Vessel UK Issues Safety Warning After Three Fatal Dive Boat Accidents in Red Sea

[Nick_Radov]

UK Issues Safety Warning After Three Fatal Dive Boat Accidents in Red Sea

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has raised serious concerns about the safety of Egyptian dive boats operating in the Red Sea following a series of tragic accidents that...

gcaptain.com

 

[chillyinCanada]

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.com

 

[rmorgan]

The BBC article is powerful, and quite the must-read cautionary tale. Survivors essentially held captive; statements “translated” into Arabic; no batteries in life jacket strobes; not to mention going out against maritime warnings. And yet PADI still advertises the Tillis. Dive Pro Liveaboard’s site says more than they think: “If you are looking for an unforgettable Red Sea liveaboard diving safari then you have come to the right place.”

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

And the prior article sited within the BBC article, this one Red Sea tourist boat sinking: Survivors tell BBC of terrifying escapes ,is absolutely terrifying. What a debacle and dereliction of duty and care. Really makes me wonder about these Red Sea operators.

 

[Utah_James]

This begs the question, are all Egyptian liveboards bad? Or can we not tell the difference between good operators and bad due to government lack of oversight? I think this is and important question.

I will be in Egypt for work a couple of times in 2025 and planned to dive at the end of each trip. Are shore operations bad as well? A collegue of mine describes a situation where his son nearly died doing a poorly guided shore dive.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to identify a good operator, both liveaboard and shore?

 

[Endler's]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to identify a good operator, both liveaboard and shore?

'Would not consider any boat, with more than two decks.

 

[TostitoBandito]

This begs the question, are all Egyptian liveboards bad? Or can we not tell the difference between good operators and bad due to government lack of oversight? I think this is and important question.

I will be in Egypt for work a couple of times in 2025 and planned to dive at the end of each trip. Are shore operations bad as well? A collegue of mine describes a situation where his son nearly died doing a poorly guided shore dive.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to identify a good operator, both liveaboard and shore?

Price is probably a good starting point.

I think many of the issues can be traced to the cratering of prices after instability intensified in the region several years ago. Liveaboards had to cut prices in half (or more) in order to compete regionally/globally and attract guests wary of traveling to Egypt. Costs for the operators didn't decrease though, so when a boat goes from charging $3K/week to charging $1500/week a year or two later you have to ask how they're making a profit. And they are, or they wouldn't still be operating. So they've of course cut every expense they can, cheaper staff, basically all maintenance, safety gear, etc... Probably also try to cram more guests per boat or refit their boats for more cabins.

So for anyone eyeing a $1000 Red Sea liveaboard trip and thinking it's a great deal, keep this in mind.