Red Sea Liveaboard Sinking

[DandyDon]

passports were collected by the captain and stored in a box Captain left the boat without saving the box. They were told that boat had no insurance and they should sort it out with their personal insurance.

Outstanding company.

And here the link to the G-Translated fundraiser page with some details and summary >>> click on "read more" above the video

Here it is...

Dear friends, families, divers of the world and good souls out there - we need your help!
We are Zoe (31) and Dominic (36) from Germany and we have a passion for diving which we share as often as possible with 24 friends from six different countries.
In April 2023 we and our "little family" of divers embarked on a trip to Egypt to explore the depths of the Red Sea with all its coral reefs and shipwrecks and to experience the beauty that lies beneath the surface of the water.
But on Monday, April 24th, our reunion and the trip we were all looking forward to, turned into our biggest nightmare when the submersible capsized in the Gulf of Suez and was almost completely submerged.

It was only because we had very experienced divers among us and worked together selflessly that we were able to save our lives and those of the crew. In some cases, she could not even swim and was unable to control the life-threatening situation.
During the event we struggled with a lack of safety equipment on board. There were life rafts that didn't work or immediately drifted with the current, flares that wouldn't fire, an untrained crew, and a captain who was one of the first to leave the boat, solely concerned with saving his own life.

About six divers were trapped in the sinking wreck for up to 30 minutes, others fell off the boat during the incident and some were paralyzed from shock. Nevertheless, both the crew and we are alive and have not suffered any life-threatening injuries.

A ship that was nearby, the VIP Shrouq, was able to pick us up at sea and provide first aid. We cannot describe in words our gratitude for the commitment of the crew and the boundless hospitality with which we were welcomed on board.
The Egyptian Navy then sent a speedboat to bring us back to shore.

Unfortunately, our nightmare didn't end with our rescue. In the days that followed, we were left alone with the situation and had to take care of new passports, documents, clothing and transfers on our own. With the exception of two divers hospitalized by the Egyptian Navy, we have not seen a doctor to date. We were threatened, lied to and pressured into giving false information to the authorities, especially by representatives of the company that had organized the trip - which of course we didn't do.
Instead of sending doctors, they sent lawyers. Instead of providing help, they tried to spread fear. And instead of taking responsibility for what happened, you treated us with indifference and arrogance. After all, no one turned up for a meeting in which an offer of compensation was to be made to us.

After the accident, we were only left with the things we were wearing at the time of the capsizing. It was usually shorts and a t-shirt. Everything else, our equipment, documents, medicines, clothes etc. are lost forever.
Some of us are able to handle the financial loss. However, especially the diving instructors among us are now in a really desperate situation. You've lost at sea the expensive gear you need to get back to work - and the new season has already begun.

I therefore hope that you can support me in raising the necessary funds to do so

- to replace the most needed items for those who are in dire need of financial assistance

- to fund medical treatment not covered by insurance

- get the legal support we need to hold the organizers accountable and to make sure nobody ever has to experience what we went through and what in hindsight could have been avoided.

I wish for a fully recovered diving family, continuing to do what they love most, joyfully, without fear and knowing that they have helped make liveaboards a little bit safer in the beautiful Red Sea. Please help me to fulfill this wish.

At this point we would like to mention that we met many wonderful people in Egypt. We would like to express our special thanks to the entire crew of the ship VIP Shrouq from Scham el Sheik VIP Diving College for their commitment and their boundless hospitality on board. We would also like to say a special thank you to Regina from Dive Point in Hurghada. Regina was there for the group from the start. She provided us with clothes, gave us advice and was a good listener in every situation. Last but not least, a big thank you goes to the Egyptian Navy.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Here it is...

I thought it would be better to post the link instead of the plain copy/pasted text. Minimising dupicate content here and reference to something subject to be upated...

 

[DandyDon]

I thought it would be better to post the link instead of the plain copy/pasted text. Minimising dupicate content here and reference to something subject to be upated...

SB has a worldwide membership and some sites cannot be viewed from countries, so I often quote content.

 

[blueskies_up_ahead]

I just watched the full video. Here's a summary. Some of this has been posted already, but I'll just recap more or less in order of the video.
The boat was slightly tilted at boarding but the crew somehow stragihtened it out by the time they left the harbor. There was a security briefing that mentioned an escape hatch. The windows in the cabins were too small to fit through and few even opened. There were life vests underneath the beds, but very basic ones. The guests felt a bit uncomfortable when questions about other safety features such as O2 and a defib on board were not answered (presumably the crew didn't understand). The briefing included info about the life rafts (2 on board) for 25 people each. There was no emergency drill however.
They had been diving a full day with no problems. At night one of the people in the video woke up at 4am and felt the boat was heavily tilted. Looking out through the window everything seemed ok though. So he went back to bed. At 5h30-ish they went out for the first dive, came back for breakfast and the boat was so far tilted that chairs slipped and plates slid off the tables. The crew kept finding excuses. They left their dive site for Ras Mohammed and the boat straightened out again until it started tilting to the side, then to the other. Back and forth a bit until really tilting over for good (other side as in the morning and at harbor). At this time most of the guests were on the sun deck (first floor so to speak), 3 people were in their cabins below deck, a small group was inside the salon. The group in the salon was hit by everything sliding. Nothing except the tables was screwed to the floor or walls. Of the larger group on the sun deck some fell off board into the sea and quickly drifted off (later collected by a zodiak that was partially leaking though). The group below deck was one very experienced diver and a father and son duo. They checked all the cabins and made their way to the escape hatch only to find it closed. So they went back toward the starcase which was usually winding to the right side but now the opening was pointing upwards. No railing. The experienced diver lifted the 20-something kid up on his shoulders and pushed him out. Then he did the same with the dad and told them to leave the boat. It was only much later that he somehow managed to get out of there and had to dive out through the salon where luckily there were some air pockets. He swam out to the open sea only to find that he was left alone. Luckily he was later spotted and rescued. In the meantime the life rafts were launched. One was upside down and unusable. The other one ended up holding everyone. During this whole time nothing was done by the crew, except for a dive guide who collected the people who fell into the water with the zodiak (one had also fallen into the sea but seemed otherwise helpful). The rest of the crew were not helpful, some couldn't swim, and most shockingly, the captain did nothing, not even save the passports or check if everyone made it out. Eventually another liveaboard picked everyone up. It sounds as though the captain had not sent an SOS. The other LOB radioed the sinking ship and got no reply which is why they came. The crew from that boat was apparently very nice and professional. They found a doctor on another nearby boat who could stitch up some wounds. The marine picked up the divers and crew eventually. Two were brought to a hospital, the rest to a shabby hotel which was switched to another one the next day. The rest is an odyssey of getting some money, passports, stamps and whatnot. The company was not helpful and, yes, told them they had no insurance. The gofundme was set up to help the less fortunate ones, among them dive instructors who obviously lost their gear... And they want to sue the company.

