Ray Scuba Diving

05/29/2026

Today a few of us ventured into downtown Cairo for a day of exploring, and what an adventure it turned out to be!

We started our morning at a local jewelry shop where we learned how our names can be written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and explored beautiful handcrafted jewelry inspired by thousands of years of Egyptian history. It’s amazing to see how much symbolism and meaning is woven into their art and culture.

From there, we found one of those hidden treasures you could never discover on a tour bus. Tucked away inside what felt like an old apartment building, we climbed several flights of stairs while being greeted by the sweet aroma of charcoal cooking below. At the top, we found a cozy restaurant overlooking the city of Cairo and, in the distance, the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Lunch was incredible. We enjoyed grilled chicken and traditional Egyptian Hawawshi—a delicious flatbread stuffed with seasoned lamb and spices and baked until perfectly crisp. The combination of flavors, the view, and the atmosphere made for a meal we won’t soon forget.

Our next stop was an Egyptian essential oil shop where we learned about oils that have been used here for generations. We sampled jasmine, lotus, sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh, black seed oil, peppermint, eucalyptus, and other traditional blends. Some are used for relaxation, others for headaches, congestion, skin care, muscle aches, better sleep, and yes… even snoring! A few of us may have come home with some “magic oil” to put to the test.

Then it was off to the spice market where vibrant colors and incredible aromas filled the room. We sampled and learned about many traditional Egyptian spices including cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, fenugreek, black cumin, hibiscus, anise, cloves, sesame, and the famous Egyptian dukkah blend. Every table seemed to offer another flavor, another story, and another reason to appreciate this culture.

Of course, no day in Cairo would be complete without coffee and tea. Everywhere we went we were welcomed with warm smiles, friendly conversation, and a beverage in hand. Whether it was rich Egyptian coffee, herbal tea, or fresh juice, hospitality seems to be part of everyday life here.

We finished our evening wandering through local art shops filled with stunning hand-painted papyrus artwork depicting scenes from ancient Egypt. Each piece felt like a connection between the Egypt of today and the Egypt of thousands of years ago.

What continues to impress me most is not just the history, the food, the spices, or the sights—it’s the people. Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve been welcomed with kindness, generosity, and genuine hospitality.

Egypt has been an incredible experience, and today reminded us that some of the best adventures happen when you simply wander off the beaten path.

🇪🇬☕️🌿🧂🎨

05/28/2026

Today was one of the most fascinating and unforgettable days our Ray Scuba group has experienced so far here in Egypt. Between the pyramids, temples, museum treasures, and the stories behind them, it truly felt like stepping back thousands of years in history.

We started the morning at the Giza Plateau exploring the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), including going inside the pyramid itself. Walking through the narrow ascending passages and chambers built more than 4,500 years ago is hard to describe. The entire pyramid complex — including the valley temple, causeway, mortuary temple, and pyramid — was all built for one single purpose: the king’s funeral procession, mummification rituals, and preparation for the afterlife.

One of the most incredible things we learned was how detailed and advanced the burial process was. The internal organs of the king were carefully removed during mummification and stored in beautifully carved containers called canopic jars. These jars were often made from alabaster and placed inside ornate stone chests near the sarcophagus. Every detail of the burial chambers and tombs was crafted with astonishing precision and symbolism tied to the journey into the afterlife.

The temples themselves were equally mind blowing. The Valley Temple at Giza still contains massive blocks of red granite brought all the way from Aswan in southern Egypt — nearly 500 miles (800 km) away. Some of these blocks weigh more than 40–70 tons each. The floors were made from polished alabaster stone that still reflects light thousands of years later. The causeway roads connecting the temples to the pyramids stretched hundreds of meters and were used during the king’s funeral ceremonies as priests and processions moved toward the pyramid complex.

The engineering is unbelievable when you realize the Great Pyramid originally stood about 481 feet tall and was constructed from roughly 2.3 million limestone blocks, many weighing between 2 and 15 tons each. Even more amazing, the pyramid is aligned almost perfectly to true north with an accuracy modern builders would still be proud of today. Historians believe the builders used the stars, along with tools like plumb bobs, leveling trenches, squares, sighting rods, and careful geometry to achieve this precision long before modern technology existed.

Another fascinating detail was learning about Khufu’s solar boats. Ancient Egyptians believed the king would sail across the heavens with the sun god Ra in the afterlife. Full-sized cedar boats were buried in massive pits beside the pyramid, and one of those reconstructed boats is now displayed near the museum. The cedar wood itself was imported from Lebanon, showing how vast Egypt’s trade networks were even 4,500 years ago. Archaeologists also believe canals connected the Nile River directly toward the Giza Plateau, allowing massive stones and materials to be transported by boat much closer to the construction site.

