The Red Sea is a subsidiary sea of the Indian Ocean. It is like a crocodile with a big mouth, lying there from northeast to southeast.
It is about 2,000 kilometers long, with a maximum width of 306 kilometers, a sea surface area of 450,000 square kilometers, an average water depth of 558 meters and a deepest point of 3,050 meters.
Since ancient times, the Red Sea has been the traffic artery connecting the Mediterranean, Northeast Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean. Since the Suez Canal was dug, it has become one of the busiest waterways in the world, shortening the route around the Cape of Good Hope by more than 9,000 kilometers.
The East Bank of the Red Sea is Asia, mainly Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other countries, and the West Bank of the Jordan River is Africa, mainly Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and other countries, with more than a dozen ports.
The northern section of the Red Sea is connected with the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, and the southern end is connected with the Gulf of Aden through the Mande Strait.
Some media reported that the water in the Red Sea is red. In fact, the red sea water is sky blue.
I have been sailing for many years, passing through the Red Sea almost every year. In different months, I have never seen the so-called Red Sea water.
The red sea is blue, which is true, because it is deep and has no pollution. In addition, a fish about to leave the water can be seen at a depth of three or four meters. In addition, the magnifying effect of seawater makes the scene very spectacular.
The Red Sea is a young ocean. About 20 million years ago, the Arabian Peninsula separated from the African continent and the Red Sea was born.
We can also see from the current map that the shapes of the two sides of the Red Sea are highly compatible, which is the trace left by the tearing of the mainland.
The rift between the African plate and the Arabian plate runs through the middle of the bottom of the Red Sea.
In the past three or four million years, the two plates continued to split, and the two sides expanded outward at an average annual rate of 2.2 cm.
The Red Sea is widening, and some experts even say it may become a new ocean in the future.
The location of the Red Sea is characterized by high temperature, less precipitation and strong evaporation of seawater. Salinity is generally above 40‰, and Suez Bay can reach 43‰, which is one of the highest salinity and temperature seas in the world.
Some data show that the surface water temperature of the Red Sea in summer exceeds 30, which refers to the average temperature, and the real water temperature of the Red Sea is much higher than this temperature.
The weather over 40 in the local area is normal. We fish on the deck during the day, and we have to stamp our feet constantly in work shoes. It feels like stepping on a red-hot iron plate.
According to some data, the highest water temperature in the Red Sea is 56, and eggs can be cooked when they are put in and taken out.
The annual evaporation of seawater in the Red Sea is 2000mm, far exceeding the precipitation. There are no rivers injected all the year round on both sides of the strait, which makes the water in the Red Sea "unable to make ends meet" and must be supplemented by the Indian Ocean current. The Gulf of Aden has become a "big reservoir" for regulating the water level of the Red Sea.
The water entering the Gulf of Aden from the Indian Ocean goes northward and enters the thirsty Red Sea to supplement its water shortage.
Fish from the Indian Ocean also entered the Red Sea, which is one of the reasons for the abundance of fish in the Red Sea.
The high-temperature and high-salinity seawater in the Red Sea also continuously flows to the Gulf of Aden through the Mande Strait, which has become an important reason for the high temperature and high salinity in the Indian Ocean.
In recent years, Egypt, Jordan and other countries along the Red Sea are developing tourism in the Red Sea.
I used to be a professional sailor, just a passer-by on the Red Sea. It is impossible to understand the Red Sea from the perspective of tourists, but the real experience of seafarers is beyond the understanding of ordinary tourists.
Below, I will share with readers a few thrilling and interesting experiences I experienced along the Red Sea coast.
When the ship arrived in Sudan Port on the west bank of the Red Sea, once the anchor entered the water, it was difficult for fishermen who had been drifting on the ocean for more than 20 days to hide their addiction. Despite the high temperature of nearly 40 degrees, they came to the deck one after another, occupied favorable terrain, threw hooks into the sea, and showed their magical powers.
I have had fishing experience in the Red Sea before, so I have prepared two sets of fishing tackle. One set of fishing tackle is specially used to catch about 1kg, and the other set is used to catch big fish constantly-tie the tail end of the fishing line to the railing with a thick hook, fix it, and then tie the thin bamboo stick on the bamboo broom to the railing. The fishing line hangs on the top of the bamboo pole. As long as the big fish bites the hook, the bamboo stick will naturally bend under stress.
