19 replies to this topic

[happy2dive]

I am soooooooo thrilled that you feel at home and comfortable on our site...that is EXACTLY what we had hoped to achieve.  I hope you'll allow me to perhaps quote you in the future on our site or in brochures...your comments are priceless! Thank you!

You're welcome. Go ahead and quote away...I'm flattered.

As for the Red Sea, I'm seriously planning a liveaboard trip, departing 23 September (departure date may still shift to October) from Marsa Alam on a 5* ship called the Grand Sea Serpent (40m long dive boat with ...onboard bakery !?...dive well and dine well). I'm booking via EasyDivers in the Netherlands who charter various 4* and 5* diving liveaboards throughout the year and then fill them up with divers who book trips from all over the world.

They are the same operation that took such good care of me in Hurghada. Also I must say, so far in my current negotiations with them, they have been very kind. On the ships that are exclusively chartered by them, they said they'll waive the 1000 EUR single person - private cabin supplement (cost of trip 1249 for liveaboard), if I'm alone and I end up in a cabin by myself. On ships chartered together with other dive ops, they explained that they couldn't do this because the other operator won't allow it.

Jos, the manager in the Netherlands, even mentioned that as long as their ship isn''t full he was going to place me in a private cabin with no extra cost, a special service for a woman travelling alone, so I won't have to bunk with any (male) strangers. He's an angel! Most other operators would exploit the fact that I'm a single traveller. Remember, this is the dive op that set me up with a complimentary private DM for my entire two weeks in Hurghada. I'm must say I am very happy with them. Maybe you can organize something with them? I would be happy to introduce you to him.

As for the upcoming trip, so far, I've had one SD member express serious interest in joining me. And I found another UK diver (non-SD member) willing to go together. I'm afraid the planned intinerary concentrates exclusively on diving and no other sightseeing. The reason is the distance and travel time required for visiting any of the monuments around Luxor and Cairo. The plan is split so far into two itineraries. In plan A, the UK diver will probably fly in just for the 8 days on the liveaboard due to strict leave restrictions. Plan B which is being contemplated by myself and the other SD member is a two week plan that fits in approximately 7-8 days of extra boat diving from Hurghada or Marsa Alam before and/or after the liveaboard trip. I'm currently asking what the additional costs are on top of the 1249 EUR for the liveaboard which includes flights from Amsterdam.

I'm also closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East since it is getting a bit worrisome. Tonight I will have a talk with the diver from the UK and we'll discuss the risks...and later in the week I'll probably get around to talking with the SD member as to how he feels about the risks.

If all goes well, there will be another dive report from me by the end of the year.

If you're organizing a trip for next year, why not make a mini-Europe trip combined with diving in the Red Sea? It's easier to cover ground in Europe. If you use Amsterdam as a base, you can also hop over to Brussels and Antwerp...only a 2 hour local train ride away. And it's approx 3 hours to Paris if you take the super fast TGV train (a bit more expensive). 1 hour flying to London...etc.

If there are any other SD members who would like to join me this autumn, please contact me.

Edited by happy2dive, 01 June 2004 - 12:21 AM.

[Marvel]

If there are any other SD members who would like to join me this autumn, please contact me.

Didi, girl!

Where've you been? Hmmm.... my little brain keeps trying to plot a way to join you but it isn't happening- US vacation time is not like European! So, why don't YOU come across the ocean sometime & dive this side of the world with us?

[chinacat46]

WW, I've looked at little but can't seem to find the exact info you would like. I think H2D would be the person to ask. She seems to know which boats to take and what time of year to go. From what I've seen the weather in the Red Sea is hot. Hotter in July and August but generally hot. Didn't see that they get much rain fall or what the humidity is. Didn't see much on viz but I tried a few boat operatiors as I would expect them to list things like that. H2D what do you know about when is the best time to dive the Red Sea? Inquiring minds want to know.

[happy2dive]

If there are any other SD members who would like to join me this autumn, please contact me.

Didi, girl!

Where've you been? Hmmm.... my little brain keeps trying to plot a way to join you but it isn't happening- US vacation time is not like European! So, why don't YOU come across the ocean sometime & dive this side of the world with us?

Would love to. I just have to plan well in advance in terms of time and money.

