Sudan or Egypt?

[alijtaylor]

Hi
I am planning ahead for live aboard in Red Sea, September or October. I like a mix of big stuff, sharks and rays with good coral, not really a wreck fancier but a few is fine.

There are political and philosophical reasons to wonder about whether Sudan is a wise choice right now but has anyone done a liveaboard from there? I have had Don Questo recommended, can anyone comment?

Can anyone provide commentary about the difference between the southern Egypt routes and what one might find from Sudan? And finally any recommended liveaboards for Southern Routes from Eqypt.

Thank you all.

Alison
.

 

[Rembert]

Hi
I am planning ahead for live aboard in Red Sea, September or October. I like a mix of big stuff, sharks and rays with good coral, not really a wreck fancier but a few is fine.

There are political and philosophical reasons to wonder about whether Sudan is a wise choice right now but has anyone done a liveaboard from there? I have had Don Questo recommended, can anyone comment?

Can anyone provide commentary about the difference between the southern Egypt routes and what one might find from Sudan? And finally any recommended liveaboards for Southern Routes from Eqypt.

Thank you all.

Alison
.

Hi Alison,
the difference between extreme S of Egypt and on the other side of the border the N of Sudan is the smaller number of divers and boats in Sudan.
One of the better information on dive sites in S of Egypt and N of Sudan you can find in the web www.redsea-diving.info monitored by Peter Kemp, Netherland.

The M/Y Don Questo has long lasting experience in this area and lodges up to 20 divers aboard with Italian cuisine. If you want a smaller boat, look for S/Y Freedom (8 - 9 divers) run by the Austrian skipper Rüdiger Schwabel. To have a look at this boats Gen. Spec. open www.sds-swiss.com.

The risk to run into a civil war situation between the rebels on the Red Sea coast (Beja and Lions formed together the Eastern Front) and the government troop seems to increase slowly. For the time being there is only drumming - no shooting, beside an accident in February this year.

Water temperature in the border aerea between Egypt and Sudan is decreasing from September average of 30° C (86° Fahrenheit) to 24° C November average. Best time for diving is during the winter on the Northern Hemisphere until May.
Update political information close to travel date.
Cheers
Rembert

 

[alijtaylor]

Rembert
Thanks for the helpful reply and the website links. Why do you recommend Winter? I had heard that October was Ray season?
Alison

 

[Rembert]

Rembert
Thanks for the helpful reply and the website links. Why do you recommend Winter? I had heard that October was Ray season?
Alison

Sorry Alison,
I saw your question for the ray-season only today. Winter in Sudan is good for you due to the lower temperature of air and water. You can find a lot of scientific information in the www.fishbase.org on "manta birostris`" behaviour and living conditions:

QUOTE from fishbase web
Rays live mainly in near-shore waters, near coral and rocky reefs; sometimes found over deep water (Ref. 12951). Penetrates shallow muddy bays and the intertidal and occurs off river mouths (Ref. 9911). Occurs singly or in loose aggregations (Ref. 12951). Mainly plankton feeders, but may feed on small and moderate-sized fishes as well (Ref. 9911). Leaps out the water mainly in spring and autumn, possibly as part of mating behavior.
UNQUOTE

You will find the rays at those reef corners with currents where they "sail" with open mouth to collect the food coming with the currents.
Cheers
Rembert

 

[Christian]

Allison

Been in both Sudan and the southern regions of Egypt several times.

The truth is that in the normal liveaboard routes, you never dive the extreme northern parts of Sudanese waters (Elba reef etc.) and never the extreme south of Egyptian waters, e.g. Sha'ab Abu Fenderra. My experience, and others as well, is that the diving is very noticably better in Sudan due to the larger number of various sharks, greater diversity of spieces, denser fish populations and fewer diveboats. But the viz. is usually slightly better on the Egyptian off shore reefs due to less nutriotios water - less life. Also the coral is on par I would say. The best time for manta is in october in the Mesharifa channel, I have been told. Have never been there during this specific time myself. But I have seen mantas in Sudan several times. For me, march-april is the best period with lots of sharks and life on the reef, however fewer mantas than in the summer/fall. In september-november there will be harder to see sharks due to the extreme water temperatures (Celsius 30). After all I have seen and heard I think that the spring is the time to go.
Been once in august and it was incredibly hot, but we saw quite some mobulas (schooling) and manta rays.

Have been on Don Questo a couple of times (as well on some others) and it is a very good dive ship with a good and flexible captain. The food is first class (beware, some boats I have been on do have very spartan food). As a general Sudan is not the Carribean when it comes to comfort, but on the other hand the diving is first class. DQ also have a small chamber on board which gives some added safety. Please note that health care is practicly non existent, so Sudan is only for experienced divers who know and respect their own limits.

I've been there five times during the last six years and never had any problems with safety or felt unsafe.

good luck

Christian

 

[alijtaylor]

Thanks to you both Christian and Rembert
Due to a number of factors my timing is now more likely to be 2006 and I am definitely going to investigate Sudan further.
Cheers
Alison