reefseeker2
Registered
Please keep in mind that this review is coming from an experienced diver who might be a bit accustomed to certain luxuries. I've been diving since 1974 and have been on so many live-aboard boats that I've lost count.
My initial observation was that this boat is narrower than what I'm used to. Thankfully, the sea was calm during this trip. However, I couldn't help but wonder how it would fare in rougher waters. It's worth noting that plenty of items fell in our room during the journey, but since I was in the main area, I missed out on that amusing experience. These incidents occurred only when the boat was in motion.
To maintain some structure in my review, I'll follow the order of my daily notes.
During the first two nights, the food was quite disappointing. It consisted of dry fish. The following day was no better, with more cardboard-like fish and overcooked hotdogs that were so unappetizing I couldn't eat them. However, the third day brought some relief with pizza, which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, after the pizza, we went back to having overcooked food, though there was a saving grace in the form of plenty of delicious vegetables and fruits. It seemed like the main dishes were consistently lacking.
On the bright side, I jokingly thought I'd lose a few pounds on this trip due to the subpar food. Despite the food's amazing presentation, it was astonishing how disappointing it tasted – even the miniature hot dogs resembled dry cardboard. Every night, the fish, shrimp, chicken, and beef were overcooked. I ended up surviving on the desserts, which were truly remarkable. One night, we had turkey that looked fantastic, but unfortunately, I couldn't even swallow the meat. I was tempted to go into the kitchen and give a cooking lesson myself – it was that frustrating! LOL
Eggs in the morning were very good.
Homemade desserts, solid 10
There were far too many people smoking everywhere, and there seemed to be zero respect for those who didn't smoke. It was frustrating, and I believe there should have been a designated smoking area. As an American, I've grown accustomed to cleaner air and the freedom to breathe without inhaling secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, on this trip, there was no escape from it, affecting both guests and crew.
I hesitated to speak up because I didn't want to be the only one complaining. However, there was one instance where I did mention to some people near my room that their smoke was entering our cabin. They moved temporarily, but the next day, they were right back in the same spot. It never occurred to me to inquire about the smoking policy beforehand. In the past 15 years, every boat I've been on had strict smoking rules in place.
They gave us robes instead of towels after diving. Same robe for the week, were very interesting.
The rooms are extremely tiny, with inadequate storage space and no place to hang anything. The liquid soap in the shower feels more like water; I'm not even sure what it is. On the positive side, the bathrooms were consistently clean and well-maintained. However, we only had hot water on the first day, which was quite unusual. Interestingly, we always had hot water in the sink but not in the shower. I'm generally not one to complain during a trip, and I'm not sure if there was anything that could have been done to address these issues. It's possible that there were too many people for this boat to handle effectively. In my experience, boats of similar size over the last 20 years have typically had over 20 crew members for a similar number of divers, give or take a few.
Getting in and out of the boat using the speed boats definitely needs improvement. I missed the little holes where you can secure your tank when boarding the speedboat; here, it just slides all over the place, and there's a lot of bouncing on the balloons. However, the crew did an excellent job of assisting passengers when getting in and out of the chase boats. It's clear that they are aware of the challenges.
One aspect where they excel is in explaining everything and prioritizing safety. Their commitment to safety is evident.
I booked my trip almost a year in advance, and it would have been helpful if someone had mentioned not to bring drones into Egypt. Unfortunately, mine was confiscated at the airport, which was quite disheartening. I didn't think to check, but when I mentioned it to the head dive guide, they confirmed that it can happen.
The boat is not well-equipped for serious photographers. There's no dedicated camera room, and the space for camera equipment is limited. The small table and the wash bucket for cameras tend to get crowded, and throughout the week, it seemed like the only available space was on the floor. This made it challenging to rinse the equipment properly with fresh water. I've been fortunate to be on boats in the last 20 years that provided more assistance for photographers.
Regarding coffee, there's only instant coffee available, and if you want a pod coffee, you'll need to pay 2 euros. I suppose I took the availability of good coffee for granted.
The internet connection only worked on the first day and the last day of the trip. This worried my family, as they couldn't stay in touch with me.
Lastly, the room noise is quite loud. Fortunately, I'm not a light sleeper, but it may be bothersome for others who are.
The main briefing room, very comfortable lots of couches
Diving in the Red Sea was quite different from what I've experienced in Indonesia. There weren't many fish; instead, I encountered mostly hard coral with limited soft coral. Indonesia has truly spoiled me in terms of marine life diversity. Among the wrecks we explored, the SS Thistlegorm stood out as the most interesting. I believe we should have done more than one dive on that ship. Unfortunately, we didn't spot any sharks during the entire week, and sightings of fish over 5 pounds were scarce, maybe just two or three. We only saw one turtle throughout the week. To be honest, after the third day, I started feeling a bit bored.
