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P-Dog

Contributor
Messages
200
Reaction score
117
Location
Kohala, Hawaii
# of dives
200 - 499
So...If anyone has followed my saga on the Covid-19 Liveaboard thread, you'll know that I had a booking to go to the Red Sea for two full weeks in May. I have finally had to attempt a charge back on my credit card to get it resolved. Fingers crossed.

I was going to just book with a different boat since I have a flight booked to Egypt in August now,
Question is: Do I just book the Red Sea with a different boat? Or do I go somewhere entirely different in the world?

Can anyone recommend a liveaboard for the Red Sea that ISN'T Discovery Divers? My dates are, currently, August 8 - 24.

Or, would you scrap Egypt and go to Raja Ampat (I'd need to change dates), the Galapagos, or somewhere else? Suggestions are welcome.
 
The southern Red Sea is incredible in August and I cannot imagine you will find a better deal than there. We have just cancelled trips in July but I am confident they will operate in August. Aggressors are good but bit of a risk as although they are at 40% discount, I show no one booked on the weeks that fit your timetable so they may not go out. There are a load of top boats that we represent - each slightly different and with varying itineraries - I would suggest Brothers, Daedalus + Elphinstone from Marsa Ghaleb but South & St Johns is also good. Have a look at current availability on my site and let me knwo what questiosn you may have. We can put this trhu our US office if you are coming from the US - Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

With regard to Raja Ampat - wonderful destination though only a few boast there at this time and as conditions can be inclement in August - not ideal time. Could be possible but a bit early to guarantee that destination. Even if you have flights to Sorong, the local Governor can close the airport at any time so it is a risk for August.

Galapagos would be good and several super deals there including 25% off the HUMBOLDT EXPLORER for August 24. That is our trip and had a little trouble filling the final spaces in these uncertain times so offered 25% off. You can see all GPS options on our site at Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

South Pacific is a bit iffy as so many of these countries are terrified of opening that no one knows quite when they will open.

You can always catch up with me by skype or whatsapp if you wish to chat. With warm regards, Dom


Dominick Macan
Dive Advice Travel
dom@diveadvice.com
www.diveadvice.com
Tel: +33 492 94 02 99 (France)
SKYPE: adventuredom

http://www.diveadvice.com/liveaboard-availability … for up-to-date liveaboard availability worldwide

"In Partnership with Amazing Adventures Travel of Mill Valley, California"
 
Hi again,
i like your determination to travel this year :wink:.
Nevertheless your assumption has to be that you can make it to your destination.
Egypt is currently closed for incoming air traffic and they are now trying to re-start tourism with locals and 78 hotels with special allowance.
The big question is in what position they will be in August.

I don't think it will be different in other parts of the world where diving is nice, so, taking into account you already have the flights, i would stay with Egypt.

I don't know if Dom has something you like, but as it is a French operator (hence EU) the terms and conditions are certainly better than a direct booking.
There is an EU law stating that if a packaged trip has been booked through a travel agent, and that trip is no longer possible, the customer has to get 100% of his money back. At any time.

Currently my short listed LOB agents are very reluctant to accept bookings, they recommend to wait a few more weeks to see how the situation evolves.
Unfortunately i only have local German agents at hand but the MY Blue, the Red Sea Serpent and the Red Sea Agressor are on the top of our wish list.
 
Wow...good luck with this. I can go anywhere in the world and parts of near outer space and I won’t even go one town away except to help out my neighbors who won’t leave our street.
Let us know how it goes...
 
The southern Red Sea is incredible in August and I cannot imagine you will find a better deal than there. We have just cancelled trips in July but I am confident they will operate in August. Aggressors are good but bit of a risk as although they are at 40% discount, I show no one booked on the weeks that fit your timetable so they may not go out. There are a load of top boats that we represent - each slightly different and with varying itineraries - I would suggest Brothers, Daedalus + Elphinstone from Marsa Ghaleb but South & St Johns is also good. Have a look at current availability on my site and let me knwo what questiosn you may have. We can put this trhu our US office if you are coming from the US - Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

With regard to Raja Ampat - wonderful destination though only a few boast there at this time and as conditions can be inclement in August - not ideal time. Could be possible but a bit early to guarantee that destination. Even if you have flights to Sorong, the local Governor can close the airport at any time so it is a risk for August.