When my fishing tackle caught several fish weighing one or two kilograms in succession, I saw the bamboo pole bending rapidly next to it. I hurried to pull them, feeling very hard. It seems to be a big guy.
When one-third of the nearly 100-meter-long fishing line was pulled out of the water, I suddenly felt the fishing line tremble and my hands felt less heavy. When I pulled the hook to the surface, I couldn't help being surprised. It turned out to be a bloody fish head, weighing 1 kg.
Obviously, this biting fish was swallowed by another big fish on my way to the surface.
I hurried back to my room and took out the nylon rope prepared in advance. I tied a hook with a thick thumb and used the big nut on the boat as a pendant. Soon after I put it down, an ungrateful fish took the bait.
I pulled hard, and I paid off the line as soon as I could, ready to pull it back.
However, it didn't mean to stop, just ran away. I am wireless, so I can't put it down, so I have to shout for help.
Several watching sailors came to help, but thanks to the strong nylon rope, they kept pulling. The number of participants has reached five, and the captain also put down his fishing tackle to help command.
Gradually, the figure of fish appeared gradually, and the visual length could reach 1.5 meters. Seeing the fish so big, everyone's enthusiasm was rekindled, and they wanted to pull the fish directly onto the boat with all their might. As a result, as soon as it was pulled to the surface of the water, it struggled violently, its tail was stirred only once, and white waves splashed with a bang on the calm water.
The captain shouted, "Stop pulling and drag it to the gangway!" "
He gave a cry and everyone understood before dragging it to the gangway and wrapping it with a net.
The boatswain quickly led several sailors down the gangway. A young sailor from Shanghai said, "It's no use, this is horseshoe crab, which is poisonous and can't be eaten!" " "
I don't know what basis he said this.
The boatswain replied, "Nonsense, why can't you eat?"? Help quickly! "
After the gangway was put down, the second mate dropped a net to prepare for unloading. A Tianjin sailor volunteered to go down to the surface to lay a net, but the big fish didn't cooperate and slipped off the net several times, leaving the sailor covered in seawater and almost out of danger.
When the chef saw something, he quickly went to the kitchen and took a big iron hook used by cook the meat. He squeezed into the sailor's side and caught the fish while he was unprepared and hooked it on the gills.
The two quickly dragged the fish to the net and tied the net firmly on the gangway. At the captain's command, the ladder slowly twisted upward, and everyone held their breath and stared at the slowly rising big fish.
At this time, almost all the crew members came. According to the captain's order, Qi Xin took the fish to the deck together.
Because the pressure difference between underwater and underwater is too great, the fish's eyes protrude and bleed.
The chef found a scale, and boy, 5 1 kg!
The captain couldn't help sighing: "I've never seen such a big Spanish mackerel." Let's stop talking about it. It's too hot. Hurry to the freezer and enjoy it later. "
Shanghai sailors still insist on not eating, and some sailors say yes, but Spanish mackerel has a fishy smell and is definitely not delicious.
On my way back to the Indian Ocean, I just happened to catch the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15. The chef made a pot of Spanish mackerel with great effort, and all the necessary materials were used. When the pot was cooked, the attractive smell immediately aroused everyone's appetite. The whole pot of Spanish mackerel with fish and soup was reimbursed, and the young sailor's saying that Spanish mackerel can't be eaten was also broken.
Fishing in the anchorage of Sudan port, the fish frequently bite the hook in the middle of the night, and it can't be put into the bucket at all. It needs to be packed in sacks and baskets, and the refrigerator in the kitchen is full, so fish won't bite at midnight.
Most people can't stand being sleepy. After drinking fish soup and taking a bath, they went back to their room to sleep.
Two sailors and I are die-hard fans of fishing. We all contributed the fish caught in the middle of the night. Not content, we drank the fish soup made by the chef and went fishing again.
Near 3 am, I felt a fish biting a hook. When I lifted the thread up, the weight was ok, 1 kg.
When we threw it on the deck, we were dumbfounded. It is a strange fish that we have never seen before, with a green body, a slender mouth, and especially a pair of unconvinced eyes. It grows not in the front of the fish head, but in the upper part of the middle.
