Colona V, July 1995, Steven Goldstein, Sacramento, CA. "Fourth and worst live-aboard. Broken windows, one of three air-conditioners worked, one functioning generator needed work, often no electricity since crew was afraid of draining batteries. No 110v on board (ads claimed otherwise); 220v fried my conversion equipment. Full bar advertised didn't exist. Food boring and repetitive. Showers frequently backed up. Captain unpleasant, dictatorial; staff indifferent; Divemaster Dean, did everything he could to keep this disaster from falling apart. No way to experience the lovely as the Red Sea."

Fantasea II, September 1995, Hal Mozer, Bellevue, WA. "Dived the Red Sea in '79. Now disappointed in water clarity, blamed on algae bloom. Some sites, especially The Temple, showed a lot of coral damage and have been over dived. Brothers, Daedalus, Zhaharghed were unspoiled; spectacular if visibility had been better."

Fantasea II, July 1995, Michael Rubinstein, Tampa, FL. "Comfortable and roomy; we had only cramped cabin. Adequate storage, air conditioning good. Bunks too narrow. Food good to excellent, large quantities. Captain and crew friendly, helpful. Divemasters nice and helpful. Diving great. Vis often 100'. Turtles, large hammerhead, other sharks, morays - one as big as an anaconda - lionfish, blue-spotted sting rays, crocodile fish, scorpion fish, one stone fish. Most dives 60 feet for an hour, sometimes 75 minutes; occasional strong current at Ras Mohammad. Brothers the favorite; boat should have spent more there."

Fortuna II, July 1995, Bob Cascino, The Woodlands, TX. "Cabins with porthole, light colored wood and good storage. Had leaks in at least three cabins, woke one morning with shoes full of water in closet and water leak above vanity, floor wet also, but bunk high and dry. Dive deck leaves a lot to be desired. No frills, no help unless asked."

Fortuna II, July 1995, Mary Lou Frost, Tonawanda, NY. "Went south from Hurghada to Sataga and Brothers. Easy currents at the Brothers. Finest hard coral displays of Australia with the finest soft corals of the South Pacific! Sharks, turtle, rays. Crew organized and helpful. Food very good Egyptian fare; cabins had private bath and large comfortable beds. Air conditioning worked well. Organized by Tropical Adventures and led by Franklin Viola. First week visited the antiquities of the Nile River Valley."

Ghazala Explorer, August 1995, Karin Faber. "Chartered with a group and once on board we found out this was test-expedition into the Southern Red Sea. Untrained crew spoke nothing but Egyptian; divemaster spent more time translating than preparing the dives. Havoc from the first day. Ran out of food on the 4th day and out of water on the last. Food miserable; cook had never worked on a live-aboard did not like it. Never dove before 10 a.m., so no sharks seen. Due to miserable planning, we had no time to reach the Brothers. Back in Hurghada's we found out that this safari had been performed without the mandatory official permit. Two good points: the Red Sea and the vessel, completely new with 8 roomy, well designed, airconditioned cabins; private bathroom, comfortable lounge, practical dive platform and adequate photo-video facilities. A few months later we got from Sinai Divers a refund of $ 400/person; it is always fair to complain if you can demonstrate the failures and the agent is a serious one."

Ghazala Explorer, July 1996, Jean Gray, Belle Mead, NJ. "Comfortable well maintained boat. Six spacious cabins on lower deck; comfortable double bunks, shower, toilet and sink en suite. Lounge and dining areas attractively furnished and comfortable. Sun deck has comfortable built-in cushioned benches, tables and ample shade. AC works and can be turned off in each cabin, important when returning from the fifth dive. . . . Very small dive platform stores tanks and compressor. Chaotic with 12 divers suiting up. . . . Food plentiful and adequate, but a certain sameness over 10 days. Snacks after the second afternoon dive and hot water for instant coffee and tea. Ran out of red wine in two days and all wine before the end of trip. . . . Egyptian crew friendly and accommodating. Divemaster Ricard Buxo helped with equipment malfunctions, knew the reefs, thorough briefings. Diving easy with no currents; except for 130 foot depth limit, but free to dive own profiles. . . . Diving good, some very good - Elphinestone, Rocky Island, Zabargat and Nakari - but fell short of expectations. Vis poor, many sand-covered reefs with little fish or coral life. Sharks, a few turtles and, on a night dive, a Spanish dancer. Some better sites were rich with soft corals, anthias and other colorful fish; Nakari had large schools of bannerfish and masked butterflies. . . . Egyptian Coast Guard has prohibited scuba diving at the Brothers, Daedalus, Tiran Islands, Zabargad, and other premier sites. Told that a boat had been confiscated at Daedulus. No one knows how long prohibition will last."

