Red sea - Liveaboard

[mojavojoe]

Hello everyone!

Egypt is on my list to visit and I have been searching the web for information on:

- Best divesites for big pelagics
- Best liveaboard boat
- Best season to dive
- etc etc

I have narrowed it down to do a Liveaboard this autumn including Brothers, Elphinstone and Daedalus.

My concerns are:

- Most companies are saying you need 50 logged dives to participate - it´s the law.
I have 36 logged dives, AOW, and I have been diving in Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Maldives and Mexico. I am considering diving whith Blue o two ("Simply the best") and according to the itinerary the qualification needed is Padi Open Water and a minimum of 30 logged dives to join the safari. How can Blue o two just demand 30 logged dives? Are the dives so demanding that my 36 dives around the world is not enough?

- The sea can be quite rough
When is the best season to dive for calm seas, good viz and lots of big stuff?

Thank you

 

[Red Sea Leonfish]

Hmm... I have to say that I am very surprised to see that Blue O Two (who are in general terms a truly excellent dive operator and one which I would happily recommend to anyone wanting good value for money whilst seeing the best of the Red Sea) suggest doing The Brothers and the Salem Express as a PADI Open Water diver with a minimum of 30 dives.

For one thing, I thought that PADI OW divers were limited to 18 metres except under instruction. The cargo hold on the Salem Express is almost certainly under 18 metres and, in any event, I would be extremely wary of diving The Brothers in a current (a) with only a PADI OW qualification and (b) only 36 dives.

The UK team at Blue O Two are really friendly though so the best thing you can do is almost certainly to give them a call and chat through any concerns you may have about the trip. All their operatives are divers themselves and they will happily chat though everything with you without any pressure to book.*

(*NB - I should point out that I'm not on commission from Blue O Two or anything - I'm just a very satisfied former customer...)

 

[mojavojoe]

Thank you for your reply. I will send them an email and ask.
I am advanced open water diver but maybe I just don't have experience enough. However, at some point you must try to dive whith currents

 

[String]

Unless they've changed very recently the brothers is 50 dives and advanced level equivalent or higher under national park rules.

If you want big pelagics the best by a mile is a deep south type route taking in maybe brothers but mainly elphinstone, st johns and that area. Best time of year October for seeing them. Vis doesn't vary too much any time of the year and the seas are likely to be rough on 3 days out of 5 because they're remote islands in the middle of nowhere. There is slightly less wind in the middle of summer but also less pelagics so take your pick.

Blue O Two are excellent boats as are some of the others such as Emperor Elite and the Sea Serpent range to name a few.

I would add however all of those routes are pointless with 18m/OW (even though you state you're not) as you simply can't get the best out of them.
If you're happy diving in the blue with no visual reference at all, content with very strong currents including down currents, skills like mid water DSMB deployment and happy getting in/out of small zodiacs in large swells then you'll be fine on the brothers and those other sites. If you're NOT then its not the route for you. I'm not convinced the first time learning what a current is should really be on big brother.

 

[Oldbear]

MojavoJoe,

With 36 dives logged in seven countries that equals about 5 dives per destination. When put into perspective, that is not very much. Just about the time when your diving should be getting better, your stay is over. Liveaboards are great for the amount of diving you will be doing 3-5 dives per day. You will see your proficiency go up...which is a good thing.

About the 50 dives rule...I suggest get the extra dives in between now and your liveaboard trip. Even if you go to Egypt a few days early and dive your butt of. Hire a local DM and they can show you great dive sites and help point out little technique tips. You mentioned that you did the PADI AOW, why not take a full specialty course like Deep Diver, Nitrox, and/or Wreck diver...these can serve you well on the liveaboard plus get you more dives beforehand. When you arrive at your liveaboard you meet the 50 minimum, you are fresh in your skills and also have added new ones that will be great for the Red Sea.

For large Pelagics...I have been told that the liveaboards in the Sudan are better for that (less pressure by other divers). Red Sea Boats Holidays#

Have a great trip and happy bubbles,

~Oldbear~

 

[TSandM]

I've done two liveaboards in the Red Sea, one a 7-day trip, and one a 10-day trip. The first one stayed mostly north, and did the wrecks, and spend several days at the Brothers. The second did Elphinstone and Daedalus and some other habilis (submerged reefs) in the south, and then went up to the Brothers.

We encountered some challenging conditions on both trips, although we were quite lucky with the currents. Surface water could be very rough, however, and reboarding the RIBs was occasionally more exciting than I really wanted.

On both trips combined, I saw a total of six sharks -- two hammerheads at the brothers, two black-tipped reef sharks at the Brothers, a glimpse of a Thresher at the Brothers, and an oceanic white-tip under the boat at Daedalus. Both trips were in the fall, one in September and one at the end of October. We saw no other pelagics and no big schools of fish anywhere, unless you count the swirls of anthias around coral outcroppings. That's not to say we didn't have a ball, but if big pelagic animals is what you want, you might be better off somewhere else.

I will put in a plug for the liveaboard we were on, though. Although I'm sure there are more luxurious boats than the MV Tala, I'm quite sure there is no boat anywhere that is more dedicated to seeing to it that the divers on board have the maximum amount of fun possible. You have a lot of freedom -- if you want to dive with a guide, you can; if you don't, you don't have to. The briefings are fabulous. Faisal Khalaf, who owns and runs the boat, is an absolute kick -- funny, warm, and as at home in the water as on land, I think. And they have scooters . . .

 

[InTheDrink]

My advice:

Do Simply the best.

Go there either in May/June or Oct/Nov (better) and you should get Oceanic White Tip heaven. If they're there, hang under the boat and play with them for as many dives as you're allowed to.

Finally. Get some more dives in. 36 is not enough to have your buoyancy sorted and when your breathing changes when there's a big shark snaking towards you you'll struggle. Most ops I've dived with have shown some flexibility with guests with less than 50 dives. I don't agree with it as it can curtail my diving but it does happen.

So get some more dives in. Lake, sea, quarry - even the pool. But you should get some more dives in otherwise it will damage your enjoyment.

But do go here. I go once or twice a year as I adore the place and the Oceanics specifically.

 

[mojavojoe]

Thanks for your wise answers...

I got answer from Blue o Two that 50 dives is a recommendation. They make a judgment in each case depending on your history and they see no reason that I can not join this route.

After some thinking, I think I may have to wait for "simply the best". Do you think "deep south" is a better option? It doesnt include brothers and daedalus[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]and instead goes to St Johns and Fury shoals

I was diving in Playa del Carmen this february and encounterd 5 bull sharks in a dive and I have to admit that my air consumption did changed

 

[InTheDrink]

Deep South is a little dull to be frank. It's fine but if you get the right season simply the best is several orders of magnitude better. But you need to go on the months I mentioned.

How many more dives can you squeeze in before your trip? And without pushing it too much is there any GUE training near you? Nailing your buoyancy is key and GUE focus on that a lot.

---------- Post added March 21st, 2013 at 11:46 AM ----------

Btw BlueOTwo are a very good op. discovery divers are good too.

 

[String]

Im more interested in if true how/why Blue O2 are knowingly breaking national park regulations which state 50 dives. Not case-by-case but 50 dives.