Then we headed into the desert behind the pyramids on horseback and camel rides. Seeing all the pyramids rise out of the desert together while riding through the sand was one of those moments you never forget. As we rode farther out, the pyramids somehow kept looking bigger and more impossible the closer we returned toward them.

We finished the day at the Egyptian Museum, completely overwhelmed by the beauty, craftsmanship, and sheer amount of treasure preserved from ancient Egypt. The gold alone is staggering. King Tutankhamun’s famous solid gold funerary mask weighs around 24 pounds (11 kg) of gold by itself. At today’s gold prices, that alone would be worth well over $1 million just in raw gold value — and that doesn’t even begin to account for its historical importance. Everywhere you looked were intricately carved coffins, jewelry, statues, and treasures covered in lapis lazuli, alabaster, gold leaf, and precious stones, all crafted thousands of years ago with incredible detail and artistry.

Today reminded all of us just how advanced, organized, artistic, and visionary ancient Egyptian civilization truly was. The scale of what they accomplished with the tools available to them is simply astonishing. Egypt continues to exceed every expectation we had.

05/26/2026

Today was absolutely incredible exploring the history, architecture, and beauty of Cairo! 🇪🇬

Part of our group spent the day visiting the Mohamed Ali Manial Palace & Museum, originally built between 1899–1929 by Prince Mohamed Ali Tewfik. The palace grounds are filled with stunning gardens, royal residences, museums, a private mosque, throne room, and some of the most detailed architecture and textures you can imagine. Everywhere you look there are different influences blended together — Ottoman, Persian, Moorish, Andalusian, Rococo, Art Nouveau, and traditional Islamic design all woven into one place.

One of the most fascinating spaces was the famous Aubusson Room, inspired by French design and named after the world-renowned Aubusson tapestries from France. The European influence in this room was incredible, blending elegant French artistic style with the surrounding Islamic architecture and royal Egyptian design. It was amazing seeing how many cultures and artistic movements came together inside one palace.

The ceilings, carved woodwork, colored glass, marble, tilework, and hand-painted details throughout the palace were unreal. Every room felt like stepping into a different world.

We then visited the legendary Salah Al-Din Citadel, originally built in 1176 AD by Saladin as a fortress to protect Cairo from the Crusaders. Sitting high above the city, the views overlooking Cairo were absolutely breathtaking.

Inside the citadel we explored the Mosque of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad, built in the early 1300s during the Mamluk era. One of the coolest details was the massive marble columns that were actually repurposed from older Roman and Christian structures throughout Egypt. On one column you can still clearly see a carved Christian cross remaining from its original use centuries before the mosque was built — such an incredible reminder of how layered Egypt’s history really is.

We also got to see the ancient sundial used to help determine prayer times throughout the day using the position of the sun. In Islamic tradition, the sun helps mark the daily prayer schedule, while the lunar cycle determines the months and religious calendar. Standing there realizing people were tracking time this way hundreds of years ago was pretty amazing.

The interior of the mosque was stunning with towering arcades, geometric patterns, carved stucco, intricate calligraphy, and beautifully painted wooden ceilings that seem to stretch forever overhead.

As we approached the newer mosque, we stopped along the upper terraces to take in the skyline of Cairo before entering the breathtaking Mosque of Muhammad Ali, widely known as the Alabaster Mosque. Built between 1830–1848, it dominates the citadel skyline and is one of the most iconic mosques in all of Egypt. The glowing alabaster walls, massive domes, hanging lights, and enormous chandeliers are truly something to see in person. One fun architectural fact — the giant circular chandelier suspended beneath the central dome actually helps distribute structural forces like a visual “keystone,” balancing the space beneath the dome while drawing your eyes upward to the incredible Ottoman-style ceiling details.

One especially meaningful moment was being inside the Alabaster Mosque during the call to prayer. Hearing it echo throughout the citadel was honestly beautiful and powerful. While our group comes from a Christian background and we may all hold different beliefs and perspectives, there was still something very grounding about pausing in that moment to reflect and pray ourselves. As Christians, it has also been encouraging to see that while Egypt is predominantly Islamic, it is also home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world through the Coptic Christians, whose history here dates back nearly 2,000 years. Throughout Cairo you can also see the deep historical layers of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic history woven together in remarkable ways.

