RED SEA TRIP REPORT
Background
After floundering around on the Web, we discovered it was cheaper and (somewhat) less complicated to book our Red Sea liveaboard through the UK versus a North American travel agent. This was especially important in our case, as we had specific time/date restrictions, namely tacking it onto the end of Pearces March business trip to Ireland. The other major criterion for us was the size of the boat. If two years on a sailboat taught us anything, it was that when you are in open water with little shelter, the larger and heavier the vessel, the better.
Meanwhile, the end of March-beginning of April is the last of the low season in the Red Sea. Not only is the water cooler, but the winds tend to be higher, making for some potentially unpleasant liveaboard conditions. This is reflected in trip pricing. Remarkably, the week we were there it was uncommonly calm, with only one choppy day. The Weather Spirits were definitely smiling on us.
Not to mention The Booking Spirits! At 100 in length, The Royal Emperor normally sets out with 12-14 passengers. On our trip we were lucky to share this luxurious boat with only four other divers! Nine crew to six passengers can you say pampered?
I wont go into much further detail about the boat setup except to say that the only way diving could have been easier was if you would have been able to roll out of bed into the water. Given the wide range of dive experience amongst the guests, Grant, the Dive Guide and Harbi, the ships Captain, did a wonderful job finding the best dive sites. As a PADI Master Instructor, Grant knew who to shepherd & who to leave alone. Ill let YOU decide which category WE fit into.
The Dives
If you wanted you could have done 20 dives during the week. DIN tanks were available, as was Nitrox and even a Rebreather. However, only one of our group, whom we nicknamed Iron Man John, actually did all the dives. The rest of us were content to dive when & if we chose. That being said, if Pearce and I didnt each come away from this trip with a minimum of 15 dives, Id be surprised.
Dive temperatures were brisk at around 70F for the first 30 or so, a bit of a thermocline deeper. While Pearce & I dove dry, everyone else wore at least 7mm of neoprene, most with hoods. (I wore my dive beanie.) Weighting, however was another matter. As the Red Sea has very high salinity, more lead is needed than a typical ocean dive. Even forewarned, I was nevertheless appalled to find myself saddled with 22 lbs using an AL 80 in my DUI 350 TLS. Ye gawds! I hadnt seen this much weight since my ¼ neoprene drysuit days in The Great White North!
As Canadian divers, we found the 30-40 visibility was quite acceptable, as did our UK counterparts. Tropical divers may find this disheartening, but theyll be rewarded with the amazing wrecks, flora, and fauna of the Red Sea.
Brief notes on a few of my favourite dive sites (in no particular order):
The Thistlegorm. Famous wreck sunk during WWII by German torpedo plane. Holds are accessible & full of tanks, motorcycles, trucks, etc. Wonderful wildlife including a gentle octopus who was coaxed out during the day to explore Pearces dancing fingers.
The Giannis D. Home to Nessies cousin, the 20 Giant Moray. Despite my best efforts to follow Grants frantic gestures, I didnt get a good look at it. But Pearces u/w video after the dive proved its existence. Watching it glide down into the wrecks depths was like watching a passing freight train through a fence.
The Carnatic. At over 100 years of age, the oldest wreck we dove. Completely overgrown by luminous soft coral and inhabited by critters of every size and description. Its skeletal ribs were the setting for my coral grouper shot.
Gota El Erg. A curious hawksbill turtle circled Pearce 4 times before gracefully swimming off amid a lightning storm of strobe fire. Graceful banner fish and pyramid butterfly fish posed for us underwater paparazzi.
Small Giftin. Unexpected yet pleasant drift dive. Huge napoleon wrasse amongst equally huge sea fans. Rare halocline by the coral-fringed island that was almost 10F colder than the surrounding salt water. Shy sapphire-hued bird wrasse.
Here is a link to some photos:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/pgdaley2001
The photos are nice, but unfortunately were scanned at low resolution, which dont do the originals justice. For those who are really into details, the pictures were taken with a Motormarine II camera with dual strobes (YS300 & YS50) and multiple lenses/exposures. Film was Kodak Elite Chrome "Extra Colour" ISO 100 35mm slide film.
Shots/information on the boat herself are available at:
http://www.royalemperor.com
Disclaimer: do not blame me for any mis-named critters... thats PEARCES fault. As the resident ichthyologist I was appalled that I wasnt consulted.
