality.

What I have also discovered now though, is that research is invaluable. I must say however, that I was not expecting what I found, when I was looking for the previous sources of information to list in my blog.

It turns out that in 2011, a team explored the cave, having heard about the rise in water level themselves, and keen to find out more for themselves. They discovered that the water had risen about 27m. Apparently a lake had been formed, 7km away to the North, on the outskirts of Riyadh. It seems that water from the lake has found its way into the cave, through something called a karst, resulting in the rising of the water level and what it turns out was not a dust layer, but rather a bacterial slime as the lake near Riyadh is in fact filled with sewage.

Needless to say, that it is unlikely that we will ever be diving in this fascinating underwater lake again. It adds to my sense of dismay, that beautiful, unique places like this however, are subject to such destruction by man.

http://www.saudicaves.com/hitvideo/index.html

http://www.splendidarabia.com/location/riyadh/heet/

http://www.sgs.org.sa/English/earth/Pages/CavesExploring.aspx

http://www.saudicaves.com/sewage/index.html

Polarised Lenses are Not a Joking Matter

To read about our amazing experience on the wreck, scroll down to the red heading The Wreck. However I encourage you to read the entire post to hear all about our amazing adventure.

As I wondered round Al Balad with Ali, we joked away as usual. We enjoyed the sights of the old town, the bustle of so many nationalities and hunted for somewhere to find some food. Preferably not somewhere where the flies would outnumber the plates, and where it looked like the food would leave us with a pleasant taste in our mouths without a strange rumbling in our bellies.

As we sat, enjoying our food. I picked up Ali's polarised sunglasses and joked that I could see headless people wondering around in the street, knowing that polarised lenses can sometimes change how you see things, I took this one step further and suggested that, like in 'The Sixth Sense', they gave the power to see dead people.

Driving along Route 5 out of Jeddah to a popular spot the next morning, I made the same joke. This time about seeing dead camels with three legs, walking along beside the road. It was stupid joking, but kept us amused as we drove along the barren landscape, before hitting the sea line.

We arrived at our general destination. We were looking for some friends we had met before. Most weekends they are to be found in a small, shallow bay, mostly cut off from the sea, kite surfing, and Ali and I were keen to speak to them about kite surfing, while the other guys were looking for a chance to swim and enjoy the sunshine, perhaps having a paddle in the water at the same time. As we drove around looking for our friend we passed an old wreck sitting, perched half out of the water. It looked to be fairly modern, but it had certainly been sitting there for quite some time. It looked fascinating, and was also a dead giveaway to the reef that lay beneath. We stopped and photographed it before driving on again. The Al Fahad was a pretty big boat and an impressive sight so close to shore.

We continued our exploring and found some interesting spots. This part of the coast is peppered with small bays cut in off the sea, mostly shallow, leaving the water a beautiful vibrant blue colour. Normally the entrance to these bays, has been bridged over, restricting some access from the sea, but also creating some little inlets where people have built small communities. There are little tin mosques, many fishing dhows, and makeshift buildings.Sadly also, amidst such beauty, there are still acres of litter, from left over shisha heads, to dirty nappies, plastic bottles dead fish and so forth. Thankfully looking into the middle distance, the eyes can block out this sight to take in the stunning colours of the water against the golden sand.

Turning around, we drove back towards the first little bay and as we looked to our left, saw the kites flying in the sky, about half a dozen of them weaving back and forth from the sand. We drove over and were glad to meet a few friends and acquaintances who were glad to tell us a little about what was happening and who could help us. Since the people we wanted to talk to were either on the water, or not yet arrived, we decided to take a look back over at the sea to avoid getting in the way of the boards, and to have a chance to have a look in the deeper water where we were in no doubt of finding some reefs.

As we climbed into the water, Ali and I agreed to stick together as we made our way through the breakers as the waves were pretty strong. We also knew that it was beyond this line that we would see the most interesting coral and fish. To be honest, I was hoping we might come across a sea turtle or two, and would not have been disappointed to see a shark either (though exactly how I would have reacted to this, I do not know). We decided that first of all we should go and take a swim around the wreck and as we made our way over we accustomed our eyes to the water and began to see schools of brightly coloured fish darting around under the waves across a sandy sea bed.

