Where to go for a Red Sea liveaboard during the winter?

I'm planning a trip for January-February on a liveaboard in the Red Sea. I'm not interested in wrecks, but I love the big fishes and the sharks. Just got back from a trip to Simply the Best, and it was the best. I would do it again or head off to St. John if the conditions are more suitable. I am not concerned about the water temperature; I am only worried that high winds and unstable surface conditions may force a liveaboard captain to abandon some of the most cherished dive sites. What are your thoughts?

Tovster

The conditions at St. Johns are more favorable than the Brothers' or Elphinstone's, if that's what you're asking about.

I was in Sudan in May this year, which is still the Red Sea.

During the two week we saw shoals of Hammerheads 50 plus.

Had great interaction with Grey Reef sharks.

Dove at the location of Jacques-Yves Cousteau underwater experiment at Sha'ab Rumi.

Did a couple of wreck dives but most of the dives were in the blue or on a wall, usually a mixture of the both. Out in the blue then back to the wall to finish off the dive.

Not a great deal of small stuff, however plenty of the big stuff.

I wrote a trip report that can be viewed by going Scuba diving from beginner to extreme - join the fun, join the club. There is also plenty of trip reports about Egypt.

Hey Tovster!

If you want big fish and lots of action I can strongly recommend St. Johns in January. This is the exact right time of year to experience something truly incredible. We have big schools of sardines in which you can see sharks, dolphins, tuna and other predators hunt and create a spectacle extraordinaire... I prefer St. John's before Brother Island during December through February because the conditions can sometimes make it tricky or even impossible to get to the best spots there and I prefer South before North because it's better chances for big stuff. Some might argue that you can also see sharks and that sort of marine life on Ras Mohamed and Tiran and this is of course true, however the odds in the South is astronomically better than in the North.

If you want to get an idea about what's on the program at what time in which area in the Red Sea you can log on to my website WELCOME TO AZIAB and click on "Yearly Cycle" where you get more info.

I hope you'll have a fantastic trip.
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Hi Terry
I'm interested in diving Sudan this Jan-Feb if possible. Can you give me a heads up on which liveaboard you used and where you left from?
Thanks
Karen

Hi Karen,
hopefully I have sent you a PM.

Terry

If anyone has current liveaboard recommendations for the Red Sea, I'd appreciate hearing about it. I'm headed there in January.

lkpederson:

If anyone has current liveaboard recommendations for the Red Sea, I'd appreciate hearing about it. I'm headed there in January.

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Where in the Red Sea?

The Brothers or St John

OK I might be a bit biased since I work in the industry but I would like to give you a few hints on how to choose a dive operator in the Red Sea. When it comes to liveaboard diving you're kind of stuck with your decision more than what's the case when you come out here for daily diving. Therefore it's important that you know what to look for in order to get your money's worth.

First of all you should not stare yourself blind on the price in the brochure or on the website. What's more important is what is included in the price for example Marine Park Fees and Taxes plus Egyptian Entry Visa at the airport. Does the boat have a membership in HEPCA, Search and Rescue, Local Deco Camber and such?

Try to find an operator with a minimum of middlemen. Any request you have, which you inform your local agent has to go through the same Chinese Whisper as the money on the way to the Boat Handler in Egypt. This is perfect conditions for things to go wrong and messages to get misunderstood. You book a twin set with manifold and when you arrive you're handed a 3mm shorty.

Try to find an Operator that takes care of the vessels. A week in a cabin that smells of regurgitated sewer and where the air conditioner doesn't work can be trying to say the least. It doesn't have to cost more to get onto a decent boat.

Don't think that you can get a better price by going straight to the boat and book with the owner. This will more likely make the trip more expensive for you. This is how it works. The price is what the Operator advertises and then the agent gets a discounted price to work with. Then all the people that the booking is passed through get paid from the difference between what the Operator advertised and what the agent paid. It's not like the agent will add on to the Operators advertised price. If the Operator would sell the trip cheaper than the agent there would be no agents.

But also keep in mind that there is no such thing as free NITROX!

There will be a more comprehensive article on exactly this topic in a future issue of THE EQUALIZER that I'm working on right now. Have a look at DIVING FROM LIVEABOARDS IN EGYPT for some info on Liveaboard diving in the Red Sea.

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