Booking First Liveaboard - Considering Blue O Two in August

[phelan583]

Hey everyone

Afer reading all the reviews on Blue o Two liveaboards and listening to the recomendations made by my dive friends i am considering booking my first live aboard for next month.

I currently have 38 logged dives and i am qualified as a PADI Rescue diver and BSAC sports diver with depth progression to 35 meters already completed (also completed BSAC assistant instructor course). I have dived in Egypt 3 times before including a few weeks in Sharm and 2 weeks in Dahab. These dives have included a mixture of Shore dives, Boat dives and Wreck dives. As such i am fairly happy with what to expect with regards to temperature and conditions.

However, i have two minor concerns:
1. I not dived for 10 months due to work commitments. Is this likely to be a problem?
2. I will be travelling on my own as none of my dive friends can get time off to go and i am wondering what to expect?

I am therefore looking for a bit of advice and opinions on which trip to book on? The three i am considering are: 1. Brothers & Elphinstone (17-24 Aug 12). 2. Simply the Best (17-24 Aug 12). 3 Northern Wrecks and Reefs (17-24 Aug 12).

I understand that Brothers & Elphinstone, & Simply the Best have a 50 dive minimum, which i am below. Is this 50 dive minimum a 'hard set rule', or would these trips be beyond my abilities. I have dived many sites around Egypt which have currents and large walls (Blue Hole in Dahab, Shark & Yolander Reef, Jackson Reef, Million Hope wreck and 2 dives on the Thislegorm), i have also used DSMB's on dives before.

Having dived Egypt before i am bit worried that the Northern Wrecks and Reefs trip may just be a repeat of many of the dives i have completed before and that i may find them a little bit 'less interesting'.

What would be everyones opinions?

Any help or advice would be gratefully recieved, so i can make a decision and get my first lievaboard booked

Cheers

Dave

 

[Solly]

check this thread

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/red-sea/427620-brothers-liveaboard-my-experience-28-dives-aow.html

 

[phelan583]

Solly,

Thanks for the reply. I have had a read of this post already and understand there are some concerns of diving Brothers and Elphinestone with not having the minimum 50 dives. However the difference between me and the guy with 28 dives is that i have experience in currents in the Red Sea, i have used DSMB's before and i have dived from both small and large boats.

However, i do understand thta i am not some dive Guru and that these limits are set for a reason (mainly my safety and the safety of dive buddies), hence why i have not booked it yet.

I think my main concern with doing the northern wrecks and reefs liveaboard is that it seems to cover a large majority of the Dive sites which i have dived before (some on numerous occassions) and as such i'm a little worreid about finding it a little repetatitve

 

[Tippytoes12]

We did an Egypt LOB when we had 70ish dives . I really wouldn't like to have gone with less than 50.

The thing with Egypt LOBs is that the groups are often really really large. At times on our trip there were 14 people in a group and the guides were literally just guides...if you were in trouble with a current and they were looking at something interesting, well that was just too bad. I think that we were unlucky with the boat etc but you really do need to be very self sufficient in the water.We had a terrible incident when a diver who had been helping another through a very strong current fainted at 30 mts. A person further on just happened to look back and see the reg falling out of her mouth. They got her up but she was on oxygen for a few hours.

Now we would appreciate the freedom to do our own thing , but your buoyancy , how you handle up and down currents in the water , you skills on the surface really need to be spot on for you to get your money's worth.

 

[phelan583]

Tippy,

Thanks for your post, it has confirmed some things for me.

Despite being resonably happy with my skill and drills (despite not diving for 10 months i have kept my skills in practice doing my BSAC assitant instructors course and practiced with pool sessions), i am actually thinking it might be best to hold off diving Brothers and Elphinstone for another year and instead book onto the Northern Wecks and Reef liveaboard which only requires 30 dives. I have dives planned for the Uk and Germany in the next year so i will be easily in excess of the 50 dives by next summer.

As i have also said, i have dived many times in Egypt including many boat dives with large groups and have seen how difficult it is for the guides to monitor everyone. So i can definately see how this could become a problem on a large liveaboard. However, i have to say that divers on these trips should be capable of effecting a self/buddy rescue and not be totally reliant on a guide. Self/buddy rescue is one of the basic skill taught during BSAC Ocean diver and Sports diver training and even during basic PADI courses.

Although i may not find the Northern Wecks and Reef liveaboard as exciting as the Brothers and Elphinstone trip, it may be the best option to ensure i have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Thanks

 

[ocdiver1]

You're considering a great operator in Blueotwo...once I went on one of their boats my last trip to the Red Sea it would always be my future first choice. Of the routes you've mentioned, Simply the Best is "the best." I posted a response in the other thread as well, and I think you're experience is level is greater that the other poster...few more dives, rescue certification, some experience in diving currents...I'd say go for it, will a couple of "buts." I see that 50 dive minimum everywhere for Red Sea LOBs...you'd have to explain that upfront to Blueotwo and have them be ok with it, obviously..just in conversation with one operator (not Blueotwo) I asked about the 50 dive minimum, and at least with them it wasn't an absolute...and if it is ok since Blueotwo is a completely reputable operator I'd ask them for their opinion as well. To me, sometimes dives can be "just a number," as I've dove with individuals with 30 or so dives that had better skills that those with over 100. You talk about getting another 12 dives in, then maybe taking the trip..I mean what is likely going to happen on those few additional dives that's going to make you even more ready? Just a thought. I would say if you did go, and it had been 10 months since you last dove, to get in a few days early and do a couple of days worth of local dives before getting on the LOB. If it were me, I'd hate to go on the same itinerary twice at the expense of (in my opinion) a far superior itinerary in "Simply the Best." I also felt I gained valuable experience early on in my own dive training by challenging myself.

I'm not saying don't be safe, don't do something you're not ready for, etc..just talk to Blueotwo then think it through some more. Perhaps you could buddy with the dm, sit out a dive or two if conditions were extremely poor, etc., if need be.

 

[Solly]

I think that the 50 dives limit is just a figure, operators might go without it based on your status however it is for your own safety. The conditions there is not like anything you have done in the redsea as you are in the open sea, once swept by current and there is a high wave you will be half way to sudan before anyone would notice you
Do not compare the northern wrecks and reef to the other southern itenry it would be very poor in corals (compared to the southern trip) and big stuff but you will enjoy the wrecks indeed.

If you are confident enough with your skills and how you can perform under stress then you should go for the simply the best route

 

[phelan583]

Solly,

I took your advice and contacted blue o two. The woman there was extremly helpful and understood whay i didn't want to dive the northern wrecks and reefs area again.

She is going to contact the guys in Egypt to see if i am ok to go on the 'simply the best' trip. SHe said that it might be possible due to my qualification level and experience. So there is a chance i can go. Just got to wait for her phone call now

 

[Solly]

this is good news, I would advise as well to contact samaka, he already works with blue-o2 (by the way, I do not work with them and I do not work with samaka ) and he is a veteran guide for erd sea routes including the southern ones.... he is very helpful but has been recently away for a while from SB.. let me know if you need his email.

 

[ocdiver1]

Solly,

'I took your advice and contacted blue o two. The woman there was extremly helpful and understood whay i didn't want to dive the northern wrecks and reefs area again.

She is going to contact the guys in Egypt to see if i am ok to go on the 'simply the best' trip. SHe said that it might be possible due to my qualification level and experience. So there is a chance i can go. Just got to wait for her phone call now

Glad you did. I think you are making the right choice.