Tornado Marine Fleet

M.V Mistral gets ten out of ten

2012-03-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

“I have never been on a live aboardbefore and I find the boat very nice. Nice rooms. I liked that we got bigtowels and a bath robe. Spacious areasinside and outside. I don’t think I could be on a better boat. I also reallyliked the closets and drawers in the room and of course having our own bathroomwas really nice.” Marianne

“Superb one of the best, willrecommend to all.” John

“A very good live aboard boat. Canrecommend it to all. Huge, good space, little rolling, cabins nice.” Geir

“So much better than the ones weused before. Good cabins, nice layout ofdive deck, good lounge and nice outdoor areas.” Sue

“This ismy second time on a live aboard. Theyare the best fleet in the Red Sea. Fantastic boat.” Karen

“Thebriefings were the best and most comprehensive I have ever known. The guides were really helpful and all thecrew had good sense of humour and with our group this is always helpful....” Sue

“TheGuides and Crew and the friendliest people you will meet. The Crew can't do enough and the Guides areso professional and knowledgeable. Everybriefing is so precise. They even givethe history of the different wrecks which makes it much more interesting.” Karen

“The food is superb when you consider we are out inthe middle of the Red Sea! I am a fussy eater – there was nothing I didn'tlike. The Chef even makes a cakes fordessert!” Karen

M.Y Cyclone welcome 'Newbies' onboard

2012-02-27T02:36:00.000-08:00

Are you a new or inexperienced diver? Maybe this makes you unsure about booking a ‘liveaboard’,as many more experienced buddies might suggest that these trips are only forthe experienced. Well think again as TornadoMarine Fleet Guides will give you all the support you need to have a fantasticholiday.

Cyclone:18^th Feb: Dive Guides Sameh & Tarek

All thecrew have been very helpful friendly and quietly efficient. The dive guides have been excellent and particularly supportive tothe less experienced members of my group (BruceColes)

Superbcrew, extremely welcoming and on hand to help at all times. I've not had a badmeal onboard and the endless supply of tea, coffee and soft drinks isappreciated. The support of the dive team,especially to relatively new divers, is a great confidence boost. (MichaelBerg)

Everyoneon board has been great. The guides have been first classhelping a liveaboard newbie enjoy all aspects of the trip. Thebriefings have been exceptionally thorough allowing you to relax on the dive asyou know what to expect. The rest of the crew have been great from helping withkitting up to getting you back into the zodiacs! (Louise Kelly)

Bestbriefings in the Red Sea! Excellent guides, very friendly crew making you relaxand enjoy the whole week. Very professional team from divingand boat perspective. Go dté sibh slán. (Alan O'Reilly).

Learning to fly on the Woodhouse Express was a highlight of theweek (thanks, Tarek)!! Fast drift onthe south side and over the saddle avoiding the washing machine betweenWoodhouse and Jackson. Great stuff! (Alan O'Reilly).

Chrisoula K – for me one of the highlights of the trip. The swimfrom the stern into the cargo hold and workshop was really good. I'm glad Itook the guided option as I would never have found the highlights. (MichaelBerg)

Dunraven a nice easy first penetration dive for less experiencedpeople in my group followed by a nicedrift along a good reef. Carnatic and Chrisoula K were good follow up dives forthem to enjoy (Bruce Coles)

The crew did a great job picking the party up from Woodhouse insignificant swells; impressive job! (Michael Berg)

Excellent response to technical difficulties at beginning of dive,which meant I could carry on what proved to be an excellent dive. There was an abundance of marine life (Jim Francis).

Loved both Jackson and Woodhouse Reefs – amazing drifts even withthe high wind creating large swells.

Felt like I was flying through the Red Sea. Did my first evernight dive on Beacon Rock which was great – saw lots of lion fish! (LouiseKelly)

Thistlegorm; excellent briefing plus great "emergency"repairs to my dive computer that saved the dive for me. (Michael Berg)

Thistlegorm: one of the highlights of any diver's career, madeeasier by excellent guide and briefing. Strongcurrent, but because of briefing it was expected. Hanging onto shot-line was a thrill in itself(Jim Francis).

Thistlegorm was an outstanding penetration dive out of the currentfollowed by a good hang on the line in a fair current. Very well supportedby the dive guide who made sure the less experienced members of my party were able to cope safely. Small Crack (or Craic?) was agood easy drift with plenty of life (Bruce Coles)

Really grateful to the guides on the Cyclone for taking us throughall the holds on the Thistlegorm –will always remember it as its was my 50^th dive. Perfect in everyway! (Louise Kelly)

The guided tourinside the wreck is highly recommended. (Mike)

Compliments toall the staff on the Cyclone. All havegone out of their way to be extremely helpful and informative. They work well together and you can see thereis a good atmosphere between them. Thedivers' briefings were extremely thorough and informative, making dive-planninga lot easier (Fiona MacKillop).

Whoop Whoop Whoop Whirlwind Wins.

2012-02-23T02:40:00.002-08:00

23^rd Feb 2012 – there is a great atmosphere inthe Tornado Marine Fleet office as finally DIVER magazine officially announcesthe winners of the prestigious DIVER annual awards, and YES our sleek, shiny,and beautiful M.Y Whirlwind steps up on to the red carpet or maybe that shouldbe the glistening blue waters of the Red Sea to accept the coveted ‘BestLiveaboard of the Year’ 2011 award.

A big congratulations are in order for the crew of M.YWhirlwind who keep her posh and polished, the Engineering department who keepher purring, and the Food and Beverage and Saloon staff who serve the bestliveaboard food ever from her galley.

Special thanks go to the CEO of Tornado Marine Fleet Ayman Mousa, who made her possible, Operations Manager Carrol Flowers for running her, the Marketing Team Moira Tune and Ramy Youssry who pushed everyone to vote,and of course last but not least our wonderful Dive Guides who make our divershappy with their talented guiding, expertise of spotting the amazing, their professionalism,and care and attention.

We are all very proud and thank everyone fortaking their time to vote for truly the best liveaboard – M.Y Whirlwind.

An ode to the great wrecks & reefs of the North Red Sea by Heather and Bill Oakes

2012-02-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

Chrisoula K: A sea ofbubbles surrounds us as we roll off the zodiac, and descend onto the wreck fromour negative entry. Soon we are admiring this giant of the deep, as this wrecklooks so impressive sitting on the sea bed. We circumnavigate the stern of theship, and penetrate the holds to view the cargo, stacked in endless piles. Lifeabounds here and fish appear from every crevice as we pass through the ship,coral encrusts the chuck of the lathe in the ship's workshop, and as we moveforward, the towers of tiles form a imposing corridor. Too soon the dive isover and we make our way back up the shot line, reflecting on such a superwreck dive, we are able to fix the image in our minds as the minutes of safetystop tick by, see you again soon Chrisoula K.

Giannis D

Blue lightpenetrates the shadows, highlighting thousands of Glassfish whose sanctuary isthe wheelhouse of this impressive wreck, this image makes for a strikingphotograph. After a rapid descent past the intact funnel, we swim through theaft doorway, which soon leads to the cavernous interior of the engine room. Ourtorches pierce the darkness and illuminate the massive remains of this oncenoisy place, now eerily silent except for the sound of bubbles as diversexplore inside.

Rosalie Muller

We add air toour stab jackets as we descend the bow shot, out of the darkness a ship beginsto take shape, our excitement increases as we begin to identify features thathad been highlighted in the briefing a few minutes before. Now these descriptionshave taken form, eagerly we explore the forward parts of this impressive giant.Jacks hunt speedily amongst the plentiful shoals as we pass the bridge and viewthe once proud M displayed on the funnel, all too soon our no-deco time runsshort and we return to the shot line, a slow ascent with a deep stop thrown infor good measure gives us ample time to reflect on another super dive.

Thistlegorm

We hover at 25m,transfixed by a surreal view. A Stanier class 8f locomotive sits on the seabed, its smokebox door slightly ajar, as if waiting for a cleaner. Remarkablythis mighty beast was thrown clear as the ship exploded after the air attack,coming to rest in an upright position at the end of its final journey. Wereturn to the ship and penetrate the holds to savour the many delights that theThistlegorm has to offer. All too soon the dive is finished and we make ourascent. This wreck has so much to offer and we must return again to enjoy itsmany delights.

Beacon Rock - Nightdive

Darknesssurrounds us as we descend through clear water towards the reef. Our torchessoon illuminate the coral heads, which contrast with the sand around them. Thenight coral is in full bloom, its spectacular colours lighting our view. We seeNudibranchs, Moray Eels and many other fish. This is the best night dive of theweek. There is some current so we head back to the boat and reflect on somespecial moments as we complete our safety stop near the strobe light.

Shark & Yolanda Reef

We leap fromWhirlwind as a whole group, and quickly descend on to a spectacular wall, whichdrops impressively into the deep. We enjoy a pleasant drift dive as we slowlypass the many sights this place has to offer.

We reach theremains of the Yolanda's cargo and marvel at how the marine life has taken overresidence and is slowly covering the odd shaped remains of toilets and othersuch articles! The visibility here was very good indeed, with a wide range oflife from free-swimming Moray eels, blue spotted rays and countless other fish.A very special dive.

Getting Wrecked with Tornado

2012-02-06T03:58:00.000-08:00

Tornado Marine Fleet have two popular North Red Sea itineraries 'Wrecks and Reefs' and 'Get Wrecked' here's just a snippet of what our guests say about the amazing and varied wrecks we have to offer.

“Sameh guided us through Thistlegorm’s holds 3,2 and 1 very narrow but an exhilaratingexperience particularly to see the radio cars that my father had driven withthe 8^th Army in Egypt in 1941 – thank you Sameh.” - Robert Yorke

“Brilliant day – lovely dives on the wrecks with loads to see,and to top it off we swam with the dolphins by the boat” - Jennie & James

“Sameh guided us into the Thistlegorm holds and I got some reallygood photos of the lorries and motorbikes , thank you Sameh. Then to theCarnatic – interesting construction and marvellous views from inside. Finallyto Crysoula K and the long swim through past the tiles –eerie. A reallyexcellent day” - Robert Yorke

“The first time that I swam through all the holds in the wreck andit was amazing! I actually saw the rifles, trucks, bikes and welly’s forreal not just in pictures. The current was very strong on the safety stopit was a case of hang on tight, but I loved it!” - Julie Hill-Paul

“We got to snorkel with Dolphins around Abu Nuhas you can't get anybetter than that!”

