Transcript of Episode 6

The Red Sea (Part 1)

A YouTube video uploaded in August 2009, opens with a child sitting in transparent seawater, holding one hand out into the ripples. Soon a shape begins to move in the water. Then a mouth snaps in at the outstretched fingers. The reaction is one of surprise- but also joy, the sound of a playful squeal can be heard. This action is repeated, as colorful fish flash in and out of shot, taking pieces of bread from the amused child. A home video, the handheld camera wobbles overhead. The swiveling fins, the sunlight, and the sultry background music create a hypnotic effect. Laughter greets each tiny peck from the hungry fish, rushing, one after another into the sandy shallows, chasing the familiar promise of an easy snack. These feeding scenes, repeated on beaches and jetties all along the coastline, would form many families happiest holiday memories, images to cherish and replay wistfully for months and years to come. Yet what no one knew at the time, was that this seemingly innocuous action would form part of a chain of events that would soon bring tragedy and death to the shores of Sharm el-Sheikh.

For most of its history, Sharm el-Sheikh was a tiny, dry and unremarkable speck at the foot of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula. Home only to the tents of nomadic Bedouin traders, a few native fishermen, and later, Egyptian guns that faced out on the Red Sea, its 7,000 year history passed largely unnoticed by the outside world. In 1967 this started to change. Sharm, as its name is usually shortened to, was captured by the Israeli forces in The Six Day War. Soon renamed Ofira, under occupation a dramatic transformation got underway. In 1970 airports and a highway were completed, connecting the once isolated location to the rest of Israel’s territory. Rapid construction projects built a new, modern city, from the dusty ground up, with schools, police stations, banks, and most importantly, hotels. The dream of the Israelis was to turn their new city into a tourist hub. Along the peninsula they hoped it would eventually accommodate 500,000 tourists a year.

The main cause for such lofty ambitions was the truly magnificent gift of nature the area had been given- an underwater paradise lay just offshore, where turquoise blue shallows dropped suddenly into deep indigo, vivid coral cliffs plunging far below. Schools of fish of fantastic colors and shapes were abundant and swam amongst the reefs. The presence of certain larger creatures also provided an allure. Many species of shark were plentiful in The Red Sea. A 1979 travel review of Sharm in The Calgary Herald suggested that ‘the near certainty of encounters with sharks is its secret drawing card.’ Throughout the 1970s growing numbers of divers were drawn from Israel and further afield to marvel at these hidden treasures. But the Israeli exploration of the waters of the South Sinai was to come to an abrupt end. In 1982, a peace settlement was reached and Ofira became Sharm once again, the Israelis handing it back to Egypt. The government in Cairo needed no encouragement to carry on creating the vision the Israelis had begun. Over the following decades Sharm El Sheikh grew into a vital part of Egypt’s economy. Day trips into the desert, a vibrant nightlife, white sand beaches and, of course, the stunning coral and sea, ensured it developed into one of the world’s most attractive beach resort destinations.

Then in 2005 a terrorist bombing left 88 people dead, threatening to ruin the city. Yet in time it managed to bounce back even stronger, a heavy increase in security encouraging the tourists to gradually return. By the end of that decade, in the land of the Ancient Pyramids, Sharm and its 100 seaside resorts was responsible for 66% of the country’s tourism revenue. In 2010, up to 4 million tourists were expected to visit the resurgent city and with plans for even more the following year. However, in spite of these hopes, a new threat was coming; one that would once again shake Sharm- and this time it wouldn’t come from the land, but from the sea that sustained it.

It was the last day of the holiday and after lunch in the Domina hotel, Lyudmila Stolyarova, had one thing to do before flying home to Moscow early the following morning. Once back in Russia’s inland capital, the 70-year-old knew what she would miss most- Lyudmila wanted to say one last goodbye to the sea before she left Sharm El-Sheikh. The trip had been to celebrate a milestone birthday and she wanted to make the most of it. With her swimsuit and snorkel, just after two-thirty, she left her husband Vladimir reading his book and relaxing on a deck chair. A safe swimming area was clearly marked out and Lyudmila was always careful to make sure she stayed inside it. Paddling gently along the surface, she dipped her face below to take in a final view. The beautiful coral was sprawling, almost otherworldly, and populated with streams of fish. She swiveled her head side to side, soaking it all up, wishing to commit these images to memory. After about fifteen minutes and in a wonderful state of peace and serenity at the beauty of her surroundings, Lyudmila spotted something ascending from the deep. Appearing suddenly in her eyeline it was hard to make out what it was, but she assumed it was a diver rising to the surface. Something about the movement however made her sharpen her focus. Stiffening, she realized she’d been mistaken. It wasn’t a diver. At great speed, a shark burst to the surface beside her. It moved in between the elderly snorkeler and the shore. In a state of agitation it began swimming around Lyudmila in sharp circles. Before she could even plan an escape or defense, the shark lunged at her.

From below, Coral Bay guide, Hassan Ali, watched it all unfold, until the dispersion of blood through the water obscured his view. Only a minute before he had encountered the same shark, its behavior unusually tense on approach. On a dive with a private client at the time, Ali had experience with sharks, and knew from his divemaster training how he should respond to them. Most species base hierarchy strictly on size and he knew that he needed to make himself as large as possible. Also because prey is often horizontal, assuming a forward facing, vertical position can unnerve the predator. So puffing himself up and facing the shark upright, Hassan Ali expected to deter it, as he had done a number of times in the past. Yet, this one seemed particularly emboldened, and it whipped around the pair of divers in circles. It was with relief they watched it turn away from them and shoot upwards. That feeling of relief didn’t last long however. Ali watched helplessly as the creature flew right up to the surface towards a lone woman snorkeling. Within moments it launched a brutal attack on her. After ushering his client to the pontoon, Hassan Ali would soon be on the scene to offer first aid to Lyudmila Stolyarova, who had been rescued by a motor boat that responded to her screams for help.

Back on the beach, Vladimir Stolyarov was stirred from his reading. A woman he didn’t know was beckoning him with urgency. Something terrible had happened to his wife. In a daze, unable to process the news, he followed until he was stopped in his tracks by a traumatic sight. On a sunbed, a group of people, including Hassan Ali, were carrying his wife to an ambulance, her right arm hanging limply, a mangled, bloody mess, and most of her left leg missing below the knee.

What neither Lyudmila, Victor nor Hassan knew at that time, was that this was not the first shark attack in Sharm El-Sheikh that afternoon. At 2.40pm, Olga Martsinko had been floating in aquatic bliss, near a pontoon at the Maritim resort on Coral Bay, only a few hundred meters away. The 48-year-old had had to wait almost five decades for it, but she was finally enjoying her first foreign holiday, accompanied by her daughter Yelena. Olga described herself as ‘like a fish’, never happier than when she could while away the hours in the sea until her fingers wrinkled up. After an idyllic afternoon in the bay admiring the gleaming shoals of fish dancing amongst the reefs, Olga and Yelena were relaxing at the surface, taking a last dip before lunch. Olga’s arms were outstretched, her flippers kicking gently to keep afloat. She smiled to herself as the sun bathed her face. Everything was perfect until something brushed against her left hand- unfamiliar rough skin. ‘Oh my god, what is it?’ she exclaimed, turning towards Yelena. Tears had instantly begun to fill her eyes, unnerved by the sudden intrusion. Just as Olga tried to tell herself that it must have been a dolphin, the first bite snapped into her arm. Glancing rapidly to her left she saw a fin and then jaws that sank into the limb, shaking viciously and pulling her under. She knew enough by then to shout to her daughter ‘Spasite! Akula!’- ‘Help! Shark’- when she sprang back up to the surface. Realizing she was momentarily free; Olga kicked her swim fins as fast as she could on a nine meter sprint to the pontoon. Before she could make it, the shark came back aggressively, biting repeatedly from behind as she swam. It was a race for survival. With each attack Olga had the horrible feeling she would be eaten alive if she didn’t get out. On the pontoon, some tourists had rushed over to the edge. They arrived just in time to pull Olga from the water, but not before a final bite could be inflicted.

Lying face down and moaning on the jetty, the injuries incurred as Olga Martsinko fled were shocking to witness. Large chunks of flesh had been ripped out of her buttocks and lower back, so much that the base of the spinal column was visible. Olga’s left forearm had also been severed in the initial bite and one long laceration ran down her right thigh. A lack of cords or stretchers hampered attempts to help the injured lady. Beachside first aid assistance eventually arrived, completely unaccustomed to dealing with anything more than minor cuts and bumps. The patient was hoisted onto a sunbed and ferried to an ambulance that soon raced her to Mount Sinai hospital to try to save her life.

Within minutes, her compatriot Lyudmila Stolyarova would be following in the back of another ambulance, her life also hanging in the balance. On arrival the situation was dismal- for Olga in particular, having suffered a heart attack on route. Although revived by medics, she was in a state of shock, barely conscious and in need of a blood donation, requiring six liters. Lyudmila’s condition was not much better and surgical staff rushed to save the two women. Eventually their conditions stabilized, and later they would be flown to Moscow on the same plane for further treatment. That evening there was resounding shock amongst the Mount Sinai Hospital medical team and witnesses to the attacks. How two people could be attacked only minutes apart in the same bay was beyond anyone’s comprehension at that point. In time a photograph from that day would come to light and help to explain these bizarre events. But as that Tuesday came to an end, everyone at Sharm remained in the dark. And before there would be any real opportunity to look for answers, more chaos would come to Sharm El-Sheikh and pose yet more questions to the city’s authorities.