~SubMariner~
Background
After floundering around on the Web, we discovered it was cheaper and (somewhat) less complicated to book our Red Sea liveaboard through the UK versus a North American travel agent. This was especially important in our case, as we had specific time/date restrictions, namely tacking it onto the end of Pearces March business trip to Ireland. The other major criterion for us was the size of the boat. If two years on a sailboat taught us anything, it was that when you are in open water with little shelter, the larger and heavier the vessel, the better.
Meanwhile, the end of March-beginning of April is the last of the low season in the Red Sea. Not only is the water cooler, but the winds tend to be higher, making for some potentially unpleasant liveaboard conditions. This is reflected in trip pricing. Remarkably, the week we were there it was uncommonly calm, with only one choppy day. The Weather Spirits were definitely smiling on us.
Not to mention The Booking Spirits! At 100 in length, The Royal Emperor normally sets out with 12-14 passengers. On our trip we were lucky to share this luxurious boat with only four other divers! Nine crew to six passengers can you say pampered?
I wont go into much further detail about the boat setup except to say that the only way diving could have been easier was if you would have been able to roll out of bed into the water. Given the wide range of dive experience amongst the guests, Grant, the Dive Guide and Harbi, the ships Captain, did a wonderful job finding the best dive sites. As a PADI Master Instructor, Grant knew who to shepherd & who to leave alone. Ill let YOU decide which category WE fit into.
The Dives
If you wanted you could have done 20 dives during the week. DIN tanks were available, as was Nitrox and even a Rebreather. However, only one of our group, whom we nicknamed Iron Man John, actually did all the dives. The rest of us were content to dive when & if we chose. That being said, if Pearce and I didnt each come away from this trip with a minimum of 15 dives, Id be surprised.
Dive temperatures were brisk at around 70F for the first 30 or so, a bit of a thermocline deeper. While Pearce & I dove dry, everyone else wore at least 7mm of neoprene, most with hoods. (I wore my dive beanie.) Weighting, however was another matter. As the Red Sea has very high salinity, more lead is needed than a typical ocean dive. Even forewarned, I was nevertheless appalled to find myself saddled with 22 lbs using an AL 80 in my DUI 350 TLS. Ye gawds! I hadnt seen this much weight since my ¼ neoprene drysuit days in The Great White North!
As Canadian divers, we found the 30-40 visibility was quite acceptable, as did our UK counterparts. Tropical divers may find this disheartening, but theyll be rewarded with the amazing wrecks, flora, and fauna of the Red Sea.
Brief notes on a few of my favourite dive sites (in no particular order):
The Thistlegorm. Famous wreck sunk during WWII by German torpedo plane. Holds are accessible & full of tanks, motorcycles, trucks, etc. Wonderful wildlife including a gentle octopus who was coaxed out during the day to explore Pearces dancing fingers.
The Giannis D. Home to Nessies cousin, the 20 Giant Moray. Despite my best efforts to follow Grants frantic gestures, I didnt get a good look at it. But Pearces u/w video after the dive proved its existence. Watching it glide down into the wrecks depths was like watching a passing freight train through a fence.
The Carnatic. At over 100 years of age, the oldest wreck we dove. Completely overgrown by luminous soft coral and inhabited by critters of every size and description. Its skeletal ribs were the setting for my coral grouper shot.
Gota El Erg. A curious hawksbill turtle circled Pearce 4 times before gracefully swimming off amid a lightning storm of strobe fire. Graceful banner fish and pyramid butterfly fish posed for us underwater paparazzi.
Small Giftin. Unexpected yet pleasant drift dive. Huge napoleon wrasse amongst equally huge sea fans. Rare halocline by the coral-fringed island that was almost 10F colder than the surrounding salt water. Shy sapphire-hued bird wrasse.
Here is a link to some photos:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/pgdaley2001
The photos are nice, but unfortunately were scanned at low resolution, which dont do the originals justice. For those who are really into details, the pictures were taken with a Motormarine II camera with dual strobes (YS300 & YS50) and multiple lenses/exposures. Film was Kodak Elite Chrome "Extra Colour" ISO 100 35mm slide film.
Shots/information on the boat herself are available at:
http://www.royalemperor.com
Disclaimer: do not blame me for any mis-named critters... thats PEARCES fault. As the resident ichthyologist I was appalled that I wasnt consulted.
~SubMariner~