“Carnatic is a beautiful wreck to dive, fantastic coral andmarine life saw my first sea slug on the swim through. It is a wreck totake your time in and just gently enjoy everything that your eyes can take in” JulieHill-Paul

“WRECKS!!! What a day, 3 fantastic wrecks greatpenetrations and great lighting. Loved it” Dave

“Long swim through and much exploring inside theGiannis D and the angle made it more interesting– we have dived a lot ofexcellent wrecks on this trip.” – Robert Yorke

“Giannis D is a great wreck specifically the wheel house with thelight filtering through. Loved getting the photos of the stern. - Dave

Cozy up on Cyclone – one of Tornado’s top boats

2012-01-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

Just some of the guest comments from theirtrip on Cyclone on the 14^th January 2012.

Alexandra: Sting ray station, Alternatives and Beacon Rock. These threedives were a great introduction to the Ras Mohamed National Park – the formertwo conducted during daylight and the latter as a night dive. For thoseunaccustomed to the north Red Sea, this was a relatively easy prologue to theforthcoming dives, thanks to the sheltered conditions, lack of current (withthe exception of the night-dive at Beacon Rock), and the variety of aquaticflora and fauna.

The dive briefings prior to each excursion were comprehensive and well-illustrated,and the guiding from Sameh and Yasser both thorough and supportive. These were characteristicsthat continued throughout the trip.

Mark Sinnott: After aconsiderate welcome the previous evening, due to our delayed arrival, the boatbrief and check dive were professionally led. As throughout the trip all thebriefs were of the highest standard and the dives were guided very well. Thetrip proved to be one of the best I have had the pleasure of joining and I havebeen on over a dozen liveaboards.

Brian: all the dives today were againwell briefed and although i have not dived here before the briefing gave me more than enough information to allow meto know exactly what to expect and where to find relevant points ofinterest the mix of coral and wrecks was stunning a really enjoyableexperience

Mike and Laura: The highlightof the trip was diving on the Ghiannis D, which was a super experience. Theinterior of the ship, including the engine room and workshop, were interestingand reminiscent of a bygone era, with a lathe and pillar drill on display forall to admire. The wildlife on the exterior of the ship was, in our opinion,the most beautiful, and affluent and varied of the whole trip. This ship was afantastic challenge, due to the angle at which it lay on the sea bed. The maston the seperated bow section was home to hugely varied and abundant forms oflife.

Trip Highlights

· Seeing and photographing turtles at Small Crack and Shark & Yolanda.

· Having the opportunity to dive theThistlegorm four times in one trip.

· Seeing Spanish Dancers on the BeaconRock night-dive.

· Witnessing and photographing so manytypes of nudibranch.

· Seeing and diving the Ghiannis D,with it's huge variety of life. A reef on a wreck!

What the guestssaid about Cyclone:

Brilliant.It's the perfect size for a liveaboard: big enough to allow the group to splitinto smaller parties (for guided and unguided dives), yet small enough toensure that everyone gets to know one another.

Mike and Laura: The guides and crewwere wonderful. No job too small and chef happy to share his recipes! The roomsare beautifully clean and the dive deck was well equipped, with the crew beingvery attentive.

Food: Delicious. We reallywere fed well during this trip and, by all accounts (from those who'veparticipated in liveaboards before), the quality of food onboard Cyclone wasfar superior to that on other boats.

All due respect much be paid to the chef, who treatedus to copious cakes on top of soups, mains and salads – including oneespecially decorated cake for the three divers who had reached 100, 100 and 400dives respectively

Super Cyclone does her best for her guests

2012-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

Cyclonehad a great weeks charter with Scuba Travel guests. They all enjoyed the trip with sightings ofsharks, turtles, and eagle rays. Everyone high commended the crew and the guides.

“Thank youfor a very enjoyable trip and making us all feel welcome, we willdefinitely be travelling with the Tornado Crew again very soon.”

PaulaSavage & Dave Winter - Directors, Nemes Diving & Water SportsAcademy Ltd.

“Sammy ordered the sharks,turtles and eagle rays for us... Great dive!!!” - Adam Walker

“Jacky's200^th dive – fantastic surprise – loved the cake, and so verythoughtful” – Ruth & Jacky.

“Good,clean cabins, dining area was very good for large groups. Kit deck excellent,well laid out and enough room for all divers. Lounge very nice, comfortablearea for briefings and relaxing. Best live aboard boat we have been on sofar!” - Paula & Dave

“Guideswere great and crew were really nice and helpful, boat was well kept and foodwas good too... Great experience, thanks!” - Kelly

“Excellenttrip, thanks to all the crew for making the holidayamazing, we werevery well looked after and did not have to worry about a thing... I will be back soon... Much Love!!!” - AdamWalker

“Fantastic food – lots of choice, something foreveryone and it tasted fantastic. The only down side is that we might needbigger wetsuits now. Yum!” – Ruth & Jacky.

Christmas on M.Y Whirlwind

2012-01-09T03:22:00.000-08:00

“The night dive on Abu Nuhuss Reef was so exciting. There was so much to see and so much goingon! Myfavourite part was watching the enormous Spanish Dancer and the strutting lionfish.” Debs

“400^thdive for Mark today and it was amazing after feeling less than good for theearly start dive. Thanks everyone for making it such a great event.”

“The Kingston Reefwas amazing; full of beautiful coral and stunning marine life made all the moreexciting by the wreck. Thistlegorm was breath-taking just like being insidean underwater museum.” Debs

“The boat was brilliant – lots of space, really comfortablecabins, plenty of room for everyone even though we were a full house. Thecrew couldn't do enough to help and made the whole trip really enjoyable, easyand fun.” Emma

“Everyone has been fantastic. Our guides,Reda and Sameh, so knowledgeable and patient. The crewalways on hand to help you with your gear, hand out hot chocolate and juiceafter a dive, just making your stay as stress-freeand relaxed as possible.” Louise/Mike

“The food was delicious! Made to order omelettes inthe morning, along with other choices. There wasn'ta meal I didn't enjoy, actually went for seconds most nights!” GemmaDimery

“Food has been exceptionally good. Ourplates have been empty at the end of every meal. Turkey onChristmas Day was a treat. Loved thehummus and salads.” Louise/Mike

Cyclone goes TeK

2011-12-06T04:16:00.001-08:00

Reda and Sameh were the guides on this special training tech diving trip from the UK. See what the guests thought of Cyclone as a tech boat, the guides, and their experience.

“Cyclonewas wonderful, very clean and well prepared, excellent facilities and it allwent perfectly.”

“Theguides and crew were extremely helpful. They madekitting up and getting out of the boat very easy, which was muchappreciated with all the kit we were wearing.”

“Good setup for the type of diving we were doing.Great facilities and a very relaxed atmosphere on board.”

“Lara Wreck... Jackson Reef. Lara was our first 50m trimix course dive,thansk to Reda and Sameh for shotting the wreck for us, went very well and thereef was a great chill out dive afterwards.”

“My thirdliveaboard with Reda and he is the Man, nothing is too much trouble for him andhe knows every dive site inside out, Likewise Samehwould bend over backwards to help, both are excellent.”

“Every manon the Cyclone would do anything to help, definitely the nicest crew I havebeen with and theothers were lovely too. Nothing could be improved.”

“Firstwith Reda, and third with Sameh. Bothsupportive and nothing is too much trouble – especially when I needed my Trimixmix adjusting late at night. Crew on-handand helpful as always.”

“Theguides and crew did everything possible to make the week go smoothly. For atech week we needed a different style of guiding and bothReda and Sameh both understood exactly what we needed. They were preparedto support us in everything we planned to do and then let us get on with thediving. A perfect level of support for a tech week.”

Hooray for Hurricane

2011-11-28T02:01:00.001-08:00

Hurricane 19^th November Tamer & Reda

Everybody had a great time on M.V Hurricane on the Northern Red Sea 'Wrecks and Reefs' trip. They praised everything from the pristine coral reefs and fish life, to the exceptional service of the crew and dive guides, and the fantastic food.

Garry Dallas- Manta ray, free swimming morayeel...what more would you want to see before breakfast. Lovely wrecks andplenty of colourful fish and coral to see.

David The Barge – Wreck teeming with life and colour. Highlight was avisit from a pod of dolphins which swam with us for a while.

GarryDallas - As much as I enjoy the caves and wrecks, simply looking in awe atnatures creations...Encourages me to keep diving here. Well done guys for asplendid tour of the Red Sea !!!!

Susie/Kt – Great boat, loadsof different areas to explore. The boat has a sundeck for basking in the sun ontopdeck, tables and chairs on the level below for socialising. A well stockedbar J with comfy couches. Plenty of space and a great atmosphere! Cabins arecleaned daily and comfortable. What more could you ask for?

Phil Austin - Fantasticvessel that quite simply did everything it needed to do.

Scott Waterman – Fantastic crew, very friendly, very polite and always willing/ preparedto help you in any way they could. Bothdive guides could not have done any more to make the trip a success, Redaprofessionalism is a credit to your company.

Des/Lee-Now on our 5^thTony Backhurst live-a-board, still never ceases to amaze how such quality foodis produced in such a confined galley. The food as always is excellent.

Susie/Kt – We will missit, it far exceeds our own culinary skills. Can the chef come back with usplease?

Phil Austin - First class andticked every box including service.

Let's hear it for Valeria & the M.Y Cyclone crew

2011-11-22T04:15:00.001-08:00

Valeria, our guide, is amazing. She speaks Italianvery well and her easygoing attitude is catching, so it's instant bonding.Besides, Valeria is very competent and at the same time relaxed, so it doesn'tfeel as we're being watched or she's "The Police".