[happy2dive]

WW, I've looked at little but can't seem to find the exact info you would like. I think H2D would be the person to ask. She seems to know which boats to take and what time of year to go. From what I've seen the weather in the Red Sea is hot. Hotter in July and August but generally hot. Didn't see that they get much rain fall or what the humidity is. Didn't see much on viz but I tried a few boat operatiors as I would expect them to list things like that. H2D what do you know about when is the best time to dive the Red Sea? Inquiring minds want to know.

Right now they are entering the infernal summer period in Egypt. Since I'm not keen about hot temperatures unless I'm in a sauna, June, July, August are the months I would avoid. DMs there have noted temperatures soaring up to 50C. One even remarked..."And try imagining how it is to try smearing moisturizer onto your face in that heat....Everything runs off...you have to move veerrrry verrrryy sloowly."

April and October are the best times to visit.

The following web page provides an overview of climate of Hurghada
http://www.hurghada.com/weather.html

Note: the web page doesn't mention the mercury rising to 50C. It does. I've got plenty of first-hand accounts from colleagues, DMs at EasyDivers and friends.

As you notice from that web page, another point to take into account is the windy season. The wind picks up in the winter months and could make conditions rough. I've had one extremely rough day as well where we could barely stand on deck and it did make entries, exists, even trying to find a fixed position on the sun deck an incredible challenge. Hence I would also avoid the windy months.

March has favourable air temperatures but the water hasn't warmed up yet. In end April when I went, the climate was pleasantly tropical, cool at night and the water was okay. I've gone snorkling without a wetsuit and did not freeze once the sun had warmed up the water. In the early morning, the water can be brisk. Only the hardy Russians at the resort were up to paddling about in the early morning cold. As for diving, I had a 5mm two-piece on and I was quite comfortable. Other divers who go there several times a year swear by October as the sweetest time to visit. The air temperature is bearable and the water is nice and warm from an entire summer's worth of baking in the sun.

Rainfall... no worries. It's as dry as Death Valley. There are no trees, no lawns no greenery in the area with the exception of the artificially landscaped and irrigated resort grounds.

Visibility was almost always exceptional... it only goes down a bit when it's choppy or you happen to be diving behind a group of unhandy divers kicking up a lot of sand.

Concerning boats: there are several dive operators/travel agencies that handle liveaboards...and you could of course directly book a boat with the fleet owner. But then again, if you look at the available itineraries of the boats, you may notice some gaps. The gaps exist because dive operators have already chartered the entire boat for entire weeks on end and are selling berths via their own operation. Also another thing to keep in mind is that the boats may charge for the liveaboard only and they may not bother about the other details such as flights and transfers between the airport and harbor as well as the need of booking an extra night or two if the boat itinerary doesn't match up with the flight schedule. This is what I learned so far in my own quest towards organizing a trip for this September. Also I compared boats offered by several dive ops, Emperor Divers, Voodoo Divers, Easy Divers etc. So far EasyDivers won out, not only because of their exceptional service but because they have the most fabulous well-equipped boats with good reputations on their list.

The following are the various boats which have interested me so far:

From the Sea Serpent Fleet:
http://www.seaserpentfleet.com/
The Grand Sea Serpent is my first choice now for the 23rd Sept trip. The trip departing on this date for the deep south route is chartered by EasyDivers.
And what can I say...I can't say no to comfort. This beauty has its own on-board bakery! Do I smell fresh croissants in the morning?

From the Tornado Marine Fleet
http://tornadomarinefleet.com/
My second choice, this one chartered by Easydivers and another UK dive op, is
The Excel.

And the third alternative I've chosen is the VIP ONE.

A good overview of different boats is provided on the following page:
http://red-sea.com/s...ng_liveaboards/

In making my selection which I admit is 'posh', I'm following the advice I've received from seasoned divers who have experienced many liveaboard trips. They say it isn't worth it to skimp on that 100 to 200 EUR difference between a 5* and a 4* boat. That the few hundred bucks goes a long way towards a truly comfortable and unforgettable vacation. Also I've selected these boats not only for their fabulous facilities and space but also because they have all the safety and emergency equipment plus a good crew.

I hope this information is useful for you.

Edited by happy2dive, 01 June 2004 - 08:00 AM.