The Wreck

As we reached the wreck we discovered that the front end of the ship was in the air, lifted up well above the reef, with fish darting around underneath. We inspected the side to find the hull covered in barnacles and crabs scurrying around, just above the waterline, clinging on as the waves battered against it. It was hard to believe that such a hulk could remain there, balanced above the water. But it was. It was clear that it hadn't moved in many years, so although there was the constant thought that at any second in may topple over, we knew that this would not happen. We began to swim along the near side of the ship which was tilted towards the land. We could glance over and see the others back near the car and wondered why Mido had climbed out the water, but realised he had gone back to get his fins.

Under the water the reef was beautiful and I realised I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't brought diving gear and was already formulating a plan in my mind to return and explore more. I lifted my head out of the water to talk to Ali, to make this suggestion and looked quickly over at the ship, and that is when I got a sudden fright. There, on the side of the ship, looking straight at me, was a large pair of very white eyes, surrounded by a gaunt, black face, and accompanied by a row of white teeth. That he waved at me was immaterial as I began flapping my feet wildly and cried to Ali to look. For a moment I had to check myself. I realised I wasn't wearing any polarised lenses and that I wasn't seeing a ghost. Images of Pirates of the Caribbean came rushing into my head and I half expected a skeletal monkey to come swinging past my face. Across the water from Saudi Arabia is Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and not far away either, is Somalia, renowned for its pirates.

Surprised, Ali looked round and spotted them, and greeted him. Asalam Alaykum. He quickly established that he and his friend were fishing, but that, to be honest, that was all that we learned at that point. There was no sign of a small boat anywhere. It seems that Ali asked if was possible to get onto the boat and it turned out that we could. To our left was a large opening in the side of the vessel.

"Will it be safe to get on?" Was my question.

"Well it's not safe, but it is interesting." Ali replied.

"Remember I'm white!" was my response, thinking of how there has been so much trouble in the world recently, over this film. My Muslim friends had joked about people trying to fast track to heaven already, but now it seemed so much more possible. At the same point, to go on board was an opportunity I didn't want to miss.

It reminded me of a time when my sister and I investigated an old derelict shop in the village we grew up in. We were playing around in the area behind it and noticed an open door. We snuck in and climbed up the stairs and as we got to the top had discovered some men in there. I don't think I have ever shirt-tailed it so fast in my life, and we ran, unthinkingly back to our house to tell our parents, oblivious to the telling off we would get for doing something so stupid.

We swam to the opening and noticed that the floor of that particular deck sloped into the water so it provided quite a natural little jetty for us and we slid up , clutching the barnacles while trying to avoid putting our hands on the crabs, or scrape our knees. Once we reached a secure spot, we removed our fins and gingerly stood up, using a metal ridge, which at some point must have supported a wall, to press our feet against to avoid us tumbling back into the water.

As we turned to our left we began to enter a small corridor and could see into the rooms which were dirty and full of dust and grime. It was hard to know whether the mess was a result of the crash, or due to people ransacking the vessel at some point. In one room there were maps, evidently unharmed and not even wet. We reached a corner and turned to our right and found a corridor in complete darkness. We debated whether we should walk along the corridor or whether to turn and find another route, but establishing that there was a glint of light at the other end we pressed on into the darkness.

We soon came out into an open area and discovered the medical room and a flight of stairs. By this time we were beginning to get quite dizzy. There was at least a 30 degree tilt to the floor and walking along with all of the floors and walls at an angle was quite disorientating. We turned around and ascended the stairs, coming out in what was like a lounge where there had been a catering booth and rows of once plush chairs where families would have sat and enjoyed a meal. The seats were now in disarray, grey with grime and mould.

We heard some voices coming towards us and through an opening the two men appeared. They spoke to Ali, as my contribution was rather limited, "Ismee Dawud." They acknowledged me before turning and urging us to follow them. We stepped out onto the deck where we had initially seen them, and were glad of the rusted metal floor which gave us better grip than the linoleum  tiles we had been slipping and sliding on already.

Ali quickly established that these men lived on the ship. We could see a sack of potatoes, and onions hanging, and there were bottles and bottles of water lined up also. We set down our snorkelling gear and got chatting.