Valeria is one ofthe best guides I have ever met. The crew is very friendly and available. Bothguide and crew are great, very friendly, cooperative and kind. The crew isalways smiling, it's like a group of friends, I've appreciated all of them,they've been always very helpful.

Most of them also speaks a little bit of Italian and were willing to teach us some Egyptian. Valeria is super friendly and nice, sheguided us through amazingdives and always been very cooperative during dives, I felt ALWAYS safe and shehelped me seeing all I was looking for in Red Sea.

I really hope to dive againwith her in my future trips to Red Sea.

Tornado's Chefs on board & cooking up a feast.

2011-11-14T03:12:00.001-08:00

Whirwind 5^thNovember with Sameh & Mohamed Ali

"The food was outstanding and as a vegetarian the chef was one of the best. How very kind of the crew and chef to give me a cake with Happy Birthday Desmond 071161 it just about sums up how good and thoughtful everyone was”

“This has without doubt been the best livaboard I have been on. The crew have been outstanding. The dive guides were excellent. The care and attention from all the staff been second to none. The chef deserves a medal.”

“This was my very first liveaboard trip, and truly loved it. The crew is very nice, helpful & thoughtful. The guides are both extremely experienced, and the briefings and dives were well planned. I felt safe to dive & well looked after.”

“Very attentive crew, hardworking and friendly; made us feel welcome from the moment we came on board; many thanks to the chef for all the fabulous meals he prepared for us! Not a single meal I could fault! All very tasty J”

“Special Thanks to Maghoub who always made us laugh and created the funniest things out of towels; It was my first time on a liveaborad, but after this week surely not my last!”

“One word….Superb!! Thanks to the great chefs.”

“Excellent food and plenty of it. Our tummies were very happy throughout this trip! Many thanks to the chefs.”

Carnatic: “Fantastic dive plan lived up to expectations; Sameh and Mohammed keptus in order and made us feel very safe within the limits of my diving ability.”

Rosalie Moller: “These dives were so well planned. Everything went very well. Excellentlearning experience, guides were amazing and necessary thanks to Sameb andMohammed”

“This is our thirdtrip on Whirlwind it is excellent.”

“First time on theWhirlwind, probably the best Red Sea live-aboard I’ve been on to date.”

“This was our firsttime on the Whirlwind and our first liveaboard as individuals not travelling aspart of a dive group. The boat is very impressive and was very comfortable throughout thetrip, appearing tohave endless supplies of everything we needed for a great holiday.”

“We are alwaysimpressed by the fantastic crew and the courtesy and hospitality they extend totheir guests. The captain was very professional, the dive guides were the best guides we haveever had in the Red Sea.”

Best Wishes for Whirlwind

2011-11-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

The Wreck of Ulysses

“This was Lisa's first ever dive in warm water and the Red Sea. Wewere totally impressed with what we saw and the information supplied by theDive Guides. Carnatic was..........Awesome!!!!!!!.....” Lisa Richards & Carl Roberts

“First time open water diving again after a 10 year break. Everyone was extremely helpful in getting meback into it (instructors, crew and guests alike). All the skills came backvery quickly – thanks for the support!” Lonn Landis

“A nice easy start with a good choice of sites.Fun diving was had by all.” - Aquatech Group

“Ulysses was the dive of the day. It was simply stunning I couldn’tbelieve how beautiful it was.”John Holt

“The Thistlegorm turned me on to wreck diving. I didn't think I would like wreck diving butthe underwater museum is amazing.” LonnLandis

“This morning we saw the sun rise from the prop of the Thistlegormwith the wreck to ourselves! “ Paul, Paul and Dave.

“The boatwas impeccably presented when I arrived and every effort wasmade to keep it tidy, a well run ship!!” Tony Matthews

“The boatis clean, tidy and well presented. I'mamazed that it's been kept so well with 20 messy salty divers on it everyweek!!” Lonn Landis

“This wasmy first liveaboard any others will haveto go a long way to beat this.” John Holt

“What canyou say..........They were fantastic. Especially Yasser. He fulfilledLisa's lifelong dream........to swim with dolphins!” – Carl Roberts

This beingour 2^nd trip on the Whirlwind within 3 months, we can say that wethink that the Guides and Crew do a grand job and are always so polite. There are no complaints from us. Thanks for the fun time and the greatdiving.- . J Swanley Sub-AquaClub (SSAC)

Let's hear it for M.V Mistral

2011-10-31T03:28:00.000-07:00

FarziBantin- “No matter how longyou have been diving nothing can replace a dive-guide who loves their job, isobservant and enjoys the pleasure it gives his/her group to delight in thebeauty and profound life that the Red Sea has to offer. We had not one buttwo of these professionals on board.” Well done Val & Reda.

Rose andPaul – “Giannis D: Then a shriek from Val –DOLPHINS playing. Five of them (two mothers and babies and one other) stayedfor over five minutes, swimming around and in amongst us – fantastic!!!”

Sandy and Andy – “Overall the trip has been wonderful and one of the best holidays ever.”

Andy, Pete, Gary, Chris, Neill and John – “The food was well presented, tasty and obviously freshly cooked. A varied menu throughout the week catering for all tastes with snacks in the afternoon and welcome hot drink after each dive.”

Sandraand Andy – “Shark and Yolanda Reef. The most amazing diveever. The conditions were perfect. A fantastic guide (Val). Beautiful sun shining through the watermaking it electric blue. The currentgently pushing us along until we hit the vertical wall when we got an excitingride over the 800m abyss! “

John, Andy,Pete, Neill, Gary and Chris - “Thistlegorm: A fantasticpenetrating dive guided by Reda. It was a unanimous thought that we would neverbe able to see as much as we did without our guide.”

Rose and Paul – “Mistral is a really powerful and more importantly stable boat, especially in some of the rough seas we experienced. Our cabin was a double on the upper deck – queen size bed, very firm mattress, lots of pillows to choose from. Plenty of towels were provided and extra towels were readily available. Bathroom small but perfectly adequate – good quality fittings, rain head shower – works really well, plenty of hot water as long as everyone else isn't taking a shower at the same time! Cabin was cleaned every morning during the first briefing and tidied during the day when we were diving. Being a photographer, Paul was very impressed to see a separate camera room with dedicated rinse tanks.”

Andy, Pete, John, Neill, Gary and Chris our best dive of the day was a drift dive atShark and Yolanda Reef, if anyone wonders why we dive then this is it.Everything a diver could wish for in a reef dive. Once again an excellentguided dive by Reda.

Rose andPaul – “Ulysses: Anotherlovely wreck, not too crowded. Found (with help from Val!) nudis calledFabilina – completely new to us, very pretty, under hull near prop.”

FarziBantin - “If cleanliness and hygiene are yourpriority, this is the boat for you, if food is on top of your list, this isthe boat for you, if you want it to be all about you, this is the boat for you,if copious amount of water for your shower is what you crave, ask for a room inthe bottom deck!”

Sandraand Andy – “The boatis lovely. Spacious, immaculate and one of the most stable out of the fleet. Excellentfor first timers like us – especially when one suffers from sea sickness.”

FarziBantin - “A good guide is worth their weight ingold, we had two of these wonderful and professionals. Reda; quietly watchfulalways jovial. He was able to get everyone in out of the boat safely andquickly without stressing you out. Valeria, so competent and knowledgeableabout EVERY site with minute detail in every briefing that gave you suchinsight and made you feel you have been there already; thus feeling totally incontrol. The two were like guardian angels on your shoulder in every dive! Theboys on the dive deck were competent and attentive they will come to your aidif you unable to dress or undress yourself. They seem to recognise your gearfrom the first dive and keep a watchful eye on you, your gear and your needs! Marvellous.”

Rose andPaul – “Foodwas very good – plentiful, hot and tasty. Special requests were not a problemand a wide variety of omelettes/fried eggs/scrambled etc. was available forbreakfast. Hot chocolate was given to us after first dive and night dive –very welcome indeed – and orange juice after the other dive which was areally nice touch.”

Farzi Bantin - “Food was great andthere was always plenty more, even at the end of the week. We ate a variety ofdifferent things without repetition. If there was something you wanted all youhave to do is ask!”

Sandraand Andy –“the food is lovely and lots of it too. Ithas clearly been well prepared and it is always hot. Any special requests are catered for with asmile.”

S.S Thistlegorm 70th anniversary

2011-10-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

The majestic S.S Thistlegorm sank just outside the reef system Sha'ab Ali on the night of the 6th Oct 1941. Guests on M.V Mistral and M.Y Whirlwind had the memorable experience of diving her, on the 70th anniversary of her demise on 6th October 2011. In remembrance of the lives lost our Dive Guides laid a flower on her bow.

Steve Ross. “Today I completed my video archive on theThislegorm. With Redas local knowledge and willingness to show us somethingdifferent I got the opportunity to video the boiler from one of the locos onthe port side of the boat. Diving on the Thistlegorm is always a pleasure butthese last few have been extra special with the things not seen before anddiving on the 70^th anniversary.”

Rachel Brown. “This ship is awesome, it's like time has stoodstill. I wanted to see the motorbikes which I did, along with the boots and thetrain, the overall experience will stay with me for some time!”

Janet. “Thistlegorm - As goodas ever. We dived it on the 70^th anniversary of the sinking and thenight dive was special. We saw a crab releasing its eggs. Ascending on the linewith light on the wreck and streams of bubbles was very atmospheric.”

Pat. “The Thistlegorm isawesome, a must for every diver. The night dive was brilliant—atmospheric withthe wreck illuminated with torch light.”

“Thistlegorm -vis was 100% better than yesterday, could see both trains from the top of theship. Took a pic of Captain’s bathroom while wandering inside. Couldn't findthe poppy that had been laid on the bow for the anniversary though.”

Mike. “Thistlegorm morningdive was the best as we got in the water before the usual 300 other divers.Visibility was excellent and has made a fantastic video which I can put on youtube when I get home.”