Grand Bleu/Sharm El Sheikh, June 1995, Sue Sepelak, Columbia, MD. "Three tanks/day plus one night dive. Reefs abundant with fish and marine life, except at night. Not a lot of large fish except Napoleon wrasse. Guide excellent. Boat: some cabins had live electrical wires exposed in the showers; electricity was erratic, making it difficult to get a full charge on strobes. No facilities for camera gear. Food was monotonous and mediocre."

Grand Bleu/Sharm El Sheikh, August 1995, David Orr, Warrington, PA. "Our 30th wedding anniversary and we much looked forward to a trip on the Fortuna II to go to Hurghada, Ras Mohammed, then the Brothers. . . . They have our money, our hearts are set, but the Fortuna was not available. Bait and Switch. AC put diesel fumes in the room, showers and head not working, moldy rolls, meals served cold, no refrigeration or ice, crew inept, one towel entire trip, had to sleep on deck entire cruise, ran out of water twice, one prop missing - could not run above idle. Engine always breaking down, could not make it to Brothers. When we moored at night, other Tentoria boats tied to us so the crews could get together; kept us up. Cabins wet from showers and nothing for photographers. Never could get the crew going before 9:AM."

Number One, October 1995, Elizabeth McGlohn, Arlington, VA. "Disaster with miscommunications, late busses. Couldn't talk to our boat captain and most of the crew (used to German divers' style of diving). Dinners varied and good, but the breakfasts and lunches were the same everyday. Brother Islands: didn't have enough time, as we had to take on more water. Boat leaked like a sieve in rain. Diving great. Half us were sick - we think the tanks had not had proper care and who knows what was in the bottom. Red Sea: some of the best in the world."

Poseidon's Quest, September 1995, John Zumbado, Gaithersburg, MD. "Ras Mohammed, Ras Umsid, Ras Zatir, the wrecks of the Dunraven and the Camatic, and the reefs around the Tiran Island. On 35 dives we were never the only boat on the site. Napoleon Wrasse used to being fed, crocodile fish, free swimming morays, attacking triggerfish (my dive buddy's flippers were fiercely bitten). Reefs in good shape, 12' yellow sea fan. Crew 5 stars, boat four. 9 guests, 1 inflatable. Diving for beginners is 5 stars. Currents minimal. Water 79 and 83 F, vis 80'. Diving for experienced: 'don't go.' I would not have gone if I had known that we could not go South."

Poseidon's Quest, August 1995, Patricia Borgo, APO, AE. "Disaster. In all cabins and air conditioned areas you could smell diesel. Ran out of water due to leak in watermaker; one shower a day. Water always brownish green. High seas for two and a half days; two forward cabins flooded with 2 inches of water because the forward bilge pump alarm light on the bridge did not work. Crew unprofessional. The ship took so much damage during the high seas the captain not to sail south for the rest of the season. Diving: lots of big critters."

Princess Yasmin, May 1995, Abdul Khathlan, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. "Excellent for friends. Three rooms, sleeping 8, one bath. Boat owned and captained by experienced local; two relatives as staff. Caring, happy-to-serve group, provide enjoyable diving. Meals superb and varied, including a barbecue! Three day dives, and one night dive/day. Marine life is the best. Diving relaxed and enjoyable. Size of the boat allows dropping divers in the best places and pick them up. No A/C."

Rearis, 1995, Mike Harvey, Bellingham, WA. "Beautiful corals, none broken. Fish curious. Got fabulous photos of blue-spotted rays, lionfish, turkeyfish, even one frame with both a turkeyfish and a blue spotted ray sitting under a ledge. Snorkeled with porpoises; suddenly left and a large gray reef shark came in and circled at about knee level until the zodiac was able pick us up. Diving fabulous. We should have packed more snacks, liquid refreshments and music; boat lacked all three."