We have never heard of this kind of fish, nor have we seen it before. We don't know whether it is poisonous or not. We dare not pick the hook with our hands, so we hold it with our feet. The three men carefully pried open the fish mouth with a sailor's knife, took off the hook and threw it back into the sea.
That night, the three of us also caught a dozen "rubber fish" weighing two or three pounds. The scientific name of this fish is horse-faced bream, but no one calls it that.
It has no scales and thick skin. Lao Wang, a sailor, said that his skin could be used as a wallet, so he peeled a dozen fish and hung them on the deck.
Unfortunately, the boatswain got up the next morning to clean the deck and threw all those fish skins into the sea. He thinks no one wants them.
Legend has it that there is a beautiful mermaid in the sea. I once witnessed a "mermaid" when a ship arrived at the anchorage of Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia.
I said "mermaid" is Yunnan mermaid or giant salamander?
As I have never been to Yunnan, I can't compare it.
Jeddah Port is located on the east bank of the Red Sea, and the anchorage depth is less than 100 m, which is slightly shallower than that on the west bank.
During the day, most crew members don't have time to fish because of their work. Both marine fish and freshwater fish have a * * * nature, and they all like to bite before and after sunrise and sunset.
Secondly, Jeddah Port is a world-famous stove because it is hot and dry in midsummer. It is said that a local driver forgot to wear gloves when he opened the door, and only heard a scream. His hand burned off a layer of skin when it touched the doorknob.
After dinner, the crew came to the deck from the air-conditioned room, and immediately felt the heat wave coming, and their feet were hot when wearing cloth shoes on the deck.
Companion Xiao Xu lamented his bad luck. Everyone else has two or three gains, but he still gets nothing.
As far as patience is concerned, Xiao Xu is sure to win the first place. Like me, he will go fishing when the boat stops.
Xiao Xu took his time and finally waited for the fish to take the bait. Judging from his stiff posture, it is estimated that he has a lot of money, but everyone is busy with their own affairs, and no one cares about Xiao Xu. Only I approached him. Visually, the weight of this fish is not less than 2 kg.
As usual, the fish was thrown on the deck behind me, but I didn't want to hear the baby crying out of thin air at this moment, which made everyone's scalp numb and thought they were talking about a ghost in a serial in the middle of the night.
This vast sea is full of men, where can a baby cry? People looked around in surprise and found that the cry came from the fish that Xiao Xu had just caught.
Everyone gathered around curiously to look at the fish and found that it not only "cried" like a baby, but also looked like a baby, with a big and slightly flat head, like a human head, black all over, almost like black paint, mottled skin and big protruding eyes.
Cry louder when you touch it with your hands, just like a baby is hungry.
This strange fish, even the oldest old captain said that he had never seen it. He said roundly, "Maybe prehistoric people, maybe there is civilization in the sea!" " "
Hearing his words, Xiao Xu said, we must release them as soon as possible, but don't commit iniquity.
Strangely, the fish seemed to understand what people said. When it was unhooked, it actively cooperated and opened its mouth.
Xiao Xu picked it up and prepared to throw it into the sea. The boatswain stopped it, saying that the good thing should be done to the end and put it on the sea with a net so as not to hurt it.
After putting it on the sea, the strange fish turned around on the water, made the last baby cry, as if to say goodbye, and then turned over and dived into the deep water.
I looked it up in the dictionary that night. There is an amphibian named giant salamander, commonly known as "giant salamander". It has a big mouth, short limbs and a flat tail. It lives in fresh water and can make a sound like a baby crying.
But this strange fish we see is very different from the giant fish. Both sides of the Red Sea are deserts, with little rain all year round and no fresh water rivers. Even if it is a variant of giant salamander, how can it survive in the salt water of the Red Sea? What a mystery.
When the ship returned from Western Europe and entered the Mediterranean Sea, it was informed that it would temporarily load at the port of Hodda, which was undoubtedly great good news for the crew.
Hodeidah is a city in Yemen, located in the middle of the west coast of Yemen, near the southeast side of the Red Sea, at the exit of the Red Sea. The port of Hodeida is one of the main ports in Yemen.
When the ship left the Suez Canal, it was calm, sunny and the temperature rose. The temperature on the deck was at least 40 degrees.