Who is Reda?

2011-10-03T05:22:00.000-07:00

RamadanMohamed – Reda

Reda hasbeen working in the Red Sea since 1994 and has a wealth of knowledge of thewrecks and reefs of the Northern and Southern Red Sea. Over the years as a professional diver he hasaccumulated over 8,000 dives.

Reda hasworked with Tornado Marine Fleet for the past seven years. He has had many returning guests who haverequested him as a dive guide. Part ofthe reason for this is Reda excels in customer service always making sure hisguests are happy both underwater and above water on their holiday.

Reda enjoys sharing his experience and as hesays “I always strive to improve my skills and progress my career as a memberof the international diving community. Ilook forward to continue to inspire divers from all around the world, to helpthem improve their skills and increase their knowledge of the underwaterworld.” Reda is a PADI MSDT and speaks English and Arabic.

Whale Shark sighting from M.Y Cyclone

2011-09-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

Guest comments from Cyclone charter with Allan and Tamer 18^th Sept

“Best start for my first live aboard thank youAlan and Tamer” - Pete

“Beautifulnight dive on the barge” – Liz

“Fantasticdive on the Ulysses, Thank you Tamer” - Clare & Jon

“Amazingdive on Giannis D – huge school of dolphins on the propeller, doesn'tget better than this….!” - Polly,Christal Seas Scuba, Norwich.

“Unforgettable dolphin encounter ! Awesome” – Nico

“The iconic Thistlegorm - brilliant day andnight. I'll be back” - Mel

“Jackfish Alley was amazing, thanks for arranging thewhale shark” - Liz.

“It has been 4 years and finally I have fulfilled alifetime ambition and dived with the ultimate - a beautiful and awesomewhaleshark Perfick!!!” - Andy"sunshine dugong"

“WHALESHARK…..doesn't get any better” - Mel

“Cyclone was great – big dive deck, lovely sun deck and lots of comfychairs for post-dive chats. Perfect for a dive group or individuals.” - Polly, Christal Seas Scuba, Norwich.

“Guides are some of the best we haveexperienced, crew made it very special” - Clare & Jon

A day to day diary aboard M.V Mistral by Thistlegorm book author John Kean

2011-09-23T04:21:00.000-07:00

Day One

The sun rose about ten minutes after leaving theinternational port of Sharm El Sheikh. We headed toward Ras Mohammed and a fewearly risers were up and about snapping the big orange disc low on the horizonin the direction of Tiran Island.

The Alternatives (so named because theyprovided an alternative to Shark and Jolande Reefs when the weather kicked upyears ago) was the location of the first dive. There are many pinnacles hererunning for over 2 kilometers. We dived one of them and over the drop-off to25m. Then it was over the channel to Abu Nuhas, where the big wrecks are found,many of them close together.

Just a light swell in the channel and we passed the usualsights of big ships on their way in and out of the Suez Canal.

Our debut wreck for the trip was the Carnatic, which had its142^nd anniversary today since its sinking on 12^thSeptember 1869. Visibility was among the best ever witnessed here with an easy40m in all directions. It was also noon when we dropped in further enhancingconditions. Swimming in and out of the Carnatic in a perfect diving environmentis a photographer’s dream and many of our camera owners came up smiling.

The Chrisoula K was the next wreck dive of the day and thevisibility no less outstanding even at 3:30pm in the afternoon with a lower sunangle. It was possible to see the whole wreck from just below the surface. Alight wind blew for most of the morning, but the zodiac journeys betweenMistral and the wrecks were easy enough.

It gets dark at about 6:15pm in Egypt at this time of year.One of President Mubarak’s final decisions as premier was to abolish daylightsaving time. Sunsets in Abu Nuhas are stunning and the cameras came out again.Slowly the sky turned light orange and the flicker of distant oil rig burn-offscould be seen on the horizon. Abu Nuhas is a remote Red Sea wilderness withislands and mountains as a backdrop.

The night dive took place under a full moon on the shelteredside of Abu Nuhas reef. A few divers chose not to use their torches such wasthe clarity of the water and the natural light of the moon.

Day 2

The Giannis D would wait until late morning but for nowwe’d visit the Kimon M or ‘the 4^th wreck’ as it appears on the outerreef. Again, the visibility was out of this world and during the descent to thestern it was possible to see the whole wreck and for great distances eitherside and out to sea. Early morning diving allows un-crowded diving and evenwith our 3 groups we had plenty of room to swim around this big ship. Like theother wrecks on Abu Nuhas, it was well broken against the reef but intact enoughto swim through and admire the different sections. Many guests comment how suchvessels come to be so far off track from the approaches of the Suez Canal.Strong currents, broken lighthouses, poor weather and other reasons have allbeen blamed for their demise.

However, the Ghiannis D had little excuse, coming to griefin clear skies and good weather back in 1983. This popular wreck lies in 3sections, but all are big and still show the wreck as a large ship. Much detailremains from what is only a 30 year old wreck…a youngster compared to other RedSea wrecks such as the Carnatic.

It is unusual to have so many diving wrecks in oneplace…here are four all in a row, like a Middle Eastern version of The BermudaTriangle. Each appears to have adifferent story relating to its sinking, but they all end up in the same place!

Ropes up it was off to Bluff Point and the Barge. On routewe had a message from HQ to say that two humpback whales had been spotted inthe Hurghada area. We kept our eyes out and wondered if we’d see them on thenight dive. I don’t think there’s a hand signal for a whale out here.

The Barge is barely a wreck such is its disintegration, butthe main purpose of this mooring isn’t to dive a wreck, as to witness the greatmarine life and coral surrounding it. The clear water continued and severalspecies of fish could be seen, such as hundreds of sergeant majors and flashfish darting around below Mistral. George, the Moray Eel made an appearance(all Red Sea pet fish are called George by the way!) and so did a couple ofmedium sized Napoleon Wrasse fish that came right up close for a picture. Thecoral on the narrow strip leading to the shallow lagoon was among the best youcould hope to see in this region; truly stunning examples of stag coral inseveral colours.

The night dive was in the same place and again, with a nearfull moon and clear water, many chose to leave the torches off. The lightshining off the back deck of Mistral attracted several fish and seagulls whichwould flutter over the surface and pick off small fry. We have our own littleeco system!

A short chat about the Rosalie Moller rounded the day off.We will be heading there tomorrow for the deepest dives of the trip.

Day 3

The ‘Rosie’ is not traditionally a good visibility dive,although that is only compared to other Red Sea sites. You’ll still get 15m ona bad day, which it was today. With moorings in we descended to the stern ofthe wreck where the relatively small area of bomb damage could be found.Otherwise, the ship is pretty much upright from a depth of nearly 50m to thetallest mast at about 25m. With three dives to explore the wreck we did this byshort deep dives, looking at one section of the ship at a time. Such was thelimited bottom time compared to other wrecks, it was best to concentrate thisway to avoid lengthy deco stops. Still, one can swim over the decking shallowerthan 30m and get a decent dive in of about 35 minutes before making a safetystop.

The bow of the Rosalie Moller is among the most picturesque in the RedSea and many have said it resembles the Titanic…old with lots of intactrailings around its sharp nose. There is much soft coral on this wreck andusually shoals of glass fish. It is easy to navigate and the visibility is goodenough to swim over the wreck back to the line of choice. This wreck is righton the edge of recreational diving and for experienced divers only in the 30mto 40m range. It is also a great tech dive and with additional equipment, gasesand training, divers can visit the lower engine room and the propeller area.

As soon as everyone was up we headed back again to BluffPoint for another night on the Barge mooring. Being midway through the trip wedecided to visit the island by RIB allowing some of the guests to feel landunderfoot. This is a beautiful spot and ideal for some great photography of thesunset and scenic views of remote islands.

That evening we had a one hour presentation about the SSThistlegorm, which we would visit the following afternoon. Next month sees the70^th anniversary of its sinking on the 6^th October 1941.Interest in this dive is high and the stories surrounding Thistlegorm both asan ocean-going vessel and then a world class ship wreck are endless.

Day 4

The overnight winds were howling but there wasn’t the bigswell lashing into the outer reef of Bluff Point where the Ulysses wreck waslocated.. just smaller white water waves. Still, we kept the RIB capacity smallwith 4 trips of just 5 divers in each. Once again, the visibility was excellentand little affected by the overhead wave action. Surge continued to 8m but onthe wreck it was calm, clear and without current. The Ulysses is another oldwreck along with the Kingston, Carnatic and Dunraven, which were both sail andsteam powered in their time.

By lunchtime the wind had increased dramatically and westill had the channel crossing to make over to the other side by Shag Rock,which is a few short miles from the Thistlegorm. The guests and crew gatheredaround the bridge of Mistral for what was anticipated as an event initself…’the crossing.’ Leaving Bluff Point, the windy chop did indeed turn intoa big swell ranging between 3 and 4m high. The waves approached our port sideat an angle but instead of being thrown around from side to side like manyboats, the stabilizers on Mistral kept it near level even during the mostviolent of waves. No falling plates or cutlery, just a gentle rocking over theone hour crossing to Shag Rock.

It was here that we dived the Kingston, which bore a similarshape to the Ulysses. The very distinct stern and propeller area was a typicaldesign of that era. The ship is slowly being consumed by the reef into which itplowed over one hundred years ago. Leaving the wreck, divers are treated to adrift dive heading towards the moorings on the opposite end of the reef whereit is more sheltered. Stag coral and table coral cascade down the reef, wherethere is the wreckage of a more recent large fishing boat that went agroundtwelve years ago.

Following lunch, it was a short hop over to Sha’ab Ali, wherewe skillfully found Thistlegorm by GPS…and by looking at the other 3 boatsalready moored over it! They soon disappeared and we had the wreck to ourselveshaving tied on in prime position right in the middle. The falling sun and lightchop made Thistlegorm appear murky and the current had picked up too. However,the marine life produced an unexpected surprise with the arrival of tendolphins buzzing the guests doing their safety stops on the stern line. Theyplayed for a whole ten minutes posing for pictures and competing for attentionon this icon wreck.

