Booked the Red Sea III June 11-18, with some stops in Giza and Luxor before heading to the boat. Will break the review up so you can skip parts.
Getting there and Giza:
Flew Qatar Air from IAD to Doha to Cairo. Cant say enough about Qatar airlines. Easily one of my favorites. Booked two nights in Giza at the Pyramid View Inn. They had a driver waiting for me at the Cairo airport, though he was tough to see in the mass of people and screaming taxi drivers. The ride to Giza was about 30 minutes and is much calmer at night than the return trip was during the day.
The Inn itself is not an international standard hotel, but I booked it for the view of the Pyramids and it did not disappoint. There is no elevator and the place doubles as a ``family'' hotel in some rooms, but my room was clean and the AC was COLD. If location matters over amenities, this place delivers. Giza itself is... interesting. Pushy doesn't describe the shopkeepers and ``tour guides.'' Get ready to say no, firmly and often. If you have never been to the Pyramids, its worth a night in Giza or nearby to make the trip.
Luxor:
I flew Egypt Air to Luxor for two nights in the Valley of the Kings. Iberotel hotel was clean and comfortable. They have a pool on a converted boat on the Nile and the views of the Nile and the Night time view of the Valley of the Kings is excellent. Dinner and breakfast buffet was okay, nothing great but did the job. To me it wasnt worth fighting through the hagglers to go anywhere else for a dinner.
I booked a private company that I found on here for my tours and transit. Steven's Taxis was excellent. New, western standard vehicles and your own very knowledgeable guide. He handled all the tickets, passes and transport. Guide was friendly and knew his stuff. I would highly recommend Steven's services. The Valley, the Temples, and the Nile boat trip with lunch were all excellent.
If I only had time for one and had to pick between Luxor or Giza, I would pick Luxor.
I still had a few nights before the trip so I booked a couple nights in Makadi Bay at Cleopatra Luxury and got some diving in with Extra Divers. Apparently we were very close to where the shark attacks occurred, but they did a great job of making sure none of us knew about it lol. Honestly though, everything was done very safely and professionally. Cleopatra appears to be a mainly German vacation spot, but English is commonly spoken by most of their staff. The food here was some of the best I have had at an All-inclusive. Its a little out of the way if your staying in Hurganda, but I would return here over staying in town if you have a more than one night to stay in the area.
Aggressor, non-Aggressor boat:
A few days before my trip, I received an email from Aggressor. The email told me that since I was already in Egypt prior to boarding the vessel, I was required to re-test for Covid prior to boarding. This was nowhere to be found in any of their pre-depature information and when I pointed that out to Aggressor and even mentioned that they are the ones that recommend you arrive into Egypt a few days early, I was told ``things change.'' Clearly, and I was about to find out just how much..
Upon arrival to Port Ghalib, I boarded the Hammerhead (RSIII) and was told ``dont unpack.'' The vessel was not going to be used that week. Again, no idea this was happening prior from Aggressor, even though they had more than enough time to email me about taking COVID test. We were never told why the boat wasnt leaving dock, we just sat around in the saloon for a few hours until the substitute boat arrived. The sub boat was the Dolce Vita. To say this boat was a major step down is an understatement. Everything about the boat, from its size, dive platform, common areas and even the rooms and bathrooms was inferior to the boat we had booked and paid for. Bathrooms in particular went from separate showers to a wet head (with no shampoo or body wash all week, just hand soap). We also went from actual mattresses to mats to sleep on. Several guest even got downgraded in rooms because the boat didn't have enough of the room type they had booked. Apparently, after several phone calls from another guest, we were updated that Aggressor had no idea this boat wasn't in service (if you believe that), but the general attitude of Aggressor was tough luck, just make the best of it.
Had Aggressor been honest with us, and emailed or notified us before the trip, it is unlikely many of us would have agreed to the boat. I would not have, I would have cancelled the charter and used my trip insurance to get a refund. However, at 1800 on a Saturday, its a little late to make alternative plans. Towards the end of the week, one of the fellow guest who was booked back-to-back on this boat did get an email from Aggressor saying the Hammerhead would not depart and showed a substituent boat for his trip. That boat was far nicer and larger then the boat we were on, so at least Aggressor made sure they didn't lose two weeks of customers for life. The cherry on top of the boat swap was when we returned to port Friday afternoon. After we rinsed and hung our gear, we came into port to be told we had to hurry up and pack everything. Apparently the Dolce Vita was leaving port, and we were staying our final night on the Hammerhead. This would have been nice to know that morning or the previous night, Instead, 24 or so people went in a fire-drill packing session including moving still-wet dive gear from all over the boat. One of the guest was taking a nap and missed the announcement and had to hurriedly pack everything when we arrived to the dock. Lets just say I dont speak German, but it was clear what he was saying.
Once on the hammerhead, again, we were told the owner of the RS3 would come to speak to us. He did, which I give him credit for. However, we still got no explanation as why our boat didnt leave and why would we given such an inferior replacement. In compensation, they didnt charge us for Nitrox (all 28% of it) and waived the port fees for the trip. We were also promised that the Aggressor Corporate office would reach out to us. Three weeks later, I emailed Aggressor wanting to know when they would contact me. I received that email today. They told me they had no idea they were supposed to be reaching out to me, and that they considered the matter closed. Given Aggressor's reputation outside of the US that doesnt surprise. me. I had been warned about Aggressor in both Indonesia and the Maldives, but having been on a few of their boats before, I was willing to give them a chance outside the Western Hemisphere. That is a mistake I will never make again.
That said, I do not fault the Vita crew. They worked hard and did the best they could. They were friendly, polite and for the most part things they could control went very well. However, I paid for an Aggressor experience, and got something more akin to a backpacking boat in Thailand. Aggressor's handling of this situation was nothing short of insulting. I know I am not the only person on that boat who felt that way.
The Diving:
Finally, the diving. Southern Red Sea, Brothers and Daudalus reefs. The visibility, marine life and color of the reefs was excellent. The number and color of giant clams was a treat, as were the giant eels. Probably the funniest thing underwater all week was watching the schooling masked puffers swimming. Their movement through the water, especially in a big school, I found comical. Shark wise, we saw some Reefs and some solo hammerheads. No thresher or Oceanic White tips, though one group was adamant they saw a tiger well below them on a dive. I also loved watching Lionfish out in the open.
The diving split between Zodiak and mother ship diving. Zodiak entries were easy enough and returning to the boat you took off your BCD and climbed up in. On return to the ship, the crew then carried your gear back to your spot on the dive deck.
22 dives were offered, I did all 22. Average temps were around 78-81 degrees, while depths ranged from 60 feet down to 110 feet. I've never been good with rating visibility, but it was constantly very good to excellent all week. Overall, I was very happy with the diving conditions in the Red Sea. I wouldn't rate it as good as Indonesia, but I will definitely return to try the Northern Route.
The return:
While on the boat, we got word that the US had dropped its entry test requirement. I had a planned to layover in Switzerland anyway to avoid testing in Egypt, so I was able to expand my time in Zurich for a few days.
Flights were a little roundabout. Turkish air from Hurghada to Istanbul to Basel, then train to Zurich followed by Swiss Air back into Chicago. All good flights and spending a few days in Zurich was a nice way to relax on land and finish off the trip.
Some pics taken with a Go Pro 10 and no extra light source. The wrasse just happened to join me on a safety stop so i got great color on him.