What struck me the most in the Red Sea was the sheer number of dive boats. I've never seen so many in my life. The salesmanship must be incredible there. The Red Sea seemed to have more big boats and divers congregated in one place than I've ever seen before. It felt like there were 100% more divers than fish in some areas.
Ocean temperature 80° to 81 Constant. Vis was clear.
The ocean temperature remained constant at 80° to 81°F, and visibility was consistently clear.
Despite the continuous wind, it's surprising that so many people were smoking cigarettes. It's puzzling how the smell managed to linger. Egypt turned out to be hotter and drier than I had ever imagined. I mean, it was scorching, and even an Uber driver mentioned how fortunate I wasn't there the week before when it was even hotter. It's hard to fathom.
If I had the option to press a button and go home after the third day, I would have done it. I'm pretty much ready to leave. I'm thankful I didn't book an 11-day trip as I usually do, not that there was an option for it.
On my usual Indonesia boat, they would provide fresh towels every day, but on this boat, it happened only once in the middle of the week. They didn't replace the bathrobes at all, just a small observation. I also missed having a hairdryer in the room, not for my hair, but it's essential for drying out your ears after diving to prevent ear infections. It's a small but valuable amenity.
The deck crew was genuinely helpful when it came to assisting with equipment. I appreciate that there was always someone available to help hang up my wetsuit and lend a hand.
My primary concern is that there was only one guide for every 10 people. Considering that half of the divers were newbies, this is simply not acceptable. As far back as I can remember, I've never seen more than 6 divers per guide, and going forward, I'll make it a point to inquire about this before booking. If they can't guarantee 6 or fewer divers per guide, I wouldn't choose that boat. Additionally, there was too much confusion regarding dive guide communication about psi verse bar. When I tried to address it, the guide became frustrated and confrontational, so I dropped the issue. Later, I witnessed another guest with the same concerns, so it wasn't just me.
Regarding the shipwrecks, it's an open sea with strong currents running down the line, and the quarters become tight once you enter the ship. Taking too many divers for one guide is risky. One day, I witnessed a couple ascending rapidly to the surface, and it didn't seem to be from our group. It appeared that something had gone wrong, and our dive guide, though he wanted to help, couldn't do much in that situation.
I checked the Red Sea off my bucket list, and it was a memorable experience. If I lived within a 4-hour flight to dive there, I might consider a weekend trip. However, flying 24 hours from the USA was a mistake; it's just not for me. I'll stick to Indonesia, where I've never once been bored and am always in awe of the diving opportunities.
Best Fishes!
My initial observation was that this boat is narrower than what I'm used to. Thankfully, the sea was calm during this trip. However, I couldn't help but wonder how it would fare in rougher waters. It's worth noting that plenty of items fell in our room during the journey, but since I was in the main area, I missed out on that amusing experience. These incidents occurred only when the boat was in motion.
To maintain some structure in my review, I'll follow the order of my daily notes.
During the first two nights, the food was quite disappointing. It consisted of dry fish. The following day was no better, with more cardboard-like fish and overcooked hotdogs that were so unappetizing I couldn't eat them. However, the third day brought some relief with pizza, which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, after the pizza, we went back to having overcooked food, though there was a saving grace in the form of plenty of delicious vegetables and fruits. It seemed like the main dishes were consistently lacking.
On the bright side, I jokingly thought I'd lose a few pounds on this trip due to the subpar food. Despite the food's amazing presentation, it was astonishing how disappointing it tasted – even the miniature hot dogs resembled dry cardboard. Every night, the fish, shrimp, chicken, and beef were overcooked. I ended up surviving on the desserts, which were truly remarkable. One night, we had turkey that looked fantastic, but unfortunately, I couldn't even swallow the meat. I was tempted to go into the kitchen and give a cooking lesson myself – it was that frustrating! LOL
Eggs in the morning were very good.
Homemade desserts, solid 10
There were far too many people smoking everywhere, and there seemed to be zero respect for those who didn't smoke. It was frustrating, and I believe there should have been a designated smoking area. As an American, I've grown accustomed to cleaner air and the freedom to breathe without inhaling secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, on this trip, there was no escape from it, affecting both guests and crew.
I hesitated to speak up because I didn't want to be the only one complaining. However, there was one instance where I did mention to some people near my room that their smoke was entering our cabin. They moved temporarily, but the next day, they were right back in the same spot. It never occurred to me to inquire about the smoking policy beforehand. In the past 15 years, every boat I've been on had strict smoking rules in place.
They gave us robes instead of towels after diving. Same robe for the week, were very interesting.
