Unknown Sea Story lob sinks

[encarnizado]

And a video, that was broadcasted yesterday

 

[Whistler]

The British BBC news channel are really pushing this story now with it being shown on the main live TV news headlines throughout today. Various survivors are accusing the Egyptian authorities of a cover up.
At least their stories are finally being broadcast to millions of viewers.

Red Sea dive-boat survivors accuse authorities of cover up

The group say their official witness statements were translated into Arabic by a boat company employee.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Pearlman]

Watching and listening to their first person accounts has put the fear of Liveaboards in me now. That said no kind of metrological data is going to capture a stray and random freak wave - compounded by pilot error and poor design of the ship releasing to the tragic events…

 

[NothingClever]

I wish I could say I’m surprised or shocked. Unfortunately, the news clip and article corroborate my personal and professional experiences.

 

[touny71]

Not slightly surprising considering Egypt's repression history

 

[Lu Y]

We were considering doing a liveaboard in Egypt this year, I can more or less accept weather and boat risks, however the way they treated guests in this article is really shocking and surprising. Now we are leaning towards a land based diving holiday in Marsa Alam

 

[scubadada]

The BBC articles and video are extremely interesting. First follow up information in some time. It paints a scathing picture.

I may have missed it but do not think so, what was the disposition of the Sea Story after the 5 were rescued and 4 bodies recovered on November 26? Did the boat sink in the Red Sea or was it recovered? Surely, this information is available, at least to some. The Egyptian cover up of the "investigation" is dazzling.

 

[encarnizado]

It sank hours after the last survivors were rescued.

 

[Searcaigh]

The fact that the BBC have broadcast this incident will surely affect the number of UK based divers considering Red Sea Liveaboards in Egypt, and possibly the number of divers travelling from certain EU countries too.

The Egyptian authorities are going to have to get their finger out smartish to counter any drop in diving tourism, but I doubt their "band-aid" efforts will cut the mustard to be honest, knowing how things work in that country.

 

[vjongene]

The stories of the survivors are strangely reminiscent of my own experience with the Egyptian judicial system. We had a fatal dive accident on our liveaboard in 2020, which by all accounts was due to errors made by the diver and maybe her buddy. The operator and dive guides were entirely blameless. However, we were kept all night in a building (courthouse?) in Hurghada by a judge who not only kept us waiting for hours, but was also an abusive chain smoker (he yelled at me for crossing my legs during the "interview", which apparently showed a lack of respect for His Lordship). His only concern was to unmask the guilty parties, with no regard for what really happened. We were made to sign statements in Arabic that we had no way of verifying. In this case I don't think that there was a coverup, but I do not believe for an instant that the version of the accident that ended up in the court archives bore any resemblance to the truth.