On the morning of December 1st, all along most of Sharm El-Sheikh’s one hundred resorts, holiday-makers made their way from buffet breakfast tables to the warm waters of the Red Sea. The Koliy family was amongst them. Guests at the Kiran Island Hotel, just north of the city, they had arranged to go snorkeling off a popular site for water recreation, called Ra’s Nasrani. Victoria, her husband Victor and their son, Ivan, waded out, then paddled to a reef, spreading apart from one another to explore. After a few minutes the three joined back up, floating idly together in relaxation. It was then they were disturbed by the arrival of a fourth body. Although only two hundred meters from Shark Bay and its resort of the same name, the Koliy’s had still never expected to see the creature now approaching them. It came in quickly, darting sharply around the family as they moved closer together, hoping for safety in numbers. Victor had boxed competitively, and in his youth served in the Ukrainian airborne troops, and though now forty six years old, was still fit and powerful enough to try to protect his family. As the shark moved nearer, he waited for the right moment. When it was within reach, Victor pushed it away forcibly, predicting a show of strength might scare it off. Surprisingly, the inquisitive creature persisted, swimming closer and closer to Victoria. Sufficiently discomfited by the shark’s relentless behavior, the three Koliy’s gestured to one another and made a decision. All at once they made a break for it, setting off the twenty five or so meters back to the beach. Ivan, much faster and with a slight head start, reached the shore first, his Mom and Dad still behind in the water.

The shark was tailing Victoria but with about twelve meters remaining, Victor saw its svelte figure swivel away from his wife just ahead, and turn its attentions back to him. Standing his ground he ripped off his face mask. When the shark began to approach him again, he was ready. Just as it came within his reach, he whacked it hard on the head with his mask. But it didn’t have the desired effect, instead provoking a snapping bite that spiked into his bare knee. To make matters worse, with Victor left wincing in pain, the shark had moved off and was rushing purposefully after Victoria. Her husband watched on as just in the nick of time, she made it onto higher ground inshore, her pursuer almost beaching itself in the chase. In a moment, the shark had retreated into deeper water and the couple were reunited, embracing on the sand. Victor, looking down at his leg, could see raking teeth marks around the side and back of his right knee, deep enough to reveal exposed red muscle. Trying his best to remain stoic, the stocky Ukrainian waved away the resort staff compelling him to go to the local hospital. As his bite was being treated and deeply unsettled bystanders looked on, dramatic news began to arrive. Victor Koliy soon realized he would not have received priority place in an ambulance, even if he’d wanted one.

Less than two hundred meters away, at another floating pontoon, a large crowd of people were snorkeling and swimming in Ra’s Nasrani’s sublime bay. Holiday-makers of all ages, including children, were enjoying the water, when it became apparent that the large fish had all of a sudden vanished. As disappointed snorkelers lifted their masks and tried to figure out what had happened to the sea life- which had only moments before been teeming all around them- a shout jolted them to attention. ‘Shark! Out of the water!’, a guide yelled, signaling the threat. News had filtered across of the encounter the Koliy family had just endured. Interviewed by Reel Truth Science, British tourist Joanna Parr, recalled that what happened next was ‘like a scene from Jaws’. Within moments, hordes of bathers were dashing for the safety of the shore or the pontoon in blind panic. Her husband Jim was one of them. In the moments before the alert went up, he had been the first to become aware something wasn’t quite right. As he snorkeled he’d felt a sudden hard bump from behind on his foot. Assuming someone had dived off the pontoon onto him, he was disconcerted to realize that the floating dock was at least fifteen meters away, and that he couldn’t explain the source of the impact.

