Is there a specific itinerary or liveaboard option you can recommend? I'm intrigued by your recommendations and would love to know more. I was thinking there is probably a more favorable and less favorable itinerary in the Red Sea and that they are not all the "same". I don't want to hijack the thread so I am happy to PM as well..Just let me know. Thanks!
Also - for sharks - I highly recommend the Bahamas if that is really what you want to see. The caribbean reef sharks, hammerheads, tiger sharks, nurse sharks -- all incredible and a once in a lifetime experience.
I think your post is very relevant to this thread and I'm happy to give a recommendation.
Without a doubt the best itinerary liveaboard I've been on in the Red Sea in terms of the quality of the diving is onboard the
Don Questo -
Deep South Suakin Islands. This is an Italian run and owned operation with an Italian Captain and Italian dive guides. The crew is entirely Sudanese. Capt. Lorenzo was the first to venture to the Deep South area of Sudan and he and dive guide Maurizio have discovered many new reefs and have dived the entire Sudanese Red Sea - you will not find a more knowledgeable and experienced captain and crew in these waters.
They typically begin the deep South cruises in early April until about the end of June. These are limited to about 5-6 per year due to the weather conditions in that area, so space and time is usually limited and you need to reserve sometimes 2 years in advance. Most of the trips are 2 weeks in duration although they do run a one week Deep South mini-Safari sometime in mid/late May. The best time to go is late April - mid May.
The vessel itself used to be a troller in the North Sea so it is not the most luxurious liveabaord, however, it is a stell hull vessel and is very stable. Captain Lorenzo is also very flexible with the itinerary and can move freely to different spots if the weather begins to change or he needs to get away from other liveaboards. (the Deep South Sudan is generally free of the clutter of other boats found in Egyptian waters, but the last couple of years have seen a few more vessels in the area)... still you are usually very isolated and free from crowded spots for days and weeks. The Sudanese crew is outstanding and are not only experienced, they are incredibly warm and will bend over backwards for you to try and accommodate.
Of course the diving as I mentioned earlier is excellent and you will see a wide variety and density of marine and coral life in pristine condition and lot's of sharks! In fact, my avatar is a photo of a school of hammerheads we encountered in one the dives we made in the Deep South.
Keep in mind that this is considered fairly advanced sport diving due to the currents and deeper dive profiles, so they usually require AOW and a minimum of 100 dives for this specific itinerary.
That's a brief overview and here's a link to the Don Questo live-aboard
(The Deep South intermarry is the one you want):
http://www.donquesto.com
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.
cheers,
Nasser
