Dive Review of Don Questo in
Africa/Sudan

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Don Questo: "Great Diving and Beautiful Reefs", Apr, 2018, by ROBERT PECORARO, HI, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 10271.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Don Questo is an Italian run liveaboard out of Port Sudan. The Captain and part owner, Lorenzo, has been operating out of Port Sudan for twenty years. Although the boat is not much to look at, it is quite functional as a dive platform. It has a hydraulic lift on the stern which hoists the small tenders out of the water so that divers in full gear can enter/exit the tender from a steady platform on deck. The rooms are basic, but comfortable. There are fans in the rooms and A/C in the hallways, which makes for comfortable cabins without having cold A/C blowing directly on the occupants, causing colds. Each room has a sink and each deck has a few bathrooms and showers, which are shared. The food was plentiful and delicious. The divemasters, although new to the boat, were quite good fun to dive with. The Captain went on many of the dives to ensure that the guests were enjoying themselves. He is very familiar with the dive sites in Port Sudan. He actually discovered some of the sites. He was excellent at avoiding other boats at the same site. We were on a two-week “Deep South” cruise. We only saw other boats on the first full day and on the last day. We almost always had the dive sites to ourselves. The guest were of various nationalities and the Captain and crew spoke English. The diving is geared toward experienced divers. A typical dive takes place at an underwater pinnacle with a deep dropoff or wall. Divers that wanted could follow the divemasters into the blue to look for big stuff, normally schooling Scalloped Hammerheads. The divers would hang out in the blue for around 15 to 20 minutes before heading back to the pinnacle to swim into shallower water and healthy reefs. The max depth was 45 meters/148 feet. If you did not want to go into the blue, you could hang out close to the reef and the other divers would catch up when they returned to the pinnacle. The currents varied from almost zero to strong. The boat used large capacity steel tanks so that divers would have plenty of air to off gas during deco stops, which were common with this type of diving. The tanks were fitted with “Y” valves, which could accommodate a two-regulator setup, if the diver so desired. The tanks were heavy and we did not need any additional weight when diving in a wetsuit. Overall, it is a well-run operation and great value for your money. The Don Questo is scheduled around the flights into Port Sudan and will pick up and return divers to the airport. Their agents will handle your visa needs for a fee, which is quite convenient and definitely worth it. Communication throughout the whole process of booking through arrival was excellent. If you’re not looking for luxury, and just want to do some awesome diving, then this boat is for you.
Websites	Don Questo
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Continental US, Hawaii, caribbean, Indo Pacific, Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Antarctica
Closest Airport	Port Sudan	Getting There	Short flight from Dubai to Port Sudan
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	45 meters/148 ft. Dives were no longer than 1 hour
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	1 or 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The subjects are big fish, such as sharks and large predators. There are beautiful, healthy reefs and fantastic visibility. There are few invertebrates. Schooling hammerheads are the stars of the day and there is an abundance of beautiful reef fish. The boat is not really set up for photographers. There is a small lounge where cameras can be stored and batteries charged. We have medium sized rigs and we did ok. People with large rigs may be frustrated. There is no dedicated rinse tank for cameras. Just a coupe of small plastic containers that divers use to rinse everything.

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Dive Review of Don Questo in Africa/Sudan

Don Questo: "Great Diving and Beautiful Reefs", Apr, 2018,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Don Questo in
Africa/Sudan