It was 6 o'clock in the evening when the ship arrived at the anchorage of Hodeida. We were informed that we would dock at 6 o'clock the next morning and go to work at 8 o'clock. Because the local temperature is too high, I only work five hours a day in summer-from 8 am to 1 1, and from 4 pm to 6 pm.
My ship has loaded several containers in this port and will leave the port soon, so the fishing time is limited, so we must make good use of it.
Throwing the anchor is the prime time for fishing at night. The crew who love fishing and are not on duty came to the deck with the mentality of trying. No one has been to this port before, and I don't know what the fishing situation is.
After watching the weather, I went to the deck empty-handed to watch the fun, without fishing tackle. Seeing that everyone has made great gains, I also caught a lot of strange fish. Their bodies are like cattail leaf fans with tails. They are brown, like fish instead of fish.
Seeing this strange appearance, everyone immediately thought of the rules of eating fish at sea-it is best not to eat strange, scaly, unknown and invisible fish in case of eating by mistake, so the first few caught were either cut off as bait or released immediately.
However, the more strange fish are caught, the more they bite, and the crew can throw them on the deck before releasing them.
Until later, the chief engineer of Nanjing came and said it was an old fish, whose scientific name was Kunlei. Its double fins are particularly developed and look like an eagle spreading its wings, so it was called a sole fish in ancient times.
Not only can you eat it, but it's delicious! Everyone regretted cutting the fish into bait, and even more regretted letting all the old and big fish go.
After hearing this, several young flight attendants complained bitterly and said, "Old Track" (the flight attendants called the chief engineer "Old Track"), why didn't you come earlier? There are hundreds of pounds released!
An old woman selling melons listened to Lao Tie's words and boasted, "Little friend, learn more in the future!" "
In fact, the old track is not old at all, and it was already 40 years old at that time.
On the appearance of Laobanyu, if there is no guidance, most people really dare not eat it. The crew caught many kinds of fish, and everyone chose the well-known scaly fish to eat.
Old fish are distributed in every ocean in the world. It is said that it is a kind of fish, without the appearance of fish, so some people describe it as a strange-looking creature.
It is said that some rays can grow into sea monsters and fly a long distance on the sea with the help of sea breeze.
Laobanyu mainly lives at the bottom of sandy mud, feeds on small fish and shrimp, and goes out at night, which is difficult to catch during the day. Even if it is caught, it is small in size, and the big one basically does not move.
It is usually difficult to catch laoban fish on the shore, and you can catch laoban fish only if you are far from the shore. It is naturally big, so it should be caught with a thick hook. It is also very strong, and it feels very strong after being hooked. It takes some effort to pull it up.
Fishing for old fish in the sea is mostly accidental.
It is impossible for boat fishing at sea to know exactly what fish are underwater and prepare fishing tackle and bait accordingly, just like fishing reservoirs and fish ponds.
Experienced sea fishermen can only grasp the main fish in the sea according to the seasonal changes. When fishing, they may catch some unexpected fish. When fishing, the crew are crossing the river by feeling the stones.
The water depth of Hodeida anchorage is nearly 100 meters, but the water is very clear. You can clearly see the fish when you pull it two or three meters above the water surface. Especially under the illumination of light, the moment it comes out of the water is particularly exciting, just like a big cattail leaf fan stirring up and down.
The crew called this old fish weighing two or three kilograms "little boss" and "big boss" weighed more than ten kilograms.
Of course, many other fish species have been caught besides Laobanyu.
After 1 1 in the evening, more than a dozen people caught 1 tons of fish, of which Laoban fish accounted for more than half, and all the fish were moved to the warehouse to eat.
There are many fish in the Red Sea, and the depth of the Red Sea makes the coastal fishing industry backward. In particular, local people don't eat laoban fish, so there are many laoban fish in the port of Hodda.
However, I have been to Port Sudan on the west bank of the Red Sea, but there are no old fish. The reasons for it were not known
In the more than 20 days since I set sail for home from Hodeida, I ate two meals of fish a day, but I didn't finish it at last.
Laoban fish is really delicious. My favorite way is to wash the old fish, cut it into pieces, soak it in salt, and then fry it in the oil pan. It is really delicious.