Red Sea (Egypt) closed (covid-19 confined)

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Haven’t gotten to that bit yet, but I’m hoping/expecting masks are not really floating around on board. No one is on that boat who hasn’t returned a clean test in the last 48 hours, staff included. I expect there to be a modicum of your take your risks by getting on the boat’

 

[ontdiver]

Stay safe and enjoy the diving.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Conditions are great. We are 7 on a boat for 24 the crew are in good spirits. Apparently it’s been improving, yet to see if that will endure with the 2nd wave.
All are taking covid seriously. Masks everywhere, sanitation stations everywhere

 

[Adr1an]

Seriously now, for us the covid virus is a minor risk compared to the risk of not having the compressor filters changed on schedule because of the low number of divers...

That's what worries me, not a virus that should have obliterated Belarus off the map if it was 10% as deadly as claimed...

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

That reminds me of a discussion on an Egypt related Travel Board 2 weeks ago...
OP was asking how things are going today in Hurghada
Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

I think by all accounts it is very quiet.
If you do go diving, have you got All your own dive equipment, possibly including air cylinders?​

Me:

Why should he take air cylinders with him? i remember they had quite a few when i was there the last time.​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

if you want to potentially breath corona virus pressurised to 200bar+, at a depth of maybe 30 metres, then by all means be my guest.​

Me:

...explaining that would mean approx. 240 kg extra luggage and other details...​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

That's what I'm saying, at this point in time I won't be scuba diving anywhere.​

.
True story....
I still hope he fooled me, but.......

 

[Dan]

That reminds me of a discussion on an Egypt related Travel Board 2 weeks ago...
OP was asking how things are going today in Hurghada
Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

I think by all accounts it is very quiet.
If you do go diving, have you got All your own dive equipment, possibly including air cylinders?​

Me:

Why should he take air cylinders with him? i remember they had quite a few when i was there the last time.​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

if you want to potentially breath corona virus pressurised to 200bar+, at a depth of maybe 30 metres, then by all means be my guest.​

Me:

...explaining that would mean approx. 240 kg extra luggage and other details...​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

That's what I'm saying, at this point in time I won't be scuba diving anywhere.​

.
True story....
I still hope he fooled me, but.......

... and assuming you ship your own tank by land (not by air as the plane won't take the 200+ bar pressurized tank), how do you refill it after a dive? LOL

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

No refill planned... one off use only. That guy did not trust filters in EG.
I also liked the "breath corona virus pressurised to 200bar+"....

 

[Adr1an]

That reminds me of a discussion on an Egypt related Travel Board 2 weeks ago...
OP was asking how things are going today in Hurghada
Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

I think by all accounts it is very quiet.
If you do go diving, have you got All your own dive equipment, possibly including air cylinders?​

Me:

Why should he take air cylinders with him? i remember they had quite a few when i was there the last time.​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

if you want to potentially breath corona virus pressurised to 200bar+, at a depth of maybe 30 metres, then by all means be my guest.​

Me:

...explaining that would mean approx. 240 kg extra luggage and other details...​

Answer from "Destination Expert for Egypt":

That's what I'm saying, at this point in time I won't be scuba diving anywhere.​

.
True story....
I still hope he fooled me, but.......

You should see the DE's for Israel lol. Those on the Egypt TA board are (mostly) UK retired senior citizens, with the odd Egyptian tour guide among them. On the Israel board the DE's are like an Irgun commando to say the least. Just go there and suggest crossing the border at Eilat/Taba to do some diving in Dahab and Sharm and you'll see what I mean

This being said, I came back from Sharm less the a month ago and trust me with one exception me and my wife were the only customers for the diving centers we used. The only other person was a relatively young Egyptian lady who got persuaded by the sales guy at the hotel to do OW. If it carries on like this for another 6 months I cannot imagine that any dive center is going to change their compressor filters at the required interval.

The Egyptian owned dive centers that have branches in open hotels manage to barely stay afloat by renting fins and selling boat day trips to Ukrainian snorkelers. That's about all the business they get these days.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

[...] Those on the Egypt TA board [...]

Well spotted...

 

[Adr1an]

It wasn't that hard

I've had multiple opportunities during this COVID hysteria to see how ludicrous can be the "advice" given by T.A. DE's who nailed their doors back in UK and insisted that going to Egypt would be on the same level as trying to do a major tour of Syria.

In almost two weeks in Sharm I haven't seen a single soul coughing. Things may be very different in crowded cities like Cairo, but when it comes to Red Sea resorts I'd say the odd of catching a respiratory disease are far smaller then anywhere in Europe or North America...