The rooms are extremely tiny, with inadequate storage space and no place to hang anything. The liquid soap in the shower feels more like water; I'm not even sure what it is. On the positive side, the bathrooms were consistently clean and well-maintained. However, we only had hot water on the first day, which was quite unusual. Interestingly, we always had hot water in the sink but not in the shower. I'm generally not one to complain during a trip, and I'm not sure if there was anything that could have been done to address these issues. It's possible that there were too many people for this boat to handle effectively. In my experience, boats of similar size over the last 20 years have typically had over 20 crew members for a similar number of divers, give or take a few.
Getting in and out of the boat using the speed boats definitely needs improvement. I missed the little holes where you can secure your tank when boarding the speedboat; here, it just slides all over the place, and there's a lot of bouncing on the balloons. However, the crew did an excellent job of assisting passengers when getting in and out of the chase boats. It's clear that they are aware of the challenges.
One aspect where they excel is in explaining everything and prioritizing safety. Their commitment to safety is evident.
I booked my trip almost a year in advance, and it would have been helpful if someone had mentioned not to bring drones into Egypt. Unfortunately, mine was confiscated at the airport, which was quite disheartening. I didn't think to check, but when I mentioned it to the head dive guide, they confirmed that it can happen.
The boat is not well-equipped for serious photographers. There's no dedicated camera room, and the space for camera equipment is limited. The small table and the wash bucket for cameras tend to get crowded, and throughout the week, it seemed like the only available space was on the floor. This made it challenging to rinse the equipment properly with fresh water. I've been fortunate to be on boats in the last 20 years that provided more assistance for photographers.
Regarding coffee, there's only instant coffee available, and if you want a pod coffee, you'll need to pay 2 euros. I suppose I took the availability of good coffee for granted.
The internet connection only worked on the first day and the last day of the trip. This worried my family, as they couldn't stay in touch with me.
Lastly, the room noise is quite loud. Fortunately, I'm not a light sleeper, but it may be bothersome for others who are.
The main briefing room, very comfortable lots of couches
Diving in the Red Sea was quite different from what I've experienced in Indonesia. There weren't many fish; instead, I encountered mostly hard coral with limited soft coral. Indonesia has truly spoiled me in terms of marine life diversity. Among the wrecks we explored, the SS Thistlegorm stood out as the most interesting. I believe we should have done more than one dive on that ship. Unfortunately, we didn't spot any sharks during the entire week, and sightings of fish over 5 pounds were scarce, maybe just two or three. We only saw one turtle throughout the week. To be honest, after the third day, I started feeling a bit bored.
What struck me the most in the Red Sea was the sheer number of dive boats. I've never seen so many in my life. The salesmanship must be incredible there. The Red Sea seemed to have more big boats and divers congregated in one place than I've ever seen before. It felt like there were 100% more divers than fish in some areas.
Ocean temperature 80° to 81 Constant. Vis was clear.
The ocean temperature remained constant at 80° to 81°F, and visibility was consistently clear.
Despite the continuous wind, it's surprising that so many people were smoking cigarettes. It's puzzling how the smell managed to linger. Egypt turned out to be hotter and drier than I had ever imagined. I mean, it was scorching, and even an Uber driver mentioned how fortunate I wasn't there the week before when it was even hotter. It's hard to fathom.
If I had the option to press a button and go home after the third day, I would have done it. I'm pretty much ready to leave. I'm thankful I didn't book an 11-day trip as I usually do, not that there was an option for it.
On my usual Indonesia boat, they would provide fresh towels every day, but on this boat, it happened only once in the middle of the week. They didn't replace the bathrobes at all, just a small observation. I also missed having a hairdryer in the room, not for my hair, but it's essential for drying out your ears after diving to prevent ear infections. It's a small but valuable amenity.
The deck crew was genuinely helpful when it came to assisting with equipment. I appreciate that there was always someone available to help hang up my wetsuit and lend a hand.
My primary concern is that there was only one guide for every 10 people. Considering that half of the divers were newbies, this is simply not acceptable. As far back as I can remember, I've never seen more than 6 divers per guide, and going forward, I'll make it a point to inquire about this before booking. If they can't guarantee 6 or fewer divers per guide, I wouldn't choose that boat. Additionally, there was too much confusion regarding dive guide communication about psi verse bar. When I tried to address it, the guide became frustrated and confrontational, so I dropped the issue. Later, I witnessed another guest with the same concerns, so it wasn't just me.
Regarding the shipwrecks, it's an open sea with strong currents running down the line, and the quarters become tight once you enter the ship. Taking too many divers for one guide is risky. One day, I witnessed a couple ascending rapidly to the surface, and it didn't seem to be from our group. It appeared that something had gone wrong, and our dive guide, though he wanted to help, couldn't do much in that situation.
I checked the Red Sea off my bucket list, and it was a memorable experience. If I lived within a 4-hour flight to dive there, I might consider a weekend trip. However, flying 24 hours from the USA was a mistake; it's just not for me. I'll stick to Indonesia, where I've never once been bored and am always in awe of the diving opportunities.
Best Fishes!
