Trip highlights:
ULYSSES: “My dream came true on this dive when firstly a green turtle appeared, which was followed by a large Napoleon Wrasse and then 3 dolphins close enough to touch! The wreck had beautiful varicose wart slugs, blue spotted sting rays and crocodile fish. My favourite dive!
Dolphins on crossing, hoped to see under water...but doubting Dee here thought was a wind up- and once I opened my eyes underwater properly....awesome creatures, so powerful and graceful!”
THE BARGE: “Unexpected visit from a friendly dolphin, the site is full of life.”
“Totally full of life AND visited by two dolphin, beautiful and relaxing.”
BLUFF POINT: “Awesome. Close encounter with no less than 23 dolphins! A lifetime ambition realised.” Sue Howarth, Lancashire
THISTLEGORM (NIGHTDIVE): “This is highly recommended – again many large specimens of your well known Red Sea fish. Only my third night dive in the safe hands of guide Yasser and buddy Yvonne. Eerie seeing large bat fish in the dark, a large lion fish on the hunt. The only time Ive seen a scorpion fish move – very unwieldy and then there was that wonderful wreck!”
SHARK & YOLANDA: A stunning and dramatic dive. We dropped to 30m initially, taking in the majesty of the sheer 800m drop encrusted in soft and hard coral. Looking out into the blue we saw some beautiful tuna before heading up to the beginning of the drop off point. We then passed between a couple of outcrops, under the watchful eye of a pretty red lionfish before drifting gently towards the wreck of the Yolanda. After a brief sitting residence on top of an old toilet, we swam around the wreck, littered with basking blue-spotted rays and a large swimming crocodile fish, before swimming up around the back of a large outcrop of rock to the reef. Plenty of beautiful coloured fish, big eyes, Sergeant Majors, anemone fish. Finally at 50 bar, up with the SMB and a Zodiac pickup. Happy faces everywhere” Lucien Oppler, London.
Guest comments:
THE BOAT:
The boat is great, plenty of lounging space, very well equipped; hot water seems to be available on demand. Well maintained, seems to get a good scrubbing every day, not that you ever notice them doing it! Particularly like the double room... Just need to try the hot tub now!
Excellent – very well equipped and plenty of space for the 20+ divers aboard.
Lovely. Met expectations. Lots of space, well thought out, clean and tidy.
Very spacious diving deck made kitting up very easy. Lounge and dining area very comfortable. The cabin has good storage space, including the bathroom. There was always plenty of hot water.
Excellent – the cabin has good wardrobe and drawer to keep our stuff, air con worked fine with limited noise. Beds are big and comfortable and bathroom is surprisingly big.
Outstanding crew- seen but not heard- always working\ cleaning and always appear as if magic to help tug into a wetsuit when needed. Good humoured crew and Guides with Great Briefings- include plan A, and B so all know what to expect underwater.
Best boat we have been on – definitely good value for money. Deise & Soeren
A very good dive boat, everything where it should be and in working order. One of the better boats we’ve been on! Rob & Sue
THE GUIDES AND CREW
The guides are great, D inspires confidence whilst presenting briefings in an entertaining and informative/educational way. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge about the area. Don’t know how he spots what he does down there either! Yasser is a lovely warm and friendly sort. He’s a very calming guide to dive with. They both have made this trip just a sheer pleasure.
The rest of the crew are just a lovely bunch, can’t seem to do enough for you. All done with a smile and twinkle in the eye :-). Practical jokes abound! All makes for a cosy and relaxed atmosphere.
The kitchen staff are very attentive, sorting out special requests in their stride. Very very happy with the staff. Really impressed – this is my first liveaboard trip and I can see why Tony Backhurst/Tornado win so many awards year on year.
Brilliant. Nothing is too much trouble for the guides and crew. Between them they create a wonderful and well organised atmosphere with just the right amount of levity. I have particularly enjoyed being peeled into and out of my wetsuit and the experience of getting into a zodiac with a 15 litre cylinder on my back (I’m female and only 5 foot 2!) Excellent guiding and dive briefings that bring the dive alive before you do it. I can’t recommend them enough.
All-in-all, the whole crew all seem to know what needs doing, when it needs doing and just work around us to get it done. They do all this with a smile on their face and make us feel really welcome aboard. It’s well worth the extra few £€$ to come on an Egypt live aboard of this standard.
The dive guides are very knowledgeable and give outstanding briefings. They are very happy to guide the dives or leave you to dive as you wish. They continually point out life which would otherwise be missed and their enthusiasm is infectious.
The deck crew and rib crew are so helpful and are there to serve ones every need. They have made the trip a very enjoyable experience.
Can only repeat what have already been written – great guides and excellent crew. All “problems” are taken care off before they really become problems. We did a couple of specialities with D. – he is really an excellent instructor. Deise & Soeren
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