Colona II, Fantasea Divers, Becky McNeese, San Andreas, CA. "We turned to our most valuable resource, Undercurrent newsletters and the Chapbook. Fantasea Divers reviews were excellent, but they were booked so they recommended the Colona II, a 60 ft. sailing vessel. The info from Fantasea about the Colona was that it accommodated 6 divers comfortably, air-cond. cabins and stateroom, unlimited diving, well equipped for underwater photography, and both 110 & 220 V. Trusting Fantasea based on their reputation we booked a ten day sailing trip in the Adaman Sea among the Similan Islands. Our captain was Freddy Storheil previously from the Red Sea and Colona V. Instead of 6 divers we had 7. A Swiss passenger who had paid full fare for a private cabin had to sleep in the salon with no bathroom or privacy. AC only used from 10 pm til 8 am - if it was working. When we had no ac the cabins were unbearable. No unlimited diving; we were constantly moving from site to site and the compressor was so slow that the divemaster would have to work round the clock to fill everyone's tanks. Limited electricity, no 11OV, limited water, limited showers, supplies ran low and we had to go into port to re-supply, so we missed almost a day of diving. Averaged 2 dives a day. vis: 60-80 ft. water: 82-86 degrees. Only three night dives where we moored for the night and that was after the Insistence of the divers. Standards differ from what most Americans are used to. Facilities and accommodations only fair, but we saw other live-aboards that were " Dormitory Style" where everyone piled on deck and slept. . . . Upon meeting and dealing with Freddy openly he what the limitations were and tried to compensate in other ways - like finding good dive sites, taking us to neat secluded beaches, and providing adventures other than diving. Once we realized this was not a typical live aboard we started to enjoy it. I had never sailed before and it was a marvelous feeling to travel to uninhabited islands with crystal coves and beaches. Visited a nomadic gypsy village where the children greeted us and we traded for shells. We traveled under a starlight canopy with the bio-luminescence of dolphins breaking at our bow. We saw magnificent soft corals , pastel sea fans, and feather stars of brilliant purples, reds, and yellow. Large lionfish, three types of clownfish almost every dive, bearded scorpionfish, mating cuttlefish, giant octopus, large schools of jacks, tangs, barracuda, and batfish. Abundant fish around Richelieu Rock and Surin. Farther south at KoRokNok Koh Ha Yai, less reef and fish life. Some areas showed evidence of heavy fishing - nets on the rocks, reef, large traps anchored to the bottom, no big fish! 48 fishing boats at one site. Seas raped of large fish and large schools. Even at diving moorings we saw fishing boats within the "Marine Sanctuary". . . . Saw one giant manta, whale shark, several leopard sharks, two reef sharks. We wish we had known ahead of time exactly that the trip was more sailing than diving. Still, trip filled with adventure, new friends, and a wonderful divemaster. Other divers said with their expectations it was poor value for the money. But, my partner and I were the only ones who saw a whale shark and that's worth a million bucks to some divers. . . . Fantasea helpful with transportation and arrangements and very interested in our reports. I would recommend this only to anyone who enjoys a combination of diving, sailing, and likes a sense of adventure."

Fortuna II, July 1996, Prudy & Bob Bewers, West Linn, OR. "Bad: Anchoring on reef with no permanent anchor; some damage in these places. Not able to go to Brothers Is. though told we would by Tropical Adventures. Picked up at Hurgada airport by travel agency group, but they did not know where Fortuna II was anchored. After 3 hours of searching and phone calls, discovered they were anchored in Quesir, 1.5 hours away. Arrived on boat after midnight. . . . Good: Soft corals are mind boggling in beauty. Vis: 50­80 ft. Water: 80 degrees. Diving restrictions enforced: air consumption, depth recorded by crew after each dive, violations warned. Wide array of fish life. Fish were friendly and easy to approach. Excellent boat accommodations and food. Side trips to Cairo and Luxor (Valley of the Kings) and the 4 day cruise on the Nile. Weather was excellent everywhere, not too hot. Wish I had known: We were in Egypt three weeks, but I would have stayed in Luxor another week if I had known how much there was to see. How friendly and fascinating Egyptians (Muslims) are."

Fortune I, September 1996, Tom Nagle, Fargo, N.D. "Large live-aboard that was just sold by the Swiss to the Egyptians with the expected results. Phone, fax and decompression chamber were inoperative. No physician on board as promised. Dive operation is run by a German and is quite good. Four dive opportunities each day, all by Zodiac. Boatmen very good in rough seas, which were frequent. Food and service excellent. We returned to port Thursday for new passengers; only one dive that day. I requested a So. Red Sea trip and arrived to find all major southern sites had been closed for 6 months. In my opinion International Diving Expeditions knew this and withheld the information. We dove with the day boats."