It turns out thatthe boat has been wrecked for 12 years. They spend a month on the boat at a time, with occasional trips to the shore to collect supplies. They are employed by the ship owners to man the vessel as they cannot leave it unattended at sea until it is removed. I guess it must be cheaper to pay these men to stay on board than it is to have the vessel removed. The owners employ people in 6 month blocks, recruiting from Sudan. Each month they get few hours trip to Jeddah, but other than that they are not permitted on land. This is a stipulation of their visa. They live in squalid conditions, constantly surrounded by the sea, and never have a flat floor to walk on. They fish from the reef to feed themselves and have limited communication with the mainland. They have an old mobile phone and I think that they get some kind of portable power system with which to charge it, however this was needing replaced and they had very little charge left on their phone.

They offered us tea and while we were waiting, one of the guys took us on a tour further up. His name was Ibrahim it turned out, and as we followed him we slipped and slid on the sloping deck while he walked with little difficulty, at an angle which just looked odd, but for him had become completely natural. We climbed some stairs, though to be honest they were more on the level than the floors were, and reached the top deck.  We looked out to the open ocean and over at the land which was sitting at an odd angle it seemed. As we looked to the shore we saw Mido, standing, staring out to sea and we called and whistled and waved until it seemed like he heard us, as he waved back. We realised he must have been worried about us  so were glad that he at least knew where we were, if not slightly perplexed by the situation.

At this point, the other guy, Mohammed, came with the tea. As usual around here, the cups were almost half full with sugar. He led us as we stumbled and staggered back to the deck where they spend most of their time, by a different route. He carried a tray with a flask of hot tea, with 2 tea glasses on it, and no apparent difficulty as we clutched on to anything we could to stay upright, while making sure it was not overly rusted. We didn't want it to give way were we to put too much strain on it.

He led us through another lounge area where they had set up a plank of plywood, like a ramp of the floor, and covered with a brightly coloured rug. This was the prayer room and the carpet was pointed towards Makkah. It seems difficult to understand how they prepare for prayer in such a place. How do you stay clean? How do you wash? Even now I wonder about where they must go to the bathroom.

We sat and drank the hot, sweet tea and began to make plans to meet with them when they returned to Jeddah for their next visit in around 10 days. We hope to go for shisha with them. As we looked back to shore however, we saw the car begin to move off. We quickly realised that perhaps Mido hadn't seen us at all, and that they were starting to get really worried and were possibly going to find help from the coastguard.

We debated as to how we could contact them to let them know that things were OK. Mohammed offered us the use of his almost dead mobile phone to call. He had to switch it on and enter a top up voucher before we could finally call. Our phones were back in the car so we called Ali's first, with no response, but on attempting my phone, Mido answered. It is hard to know what to say about his response. Firstly I didn't speak to him, but judging by Ali's responses he found it difficult to understand what was going on. How could we be sitting having a cup of tea on a shipwreck? He asked Ali to repeat the story in Arabic to make sure he wasn't hearing things and eventually believed us, and a few minutes later we saw the car making its way back to our spot on the shore. With relief, we finished our tea and made plans to leave.

They guys were sad to see us go, and invited us to stay for lunch, waving a large, freshly caught fish at us, but we explained that we had probably caused our friends enough worry and should probably get back to them. It took some convincing but when we agreed to return in two weeks, and reminded them we could also meet for shisha in Jeddah, they agreed this would be a good plan.

They kindly led us back down to the sea, carrying our snorkelling gear for us. Down the stairs, past the medical room, the map room, the dark corridor, and out onto our little jetty. As we put our masks and fins back on we continued to smile at the strange experience we had just had, and mused on the strange places one can pick up new friends. We shook their hands and slid back in the water to return to our friends.

On the return I struggled to keep the water out of my mask because of the huge grin on my face, and the constant need to chuckle about what had just happened, and the thought of two potentially very angry friends on the shore. We decided that on our return we will also dive, exploring the reef below.

We were glad to see that on the shore, our friends were mostly amused at the story, having recovered from the initial concern of not being able to find us. Hopefully they will join us next time as we repeat what was a truly odd adventure.