(09-12-10)  The Sharm offensive has begun. In the wake of the shark attacks which have claimed life and limb in the waters of the Red Sea, tourism chiefs have initiated what amounts to a public safety campaign…

    Volunteering was Ahmed Salah al-Idkawi, deputy governor of South Sinai, who emerged from the water to announce 'it is safe for diving' He claimed not to know of any tourist cancellations to the winter retreat of Sharm el Sheikh since Sunday's fatal shark attack on a German, but tourism chiefs can ill afford any more bad publicity.

    Egypt makes around £12.3bn a year from beach tourism, but as of today most of the 30-mile Red Sea coastline was still closed to swimmers. And dive boat trips have fallen to about 25 a day, down from about 150 on average before.

    With headlines such as today's 'I saw killer shark tear mum apart', it's no surprise holidaymakers are taking a little time to return to the water. Distraught Elena Martynenko, whose mother Olga was attacked by an Oceanic Whitetip shark, told how she had acted 'to save me'. The 19-year-old's mother is 'critical' after the savaging.

    She said: 'We were 20 metres from a jetty. When I saw my mum pulled under I started to scream. She gasped at the surface and screamed at me to keep away. As she fought the shark off it took off her hand - it was like something from hell. Then it went for her thigh.' Elena, from Moscow, said her mother managed to swim to the pontoon with the shark still attached. It ripped her buttock as tourists tried to fight the shark off.

    Jim and Joanna Farr, hotel owners from Woodingdean, Brighton, took the picture which shows blood in the water from a pontoon in Sharm el Sheikh just after the attack on Olga Martynenko.

    Olga needed plastic surgery in a Cairo hospital after the attack last Monday - but is now back home recuperating in Russia. Divers are also drawn to the waters by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore that offer deep walls of coral with a rich and colorful sea life. Some restrictions have been lifted by authorities after an exploration dive by professionals, who deemed the area safe for experienced protagonists.

DIVE SITES REMAIN OFF LIMITS

    Ziad al-Basil, deputy chairman of Egypt's Chamber of Diving and Watersports, said authorities said about 10 of more than 50 dive sites in Sharm remain off limits. 'Divers come here to see sharks. For beginners, we gave them alternatives,' he said. 'For non-divers, their focus is on the resort as a warm destination. A big section of them go on glass-bottom boat and semi-submarines, these are fully booked.'

    Experts have been at a loss to explain the reasons for the sudden spate of shark attacks. Overfishing or depletion of food sources has been blamed for driving sharks closer to shore in search of food.

    There are also accusations that tourist boats are illegally dumping meat into the water to attract sharks for passengers wanting to photograph them. The resort at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula has boomed since the 1980s. There are some 100 hotels, long stretches of sandy white beaches, desert safari excursions and a vibrant night life.

    Sharm's troubles began in the middle of last week when sharks mauled three Russians and one Ukrainian tourist. One Russian woman had her hand bitten off and another lost a hand and a leg. But all four victims survived. Then on Sunday, a shark tore the arm off a 70-year-old German tourist while she was snorkeling and she died almost immediately.

    Before Sunday's fatal attack, authorities believed they had caught and killed the two sharks that mauled the other four tourists, but that drew criticism from environmentalists. A team of U.S. experts arrived to help investigate the unusual series of attacks. Al-Idkawi said authorities are waiting to hear the opinion of the U.S. experts but it is unlikely that the hunt for sharks will continue as it has proven useless. 'I don't think there will be a hunt. Scientific research will be better,' he said.

Text: Mark Montoya / MW