Fortune I/, September 1996, Scott Jurak, Plano, TX. "Shore base operator who controlled the scheduling of this live­aboard needs to be replaced. We arrived at the boat at 9: 00 a.m as requested and stayed in the port all day to wait for one individual who showed at 9: 00 p.m. No diving while we waited. Once the boat left, crew did an excellent job to accommodate our diving. But, the shore based operator had our boat come back to port during the middle of trip to pick up another group. This cost us a full day of diving. id not tell us this was the plan when we boarded. . . . Government had closed the best dive sites 6 months ago; were not informed when we booked our trip. The diving I saw not world class. Several atolls all the same. Deep wall on one side with shallows on lee side. Same fish life on each of the atolls. Nothing big. Lots of small colorful fish. Coral healthy, however many dive boats dropping anchors on coral; Fortune I very careful not to drop anchor on coral. vis: 100­150 ft. water: 76­84 degrees. Depth restrictions enforced: 130 ft. on dives. Would rather dive the Caribbean. . . . Egypt was a wonderful country of history and should not be missed."

Ghazala Voyager, July 1996, Harry A. Kreigh, Sacramento, CA. "10­day journey, aboard Sinai Divers' new live­aboard was a major disappointment, worst in 12­years of diving. Vis 30­50 feet due to plankton bloom. . . . Boat full(16 passengers); diving operation/facilities inadequate for this many. Only a single divemaster; enter the water either from the small dive platform (space for about six divers) on the stern or from a single Zodiac. Initial dives chaotic. Although 12 of 16 equipment bins are the rear of the main deck, tanks are stored on the dive platform; mad scramble ensued to claim space on the dive platform. Because BCDs and regulators were stored between dives, the platform was congested with divers setting up tanks and competing for space with four divers whose equipment bins were also on the dive platform. Divers then split into two groups of eight, and dives were done in shifts. . . . Winds 40­50 mph and rough seas during the last three days crossing the Gulf of Suez, en route to Hurghada. Boat not very stable; several passengers seasick. Able to continue diving, but the diving frequency was reduced from five to three dives per day, and we repeatedly dove same mediocre sites. These reefs exhibited considerable damage, including large stretches of dead coral, and were littered with trash. . . . Brothers Islands promoted as the main attraction, but due to uncooperative weather conditions, we didn't attempt the journey. Divemaster said that even in the best season (usually July through September), only about half the trips make it to Brothers. Even then the diving can be extremely difficult and limited only to advanced divers due to strong currents and rough conditions. I think the pre­trip advertising was misleading. . . . Highlights: sheer walls at the Tiran Islands (Jackson Reef) and Ras Mohammed (Shark Reef) were outstanding, featuring a variety of tropical fish species and an abundance of multi­colored soft corals. Reefs sloped gradually to maximum 50­70 feet. Thistlegorm: British munitions supply ship sunk during World War II; original cargo is accessible and intact. Exploration of the entire vessel requires several dives; fascinating and display of preserved artifacts."

Ghazala Explorer, September 1996, Roger Chari, New York, NY. "Diving incredible. Soft corals of different colors were everywhere. Reef fish unique and colorful. 10­day trip to the South part of the Red Sea. Most everyone got seasick at one point or another and some best sites were too rough to dive, but no one was disappointed with the diving. vis: 30­100 ft. water: 77­80 degrees. . . . Sneaked into the remote island of Zabaugad when the Egyptian air force wasn't patrolling. The soft corals there and at nearby Rocky Island were pristine and spectacular. Fish life was abundant everywhere we went, and visibility was clear. The 90 ft. boat was very comfortable and had all the amenities. A combination of delicious Egyptian foods and basic American standards was served. Egyptian crew was friendly and always willing to help. Would be nice to have separate shower stalls in the en­suite bathrooms instead of having the water slosh around. Charging stations were 220 volt only. No E­6 photo processing. Red Sea one of the best places to dive in the world."

Gazala Voyager, July 1996, Lols R. Fogg, Ambler, PA"Water 76 to 77 degrees, Vis: 20 to 30 feet. Weather poor. Ten day sandstorm kept us from going south. Visibility was poor and the team leader and boat captain wouldn't turn around an dive near Sham­El sheik because we got off at Hurgada. The northbound Hurgada is over dived and Hurgada was filthy with toilet paper and worse in the water. . . .The boat looks beautiful but is substandard by Aggressor standards. The room we had stunk. Old­ fashioned air conditioning leaked on our clothes. The shower didn't drain. You had to wipe it yourself with a squeegee. The dive deck was disorganized and couldn't easily accommodate the 16 divers on board."

