Liveaboard sinks in Egyptian Red Sea

[MarkUK]

The Emperor Fraser, a popular liveaboard in the Egyptian Red Sea, has sunk after a mooring line snapped while it was moored at the Dunraven wreck off the Sinai Peninsula and it was blown on to the reef. Incident happened on 16th December at around 4.30pm.

The 11 divers on board were in the water on their second dive, so the captain couldn't use the engines to prevent the grounding.

Everyone on board was safely taken off by the Egyptian Navy and other dive boats, but the boat has been declared unsalvageable unfortunately.

Main thing is no one was injured or lost, unlike the incident from a few weeks ago when a boat went down and two divers were lost.

Mark

 

[Rhone Man]

Glad no one was hurt. Reminds me of the scene in Fool's Gold when they are diving and you see the boat gently sink to the ocean floor behind them.

 

[DandyDon]

Main thing is no one was injured or lost, unlike the incident from a few weeks ago when a boat went down and two divers were lost.

Oh really...?

 

[HatchetJoe]

Sounds like this might become a new wreck dive.

 

[DandyDon]

Sounds like this might become a new wreck dive.

Sounds to me it's new garbage tearing up a reef.

 

[MarkUK]

Oh really...?

What are you having difficulty understanding?

When the Fraser went down, everyone was safely rescued. A few weeks ago another Egyptian boat sank and two divers who were on board are missing, now presumed dead. I think the main issue here is that everyone was saved. Yes, it is a shame another boat has ended up on the reef, but I'm just glad there were no fatalities.

Mark

 

[=C=]

I was getting ready to book on emperor!!

oh well... Blue o2 it is then...



http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattkieffer/4194612168/sizes/l/in/photostream/ heres the pics...

wooden boat and rock reef...

 

[carrielsal]

I was getting ready to book on emperor!!

oh well... Bule o2 it is then...



Flickr Photo Download: Emperor Fraser hits reef and sinks near Dunraven heres the pics...

wooden boat and rock reef...

Did the boat break in half?

 

[=C=]

Did the boat break in half?

Looks like the top came off at least. I would not be surprised. -not my photo-

Two trips ago I went out of Hamata. For those of you that know Egypt you will recognize that this is a bit... well... remote.

Its about 7 at night and dark when the bus pulls up to the dock and we have to board by Zodiac. Sweet looking boat, The King Shark or something like that, similar to the Emperor boat that just went under.

It was a bit weird boarding all those people at night on zodiac but whatever... Its Egypt, it hot as heck during the day, we had a long ride, I just flew and drove X hours and I was happy to be on board. We tore into the Duty free alcohol we purchased at the airport and celebrate the start of the week long trip.

The first issue was on the morning dive. We drop off the back into 30m of awesomeness. I kid you not pure awsomeness. 12 people floating in a vast blue tinged abyss of unlimited visibility with sharks and clouds of fish occasionally blocking the sunlight.

At the end of the first dive we surface reef side and at the bow. To our surprise, and unnoticed by those on deck, there is a hole about 2m long and 60cm wide on the port side, fortunately above the waterline...

My buddy (Instructor and the guy who org the trip) and I exchange looks and kick back to the stern. We get out, stow the gear, and head up for a word with he captain.

"no problem!" was said repeatedly followed by, "just a problem when we were trying to raise anchor... Its fine!!!! come have a look..."

So we go below... :::standing in water above our ankles::: "I’m not entirely sure this is how ships are supposed to be run" (Russian mfg boat, African captain, Egyptian crew, all the controls are written in Cyrillic.. wee.)

He mumbles something about "water ballast" and that there is "a pump" and thats the end of the tour.

What’s my point? Well Egypt is an adventure and im not sure how well the ply boats are built but they seem to regularly take a beating. I have no Idea what I would have done if that sucker had sunk but I kept my cellphone on that whole trip.

 

[DandyDon]

What are you having difficulty understanding?

When the Fraser went down, everyone was safely rescued. A few weeks ago another Egyptian boat sank and two divers who were on board are missing, now presumed dead. I think the main issue here is that everyone was saved. Yes, it is a shame another boat has ended up on the reef, but I'm just glad there were no fatalities.

Mark

I got that. I just haven't seen anything on the other sinking with losses. Have you...?