Soon after that, the guide began shouting for everyone to get out of the water, his palms pressed together over his forehead to form the shape of a fin. All around there was chaos. Whistles shrieked as people scrambled for shore, the pontoon or boats- anywhere but the water. For one Russian tourist there had been no time to escape. Yevgeniy Trishkin, a fifty-four year old naval captain from St. Petersburg, had been snorkeling within the safe swim zone. Reaching the end of the pontoon, he came t.o a sudden heavy drop off, where the water deepened and darkened to an inky blue. What had only moments before been shallows, turned to a deep trench of coral, sea caves and overhang. Passing into this area, something caught his eye, rising from far below. Before he had time to focus, this projectile, dark blue like the surrounding water, moving rapidly, crashed into him. Yevgeniy Trishkin looked to the side to see a shark biting his left arm, shaking and pulling it as if to tear a lump of flesh away. With the horrifying sensation he was being preyed upon, he landed punches on the nose of his attacker. For a brief moment, the shark seemed to desist, only to bite down instead on the fist that Yevgeniy had been using to defend himself. Though in good shape for his age, the naval captain was only 1 meter 60 tall and the powerful animal was much larger, certainly well over two meters. It was a fight Yevgeniy couldn’t win. He felt himself losing consciousness, as his vision became filled with white light. The inflatable rim of a boat came into his vision. A Zodiac had seen his distress and motored over to save him. On board, Ahmed, a resort lifesaver, reached down, and carefully avoiding the bloodied extremities, hauled the victim from the sea under his armpits. He was just in time as a triangular fin broke the surface, from right where Yevgeniy had been lifted. They zipped back to the pontoon, while the victim’s damaged limbs were wrapped in towels to staunch the blood flow. Once disembarked, a group lifted him hurriedly down the pontoon and past a crowd of stunned onlookers to a waiting ambulance. Hours later, with the beaches deserted, a trail of blood marking their path would be left behind, staining the plastic floor and providing unmistakable evidence that there was a shark problem at Sharm El-Sheikh.

In the wake of the second day of attacks on the coast of Sharm, the authorities could no longer avoid this growing problem. Within hours, the Red Sea resort city had landed at the center of a deluge of unwanted international news coverage- a nightmare for the reputation of a recovering tourist trade. 2010 would be a record year for Egyptian tourism, with fourteen million foreign tourists visiting the country- a third of them headed to the Red Sea Coast. According to Minister Zohair Garanah, the industry brought in $12m a year and accounted for 12% of national employment. The damage caused by the two days of shark terror at Sharm had the potential to cause sustained wider harm, on top of the injuries suffered by the four bite victims.

It soon became apparent that there was something particularly abnormal happening in the waters off Sharm, as details of two shark bites earlier in 2010 began to enter the picture. Back in April of that year, twenty four year old English tourist, James Elliott was swimming with his father off Sonesta Beach resort in Sharm when he was grabbed on the foot and pulled underwater by a shark. James managed to get away, but the initial bite had severed his Achilles and the tendons in a number of toes, requiring transfer to Cairo. Once back in England, he underwent successful surgery to reattach his damaged tendons. The incident flew under the radar and generated hardly any news coverage outside of a few local British papers.

Later in 2010, and only forty-one days before the double attack on Olga Martsinko and Lyudmila Stolyarova, Lithuanian tourist Elena Rubanovich was enjoying a morning snorkel off the coast of Sharm. Facing down into the water she saw, only a meter below, a shark, almost as large as she was, zip by. Freaked out by the encounter, she immediately started swimming towards the jetty to get out. She didn’t make it far before the shark returned, biting hard into her leg. Screaming, Elena kicked back, causing the teeth to loosen their grip, but a second bite soon came, this time above the knee. Elena, enduring repeated harassment by the shark, finally managed to clamor onto the jetty. In the aftermath questions would be raised about the preparedness of the lifeguard and other staff in attendance, who seemed reluctant to help the stricken victim. Luckily, a Russian tourist, Mikhail Menshikov, applied effective First Aid, ensuring she kept the limb, in spite of more than half an hour waiting for an ambulance in the scorching sun. Like James Elliott, Elena Rubanovich was also flown back to her home country to undergo treatment, but survived without any lasting physical damage. Yet, for Elena, an enduring image was of the moment when, as she pulled herself onto the jetty, the pursuing shark leapt out of the water seemingly intent on getting her no matter what. This unusually persistent behavior would become a notable feature in the subsequent attacks on tourists at Sharm only weeks later, adding to the feeling of unease and confusion over the situation on the evening of the 1st of December.

By the next day, officials had closed all of Sharm’s beaches, as well as banning watersports and diving off the city’s coast. Looking to placate the public sense of fear and win a quick victory, personnel from the Egyptian Environment Ministry were called in to investigate. Within hours they had set off on a shark hunt. Video footage aboard one of the boats showed a team from the Ministry hauling a shortfin mako shark onto the deck. From the footage, it was clear the unfortunate creature looked particularly emaciated, as it was unceremoniously lifted up by its eye sockets. Earlier on, another Ministry boat had caught an oceanic white tip, over 2 meters in length, and together the pair were held up as those ‘responsible’ for the spate of attacks in the preceding two days. On the following day, a Friday, up to forty diving instructors were employed in reconnaissance dives along the coast and not a single shark was spotted. Feeling confident that the shark problem had been solved, the beaches were reopened on Saturday, the 4th of December, just in time for a busy weekend. By the end of that day, there was again no sign of any sharks and at last everything seemed to be returning to normal in Sharm El-Sheikh. But the weekend wasn’t over yet.

To Be Continued…