Monday 14 May 2012

Kirk Truscott- long time diver of the Red Sea talks about his trip on Mistral.


The Barge – Dive site

This will be a dive site that I will remember as being one of the best of this trip for me as a photographer. So much so I dived the site three times, two day dives on day one, one night dive followed by a morning dive the next day. The little life was simply stunning and in vast quantities. The thing I will remember the most from this site is my first sighting of a yellow mouth eel, the colours of this beautiful creature and the brightness of the yellow when it looked straight at me from its resting hole will stay with me for years to come.

The Crew and Dive Guides

Having dived 30 trips in the Red Sea (mainly daily diving), this boat with its crew have set a new bench mark for me. Starting with the crew: all were very helpful, worked well beyond the call of duty and you could see that they were proud of maintaining their hard working and guest caring reputations. The guys looking after our kits before, during and after the dive were amazing at the level of detail to ensure your kit was ready and then returned to your spot on the boat after each dive (very impressed with this).

The guys in the main saloon behind the bar were always ensuring our needs for refreshments were met. Dinner was well organised with finished plates being removed and dessert offered without asking. 5 star service, thank you.

The Guides – Firstly impressed with the use of technology for providing the dive briefs on the LCD using powerpoint was a nice touch. Something you don’t get on the day boats. The briefs from Reda provided all the information required for a safe dive and the level of detail was impressive. I like the touch of using actual photographs from the dive sites to give people an actual representation of what to expect from each dive. In the water, the guides knew the sites like the back of their hands and showed various things of interest to anyone who wanted to see it.

The food

I usually lose weight when I visit Sharm on dive trips. Needless to say I will need some extra gym time when I head home to lose the few pounds I have gained from the food on this trip. Cooking was lovely and complements to the chef.

Monday 7 May 2012

Rosalie and Ras onboard the M.V Mistral


“After two great dives on the mighty Rosalie Muller, I wasn’t expecting much from the Barge.  I was pleasantly surprised!  The afternoon sunlight in the shallow depth was beautiful and the whole site looked like it had been artificially constructed for an aquarium, it was that perfect!  I met “George” the resident giant moray with a head the size of a Labrador!  The ‘small stuff’ was also beautiful, in particular the dartfish, goby, blenny &basslet.” G. Booth

Rosalie Muller was just brilliant. I will definitely come back to dive her again. There’s just too much to see. I wasn’t expecting much from The Barge after being high from Rosalie Muller but I was surprised about just how much life was on the small spot around the Barge.  The wreck attracts so much marine life that it kept us busy for several dives.”
Jana Kvaltinova, Prague, CZ

Why would you need to go anywhere else when we have this only 4 hours away? Absolute paradise – gorgeous soft corals, Moray eel, too many fish to mention. Utter peace - could dive this again and again – can’t wait to come back. THE BEST DAY OF DIVING ALL WEEK! Thanks” Shark Reef – Ras Mohamed -  Alan.

For me Shark &Yolanda Reef is one of the best dives I have ever done, this dive consists of drift dive, and a great deal of scenery, such as Moray eel, Napoleon Wrass and a great deal of different kinds of coral life. This dive is a must if you visit Egypt.” - Simon Guttridge Poole Dorset UK

“I have never dived in Ras Ghozlani and it took my breath away. I think that the guides saved the best for the last? The pinnacles and anemone city was amazing. And the turtle came to say good bye to us.” - Jana Kvaltinova, Prague, CZ

And something for the Mighty M.V Mistral
“I have been on fifteen liveaboard trips in the Red Sea over the last twenty years.  The crew aboard the Mistral are exemplary.  Everyone has a basic command of English.  There is nothing that is too much trouble for them.  Both before and after the dive, they are there to help and ready & waiting with refreshments.  Superb service.  The dive briefings were very thorough with detailed images of the wreck / dive site and supporting photographs.  The dive guides speak excellent English.  Everyone has a sense of humour!  I would certainly recommend the Mistral to my diving colleagues in the UK.” - G. Boothddixon