Our night dive was also memorable because we were the onlyboat and had 3 hours of diver-free water to calm the wreck and leave perfectvisibility inside the cargo holds. Our light penetration involved a cursorylook inside, but the clarity was excellent and the colour amazing. The currenthad abated and the light from Mistral was attracting several fish. There weredog fights between the fusiliers and darting jackfish, all looking for a light-assistedfeed at the stern of our boat.

Dinner ended with a talk about the history and discovery ofSS Dunraven. We will be diving this tomorrow afternoon.

Day 5

An early morning dive on the Thistlegorm before the dailyboats arrived took place at 6:30am. Getting up early sounds difficult whenguests are supposed to be on holiday, but you simply adjust your day and go tobed earlier. It’s not like you’re missing anything being out at sea, the amountof hours are the same, they’re just shifted around a bit. It was the seconddive that had the clearest viz and lowest current. We even snorkeled it too.Next month Thistlegorm wreck is 70 years old. We hope there will be many moregood years ahead for this special diving destination.

The scenery back to Sha’ab Mahmoud is always spectacularwith the Sinai mountains on the left and the many outer reefs on the right. Thedifferent depths surrounding them provide many colours with turquoise shallowwater turning into rich blue colours, all giving a layering effect around thereef. Many say ‘it’s just like the brochure’ but there’s no Photo Shop here,it’s the real thing.

The next dive was probably the most bizarre we’ve done onthe whole trip. At the end of Sha’ab Mahmoud is Beacon Rock. Within 100 metersof each other is one of the oldest Red Sea wrecks and one of the newest. TheDunraven and the Emperor Fraser sit either side of the reef and at similardepths. The Dunraven wasn’t discovered until 1979. It was the ship’s crockerythat gave it away and helped researchers narrow down their search to 1873. Therecently wrecked Emperor Fraser safari boat of 2009 yielded a small chinabreakfast bowl with the manufacturer’s stamp on the back of this supermarketstyle table ware (the Minger Dynasty perhaps!) Maybe wrecks aren’t appealinguntil they are older and have a ‘history’. Still, it was humbling to dive on awreck nearer to the date of our own boat, serving as a timely reminder that thesea and weather can be unforgiving. After all, we are on a ‘wreck tour’ and thesea isn’t always selective of its prey! Luckily, all the guests and crew weresafely picked up and little damage was done to the reef.

The reef here is nothing to shout about until night timewhen it comes alive with life and colour. This was the last night dive of thetrip and one of the best. A big bonus of safari boat diving is that you can donight dives in remote locations where few other people venture. The marine lifeis that much better and more plentiful than local sites in the main resorts.

Day 6

We had talked about the SS Dunraven during the week and oneof the presentations featured the funny story of its discovery in 1979. Thesubject of many rumours and myths, this popular wreck now has its true storywell publicized in the former CDWS Blue Magazine which can be checked online.This is one of the wrecks on the trip that also leads into a nice drift divealong the reef that it collided with when it sank. Dunraven sits at the end ofSha’ab Mahmoud, which was unfortunate, because if she sailed just 80 metersfurther, she would have missed the seven kilometer lump of coral withoutincident. But we’re not complaining, since the less than observant crew had thedecency to let her drop into recreational diving depths allowing generousbottom times and much historical interest to keep safari divers busy for yearsto come.

It was just an hour over to Shark and Jolande Reefs. Despitehaving only minimal wreck content, this site should not be missed on any touraround the Red Sea. Where else can you dive a drift, a wall, coral gardens,ship wreckage and huge marine diversity all in one dive? The main structure ofthe Jolande fell to great depths five years after it sank in 1981. It remainedtied around ’Little Jolande’ before the steel cables snapped sending it to 210mbelow. The cargo remains and divers swim amusingly over the discarded toiletseats, bath tubs and sinks.

Once again, visibility was over 35m and the water a warm 28cin the shallows. Mistral began its slow journey back to port with theobligatory hanging of freshly rinsed dive gear across the top deck. It was theend of a trip with great weather, good divers and nice company. We couldn’thave wished for better and we hope to welcome our guests back again soon.

For now, with grateful thanks to all the guests, crew andguides who made this trip the memorable occasion it was.

See you next time!

John Kean

Feel like 'real' underwater explorers on our 'Get Wrecked' trip

2011-09-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

“ChrisoulaK Beautiful dive!! Viz was amazing, love the mast on its side. We found the engine room, felt like properexplorers!” Anna and Dave

“GiannisD. Going into the engine room and downto the workshop level was a really treat. The light in the top corridor through the portholes was stunning butnothing could compare to ascending into the bridge which was full to therafters with glassfish – bliss!” Jen

photo courtesy of S.Woodford

“Whata day's diving it doesn't come much better... Our initial anticipation was soonforgotten due to the excellent guiding by Reda. Diving the mast was anexperience not to be missed looking into the" Crow's Nest" waslike viewing an aquarium. Neil was amazed at just how much wreckpenetration can be achieved in any one day” Paul and Neil

“3rddive of the day marked not only my return to the Thistlegorm but also aparticularly special dive number in my logbook. Current and viz was not good but we mooched around happily enoughspotting scorpion fish, lionfish and masked puffer fish until we decided tostart coming back up the line and thenthe mother of all scenes appeared.......... a pod of nine dolphins decided tograce us with their presence, I could barely contain my excitement and justset the camera to continuously click capturing one of the most amazingexperiences I have yet to have diving.” Jen

“Mistral is a fantasticboat, very comfortable and with stability that's very much appreciated bythose with dodgy sea legs!” Paul and Neil

M.Y. Cyclone Feat. M.C. Hammer

2011-09-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

“Will definitely come back to the cyclone team for my nextliveaboard; great diving, great people,great holiday!!” – Tom, Leeds

“On this holiday Ihave swam with dolphins, 2 types of turtles and now hammerhead sharks – what anamazing trip!” Charlotte

“A most enjoyable dive trip and favoured by almost perfectconditions on every dive. Recommended.” Kelv.

“The deep dive on the Rosalei Moller was amazing. Thewater was pretty gloomy but that just added to the lumpy-throat feeling. “–Andy

“The arrangements and organisation for this dive trip weresuperb and without fault.”

“Fantastic dive seeing 4 Hammerhead sharks was wellworth the earlier start to the day” - Woody

“A most enjoyable and interesting experience and one which I will nothesitate to recommend to friends. “

“A liveaboard is the easiest and most pleasurable way todive the red sea. Excellent guides, food and divers. “Wilko

“Excellent food although it appears my wetsuithas shrunk in the heat since I got here?” - Andy

Hot Chocolate, Wrecks and Night Dives

2011-09-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

“Fantasticreturn to diving after 6 months off. Asa novice wreck diver all wrecks on this trip were loads of fun. 3 on the Thistlegorm...what a treat!” - JFE

“Beautifuldive on the Ulysses with loads of life around the bow section, includedhundreds of Sergeant Major fish and Black Grouper, Nudibranchs around the prop,glass fish and star fish n the stern section.”

“Someone suggested a night dive with no torches onthe Thistlegorm. Brilliant idea. Veryatmospheric and relaxing.”

“Great trio! Resident T-gorm turtle was very patient with the lot of us pokin' 'roundthe house. Night dive onT-gorm...can't beat it...no torch tour; simply the best!” - JFE

“Thisdive doesn't need fish. What a spectacleswimming along that massive wall in its grandeur. Simply breathtaking and so...National Geographic “ – Shark Reef

“Sixhammer head sharks on Jackson and long drift back to the boat at the southside that was unforgettable dive, well done Sameh.”

“Crew incrediblyprofessional and friendly; couldn’t do more to help. All were a good laugh and their efforts madethe trip. Always on hand to assistbefore and after the dive.”

“All I can say is my hats off to allfrom the Captain to the zodiac drivers. Ididn't have to work at all...except to don the wetsuit...what a pain.”

“The crew were verycourteous, professional, knowledgeable and skilful. It is amazing how these gentlemen manage the operation so smoothly. Quick to satisfy any need when called upon. Great bunch of lads.” JFE,Jorgen and Glennie.

“Mr Mahgob's Hotchocolate after the night dive was especially nice.” S. Thackray

The wonders of Whirlwind

2011-09-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

Our latest group of divers had a great time on-board Whirlwind with Dive Guides Sameh & Gado. See what the first timer thought, the 3rd timer and the 4th

“As alwaysthese sights did not disappoint with plenty of life to see. Emperor was a firsttime for me and was quite surreal to see a liveaboard at the bottom of the sea.Beacon rock was great night dive with no moon, no lights so made an excellentdive.” – Paul Hill

“I lovethese wrecks!! Again plenty of life on and around all of them, Napoleons, bluespotted rays, and bat fish all made these memorable dives. Abu Nuhas at nightis always a pleasure. “

AnnSomervill

“RosalieMuller was impressive this was the first time actually being able to get to herand WOW!!”

“Dived on the north side ofJackson hoping to see big fish, there were no firm sightings, but there was ashadow about 20m below that certainly looked like what we were looking for.”Paul Hill

“A fantastic first liveaboard – willdefinitely be back – thank you to everyone.”

“4^th time on Whirlwind,always the best.”

“3^rd time on Whirlwind,doesn’t disappoint.”

“First time on a liveabord wouldlove to come again (and stay forever).”

“Was last out in Sharm in 1998 anddid a similar trip. However a completely different experience for thebetter. Excellent liveabord, guides and briefings superb (thanks for thePPpx Sameh, great record of the trip). New wrecks explored and favouritesrevisited. Enjoyed the night dives every day. Quieter than I remember but I suspect that wasdown to careful planning from Sameh and hitting the sites at the right time.Never had so much space on the Thistlegorm. Many thanks to good planing.” AK

“Beautifuland better than a hotel for the week. “Andrew

Mistral's Magic

2011-08-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Wrecks and Reefs with Samer and Yasser

“First dive Stingray Station and we saw a huge Stingray! Fantastic ;-)” Caroline

“Lots of life to look at, weather fantastic, boat great. Lovely holiday!”