 

[chillyinCanada]

And here the link to the G-Translated fundraiser page with some details and summary >>> click on "read more" above the video

Thank you very much. Unfortunately the link isn't working properly for me.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

@chillyinCanada Only the translated link or also the genuine one >>> here <<<
If the genuine one is working, you may translate it yourself through the G. Translation page.

 

[BoltSnap]

I just watched the full video. Here's a summary. Some of this has been posted already, but I'll just recap more or less in order of the video.
The boat was slightly tilted at boarding but the crew somehow stragihtened it out by the time they left the harbor. There was a security briefing that mentioned an escape hatch. The windows in the cabins were too small to fit through and few even opened. There were life vests underneath the beds, but very basic ones. The guests felt a bit uncomfortable when questions about other safety features such as O2 and a defib on board were not answered (presumably the crew didn't understand). The briefing included info about the life rafts (2 on board) for 25 people each. There was no emergency drill however.
They had been diving a full day with no problems. At night one of the people in the video woke up at 4am and felt the boat was heavily tilted. Looking out through the window everything seemed ok though. So he went back to bed. At 5h30-ish they went out for the first dive, came back for breakfast and the boat was so far tilted that chairs slipped and plates slid off the tables. The crew kept finding excuses. They left their dive site for Ras Mohammed and the boat straightened out again until it started tilting to the side, then to the other. Back and forth a bit until really tilting over for good (other side as in the morning and at harbor). At this time most of the guests were on the sun deck (first floor so to speak), 3 people were in their cabins below deck, a small group was inside the salon. The group in the salon was hit by everything sliding. Nothing except the tables was screwed to the floor or walls. Of the larger group on the sun deck some fell off board into the sea and quickly drifted off (later collected by a zodiak that was partially leaking though). The group below deck was one very experienced diver and a father and son duo. They checked all the cabins and made their way to the escape hatch only to find it closed. So they went back toward the starcase which was usually winding to the right side but now the opening was pointing upwards. No railing. The experienced diver lifted the 20-something kid up on his shoulders and pushed him out. Then he did the same with the dad and told them to leave the boat. It was only much later that he somehow managed to get out of there and had to dive out through the salon where luckily there were some air pockets. He swam out to the open sea only to find that he was left alone. Luckily he was later spotted and rescued. In the meantime the life rafts were launched. One was upside down and unusable. The other one ended up holding everyone. During this whole time nothing was done by the crew, except for a dive guide who collected the people who fell into the water with the zodiak (one had also fallen into the sea but seemed otherwise helpful). The rest of the crew were not helpful, some couldn't swim, and most shockingly, the captain did nothing, not even save the passports or check if everyone made it out. Eventually another liveaboard picked everyone up. It sounds as though the captain had not sent an SOS. The other LOB radioed the sinking ship and got no reply which is why they came. The crew from that boat was apparently very nice and professional. They found a doctor on another nearby boat who could stitch up some wounds. The marine picked up the divers and crew eventually. Two were brought to a hospital, the rest to a shabby hotel which was switched to another one the next day. The rest is an odyssey of getting some money, passports, stamps and whatnot. The company was not helpful and, yes, told them they had no insurance. The gofundme was set up to help the less fortunate ones, among them dive instructors who obviously lost their gear... And they want to sue the company.

Beyond belief, I can't even comprehend the BS that took place. This is criminal even by Egyptian standards.

Me knowing Egyptians, I wouldn't have set a foot on the boat from the beginning seeing it listing to one side.

 

[scubadada]

So, what do you do, go with a reputable company? I did back to back week trips on the Aggressor I in 2016. In 2019 that boat caught fire and sank, killing one.

They're up to the Aggressor IV

 

[BoltSnap]

So, what do you do, go with a reputable company? I did back to back week trips on the Aggressor I in 2016. In 2019 that boat caught fire and sank, killing one.

They're up to the Aggressor IV

If you see your boat listing or has a problem from the beginning of the trip, no matter what brand, don't go on the boat.

 

[Jonn]

Just took the ferry from Nanimo to Vancouver and it was listing noticeably to starboard. Guess there were a few heavier trucks on that side, not like they weigh them all at the dock first. Did not feel unsafe, did not request the crew turn around and let me off, survived to tell the story. I’m strictly a consumer of marine transportation services, sort of have to trust the professionals to do their jobs. That might make more sense in Canada than some third world place but I’d be reluctant to claim I’m more expert than folks making a living doing it.