From 1976-1978 I spent 7 months living on "The Platform", a marine research station three miles off-shore in the Red Sea, South East of Port Sudan. I was part of a group of Cambridge graduates tasked with running scuba diving holidays for intrepid holiday makers as a way of generating income to support the university's research work. Life was basic: we transported all food, water, boat fuel and cooking gas canisters weekly from Port Sudan to The Platform. We slept on the roof under the stars. The diving and snorkelling was out of this world. There was little tradition of local fishing and the coral seas were pristine. A life-changing experience.
