recommendations for back to back trips in nov/dec

[Pyro_]

I am considering doing back to back liveaboard trips sometime between mid november and beginning of december. Have never been to the red sea before. Wondering what you guys would recommend doing that time of year between the 3 main areas of North wrecks, BDE and ST John south? Currently have just over 100 drives split between Caribbean and Burma/Thailand

 

[Sunn]

1. St John
2. BDE

usually quiet in the south, il will help you to meet the local conditions, fauna and flora

Brothers or Daedalus are more "sport" diving...

 

[Pyro_]

thanks

 

[scubadada]

I had a great time doing B/D/E and Southern/St John's/Daedalus in 2016
Red Sea Aggressor April-May 2016

 

[Topper1972]

Your timing of mid-November to start of December is perfect for doing a liveaboard in the Red Sea and the best time of year for getting to see sharks...it is also my favourite time of year to do a liveaboard in the Red Sea!

There will be oceanic whitetips (longimanus) at both Brother Islands, Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone Reef and Rocky Island.
There will be thresher sharks at Brother Islands and possibly also Daedalus Reef.
At Daedalus Reef you will have schooling hammerhead sharks.
And if you are lucky you can also have silky shark at Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone Reef or Rocky Island.
And if you are really lucky maybe even tiger shark or whaleshark...
Of course there will be some grey reef shark around...but who cares about them when there is oceanic whitetip and schooling hammerhead sharks around! ;-)

Water temperature will be 26 degrees Celsius...though perhaps with the odd one or two 3-4 degrees colder thermoclines.
The weather will be around 28 degrees Celsius in the daytime and as it is the Red Sea it will be blue skies and no rain.
Also usually the wind is still quite calm in November-December, so calm seas for the sailing and to dive in.

There are a few liveaboards that sometimes do 14 day trips - great value and you also get more 2-3 more diving days for your money as you spend less days in port as when compared to doing a back-to-back liveaboard (2x7 days).
If you cannot find a 14 day trip that fits with your travel dates I would recommend doing these 2 classic 7 day trips:

A) Daedalus Reef - Rocky Island - Zabargad Island - St John's (often also includes Elphinstone Reef)
B) Brother Islands - Daedalus Reef - Elphinstone Reef (BDE)

I have done more than 20 liveaboards in the Red Sea. My favourite boat is the SevenSeas...but unfortunately she is also popular with other divers and therefore is often booked out.
Virtuelle Tour

But don't worry too much....there are many liveaboards boats to choose between in the Red Sea and they are all really good

 

[outofofficebrb]

There are a few liveaboards that sometimes do 14 day trips - great value and you also get more 2-3 more diving days for your money as you spend less days in port as when compared to doing a back-to-back liveaboard (2x7 days).
If you cannot find a 14 day trip that fits with your travel dates I would recommend doing these 2 classic 7 day trips:

A) Daedalus Reef - Rocky Island - Zabargad Island - St John's (often also includes Elphinstone Reef)
B) Brother Islands - Daedalus Reef - Elphinstone Reef (BDE)

I’m glad to hear you say this because that is exactly the back to back trip (14 days) I have arranged in late September by chance. I am surprised that you suggest this route back to back instead of a north (wrecks) then south (BDE) which is more often recommended. Either way, I am looking forward to it and can report back.

 

[Topper1972]

I find encounters with sharks, pelagics and fish life more dynamic and interesting than wrecks...also encounters with sharks, pelagics and big schools of fish are never the same...whereas I find wrecks quite static.
I have done the northern wreck tours 2-3 times and I lost interest....the wrecks were great, but they stayed the same and in general the fishlife in the north is not as splendid as in the south (exception being Sharm el Sheikh in Summer time).
Also I am quite a sharkaholic...and for sharks in the Red Sea it is definitely best going to the big off-shore reefs like Brother Islands, Daedalus Reef and Rocky Island as that is where the shark action is.

Also the Autumn in the Red Sea is the best season for shark action...that is when the oceanic whitetips start congregating at the big off-shore reefs.
The wrecks can be dived all year round....but for sharks Autumn is THE season

 

[outofofficebrb]

@Topper1972 Thank you for sharing your insight. I hope to be back with the same exciting thoughts you shared when I return in mid October.

 

[Topper1972]

@Topper1972 Thank you for sharing your insight. I hope to be back with the same exciting thoughts you shared when I return in mid October.

You will have a great time!

I love the reef at Zabargad Island...have a look out for the bumphead parrotfish!
The reef at Zabargad Island is the only place in the Red Sea that I have encountered bumphead parrotfish.

Rocky Island I had 4 tiger sharks and 5-6 oceanic whitetips sharks when I dove there in October 2015.
Another time I dove Rocky Island I had 5-6 silky sharks...
I like Rocky Island...you will always have sharks...but it changes what species of shark you encounter.

Daedalus Reef...as a friend of mine says 'Daedalus Reef always delivers!'.
The schooling hammerhead sharks you will find in the split of the current on the NE side.
Depending on water temperature they will be anywhere from 15 meters under the surface to 30-40 meters below the surface...they like to stick to the slightly colder water. They are quite friendly and inquisitive.

I hope this Autumn 2018 will be just as great a oceanic whitetip (longimanus) season as the seasons of 2016 and 2017 were.
A marine biologist friend of mine on one dive at Big Brother Island in the Autumn of 2017 sighted and identified 21 different individuals of oceanic whitetip (longimanus)....that is a lot of oceanic whitetip sharks in one dive
Welcome to Red Sea Sharks

 

[Topper1972]

Here is some Rocky Island shark action that I filmed in October 2015 - you can see that the oceanic whitetip sharks are quite 'bossy' even when compared to a tiger shark: