Any information about M/V Obsession (Sea Serpent Fleet)?

[andrethediver]

Looking for any information on M/V Obsession (Sea Serpent Fleet). We are considering doing Brothers, Elphinstone, Daedalus itinerary and this is the boat the does that trip in the desired time frame. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

We did a Northern Wrecks and Reefs trip on a boat called the Obsession two tears ago. At the time it was a charter boat and it was the same layout and standard as all other Red Sea LOBs. I believe that it has since been re-furbished, so should be at least as good as it was then and is likely to be of very high standard now.

Funnily enough I have just got back from a Blue O 2 LOB to the Brothers and Elphinstone. The trip was absolutely fantastic , lots of shark sightings, wonderful reefs with fabulous fish life and no currents. Apparently Daedalus now has lots of oceanic white tips.

I wouldn't hesitate to book on this boat and cannot recommend this Southern route highly enough.

Hope this helps.

 

[andrethediver]

Thanks for the information. The description says the boat has been refurbished in 2010 and is a part of Sea Serpent fleet (and pictures look good although I cannot find any actual reviews). Can you share any details about this boat? I would also be interested to hear more about your recent trip with BlueO2. Thanks!

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

I hope to put a trip report on as soon as I can get myself organised.

The Obsession is large, comfortable , the cabins are all air con en suite with comfy beds and very good quality bedding. It was kept spotlessly clean by the crew.The dining area is in side and is buffet style, we loved the food . It was considered plain by one or two of our fellow inmates, but most really liked it. There were snacks , fruit , juice , tea and coffee available all day.

The Blue O 2 trip was all of the above. The Egyptian crew and the guides were absolutely first class and looked after us incredibly well under and on the water and on the boat. One both trips the fellow passengers were absolutely lovely and great company , they were mainly from the UK , but also the US and Scandanavia.

People tend to do these trips in couples or as singles. There are sometimes UK dive groups of 10 to 12 divers on board these trips. In our experience all mix very well, but the boats are big enough to have plenty of personal space for reading , chilling, napping etc.

The diving down south is along coral covered walls, all full of fish life. There is the possibility of larger things. We saw a thresher shark , hammerheads , large grey reef sharks and black tips. Would have loved an oceanic white tip , but there is always next time. There is the possibility of strong currents but we never encountered any. One of the guides always checked the current at least once a day and then planned the dive accoardingly. The dingy takes you to the entry site and you then drift back to the boat. Most people dived in buddy pairs but there was guided diving availabe if you wanted it. There was always at least one guide in the water at any one time.

Happy to answer any more questions you may have.

Best fishes !

 

[andrethediver]

Thanks, this helps a lot. One other question is how many dives were you able to make each day - they mention 3-4 dives every day except the last? Did they charge extra for the 15l steel tanks and did all the tanks came with INT (yoke) valve or adapter? Also I know night diving is prohibited in the marine park but from reading this forum I know that some operators take their divers outside the marine park and do night diving there. Was something like that offered on either one of your trips? Thanks again!

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

About 18 dives are included. However this depends on the weather and on the first day the boat apparently need the harbour master's permission to leave the port. The boat sails to very remote areas and where large pelagics visit there are often lots of current , so some caution is needed.

We had 3 to 4 dives daily. Night dives are not allowed in the national parks , it would not have been feasible to leave the park just to do a night dive , so on the days you are in a park area you just do three dives. We did a night dive on the second and sixth night and they were superb. 15 L tanks were available and I seem to remember that there was an extra charge for divers who needed them, I have no idea about the yoke , sorry.

I hope this helps.

 

[andrethediver]

Thanks, its great to hear they did offer some night dives. Still, I am curious as to why the number of dives offered is limited compared to the Caribbean live aboards. Caribbean Explorer II is offering 5 tanks (including night dive) each day except for the last half day. Perhaps they travel further?

 

[Tippytoes12]

All of the LOBs we have done ( two in Thailand , one in Indonesia and two in Egypt) do 3 to 4 dives per day. I think the reasons are a combination of safety and crew resources. Also all of the tanks need to be refilled after every dive , so that also takes time. It's also nice to relax , enjoy the boat , get to know your fellow passengers etc. , remember what you have seen.

 

[Red Sea Leonfish]

Did they charge extra for the 15l steel tanks and did all the tanks came with INT (yoke) valve or adapter?

I can't speak for any particular operator, but, in my experience of shore, dayboat and one liveaboard divetrip from Sharm and Hurghada,

(1) almost all operators charge a small (see 3-5 EU per dive) surcharge for 15lt steel tanks; and

(2) the standard set up is that the tanks all have a screw (DIN) fittings because european and US divers often have DIN reg sets but that the boats all carry plenty of yoke (INT) adaptors because almost all Egyptian rental kit and most compresor hoses have yoke fittings which are quicker to get on and off (if a little less secure).

I hope that helps?

 

[Crowley]

from an operator's point of view:
Yes, 15L steel tanks are usually charged extra; DIN and yoke valves are both widely present and accepted so if you need one or the other, write in advance -and your dive centre / liveaboard of choice should have a solution. If they don't, I would have to ask why? Because we have a very European customer base in Egpyt, you will find a lot of tanks have DIN valves, which as Leonfish mentioned, have a screw-in adapter for yoke valves. It's easier than converting the other way, I think.

You may find that fewer dives are included in the overall "package" than a safari in the Caribbean, but you may find that the Red Sea dives are on average a little bit deeper than the Caribbean, maybe for longer, and really, speaking as somebody who has done 4 dives per day both for fun and for work, really, 4 is enough! Think of it as quality rather than quantity.

Ask questions, seek advice, this is a great place to do it!

Cheers

C.