The Brothers/Emperor Divers

[bathbiggles]

Doing a liveaboard in late summer with Emperor Divers to the Brothers, Southern Red Sea. Just wondering if anyone had any views on either really. Ive only ever done stuff further up the red sea like dahab, sharm etc - been stunning so far! :05: but theres limited information on this place. Done a few google searches but not much came up. Anyone?

Cheers in advance

 

[El Orans]

A colleague went on a liveaboard with Emperor Divers last fall and was very happy with them. Wasn't to the Brothers though.

 

[David B]

I'm going with Emperor on the Princess Asmaa on July 22nd for a week to St Johns. I'll put a post up when I get back. You will have to wait until August though as I've got to put up with a week's diving at Marsa Alam after the liveaboard. Life's a b*tch isn't it?

Regards

David

 

[Sylvie]

Hi

I'm considering going on a liveaboard with Emperor Divers as well (or their competition) in early September. My venue of preference for the red sea would also be the brother islands because I've heard many great things that area. It’s been listed as one of the top spots in the world, but of course these things are subjective. A friend of mine with over 1000 dives says it's his absolute favourite dive site and returns every year. Never has he seen so much colour intensity in such a small area (i.e 1 square meter) of coral.
The two islands stand like two columns in the mist of the read sea, approximately 35 KM North West of El Quisir. The islands have become a national marine park (expect to pay park fees), and divers are no longer allowed to visit the derelict lighthouse on the larger island. The larger island is 980m long and 40m wide. The second island is situated approximately 1.6 KL away. It has a similar morphology but is smaller and more rounded. The islands are suppose to be gorgeous, with lots of fans, gorges and basically tons of coloured corals and sponges everywhere. There are also other sites near the islands. The diving is level is considered average, but strong currents and the positioning in the middle of the deep sea can make diving difficult. Usually drift dives are planned, but sometimes the conditions the can get so rough that diving is impossible. On the other hand, the positioning and the current brings an abundance of exceptional wildlife (including big stuff) to the islands, and visibility is usually around 40M. Generally speaking, liveaboards to the islands are recommended only for advanced divers. Many companies only offer the liveaboard to AOWDs who have made more than 30 dives within the past twelve months.
It’s time for me to start researching it again myself. If you find any great tips, links etc, please make sure to share them.

Cheers

Sylvie

 

[Bartyc]

I'm going with Emperor on the Princess Asmaa on July 22nd for a week to St Johns. I'll put a post up when I get back. You will have to wait until August though as I've got to put up with a week's diving at Marsa Alam after the liveaboard. Life's a b*tch isn't it?

Regards

David

David
I am also cosidering St Johns as opposed to Daedalus,Rocky and St Johns.Would be grateful for any information regarding sharks especially,or is the diving more pretty sites.

 

[guido74]

I'm going with Emperor on the Princess Asmaa on July 22nd for a week to St Johns. I'll put a post up when I get back. You will have to wait until August though as I've got to put up with a week's diving at Marsa Alam after the liveaboard. Life's a ****** isn't it?

Regards

David

I'm thinking of booking on the Asmaa later this year - would love to know how your trip was, would you recommend the boat?

 

[David B]

I'm thinking of booking on the Asmaa later this year - would love to know how your trip was, would you recommend the boat?

The boat was fine. Don't get the two cabins at the bottom of the stairs as the noise from the generators can become a bit of a drag after a while. The food was excellent and the crew were very helpful. The one problem we had was with the guides but as it was there last week you should not have the same problem.

Hope you have a great time.

David

 

[guido74]

Thanks for the info David, much appreciated!

Incidentally, if anyone is doing a more Northern itinerary, I'd really recommend VIP One. Went on that in October last year - boat is great, crew and guide (Tim, if he's still there!) were excellent.

Cheers

G.

 

[grazie42]

The only thing I have against the southern routes is that there are no (or almost no) wrecks there...After two or three dives my logbook only say "aquariumfishes" maybe with a hammerhead, turtle, stingray thrown in...If pretty fishes and colours are your thing the southern routes are for you though...YMMV...for what it´s worth I think Emperor Divers run a great op...

 

[guido74]

The only thing I have against the southern routes is that there are no (or almost no) wrecks there...After two or three dives my logbook only say "aquariumfishes" maybe with a hammerhead, turtle, stingray thrown in...If pretty fishes and colours are your thing the southern routes are for you though...YMMV...for what it´s worth I think Emperor Divers run a great op...

Haven't been anywhere South yet and fancied going somewhere I haven't yet been. Also have a very short time frame in which to fit whatever trip I do, and as the Asmaa has space to Fury & St John's for my week, its the hot favourite on the basis of sheer availability ;-) Course, it always makes you worry about the quality when it seems to more available than others!! Good to hear more positive feedback on Emperor tho, guess I needn't worry too much

And I'll confess to liking the pretty fish and coral too. Wrecks are fun when they're available, but not my main interest. Last trip included diving with a lot of big animals off Revillagigedos near Mexico, so I'm happy to do something smaller this trip!