People doing snorkeling near Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, near the Sinai peninsula

Person wearing snorkeling gear and holding onto a tube for floating purposes

Close up of a photo wearing the complete set of snorkeling equipment (goggles and the attached air tube which fits into the mouth) along with a life vest (and interestingly, the life vest has totally climbed up the back of the person and does not seem to have been properly attached). The person is holding onto a tube that helps in giving confidence about floating in the water, and in this photo, you can also see the closeness of the ship and the shore. We had just got down from the ship and were grouped around the guide, who was taking us towards a certain set of coral reefs, all of which were located very close to the water point.

People wearing snorkeling gear heading in the direction that the guide is leading them towards

A number of people in the water, wearing snorkeling equipment and with some of them hanging onto the rubber tube (being used as a flotation device). They are in the Ras Muhammed marine park, which is a protected marine park close to the tourist town of Sharm el Sheikh, close to the Sinai peninsula. There are a number of coral reefs in the park, and this is what draws tourists there for the purpose of snorkeling. In this photo, a number of tourists are there in close to the guide who is leading them to a specific direction. The tourists are a mix of men and women, all heading towards a specific direction, which is the direction in which the guide is leading them towards.

A flotation tube, where the person holding onto the tube suddenly ducked under the water surface

For people who are doing snorkeling for the first time, or who have done it after a gap of some years (which was my condition), the first immersion in water that was deeper than the foot could reach took some time to get used to, even if one was already wearing a life vest. In such a condition, this simple tube (or even a rubber tube with air in it) was like a life saver, giving a lot of confidence to the person. In the photo, there was a person holding onto the flotation tube, but who was suddenly called away by his family to the other side and hence the splash of water away from the tube.

Catching hold of the tube and looking down into the water while snorkeling

This was one of the most interesting experiences while snorkeling. Given that the water level in some of the areas was several feet deeper than the height of a person, the flotation tube provided a lot of support. So, for those who did not have the confidence, you had people holding onto these tubes while still doing snorkeling, and so in this photo, you can see people with their faces into the water, looking inside the water and looking at the coral and fish. Because these were small tubes, you could have a number of people in the same small area, all clustered around the tube.