“As a non-diver on my first liveaboard trip I was extremely happy to see a hawks bill turtle whilst snorkelling around the barge wreck. “ Anne Shelley

“Seeing a turtle on the Ghiannis D was amazing!!!” Linda

“Night dive on the Thistlegorm is a must. It's a bit of a surprise for a turtle to appear inches from your face above a hold but one not to be missed.”

“Watch out for the huge blue moray free swimming around the boiler section of the Dunraven!! It's like Harry Potter meeting the Basilisk in "Chamber of Secrets"!! “

“The boat lives up to all expectations. Cabins are cleaned regularly during the day and all areas of the boat are kept spotless.”

“We loved the boats layout it was spotless throughout the week.”

“The boat is spacious, clean and comfortable. Highly recommend it.”

“The crew are very attentive and helpful and nothing is too much trouble and the guides are happy to let experienced divers explore on their own.”

“The crew are super friendly and always ready to help. The guides are extremely attentive and make you feel very comfortable in the water if you are not a very experience diver.”

“The crew work really hard at keeping the boat spotless. They are friendly & fun. “

What a Whopper of a Trip report - I guess you enjoyed it?

2011-08-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hurricane 14^th August with Dive guides Reda & Tamer

Trip highlights:

Tony & Lorna: “Two fantastic wrecks to start the day. GHIANNINS D was possibly the best dive of the week (standfast THISTLEGORM), she is a very imposing figure appearing out of the gloom. The early timings meant the wreck was not too crowded, and the depth of water allowed a slow pace of dive with the opportunity to witness all there is to offer – one of the highlights of the week.”

Bethan and Rebecca: “We loved the Thistlegorm, really great to dive it three times, especially at night. After hearing bad reports about it I was apprehensive but clear instructions on how to manage in the current left me confident and able to enjoy the dive. The wreck itself if overwhelming huge, let alone the fact there is so much to see.

Craig and Morag: “Thomas Reef this afternoon was fab! Lovely drift, and turtle sighting at end, topped off with a white tip reef shark, while doing 3 min safety stop, only shark sighting so far, the only thing that has been better than that was the pod of dolphins on the Barge dive on day 2!”

Jem and Jim: “Well well well, after perfection all week with a 5 star boat, quality dive deck, awesome food and the finest crew to sail the Red Sea, what could possibly top a top week! How about more perfect food, more perfect facilities, more happy crew and divers and throw in turtles, tuna and the odd hammerhead shark!!! Awesome is too weak a word for our stay.”

The boat:

Bethan & Rebecca: The boat was immaculate at all times. Accommodation is spacious except for the bathrooms which are a little small. We have really enjoyed chilling out on the top deck sunbathing and watching the sunset. We also indulged in some great late night hot tub action under the stars.

Jem & Jim: Big, clean, efficient and with all of the toys big children like us require. Also the Jacuzzi is the hundreds and thousands on the icing on the cake.

The Guides and Crew:

Morag: “This has been my (Morag's) first Live aboard, and won't be my last, the guides have been brilliant, with good, informative briefs about the dives, with excellent knowledge about currents and conditions of the water. I have also completed my Advanced Open Water on board this week, and have enjoyed this too! Though I do think that entering wrecks is not my forte! Also the crew of the Hurricane have been most helpful, the boat is clean, great food and snacks, and if it wasn't for the zodiac drivers I'd never get back into the boat!

Jem & Jim: “The best dive briefs of any live-aboard to date. Our guides excelled. Excellent knowledge, always helpful and with a superb sense of humour – you could not ask for more. Put simple they made the trip very very special... Thank you Reda.”

The Food:

Andrew & Sophie: “Excellent food and especially pleased by the extra effort that the chef put in for Sophie with her vegetarian meals. Delicious!”

Tony & Lorna: “Fantastic food (and plenty of it!) served by friendly, helpful staff. Special mention to the breakfast omelettes!”

17th July - Whirlwind super Wrecks and Reef trip with Sameh, Yasser & Valeria

2011-07-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

“Sameh, it is a pleasure to be guided by you. Briefings were excellent and the diving is unbelievable. First time in the Red Sea and you may have turned me into a warm water diver. Thanks for helping me improve my dive skills.” - Gareth

“Awesome dives today! The wrecks and sea life are amazing! Sameh and Yasser have made me feel at ease as a pretty new diver, and guided us through parts of the wreck that I would have skipped without them. All of the staff have been extremely helpful and friendly, making the trip very comfortable and even more enjoyable- Excellent trip so far!!!” - Gemma Dimery

“What can I say – perfect dive day! A personal guided tour of the Thistelgorm, with no other divers on it, followed by snorkelling with dolphins. Absolute heaven – doesn't get much better! Sameh and Yasser are excellent divers, the briefings are thorough, and everyone is pleasant and wants to have fun. Had a great day today, in fact, all dives have been great!”

- Helen

“On behalf of the Swanley Sub-Aqua Club we totally, totally enjoyed the whole holiday. The Guides were excellent and the crew efficient and friendly with nothing being too much trouble. Thank you so much for a fantastic week, it was five star rating.” - From Robbie, Karen, Stewart, Tom, Eve, Brian, Steve and Kim.

“Thank you for a great weeks diving, the crew and guides have been fantastic, can’t fault them. Excellent food. Looking forward to our next trip.” – Tom and Carl Williams

“My fifth liveaboard, and the quality is excellent as always. Boat is clean and food is lovely” – Helen

“Sameh and Yasseh are two of the best dive guides I've had in the Red Sea. The Crew are great, very helpful, always want to have fun and make the experience fun for everyone.” – Helen

“Valeria my private guide was really great, I felt so safe and good with her. She is a great professional and I can see she loves what she is doing. The crew were top, always looking after me. It was a fabulous week on Whirlwind, crew and everything was fantastic “ Sergio Mandozzi

Guests have a great time diving on Mistral with Reda & Tamer

2011-07-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

“The night dive at Gordon was excellent, almost full moon so very good ambient light. Excellent encounter with a very nice octopus, lovely shrimp and small hermit crabs.” - Phil Nash.

“Gordon Reef. The aquatic life on this dive was great. We were lucky enough to see shrimp, starfish, sea eel, lion fish, blue soptted rays, cornet fish and many more. The corals were also amazing. We drifted past a garden of fan corals – stunning.” - Shereen Roberts.

“I’ve been diving for about 13 years and have been promised hammer head sharks before. Today on Jackson Reef I saw my first hammer heads. We were in the blue for about 25 minutes and we saw only blue, I thought this was going to be another of those promises. Then one hammer head appeared, then 2 at the same time. I shall always remember this dive. Big thanks to Reda & Tamer.” Carl Sanders.

“Today was a big day for me. Being new to big, deep wrecks, I was apprehensive but also excited about the dives on offer. The guide Reda made me feel at ease as I knew I was in safe hands. Despite my nerves, the Rosalie Muller was a fantastic start to the day – a challenging dive, but I had a real sense of achievement afterwards.” - Sarah Griffiths

“The Kingston was a beautiful and peaceful dive – the perfect antidote to the dark depths in which the Rosalie Muller sits. Lots of light and life and minimal current – great!”

“It has been about seven years since I last dived Small Crack and it is still as wonderful as I remember it. The red anemones and garden eels at the beginning and then the slow drift along the reef enjoying the many types of coral and fish on the way. The overwhelming memory from Small Crack is the sheer enjoyment of floating across the sandy bottom past all the heads of coral just watching the fish with the sun streaming down around us. A lovely relaxing dive.” - Susan sanders

10th July Wrecks and Reef Safari with Reda & Sameh

2011-07-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Guest comments:

“The Carnatic offered a beautiful frame for a rich variety of fish. On the way back from the dive, we got our first chance to swim with a pod of dolphins; a chance that came back several times over the next couple of days.” Tina & Troels

“ Our first days diving in the red sea ever!! First dive in Sting ray station was lovely, and every dive just got better and better. Excellent mix of wrecks and reefs and a treat to be diving in warm water. It was a nice touch for the crew to organise a day of snorkelling with the dolphins!” Anna & Pete

“After a morning dive at Giannis D, the Mistral left Sha'ab Abu Nuhass for its next location: Gubal Seghir. The Ulysses was the starting point for a drift dive along the reef, with plenty of photo opportunities. The trip's first sea turtle decided to follow the current along with us. The afternoon and evening dive was at the underwater aquarium that is The Barge.” Tina & Troels

“Amazed at the size of the boiler in Dunraven. So much to see, great night dive saw very large pair of Stonefish. We are extremely impressed by the pre dive briefings they cetainly make the diving safer. It was great to see the Thistlegorm with hardly any divers on site, a memory that will last forever.“ Ian & John:

“ Elaine clocked her 100^th hour on Ras Ghuzlani.........stunning pinnacles and the turtle that didn't get away J” Elaine & Zim

Whammo! Loved it. Ghiannis D…..Fanfowgoow

2011-07-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

Whirlwind – 12^th June

Trip highlights

“Whammo! Loved it. Ghiannis D…..Fanfowgoow.”

“The Ulysses was definitely my favourite dive of the day, seeing a massive napoleon wrass on entry and then a turtle later on, not forgetting the never ending coral reef gardens growing full of fish – truly amazing.” - David McCormick.

“Awesome!! Best dive of the trip…all the history and memories…fascinating!! Will come back to the Red Sea just to do Thistlegorm again!!”

“Absolutely fabulous!! Every diver has to experience this amazing dive site!”

“Jackson - Excellent vis, massive amount of fish life and excellent hard and soft coral. Large green turtle feeding on soft coral was the highlight. Wall dives are my favourite and I can see why this is so highly rated.” Martin McCormick

The Boat:

“Awesome boat! Will definitely be recommending to everybody.”

“Beautiful, well kept. The Red Sea’s finest.”

“Great …a real top quality boat, comparable to the best.”

“My 4^th trip on Whirlwind my favourite dive liveaboard.”

