Trip Report MY Ghazala Explorer and north Red Sea, Hurghada to Straits of Tiran

[Rafael Moreira]

I remember clearly that the 15L tanks are DIN. Adapters are provided to convert to yoke. I am not certain if the 12L tanks are DIN. Maybe @Rafael Moreira or @Opa-TX can recall.

You are correct all tanks were DIN but they provided the adapters if needed…

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

Something to note. The Ghazala Explorer's lower deck suite has the emergency exit in the bulkhead. Going through the exit leads towards the bow, through the berths for the crew, and up several steps to the main deck. The bulkhead or the door is also rather thin. The lower deck suite occupant during my cruise said she could hear the crew snoring.

I stumbled on an earlier thread about liveaboard fires in the Red Sea. That reminded me of a few more safety items for Ghazala. The boat does have flotation jackets in the cabins for each passenger with whistles and lights attached. Fire extinguishers are easily accessible throughout the boat. And all crew and passengers conducted an evacuation drill. Those of us in the lower deck had the pleasure of squeezing through the emergency exit in our life jackets.

 

[Parlem]

The 15L tanks provided on Ghazala Explorer are steel. The 12L tanks are aluminum.

Many thanks. That's what I suspected.

 

[Whistler]

Great trip report, however I can guarantee with utmost certainty that you were not served pork as you stated in your post.

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

@Whistler

Dang. Good catch! Considering the part of the world I was in, you're absolutely correct.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Sure Squintsalot]

...but you may have been served camel.

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

...but you may have been served camel.

lol I actually ate camel steak twice at Hurghada New Marina at a restaurant named Che Guevara. The first time was for lunch before the liveaboard embarked. I enjoyed the camel steak so much that I went back to the restaurant when the liveaboard returned and ordered the largest camel steak serving available!

 

[Adr1an]

Great trip report, however I can guarantee with utmost certainty that you were not served pork as you stated in your post.

Coptic Christians account to 6-9% of Egypt's population according to official data, while unofficial estimations put the figure anywhere between 10-20%. One would be amazed how much pork is being eaten in Egypt. In Cairo you can have it delivered to your door..

 

[BubblesBubblesBelow]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am looking at going in April on the North - (Tiran & Dahab) itinerary. Do you think the upper deck cabins are worth the extra $100? Was there more than one exit from the lower deck cabins? And, did the boat have an analyzer available to check after each fill?

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am looking at going in April on the North - (Tiran & Dahab) itinerary. Do you think the upper deck cabins are worth the extra $100? Was there more than one exit from the lower deck cabins? And, did the boat have an analyzer available to check after each fill?

It's tough to measure things in monetary value considering each person's whims and fancies differ. I did notice a few advantages of booking the upper deck cabins:

• You can tie off your swim outfit or shorts on the railings for quicker drying because of good sun and wind exposure.
• Windows instead of portholes for a nice view of the sea and surroundings.
• Less engine noise. I was in the lower deck (cabin #5) two cabins removed from the engine room so the noise didn't bother me, but the noise may be a bother for those who book lower cabins towards the stern.
• Fresher air. The bathroom in my lower deck cabin always had an odor from being damp all the time. I aired things out by leaving the bathroom door open and my cabin door open and when possible the porthole open. The bathroom was quite roomy with shower at one end, sink in the middle, toilet at the other end. I attached some pics.

The lower deck cabins had two exits: the main stairs and the one emergency exit through the suite located at the bow. The boat provided two analyzers to check nitrox fills.