Explorer Ventures - MV Grand Sea Explorer (Red Sea)

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kcmiller10

Registered
Messages
16
Reaction score
3
Location
Port Saint Lucie, FL
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi From FL!

My husband and I will be diving in the Red Sea with Explorer Ventures (on the MV Grand Sea Explorer) in a few weeks on a last minute deal with a dive group. I haven't been able to find any reviews so reaching out to this community for feedback (the good, the bad) from anyone who has gone with them. Also interested in tips on what we definitely need to bring (besides the obvious in dive gear, clothes, etc.) that the boat doesn't supply.

Thanks in advance!
-Kristin
 
Not the same company, but might help.


We just got back from a weeklong liveaboard from sharm.

The prongs on the boat were two round ones. You will need the adapter to go from us 2/3 prongs to the boats two prong sockets. We used the charger below with a separate two prong adapter for our equipment. It has a one high amp usb, one low amp usb, and three three prong us sockets.


View attachment 527600

We were not allowed inside the boat with wet clothes. We could not wear shoes on the inside either.

Option one was to change from dry clothes to a semi dry swimsuit each dive. There was a two hour surface interval between dives, so our wet clothes were not quite dry between dives. I kept my dry clothes in a dry bag during the dive.

Option two is to alternate three swim suits. So you always have one dry one, one moist one, and one wet one. That minimizes changes.

We only had two outside heads to change in, so option 2 worked better for me, since one lady always took a long time to change.

Shower off your wetsuit and swimsuit with the fresh water deck shower after each dive so your things dry faster. Stick them on the unshaded upper deck if you want them to dry really quickly.

Bring at least one pair of neoprene socks to prevent blisters.

They only have one, two, and three kg weights, so you cannot get as precise weighting as you can with one pound increment weights. So, you may have to carry more weight than normal and your trim is more difficult to determine.

The water below the surface is much colder than quoted temperatures. I needed to use a 5mm.

Buy or make sure your boat has entocid for mummy tummy (explosive diarrhea). It works better than antinal. Pick up something called hydro salts if you are susceptible to cramps. You can get that all at any Egyptian pharmacy.

Bring lots of cash including small denominations. Egyptian business don’t take many credit cards.
 
power supplies will most likely be 220V with type C/E/F sockets
at present make sure that you check all PCR test requirements both into Egypt and back and have your tour operator confirm that they will provide tests and documentation as needed for your flight back
a bottle of your favorite poision :)

enjoy, there are currently only a few boats operating and if your captain and diveguide are good you can do a lot of dives with little to non other divers present
 
I went this time of year in 2019 and brought both a 3 and a 5 mm. After the first dive, I packed away the 3mm and dove the rest of the trip in the 5mm. I was very happy after that.

In 2020 we cancelled our trip. We are going back in July. The allowed capacity is 50%, so the boat should be spacious.
 
power supplies will most likely be 220V with type C/E/F sockets
at present make sure that you check all PCR test requirements both into Egypt and back and have your tour operator confirm that they will provide tests and documentation as needed for your flight back
a bottle of your favorite poision :)

enjoy, there are currently only a few boats operating and if your captain and diveguide are good you can do a lot of dives with little to non other divers present
Thanks f
power supplies will most likely be 220V with type C/E/F sockets
at present make sure that you check all PCR test requirements both into Egypt and back and have your tour operator confirm that they will provide tests and documentation as needed for your flight back
a bottle of your favorite poision :)

enjoy, there are currently only a few boats operating and if your captain and diveguide are good you can do a lot of dives with little to non other divers present
Thanks for the feedback! Fingers crossed that there are reduced number of boats....was showing my husband pics of Brothers Island with 5 boats moored there at the same time! Not looking forward to the dry plane ride...so will have to throw back a few at JFK before we depart, and only 1 litre of booze allowed into Egypt?!?!?
 
Note that you dont want to appear intoxicated when reporting for your flight. People have been rescheduled for that reason so not unheard of. Your definition of doing fine might be different than the gate agent's. With people acting nuts these days they are more sensitive to those issues. I mention it only because any deviation during international travel and making the boat would suck.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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