DAHAB, Egypt: The shore leading up to the Blue Hole is strewn with plastic bags, plastic bottles and soda cans, meandering in the water, many being pulled out to sea. Diving into what was once dubbed as a top reef spot, the grayish hue of the now dead coral reefs at the Blue Hole reveal the stark truth about Egypt's Red Sea coast: marine life is dying. Less than five years ago, eco-tourism was abuzz on the Red Sea, with “hotels” sprouting up, allowing visitors to relax in the now famous huts that line the beaches of the Gulf of Aqaba and further south. Owners of the camps say they are doing more to protect the surrounding environment than others. Basata, arguably the first such eco-lodge in the country. Lining the pristine sandy beaches are small huts, capable of housing two, three, four and more campers nightly. One of the draws to the camp is their low waste production. According to Maria Wuersel, co-owner of the camp, they produce their own water. She said that each guest receives an introductory course in water management, which includes what the waste water is used for: flushing the few toilets, pre-washing dishes, etc. “We use much less water and expel less waste than your typical hotels elsewhere,” she told Bikyamasr.com. Although many destinations across the country expect a fall in clientele this year, Wuersel argued that because Basata is so different from the average high-end locations in Egypt, their profits are not expected to drop. “We expect things to stay about the same. Everything thus far is the same and we are already fully-booked for all the major holidays,” she said. While places like Basata may be “getting the job done” in terms of their own environmental footprint, the visitors often spend days at the Blue Hole and other diving spots throughout the area. Dive Master Matthew Hewitt, an Australian who has visited Egypt's Red Sea annually for the past decade, told Bikyamasr.com that the situation has “dramatically decreased in quality during my time.” He points the blame not on the idea of eco-tourism, but its lack of education factor. “In Australia, we don't just throw around the terms eco and eco-friendly because for many of us environmentalists, this means educating and ensuring the area remains pristine,” he continued. “Right now, there are so few efforts being made to clean up the water, the reefs and it seems that anything is now eco-friendly,” he argued, pointing to the so-called Bedouin camps that advertise as “returning to nature.” For Hewitt, being eco-friendly is not just about the resources one uses, “but it is an all-encompassing system that must take into account education and clean-up projects.” There are others who have tried to implement projects to reduce waste along the water's edge, including the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA), but it is difficult to enact lasting legislation – the South Sinai government has passed a bill forbidding plastic bags in supermarkets, but it is ignored – without education. Jumana Qandeel, a Jordanian environmental activist who has supported and assisted projects to clean-up the Dead Sea, said that while eco-tourism is vital to the future sustainability and economy of the Red Sea, “these institutions must understand that if they are not pro-active in removing the waste that goes into the water, eats away at the reefs and destroys marine life, then they miss the point of being eco-friendly.” She criticized both the hotel management and the Egyptian government, saying both should do more to crackdown on tourists who throw bags, bottles and other products of waste into the water. “The tourism industry largely depends on travelers, so there needs to be fines or other severe regulations that ensure locals and foreigners are not destroying the environment they benefit from,” she said. For now, the short 30 minute ride from Dahab city to the Blue Hole is unpaved. One must begin to wonder if without an educational policy that creates a true understanding of the environment of the Red Sea, when a road is paved to the Blue Hole, will any coral, or tourists, remain? BM