“Awesome atmosphere, will definitely recommend to others!”

The dive guides and crew

“Just one word – Excellent J”

“I have dived the Red Sea on a few occasions and found these guys the best I’ve ever dived with! Friendly, fun, welcoming, warm hearted and fair.”

“Best briefings I have known in 7 trips from Dickon and Laura. Boat deck crew very efficient. Great team!”

“Excellent guides Laura and D, great personalities. Some of the best & most informative briefings I have ever encountered.”

“Fantastic! Friendly, helpful and caring. Detailed dive briefings with lots of information”

“Great dive guides, very thorough briefings and every effort made to cater for all needs. The crew were fantastic. Great food, great hospitality.”

“Fantastic! Friendly and super efficient! Thanks guys!!”

The food

“Yum Yum !!! forget the diet when on this boat!!”

“Awesome, good variety too!! Not going close to a scale for weeks!!”

“Very tasty! Best omelettes ever! Ask for the potent chillies ;-)”

Do you want a Ferry service from Sharm to/from Hurghada?

2011-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Tornado Marine Fleet Marketing team are conducting a market survey into the feasibility of a new pax/vehicle ferry service to/from Sharm el Sheikh to Hurghada/El Gouna. We would really appreciate your time if you could answer our ten quick questions on the subject. This will give us valuable information for our study.

Please click on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5Y9XH3K

New Mini Cruise Ship for Sharm el Sheikh

2011-06-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

Tornado Marine Fleet marketing team are doing a little market research into the idea of a new mini cruise ship running from Sharm el Sheikh to Hurghada/El Gouna.

The boat is similar to the below photo - it's a totally new concept for the Red Sea - What do you think? We would really appreciate your time if you could answer our survey by clicking the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZGGX3YD

Dickon & Laura do it again - another great trip on Hurricane

2011-06-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

Trip Highlights 12th June

“Giannis D was my favourite, lovely swim through the engine room. Looking up to the A frame also makes a great picture. Plenty to do and see all round, a great dive.”

“Carnatic, really enjoyed the dive, beautiful wreck, good viz, loads to see. Good guide!”

“Ghannis D made the day, again due to Historical content. More technical diving raised ability and made a great dive. Dolphins on the Zodiac back finished a good day and dive.” - Peter Matheson)

“Barge is fantastic – a little wreck but SO much life & SO atmospheric – I love it!”

Thistlegorm: “An outstanding night dive on the Thistlegorm – atmospheric and amazing to see the equipment on board after ten years away - would recommend it to anyone.” - Andrew Hawkins

“Small Crack is a beautiful little dive site that never fails to entrance J lovely light, beautiful red anemone, stunning soft corals & lots of little critters!”

“Cruising is one thing but Hurricane was more perfect in so many ways. D and Laura the guides, and the crew were fantastic and highly recommended. A big pat on the back for all” -Pete Matheson

“No faults, blooming marvellous, superb, very accommodating!” - Liz

“The guides took my needs and wants as a snorkeler seriously. I felt at the beginning that this was not the case (I was wrong about that). Very friendly and welcoming. We had a lot of fun.”

“Loved the crew! helped you all the time and the hot choc when you get out the water in the morn . Laura and Dickon were 5 star guides and made the trip.” - John Dickens

“D and Laura are friendly, thorough and professional and their wealth of experience is reassuring to new and experienced divers alike. Two of the best dive guides I have had the pleasure of diving with. The crew is always happy, always helpful and work very hard”

“The guides Laura and D brilliant, best I’ve ever had. The briefing were also the best I’ve ever had! Thanks!” – Paul

“The guides D and Laura were truly superb, knowledgeable about the sites lots of information about every individual dive site. They are passionate about conservation, the Red Sea and marine life.” – Steve

“Crew were great and very helpful nothing was too much trouble. Laura and Dickon were amazing!! Very knowledgeable, good fun and great company!!! Thank you guys for making me laugh so much!!!!!”

Guest comments from Hurricane charter - 5th June

2011-06-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

The boat:

“It’s been a very good weeks diving will be back again.”

“Great boat, crew very helpful, guides informative. Very enjoyable week. Would only be improved with more comfy chairs on the deck area and sharks!” - Cathy P.

“Second time on this boat in 2 years, which speaks for itself.” - Neil M

“Thought the boat had really good facilities, room comfortable and adequate space. Layout on each deck worked well, in fact the only thing that would improve it would be comfier chairs on the main deck, perhaps beanbags?” - Chrissie

“It’s the best liveaboard boat I have ever been on.” - Mel

“A nice boat with all the necessary amenities.” - Chucky

The Dive guides (Dickon and Laura) and crew:

“Friendly and approachable. Another enjoyable week again” - Neil M

“Happy, helpful and hard working, did everything to help everyone.” - Steve b

“Really helpful, great at getting my arms into a new wetsuit! Flexibility of chef and other crew around my fussy eating preferences – always willing to offer alternative. Thought guides were excellent, good knowledge of dive sites and able to sort all manner of kit issues, med issues etc. Friendly, relaxed and both D and Laura helped make the experience very enjoyable.”

“Excellent crew, always there to help you out with your kit. Made life very easy. Great pair of guides in Dickon and Laura. There to help when you need it but happy to leave you to your own devices when you wanted it. My first liveaboard so I guess this is the standard for the next to meet. Looking forward to my next!” - Dunks

“The crew were amazing. Of all the Liveaboards I have been on the crew and boat handlers this week have been the best. Laura is a lovely person and an awesome diver – like an underwater ninja. D is very a very informative and passionate diver with a great sense of humour and (quite rightly) very hot on buoyancy – you have been warned!!!! They are both fantastic guides and I would certainly follow them to any boat they worked on” Dawn J-D & Russ H

“The guides were very approachable and conscientious, a real bonus for the boat. The crew, as expected, were fantastic throughout and always went out of their way to make the trip stress free.” - Chucky

The food:

“Great food, always ate more than i really needed to so that speaks volumes.” - Dunks.

“Fabulous food. Very varied and nothing was too much trouble for the chef. They accommodated everyone and the butterfly carrots are something I will practice at home! Excellent!” - Dawn J-D & Russ H.

“As a persecuted minority (vegetarian) the food was excellent.” - Mel

“The food was of a very high standard throughout – better than most other liveaboards I have been on.” - Chucky

“Food and presentation excellent as expected from Tornado Marine Fleet.

Huge amounts of praise to the chefs for producing such good food in the facilities and situation provided.”

Mistral celebrates with a proposal on the boat.

2011-06-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Sonia thought she was lucky enough to be on Mistral on a Red Sea liveaboard trip with Tornado Marine Fleet celebrating her birthday, but her boyfriend Kieran had another surprise in store for her. To make Sonia's birthday even more memorable, he decided to take the opportunity to present her with an engagement ring and ask her to be his wife, first thing in the morning on the top deck. Of course she couldn't refuse and the guests all celebrated their special day with the help of the crew. The staff on board the boat made them feel very special.

Things you see in the Red Sea

2011-06-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hurricane – 29^th May 2011

Trip highlights

Chrisoula K: This was another fantastic wreck at Abu Nuhas, very beautiful and huge! The size of the wreck is stunning, especially as you can see the whole ship. Inside blocks of tiles, some broken and some still in stacks. Lots of swim through and outside met by a huge Puffer fish. Too many beautiful fish to log but among some spotted were Angel, chocolate dips, Parrot fish, banner fish.

The Barge: My first ever night dive and what a dive!! I dived this earlier in the day so I was confident, lots of light as many divers were on wreck but still a new exciting experience. Exciting to see so much life buzzing around after dark. I saw my first Crocodile fish which was bigger than I expected he didn't move a muscle. We saw two Octopus maybe mating or just being friendly?? Quite a sight with all those arms! 100's of fish all shimmering and changing directions together as I shone my torch on them. We saw a massive tuna which swam right in front of us. Lots of Lion fish and cornet fish and of course not forgetting Mr George!

Kingston: A very calm and pleasant dive, we swam around the open wreck which was abundant with beautiful coral and fish, I saw my first Nudibranchs which I think was African Chromodorid so perfect, colourful and tiny. After the wreck we continued with a drift dive, the gently sloping coral garden was very pretty, the fan corals are huge, again too many fish to mention, we are really spoilt here!! Some from our group saw a shark but unfortunately we missed it.

Nautilus party night

2011-06-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Tornado Marine Fleet got into the summer spirit with a party night out on their cruise catamaran Nautilus in celebration of the boat’s first anniversary. Agents, tour guides, friends and staff danced the night away on the top Sky Deck which was transformed into a party paradise with strobe lights, podium girls, and DJ beats.

Ayman Mousa the CEO of the company thanked his guests and congratulated his staff and crew for a great night. Nautilus is available for private hire both during the day and for evening engagements. We will also have a regular party night with DJ, Dancing girls, and disco lights.

More info party photos please check our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.217828491574028.56894.198818726808338 or for more info on private hire or party nights please contact info@tornadomarinefleet.com

Nautilus 1st Birthday Celebration

2011-06-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

A tiny tiny clip by a mobile phone - but it gives a little peep into our night on Nautilus in Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea.

Get Wrecked in the Red Sea on a Tornado Marine Fleet liveaboard

2011-06-09T06:47:00.001-07:00

Nautilus Catamaran Cruiser celebrates her first anniversary

2011-06-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Tornado Marine Fleet is proud to celebrate the first year anniversary of their boat Nautilus on the 12^th June. Nautilus is a completely new concept to the Red Sea and therefore was open to much skepticism and intrigue during her first few days of sailing in 2010. However with a dedicated sales and marketing team, a visionary CEO, and a loyal and professional crew the boat has been a huge success.

Nautilus is categorized as a cruise catamaran offering daily tourists in Sharm el Sheikh the ultimate Red Sea experience. Before the launch of Nautilus tourists were offered either snorkeling trips onboard standard dive boat charters or glass bottom boat excursions in relatively small vessels. Nautilus not only offers snorkeling and underwater viewing in her four submersible lounges, but also offers the passenger a touch of luxury with her large spacious restaurant with seating for 130 guests, Bridge Café offering boutique style coffees, and the Sky deck for sunbathing.