Galapagos would be good and several super deals there including 25% off the HUMBOLDT EXPLORER for August 24. That is our trip and had a little trouble filling the final spaces in these uncertain times so offered 25% off. You can see all GPS options on our site at Find available spaces, book a trip on a dive liveaboard | Dive Advice

South Pacific is a bit iffy as so many of these countries are terrified of opening that no one knows quite when they will open.

You can always catch up with me by skype or whatsapp if you wish to chat. With warm regards, Dom


Dominick Macan
Dive Advice Travel
dom@diveadvice.com
www.diveadvice.com
Tel: +33 492 94 02 99 (France)
SKYPE: adventuredom

http://www.diveadvice.com/liveaboard-availability … for up-to-date liveaboard availability worldwide

"In Partnership with Amazing Adventures Travel of Mill Valley, California"

Hi Dom. I was originally booked to do the south and then Brothers, Daedalus...I'm super disappointed. I have flights to Cairo booked already, but I suspect they would be easy to change.

I'll check you site and see what I can find! Thank you.
 
Hi again,
i like your determination to travel this year :wink:.
Nevertheless your assumption has to be that you can make it to your destination.

I don't think it will be different in other parts of the world where diving is nice, so, taking into account you already have the flights, i would stay with Egypt.

There is an EU law stating that if a packaged trip has been booked through a travel agent, and that trip is no longer possible, the customer has to get 100% of his money back. At any time.

Unfortunately i only have local German agents at hand but the MY Blue, the Red Sea Serpent and the Red Sea Agressor are on the top of our wish list.


I am crazy stir crazy being stuck in one place. :) Some might call my determination idiocy, but...

I already got stuck in Fiji when the borders closed. Got home on a repatriation flight.

Thank you for the information about booking through a European TA. That's great.

I'll look at the boats you listed...I've already seen the MY Blue. A beauty!
 
Wow...good luck with this. I can go anywhere in the world and parts of near outer space and I won’t even go one town away except to help out my neighbors who won’t leave our street.
Let us know how it goes...

PADI Travel is now getting back to me since I've started a challenge on the credit card, and I've been winning. It looks as though I may *still* be going to Egypt - as long as the country drops it's travel restrictions. I won't book anything through PADI Travel again, that's for sure. I'm enjoying looking at the listings on Dom's page.
 
Hi P-Dog,

I have been booking divers to the Red Sea with the Emperor Fleet and have had nothing but good reviews. Our new website is under a complete re-design, set to go live in a couple of weeks, and we currently have none of the Emperor ships on our old website, but I can provide info if interested. I also have a couple of ships I book to the Sudan and they have been generally good. I did have a group of divers scheduled to go on the RS Aggressor III for the beginning of May with a Nile and Oman extension. That booking turned into a bit of a last-minute nightmare because of uncertainty about Egypt opening their borders and airports. Sometimes the cheapest trip isn't the best deal. As mentioned above Egypt and many other countries are still closed. Bali has just opened and Cozumel may be open on a limited basis. I can offer you a discounted deal on most all ships in Indonesia if you opt for Raja Ampat.
 
Hi again - sorry been out of the loop - just lost a close buddy with whom I spent years on a dive boat in the Red Sea 38 years ago - golden times but the shark diving in Red Sea is probably even better now, so still well worth it. Emperor, Aggressor, Blue O Two Fleets are all excellent so you cannot go wrong. Sorry to correct my colleague Greg above but as far as I know, Bali is not open and unlikely to open before August and one Govt official mentioned it could be even October. We would all love to get back to Indo but until they make an official announcement - it looks bleak for them. Sea of Cortez, Bahamas, Guadalupe and several Caribbean destinations seem to be opening first, Maldives maybe. Good luck and safe travels.
 

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