Shark attack, Egypt, Brothers islands

[scubadada]

Does anyone know the current status of the closure of Brothers, initially from December 7-31, 2018?

 

[BlueTrin]

There is an article in the BSAC magazine:

 

[Diving Dubai]

@scubadada

The follow note from a Red Sea Operator on Facebook:-

‘Hey everyone!
With more and more people asking about the situation at Brothers, here is where we are at the moment:
A first monitoring trip was conducted in the end of December, with some oceanics being sighted.
There will be another visit, probably mid-February, to assess the situation again.
The Brothers will stay closed for liveaboards until probably mid-March, mainly to allow for enough time to conduct all the training and awareness courses for boat crews and dive guides, and everybody else involved.
So be patient, hopefully these gorgeous reef walls (& sharks) will be available for divers again soon!“

 

[scubadada]

@scubadada

The follow note from a Red Sea Operator on Facebook:-

‘Hey everyone!
With more and more people asking about the situation at Brothers, here is where we are at the moment:
A first monitoring trip was conducted in the end of December, with some oceanics being sighted.
There will be another visit, probably mid-February, to assess the situation again.
The Brothers will stay closed for liveaboards until probably mid-March, mainly to allow for enough time to conduct all the training and awareness courses for boat crews and dive guides, and everybody else involved.
So be patient, hopefully these gorgeous reef walls (& sharks) will be available for divers again soon!“

Thanks Martin, this information has been difficult to come by.

 

[Alan Browne]

Dumb question: I've heard sharks do not like air bubbles. Is it effective to blast a lot at the shark?

 

[Rechno]

If you see the vid, one of the reasons, that people think got the shark agitated, were bubbles that hit him, when a diver swam underneath it.
So probably not. at least I would not bet on it.

 

[АлександрД]

There is an article in the BSAC magazine:
View attachment 499182

for better view

 

[InTheDrink]

Best place to get updates is probably. FB - Red Sea Sharks.

Message at the moment is indeed, hopefully mid March when it reopens

 

[InTheDrink]

Dumb question: I've heard sharks do not like air bubbles. Is it effective to blast a lot at the shark?

Well Oceanics certainly don’t mind bubbles. A camera or your fins are the best way to push off unwanted attention and always maintain eye contact. In fairness it’s rarely needed (the camera/fin part).

 

[Diving Dubai]

Thanks Martin, this information has been difficult to come by.

I think (Hope) it will be a good thing

Allowing Brother a rest from constant diving

Forcing Operators to be more environmentally conscious (not throwing their food waste overboard in plastic bags etc)

Better education of Dive guides with respect to bst practice around Apex Predators in their natural environment

And most importantly, forcing divers to improve their behavior, techniques and attitude.

Back in the day the Red Sea Liveaboards required 50 dives minimum. Now while that doesn't seem a lot for most of us on SB, I remember when I first started, that seems a huge number - requiring 2 maybe 3 overseas dive vacations. I would like to see a return to something similar, but recognise that its a fine balance between accessibility (and tourism income) and diver capability