This level of luxury was not available prior to Nautilus’s launch for the daily tourist who wished to experience the Red Sea in comfort. SCUBA divers in the Red Sea have historically been offered a luxurious option for dive charters such as Tornado Marine Fleets liveaboard boats; Whirlwind, Hurricane, Cyclone, Tempest, Mistral but the day trippers looking for non-diving excursions were left out.

Nautilus is a state-of-the-art 36 meter cruise catamaran. She sails from the Sharm el Sheikh international port for two cruises. The morning cruise is from 9.00am – 1.00pm and the afternoon cruise is from 1.30pm – 5.00pm. Both cruises incorporate underwater viewing and snorkeling in the renowned Ras Mohamed National park, a three course buffet lunch, and time to relax in the Jacuzzi on the Sky deck. For more information please contact info@tornadomarinefleet.com

Tornado Marine Fleet win 5 PADI awards

2011-05-30T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Tornado Marine Fleet team gathered at Sharm el Sheikh's International Port to accept five PADI awards from PADI International representative Terry Johnson on 29th May 2011. Each boat in the Tornado Marine Fleet was presented with an award. The crews of Cyclone, Whirlwind, Mistral, Tempest, Hurricane, and the management were extremely proud of this achievement, and will continue to give the diving community the five star service it is known for.

Mistral liveaboard trip on the 1st May

2011-05-24T06:38:00.001-07:00

Mistral 1st May – Dive guides Reda and Tamer

2011-05-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Trip highlights

Thomas Reef – This was a partial drift dive in quite a fast current, we felt like we were flying along like Superman at one point! Plenty of coral and colourful fish, and there were quite a few huge tuna coming in quite close from the blue, and a bit further away a huge shoal of fish looked like they were being hunted because they were swirling around in a bait ball.

The Carnatic was my 100^th dive, the current was minimal and the visibility very good. Myself and my buddy Paul were lucky enough to see our fist moving Nudibranch which was amazing! We also saw 2 Starfish, one 4 legged and one with 5 and a Grey Morey. It was a very chilled dive with few other dive groups to spoil the tranquillity a great milestone dive!!

Shark & Yolanda Reef… Ras Ghozlani.

Our last day, and last 2 dives… We all gathered at the rear of the boat, feeling slightly sad that the trip has come to an end. Shark and Yolanda was a bit rough as the wind had picked up. Visibility was slightly reduced, but never the less we still had an amazing dive. We descended to 25 metres – some of the things that we saw included shoal of Jack's, barracuda's, blue spotted rays, a giant puffer fish, morays, pipe fish and TOILETS! And the rear axle from a BMW, tyre included.

As for Ras Ghozlani, the highlight definitely had to be the giant turtle we saw chomping away. There was a current, but it could have been a raisin. A fabulous end to a fabulous week with a bit of a crazy journey back on the zodiac.

Guest comments:

The Boat:

Having previously travelled on Typhoon, we thought we knew what to expect but the Mistral exceeded all expectations. The boat was kept spotless as were the rooms – cleaned twice a day. The beds were a little on the hard side, but my Mum says that's good ;-)

The crew and dive guides:

From the moment we stepped on board, the guides put us at ease – very

knowledgeable, approachable and friendly. Briefings were always very thorough, and our safety was always number 1 priority. The crew were so helpful that we want to take them all home – from the warm hot chocolates after the first dive to carrying equipment and removal of wetsuits.

As our first venture to the Red Sea we found the whole trip fantastic. Every one was most helpful and the guides provided excellent information on the dives and put the divers safety first. The crew were brilliant at helping us in and out of our dive gear and supplying hot drinks and always good humoured

The food:

We managed to get through 7 bottles of ketchup in 1 week much to the galley boy's amusement. Food was always fresh, piping hot and very enjoyable. Much needed after all the diving! Meals varied, never got bored of the food – tasty! We were all very happy and satisfied – never hungry!

Wonderful food, good mix of tasty protein, carbohydrate, and lovely veg and salad, and good to have the hot snacks before the night dive.

Liveaboard trip on Whirlwind 1st May with Dickon and Yasser

2011-05-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

Trip highlights:

ULYSSES: Fabulous fabulous dive! All the usual suspects on a really super dive site even through a knackered mask. But the really cool bit was the dolphins passing by at arms’ length on the way off the wreck to do our safety stop. And when I say close, I mean really close! Well done Whirlwind, you did us proud there!

JACKFISH ALLEY: Superb light and lengthy wall/reef teeming with various inhabitants. Thoroughly recommended.

GORDON REEF: Now that is what I call a drift dive! Felt like I could really Fly!

Ditto the above – haven’t done a drift like that for a long time!

Guest comments:

THE BOAT:

Fantastic! Wish I had one back home!

Fantastic, exceeded expectations

Very good, comfortable and very relaxing

Great, everything was just as we hoped it would be.

First class liveaboard with great facilities. Spacious and comfortable. Would definitely return.

Second time on the Whirlwind, can’t wait to come back a third time to see Mr Mahgob in 2012!!!!!

THE CREW AND DIVE GUIDES.

Very helpful and informative of the dives during the briefings and the crew can’t help you enough – they really work hard to ensure your holiday is enjoyed at it’s best. See you next year J

The guides D and Yasser were the best on any liveaboard I have been on. Very informative and safe diving was there priority.

Mr Magoo!!! He’s mad but made the trip for me. Every girl loves a bit of special attention even if she knows there will be another next week. He’s lovely!

Mr. Magoo.... He is a little crazy but gave everyone a little mad attention, enough to make us all smile and laugh.... so good on holiday!

The crew was friendly, helpful, attentive and proactive. It makes diving from this boat a real fun and easy experience. D and Yasser were really great at making sure we knew what we were doing and that everybody was back safe and sound.

My 1^st liveaboard trip and probably the most junior diver on the trip but always felt comfortable, safe and well briefed. Crew and guides were friendly, relaxed and went out of their way to be helpful.

Very helpful, friendly and informative. I felt very welcome and looked after.

Guides were very knowledgeable and gave good and informative briefings. The crew were wonderful. They looked after us very well and always had a smile. Their constant antics kept us amused for the whole trip.

The local knowledge of both guides shone through both above and below the water: first class. In particular, their ‘avoid nagging’ approach ensured a safe yet relaxed holiday diving experience. More broadly, the crew were absolutely top notch: best on any diving operation I have encountered. Friendly, efficient and exceedingly helpful, Whirlwind is lucky to have them.

THE FOOD

As usual, top class.

Delicious! As good as you would get in a top notch restaurant!

Very nice food, well balanced for hungry divers.

Lovely!! I really shouldn’t eat so much!!!

Food was excellent and plentiful and salon staff and chefs deserve special praise – it can’t be easy catering for so many different tastes all the time.

Top Class 5* food...can we take the chef home and Mr Mahgob!!!!

Liveaboard trip on Whirlwind 24th April with Dickon and Yasser

2011-05-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

Trip Highlights:

BARGE: Lovely to see George and Georgina as promised, and some of the biggest lionfish Ive ever seen. One of the more memorable dives as a pod of 4-5 dolphins zoomed straight through our group and out into the blue as we were on our safety stop. Hard to beat that.

Dolphins! Who needs more? Worth the whole trip. Even without them the Barge is a pretty good dive on its own.

The barge was great for me because I am only 13 and the max depth was 15. Abundance of life, some massive lionfish, some huge morays George and Georgina. DOLPHINS the highlight of my trip they where only with us for about 5 minutes but that was the best 5 minutes of this trip!!

THISTLEGORM: Incredible dive. Truly an underwater museum. Having never dived a wreck prior to this trip, I was so excited to see this one. Second day had great vis and perfect conditions to see the holds and view the locomotive on the sea floor. Thanks to Yasser for guiding us so well on this dive.

Guest comments:

THE BOAT:

Excellent – I had no idea dive boats like this even existed

Fantastic – it has everything you could wish for and more

Excellent boat, very well laid out and equipped.

Nothing compares – or rather I’ve nothing with which to compare it – but very happy

THE DIVE GUIDES AND CREW

Very impressed with the whole set up here on Whirlwind. We were made to feel very welcome by both the crew and guides. We were very well looked after both on the dive deck and in the Saloon. The crew were fantastic, always on hand to help, very aware of our needs, which was very much appreciated. Moreover, they were great fun especially Mr Mahgoub. The guides D & Yasser were excellent; very knowledgeable, professional, safe, patient and helpful. Available to answer questions, concerns and to guide. Very thorough briefings and nothing was too much for them to deal with. It is obvious that both the crew and the guides work very hard. Both crew and guides went above and beyond their duties to make this a fabulous holiday. Very impressed overall. We would definitely recommend this liveaboard.

All as good – if not, better than could have been hoped for – Friendly, helpful – nothing too much trouble really – Guides D & Yasser very supportive – Instructions clear and well presented briefings – Would recommend and / or return

Far outdid expectations, excellent. High level of knowledge of all dive sites, very safe, but not patronising like many guides can be. I was particularly pleased with the option of guided or un-guided.

Excellent in every way, the Instructors D & Yasser gave clear detailed briefings, very supportive and friendly. We did some excellent diving, my favourite was the night dives on the Barge and the Thistlegorm, the Ulysses and Jackson The crew are great too, looking after kit, putting on fins, friendly and happy, fun to be around. Would definitely recommend diving with Tornado.

THE FOOD:

The food was good all round and enjoyable. Again, the crew were most accommodating.

Much better than expected, entertained my tastebuds, and unlike most Egyptian food I’ve had in the past. Very pleased. A lot of variety too.

Great choices for all, anything we asked for they made, very enjoyable all week.

Food was great. Plenty of options, and something different everyday. Lots of protein/carb combinations for the starving diver.

Loved it. Haven’t had seconds in years. Must be the sea air.

Very high standard and very accommodating to the non meat eater and those who were a little indisposed.