We wrapped the afternoon up with a relaxing cruise on the Nile River as the sun began to set over Cairo. After a day packed full of history, architecture, culture, and incredible views, it was the perfect way to slow down, take it all in, and enjoy the beauty of Egypt from the water.

Everywhere we turned today there was another layer of history, craftsmanship, and culture. Cairo has a way of making you feel both tiny and amazed at the same time.

Photo dump time 📸👇

05/26/2026

Made it to Cairo! 🇪🇬

The energy here is unreal — bustling streets, the Nile, history everywhere… and somewhere out there are the pyramids 👀🏜️

Zoom in and see if you can spot them in the background!

Tomorrow we step back thousands of years to explore the ancient wonders of Egypt. This trip is already off to an incredible start!

05/06/2026

🌊✨ NEW PRODUCT ALERT – Just Landed! ✨🌊

We’re excited to now carry Stream2Sea Shampoo Bars — the perfect eco-friendly upgrade for your dive bag (and your shower 🙌)!

🧴 Available in 3 options:
• Color Protect – keeps your color vibrant and protected
• Naturally Naked – fragrance-free, simple & gentle
• Swim Strong – helps remove chlorine & salt after your dives

💙 Why we love them:
✔ Reef-safe & ocean-friendly ingredients
✔ Plastic-free & travel-ready
✔ One bar = up to ~50 washes (yes, really!)
✔ Perfect for divers, travelers, and anyone trying to cut down on waste

Whether you’re heading out on a dive trip or just want something cleaner for everyday use, these bars are a win for you and the ocean 🌎

Stop by the shop or message us to grab yours! Retails for $14.95!

04/07/2026

They are HERE! Our Tetra Crosskix arrived today! Come in today to get yours!

04/05/2026

04/01/2026

🌴🐠 Bonaire 2026 – What a Week! 🐬🌊

We’re wrapping up an incredible week in Bonaire, and what a trip it has been.

This group showed up ready to dive, learn, and make memories — and they delivered on all of it.

👏 Big accomplishments this week:

Glenn completed his MOD 2 crossover on the Chiptom Rebreather
Teresa completed her crossover as well
Bill & MaryAnn crushed their Advanced Adventure, putting in serious work on:
Buoyancy control
Navigation
Wreck diving
Night diving
John & Christa sharpened their tech diving skills as we prepare for our upcoming Truk Lagoon wreck adventure

🐬 And then… the moments you can’t plan
Freediving with a huge pod of dolphins was something none of us will ever forget.

🐟 Marine life was absolutely on point:
Turtles, parrotfish of every color, drum fish, trumpetfish, frogfish, feisty damselfish, spotted eagle rays, sharpnose puffers, banded coral shrimp, flamingo tongue, barracuda… and so much more. Bonaire always delivers, and this week it showed off.

🎉 We also celebrated MaryAnn’s 30th (…again 😄) birthday in style!

🌵 Off the water, we explored:

The donkey sanctuary
Salt Pier (and yes… we grabbed some salt souvenirs)

🍦 And of course… the daily, well-earned ice cream reward

This week was everything we love about diving:
Eat. Sleep. Dive. Repeat.

Great people, great diving, and memories that will last a lifetime.

🌍 Already looking ahead…
We’re gearing up for our next adventures in the Red Sea this May and Dominica this October.

Join the Dive Family and let us handle your vacation planning.
Whether you’re a diver or not — Dominica is the perfect getaway for both.

Let’s go diving 🤿💙

03/28/2026

We just wrapped an incredible dive… and thought the day was over.

On the way back to the dock, a huge pod of dolphins showed up and started riding alongside the boat.

Lucky for us, we had an amazing captain who made the call to let us jump in and freedive with them 🙌

James and I had some unreal close encounters — dolphins swimming right past us, making eye contact… one of those moments that doesn’t feel real.

We managed to grab some great photos, and another diver caught this incredible video of me in the middle of it all.

This is why we dive.
Not just for what’s planned… but for the moments you could never plan.

03/20/2026

Ready to get back in the water (or try it for the first time)? 🌊🤿

We’ve got pool sessions coming up and they’re perfect for:
• Open Water students getting their skills dialed in
• Anyone wanting to try a Discover Scuba experience
• Certified divers looking to refresh or just get some pool time in

Join us on April 11, April 18, or April 25 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM!

Whether you're just starting out or brushing up before your next trip, these sessions are a great way to build confidence, practice skills, and have some fun underwater.

Spots fill up fast, so reach out to get signed up—we’d love to have you in the water with us! 🤙