Unknown Sea Story lob sinks

[tridacna]

You MADAM are the exception. People forget, people are cheap and try to save money, Egyptians need jobs and the income that diving brings.

The divers in these forums that dig into the details of this might change how they approach safety on LOBs. But 90 % or more won't be aware of the situation and most won't think about it.

FTFY

 

[rmorgan]

Most divers are not on Scubaboard.

Similar discussions are underway on other fora—FB, Reddit, undoubtedly others—so whether this one will be a tipping point, it will be remembered by many.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Are these LOB “accidents” widely reported in US mainstream news ?

Most divers are not on Scubaboard.

My first Egyptian liveaboard was the Tillis, and I boarded it just months after the Conception fire, which had (briefly) made the news in the United States, and had been heavily discussed on SB. So I was very mindful of the importance of ensuring an unobstructed escape hatch, especially because I had a lower deck cabin, and I demanded to see the hatch actually opened on the Tillis. Not one of the Egyptian crew, nor any of the other divers, had heard of the Conception news, and the general consensus on the boat was that I was being an alarmist pain in the ass. I was assured by the Egyptian divemaster that the escape hatch on the Tillis was checked before every sailing, which was a plain lie, as we found that the hatch was firmly painted shut and blocked from the outside, and required a crow bar to open after 45 minutes of heavy prying. Even so, nobody on the boat much cared, people were understandably focused on having a good time and didn’t want to hear that they were on a floating death trap.

I have been on other Egyptian liveaboards since then, and I’ve tried to sensitize other divers about these stories so that they’ll be vigilant. Most divers have no idea what I’m talking about and very little desire to listen to it.

 

[nippurmagnum]

The only comment that the owner of the Sea Story has made publicly, as far as I can tell, is on his Facebook page, where he changed his profile picture to an Arabic prayer commending the souls of the dead to Allah. There are still seven divers from his boat who are still missing.

 

[ijdod]

I think there's a substantial overlap in the people who register such news, and go out of their way to follow it on the various social media channels. Conception was (briefly) covered in Dutch media, as was this one, but mainly when it happened. I suspect few people here are really aware of it beyond maybe remembering an incident with a boat on fire, even if they're on a lob themselves.

 

[ontdiver]

All of this reminds us of the phenomenon of the 24hr news cycle in which a significant event is replaced by something else fairly quickly.

 

[Dan]

My first Egyptian liveaboard was the Tillis, and I boarded it just months after the Conception fire, which had (briefly) made the news in the United States, and had been heavily discussed on SB. So I was very mindful of the importance of ensuring an unobstructed escape hatch, especially because I had a lower deck cabin, and I demanded to see the hatch actually opened on the Tillis. Not one of the Egyptian crew, nor any of the other divers, had heard of the Conception news, and the general consensus on the boat was that I was being an alarmist pain in the ass. I was assured by the Egyptian divemaster that the escape hatch on the Tillis was checked before every sailing, which was a plain lie, as we found that he hatch was firmly painted shut and blocked from the outside, and required a crow bar to open after 45 minutes of heavy prying. Even so, nobody on the boat much cared, people were understandably focused on having a good time and didn’t want to hear that they were on a floating death trap.

I have been on other Egyptian liveaboards since then, and I’ve tried to sensitize other divers about these stories so that they’ll be vigilant. Most divers have no idea what I’m talking about and very little desire to listen to it.

Thanks for posting. I won’t pick Tillis if I would ever come back to dive in Red Sea on a liveaboard.

My first Red Sea liveaboard trip was supposed to be on Red Sea Aggressor 1 back in 2019. That boat burned down, a month before I got on it. Aggressor replaced it temporarily with Scuba Scene for my trip. Later on that boat was also burnt down in 2022, Scuba Scene Another Liveaboard Burns: Undercurrent 06/2022

With these 5 boat accidents in a year Vessel - Another Red Sea Liveaboard Sinking: MY Seaduction and Middle East crisis in Gaza, Lebanon, and surrounding area, I’d stay away from the Red Sea until the situations improved.

 

[Phil111]

My first Egyptian liveaboard was the Tillis, and I boarded it just months after the Conception fire, ...

I have been on other Egyptian liveaboards since then, and I’ve tried to sensitize other divers about these stories so that they’ll be vigilant. Most divers have no idea what I’m talking about and very little desire to listen to it.

Ah! human nature and human psychology. It won't happen to me, its only this one time, I'm safer than all "those others", it's not as if the circumstances or the weather can change.

For most real change only takes place from direct personal, painful lessons.

 

[scubadada]

Thanks for posting. I won’t pick Tillis if I would ever come back to dive in Red Sea on a liveaboard.

My first Red Sea liveaboard trip was supposed to be on Red Sea Aggressor 1 back in 2019. That boat burned down, a month before I got on it. Aggressor replaced it temporarily with Scuba Scene for my trip. Later on that boat was also burnt down in 2022, Scuba Scene Another Liveaboard Burns: Undercurrent 06/2022

With these 3 boat accidents in a year and Middle East crisis in Gaza, Lebanon, and surrounding area, I’d stay away from the Red Sea until the situations improved.

...and Dan and I wanted to go to Sudan, that didn't work out, we went back to Malpelo instead.

 

[bvbellomo]

The only comment that the owner of the Sea Story has made publicly, as far as I can tell, is on his Facebook page, where he changed his profile picture to an Arabic prayer commending the souls of the dead to Allah. There are still seven divers from his boat who are still missing.

He prays for the deceased whose bodies were not found and identified 3 people by name. He didn't say they were Egyptian (they sound like Egyptian names) or crew but that is the impression I got. He also prays for the Captain, which implies he was among the dead, but not missing.

Wikipedia says of 31 tourists and 13 crew, 28 were initially rescued and 12 Foreigners and 4 Egyptians were initially missing. The next day 5 were rescued alive (including 3 Foreigners and 1 Egyptian) and 4 found dead, with 7 still missing. If all this is correct, 7 tourists and 4 crew died.