Ghazala Voyager/Sinai Divers, April 1997, Christine deBarbadillo, Wakefield, MA. "My first live­aboard. Great trip. The crew and other passengers were great; German, Swiss, Austrian, British, American and Egyptian. Although I had been diving in the Red Sea before, it had been summer and I didn't realize how cold the water would be. Summer a full 1/8 inch wet suit, with temperatures of 74­76 degrees. Winter drops to 68­70 degrees and cool, windy air makes it seem that much colder so be prepared. The diving is great and the reefs are very "alive". Most dives are drift dives, and current are frequently encountered. vis: 30­100 ft. Usually a limit of 100 ft. Many Napoleon wrasses, schools of jack fish and rainbow runners. The wide variety of corals was amazing. The "Thistlegown" wreck in the Gulf of Suez is probably the best wreck I've ever dove. All dives were around the tip of the Sinai, Ras Mohammed, and Straits of Tiran. . . . Boat was clean, air conditioned, hot water, and good food in sufficient quantity. Beer and soda available on the "honor" system at a reasonable price. Diving unlimited, most divers did 2 or 3 per day. Most from the Zodiac. Boat could accommodate 16 although only 9 divers were on my trip. The full 16 would have made space tight."

Ghazala I, August 1997, Charles Stearns, Lilbuon, GA. "Ras Muhammad more crowded and viz less than I wanted. A/C on boat malfunctioned at start. Tour leader Martin Sutton stayed up to 3:30 AM working with new captain to fix A/C. Martin is a great tour leader. Learned how to use my R.S. & close-up wide angle with great results. A gracious expert teacher. Take the excursions to Lavor and Karnuk and consider an extension for Petro and St. Catherines. Tours in Cairo and services outstanding. Only 12 kucky people get to do this each week with Martin."

Libra, October 1996, Valerie Borcard, Switzerland. "Six-day cruise in the North of the Red Sea, departing from Hurghada. Libra is designed for 14 divers with 7 cabins, 4 toilets and 3 showers. Since we were a group of 10 friends, it was a dream! Lots of space: dining area and separate rest area and ample sun deck. Area for diving gear and bottles also very spacious with bench allowing easy dressing. Compressors were kept below so, no noise! . . .Nice and plenty varied food and snacks including deserts and cakes! Great team to look after us every minute! Diving was amazing, we mainly dived on shipwrecks including: Dunraven, Thistlegorm & Ras'Mohamed. Lots of fish life and healthy corals, away from Hurghada. Missed sharks, but Napoleons and "Merais" sp? were everywhere. vis: 30­60 m. water: 26­27 C. No air conditioning in rooms and all drinks to be paid for including water! Tea and coffee was free. When we plan our next trip to the Red Sea, we will use Libra again, most probably."

Moon Dancer, July 1997, Alex D. Lee, Mckinney, TX. "Disappointing dive trip, overcrowded with Europeans and live-aboards. Went to Deep Southern Red Sea. 10 live-aboards anchored at one dive site and this was not exception. Quality of food and service was marginal. Disappointed with standards. vis: 70-120 ft. water: 78-82 degrees."

Moon Dancer, August 1997, Ari Requicha, Manhattan Beach, CA. "Supposed to be a 9 day trip to the deep South, however Egyptians closed the best sites in the South, and Moon Dancer can't use the southern port of Quseir for logistic reasons. 8 of 9 days it blew some 25 knots and water was rough, so did South to Safaga (still North of Quseir) and North to the Gubal Islands (half way between Sharm-el-Sheik and Hurgada). South of Hurgada was 79-81, north 76-78 water temp. Diving good, a notch below Fiji or Palau. Spanish dancers, one foot long, red beautiful nudibranchs in night dives. Diving from Zodiac; transfers and upwind rides with 4-5 ft chop were hair-raising (would scare some). Getting back into the Zodiacs if you are not agile is quite a trick. Didn't see great amount of the soft corals, sites were crowded with day boats from Sharm or Hurgada and live-aboards catering to Europeans. . . . Moon Dancer, a.k.a. M/V Oyster, apparently is owned and operated by Egyptians, more like a franchise than a "real" Peter Hughes boat. Dive crew, led by Sarah, a Brit, was excellent. German photo pro, and the rest of the crew, including the captain, were friendly Egyptians who spoke little English. Food below Dancer standards. . . . Hurgada a huge conglomeration of resorts, with lots of dive operations. 11 hours from New York to Cairo, plus another hour of domestic flight. Most of 8 guests in this trip had to stay an extra night in Cairo at our expense because of flight schedules. Too much hassle and expense for the diving one gets."

Sea Fun, July 1997, Bill Jurney, Roseville, MN. "Water 79-81 degrees. Visibility 80-120 feet. Red Sea diving to the south of Hurghada seems to cater to Europeans (they did not require as much amenities and service as Americans). Boat had no working a/c, he food most basic. Diving and onboard safety excellent. Schools of fish, magnificent soft corals and a number of sharks (about every other dive). Great for those who have experienced other locations and deep situations - no other dive boats around - only our small group of eight divers. Terrific!"

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