Whoop Whoop Whoop Whirlwind Wins.

23^rd Feb 2012 – there is a great atmosphere in the Tornado Marine Fleet office as finally DIVER magazine officially announces the 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 should be the glistening blue waters of the Red Sea to accept the coveted ‘Best Liveaboard of the Year’ 2011 award.

A big congratulations are in order for the crew of M.Y Whirlwind who keep her posh and polished, the Engineering department who keep her purring, and the Food and Beverage and Saloon staff who serve the best liveaboard 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 divers happy with their talented guiding, expertise of spotting the amazing, their professionalism, and care and attention.

We are all very proud and thank everyone for taking 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

Chrisoula K: A sea of bubbles surrounds us as we roll off the zodiac, and descend onto the wreck from our negative entry. Soon we are admiring this giant of the deep, as this wreck looks so impressive sitting on the sea bed. We circumnavigate the stern of the ship, and penetrate the holds to view the cargo, stacked in endless piles. Life abounds 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 move forward, the towers of tiles form a imposing corridor. Too soon the dive is over and we make our way back up the shot line, reflecting on such a super wreck dive, we are able to fix the image in our minds as the minutes of safety stop tick by, see you again soon Chrisoula K.

Giannis D

Blue light penetrates the shadows, highlighting thousands of Glassfish whose sanctuary is the wheelhouse of this impressive wreck, this image makes for a striking photograph. After a rapid descent past the intact funnel, we swim through the aft doorway, which soon leads to the cavernous interior of the engine room. Our torches pierce the darkness and illuminate the massive remains of this once noisy place, now eerily silent except for the sound of bubbles as divers explore inside.

Rosalie Muller

We add air to our stab jackets as we descend the bow shot, out of the darkness a ship begins to take shape, our excitement increases as we begin to identify features that had been highlighted in the briefing a few minutes before. Now these descriptions have 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 view the once proud M displayed on the funnel, all too soon our no-deco time runs short and we return to the shot line, a slow ascent with a deep stop thrown in for 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 sea bed, its smokebox door slightly ajar, as if waiting for a cleaner. Remarkably this 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. We return to the ship and penetrate the holds to savour the many delights that the Thistlegorm has to offer. All too soon the dive is finished and we make our ascent. This wreck has so much to offer and we must return again to enjoy its many delights.

Beacon Rock - Night dive

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

Shark & Yolanda Reef

We leap from Whirlwind as a whole group, and quickly descend on to a spectacular wall, which drops impressively into the deep. We enjoy a pleasant drift dive as we slowly pass the many sights this place has to offer.

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

Getting Wrecked with Tornado

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 exhilarating experience particularly to see the radio cars that my father had driven with the 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 really good photos of the lorries and motorbikes , thank you Sameh. Then to the Carnatic – interesting construction and marvellous views from inside. Finally to Crysoula K and the long swim through past the tiles –eerie. A really excellent day”  - Robert Yorke

“The first time that I swam through all the holds in the wreck and it was amazing! I actually saw the rifles, trucks, bikes and welly’s for real not just in pictures. The current was very strong on the safety stop it 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 any better than that!”

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexandra: Sting ray station, Alternatives and Beacon Rock. These three dives were a great introduction to the Ras Mohamed National Park – the former two conducted during daylight and the latter as a night dive. For those unaccustomed to the north Red Sea, this was a relatively easy prologue to the forthcoming dives, thanks to the sheltered conditions, lack of current (with the exception of the night-dive at Beacon Rock), and the variety of aquatic flora 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 characteristics that continued throughout the trip.

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

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

Mike and Laura: The highlight of the trip was diving on the Ghiannis D, which was a super experience. The interior of the ship, including the engine room and workshop, were interesting and reminiscent of a bygone era, with a lathe and pillar drill on display for all 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 a fantastic challenge, due to the angle at which it lay on the sea bed. The mast on the seperated bow section was home to hugely varied and abundant forms of life.

Trip Highlights

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

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

·         Seeing Spanish Dancers on the Beacon Rock night-dive.

·         Witnessing and photographing so many types of nudibranch.

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

What the guests said about Cyclone:

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

Mike and Laura: The guides and crew were wonderful. No job too small and chef happy to share his recipes! The rooms are beautifully clean and the dive deck was well equipped, with the crew being very attentive.

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

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

Super Cyclone does her best for her guests

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

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

Paula Savage & Dave Winter - Directors, Nemes Diving & Water Sports Academy Ltd.

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

“Jacky's 200^th dive – fantastic surprise – loved the cake, and so very thoughtful” – 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, comfortable area for briefings and relaxing. Best live aboard boat we have been on so far!” - Paula & Dave

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

“Excellent trip, thanks to all the crew for making the holiday amazing, we were very well looked after and did not have to worry about a thing...  I will be back soon... Much Love!!!” - Adam Walker

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

Christmas on M.Y Whirlwind

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

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

“The Kingston Reef was amazing; full of beautiful coral and stunning marine life made all the more exciting by the wreck. Thistlegorm was breath-taking just like being inside an underwater museum.” Debs

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

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

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

“Food has been exceptionally good. Our plates have been empty at the end of every meal. Turkey on Christmas Day was a treat. Loved the hummus and salads.” Louise/Mike

Cyclone goes TeK

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.

“Cyclone was wonderful, very clean and well prepared, excellent facilities and it all went perfectly.”

“The guides and crew were extremely helpful.  They made kitting up and getting out of the boat very easy, which was much appreciated 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 the reef was a great chill out dive afterwards.”

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

“Every man on the Cyclone would do anything to help, definitely the nicest crew I have been with and the others were lovely too. Nothing could be improved.”

“First with Reda, and third with Sameh.  Both supportive and nothing is too much trouble – especially when I needed my Trimix mix adjusting late at night.  Crew on-hand and helpful as always.”

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