Dive boat tourist raises concerns and tips for dive safety
A liveaboard boat in the Red Sea, with Sinai in the backdrop
On November 25, a Red Sea dive boat capsized, leaving 44 tourists and crew fending for their lives. We have a saga of stories you can follow here about the Sea Story incident, including interviews with survivors. Timothy, a diver reached out to us hoping to raise concerns he had while diving in Egypt with the same company that charted the ill-fated Sea Story, but he travelled just a week earl
“I am a certified PADI divemaster with over 600 worldwide dives. I am not a survivor of the sinking – I was on a different boat the Sea Pearl, operated by the same company, during the week immediately previous to the sinking,” says Timothy, using his first name only.
Like survivors of the Sea Story, Timothy says Dive Pro transferred him to another boat last minute: “This often happens for operational reasons – desire to have boats travel fully booked; mechanical or logistical issues with the boats; crew availability; weather and conditions, etc. I had been booked onto the Tillis but was moved to the Sea Pearl about 48 hours before the trip was due to begin.
“This wasn’t an issue for me, but many others were annoyed that they could not travel on their preferred boat, or that they had paid for an upper-deck cabin but were now on the lower deck,” he says.
What message do you have for other divers booking liveaboard trips anywhere in the world?
Liveaboard in Raja Ampat
“Be very aware of safety concerns when researching a Red Sea live-aboard trip. Review your chosen boat’s safety provisions. Book (and insist upon receiving) an upper-deck cabin.
“Familiarise you and your buddy with your life jackets.”
What message do you have for divers whose intuition tells you the boat isn’t safe?
A low-cost liveaboard in Egypt sounds like an adventure of a lifetime. Make sure it’s safe.
“Trust your intuition. However there is little you can do other than take safety into your own hands.”
Will you dive in Egypt again and if yes, with who?
“Likely, but perhaps shore dives, and with a different company, which I will thoroughly research.”
Comments