Rearis, August 1995, Don Maccubbin, Brownsboro, AL. "Poor maintenance and indifference. No AC cabins for several days, leaks and damp spots on cabin floors; diesel smell permeating below deck. Food poor. Bathrooms grimy. Diving: little that could not found in greater profusion on more attractive sites in Fiji or Solomons."

Rearis, October 1995, David & Nicki Shellhammer, Springfield, IL. "Booked through Poseidon Adventures. Spring Tours Egypt thorough, courteous, on time, accommodated requests. Rearis comfortable, needed small repairs and a general clean up, but to be drydocked in December. Food basic, good and plentiful, excellent desserts. Could have dived more diverse sites, but diverse life. First dive of day at 7:30 AM to avoid day-trippers. Excellent crew - always helpful and courteous."

Sea Surveyor, March 1995, Wendy Ostgaard, Longmont, CO. "One of the best run live-aboards I have been on (7th). David & Sarah, man & wife team who run boat are experts: they know diving, dive sites, and the Red Sea, and operate an smooth running, friendly operation. 14-day trip from Hurghada, south to the Sudan. Southern sites superior to the Northern ones; more pelagics, reefs more prolific, warmer water. Surveyor is capable of handling long open water passages and rough seas. Photographer have entire room devoted to them. Sharks; hammerheads, silky, gray reef, silvertip and thrashers. Good food."

Sea Surveyor, June 1995, Ruth Nelson, Tulsa, OK. "Arranged through IDE by Keith Reynolds who hoped for an exploratory trip - he had researched potential sites - but Captain went where he wanted. Eritrea a poor, new country with minimal infrastructure. We were prepared for delays. Boat was run for convenience and ease of Captain and crew. AC almost nonexistent. Not enough gasoline to run both dinghies; last few days divers were dropped off while the dingy went back for a 2nd load. When pick up time came, divers were left for as long as 35 minutes. With no notice we found a charge of $120 for Port tax. Arrogant and ungracious management."

Sea Surveyor, July 1995, T. Litteral, Steamboat Springs, CO. "Covered nearly 1000 miles. Met boat in Massawa, Eritrea to dive off-shore islands of Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt. Boat is sturdy, well organized, crewed by knowledgeable and helpful crew. Photo gear setup was exceptional; cabins typical with bunks and sinks. Share toilet/shower. Food good, but served late by any standards. AC did not exist below deck for 3/4 of trip. Diving very good with soft corals, sharks, and abundant small fish. Vis 60'­80', 85F water!"

Sea Surveyor, October 1995, Terry Reid, Oxnard, CA. "Headed for points south. Bad weather; lost 2 days of diving. Missed the Brothers. Captain had his own agenda and you better not get in the way of it or you would be verbally chastised. Either Southern Red Sea is overrated unless or captain was just not taking us to the great spots. Captain had an attitude, wouldn't consider listening to any suggestions, doesn't respect the crew and does not allow them freedom to make any decisions."

White Shark/Sharm El Sheikh, August 1995, Michelle Ginsburg, Tampa, FL. "Our captain's first words: "I won't make any money with only four of you on my boat." Hot salon intolerable, we ate our cheap, greasy fare topside. Three crew, including the cook, were taken off due to dysentery and food poisoning. No safety briefing. Our divemaster was nearly lost. He was untying us from the Thistlegorm at 120' and the rope was prop cut in 5­7' seas. When the crew finally noticed 10 minutes later, he'd drifted 1/2 mile. They searched a few minutes and gave up. The divers looked until we found him. . . . Barry was our only link to sanity. He got us AC at night and got them to run the compressor to fill tanks. Vis 5­50 feet, yet our pilot balked at returning us to clearer sites. Hard swims against current. Night diving a mystery, sometimes all lights were doused upon descent, we were supposed to find the boat in the dark without a strobe marker! $3000/week/ couple was a rip-off. Beautiful coral and fascinating creatures."

Copyright 1997 by DSDL, Inc., publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966.