Diving 1st liveaboard St Johns Egypt in Nov

[MUFC]

What can I expect in the way of marine life, currents etc.

Ive only logged 70 dives so would rather avoid mental currents.

 

[Solly]

there are plenty of dive sites down there ... currents can be strong in some of them but boat crew and guide should always choose the sites based on the experience level and competency of the divers they have.
For marine life expect a variety of soft/hard corals, expect some big stuff ... generally expect wonderful dives

 

[samaka]

Normally when you have a current you chose to dive with it so you don't have to worry about that. I make a current check before the dives on sites where I suspect the current might be dictating the dive planning. St. John's is always good all year around and if you depart from- and return to Marsa Ghaleb you will probably get a dive or two in at Elphinstone on the way back which is wicked. This depends on which Dive Operator and guide you have and if the weather allows it. November is the peak season for Longimanus around Elphinstone and since we have already had them around for a while you should have good chances to see them.

Which boat are you on?

Have a great trip!
...........a...........

 

[MUFC]

Normally when you have a current you chose to dive with it so you don't have to worry about that. I make a current check before the dives on sites where I suspect the current might be dictating the dive planning. St. John's is always good all year around and if you depart from- and return to Marsa Ghaleb you will probably get a dive or two in at Elphinstone on the way back which is wicked. This depends on which Dive Operator and guide you have and if the weather allows it. November is the peak season for Longimanus around Elphinstone and since we have already had them around for a while you should have good chances to see them.

Which boat are you on?

Have a great trip!
...........a...........

Grand Sea Serpent.

 

[samaka]

Ah... Grand Sea Serpent... For sure you will have a great week. When it comes to marine life you can bump in to almost anything in November. If you pass by Elphinstone you have good chances for Longimanus as I) said, Threshers are not impossible at all. Grey Reefshark and Hammerheads maybe. What you can expect regarding currents is almost impossible to predict. They come and go. If you have a good guide they check the currents so you go with and not against.

Some of the dive sites you might dive are presented in the online magazine The Equalizer

Have a good trip!

Cheers
Anders

 

[MUFC]

Thanks Samaka

One final question. Ive only ever dived with a 5mm shortie, will this be ok for the first week in Nov here?

 

[large_diver]

St. John's is great diving. I took a Blue O Two liveaboard which included diving in the St. Johns, Fury Shoals and Elphinstone areas 2 years ago (early June). We saw everything from Oceanic White tips (Longimanus) at night, to Silky and gray reef sharks, a fleeting glimpse of a dolphin, turtles, mantas feeding on the surface at night (only saw these from the boat), lots of free swimming morays, hammerheads at Elphinstone and just so many beautiful hard/soft coral formations surrounded by ever-present clouds of bright orange Anthias. You will love it!

5mm shorty...depends on your tolerance for cold. I've done a land based holiday in Marsa Alam in early October before...we saw consistent water temps of 28C....I wore a 3mm full, but I was doing at most 2-3 dives per day. On the liveaboard in May 2012, I wore a 5mm full. I do a fair amount of cold water diving (drysuit = greater Boston USA; Plymouth when I lived in the UK...and quite a few trips to Stoney Cove year round) so have a relatively high cold tolerance, but I never felt too hot in the 5mm during May. Water temps were again in the 28C range....but I was doing 4 or sometimes 5 dives every day. Others wore 3mm and seemed generally fine.

Here is a video I put together from the trip to give you a sense of the diving:

Deep South Dive Safari Video - June 2010 - Zurich-Diver's Photos | SmugMug

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[MUFC]

Thank you Chris. Great video.

 

[happysnapper]

Also heading out in November on the Sea Serpent though. Sounds great Samaka. Thanks.

 

[samaka]

Yeah November is a good time of year to visit. I wish you both a brilliant holiday!


...a...