News
New Red Sea liveaboard: M/Y Scuba Scene
Introducing M/Y Scuba Scene, the latest diving liveaboard setting the highest standards for liveaboards in the Egyptian Red Sea, with regards to comfort, safety, attention to detail, honesty and transparency. M/Y Scuba Scene is available exclusively in the UK through Oyster Diving.
Beautifully laid-out and appointed across her four decks, the 43m, steel hulled Scuba Scene is both spacious and comfortable – with each cabin affording guests their own fridge, en-suite bathroom and air-conditioning.
Other on-board facilities include two large ice machines, sundecks, bar, professional coffee and espresso maker, camera tables, as well as lots of international power charging stations and places to store valuables. While a washing machine and dryer mean guests can bring fewer clothes to reduce their luggage weight or bring more of their diving kit!
When it comes to safety, Scuba Scene is fitted to the most rigorous safety standards, including life jackets, life rafts, oxygen and medical first aid, as well as smoke detectors, fire alarms and fire extinguishing systems across the boat.
But what really sets this liveaboard apart is the team who run it, two of the most well-known faces in Red Sea Diving, Ahmed Fadel and Dr. Elke Bojanowski.
Ahmed, an experienced Tech instructor up to Advanced Trimix, has been a guide on liveaboards for over 21 years and is the author of the book ‘Southern Red Sea Dive Guide’.
Elke, having completing her Ph.D in marine biology, set up and now runs the Red Sea Shark Trust, which today boasts the biggest database for Oceanic Whitetip Sharks in the world. Little wonder she is better known to many as ‘The Shark Lady’.
Elke’s shark weeks are renowned for her fascinating talks; underwater she seems to attract the sharks and is only too happy to share her passion and knowledge.
Since January 2019, all dive guides working on Liveaboards in the Egyptian Red Sea have had to attend a mandatory seminar on guidelines and safe diving practices for interactions with Oceanic Whitetip Sharks. The seminar was written and presented by Elke and has been attended by more than 1400 guides and other dive professionals to date.
Both Ahmed and Elke will be running trips focusing on their respective specialities, Tech and sharks, offering additional information and education for their guests on-board Scuba Scene.
A week on Scuba Scene is about having an experience you can cherish and remember forever. Itineraries include Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone, Daedulus & St. Johns, Shark Weeks, photography weeks with Duxy, and classic North & Tiran trips. All itineraries are tech-friendly, and special Tech trips are on offer.
Prices start from £1,000 per person for a week including transfers to/from the airport, 7 nights’ accommodation in a twin room, meals and snacks, water, soft drinks, tea & coffee, 12ltr tank and weights, marine park and port fees.
Mark Murphy, the Managing Director of Oyster Diving told us:
“We are thrilled to be working with Ahmed and Elke, and Scuba Scene. We have run many trips with them over the years and customers always tell us how fantastic they are and what an amazing experience they’ve had. The fact that they now manage their own liveaboard means they can introduce all of the finer details that customers have told us they would like over the years but aren’t on existing Red Sea liveaboards. We can’t wait to start sending people on their incredible adventures so they can experience the best way to see one of the world’s greatest diving destinations.”
Due to the still fragile situation of the travel market – even after implementing the new traffic light system with its three-weekly reviews, Oyster Diving are opening up bookings for their dive safaris on board M/Y Scuba Scene in Egypt from October 2021 only.
Divers making bookings at this point are not required to make any deposits, but will be expected to honor their reservations, unless Egypt’s status changes from amber to red at any point from their booking until the departure of the trip.
Divers are encouraged to arrange any bookings through Oyster Diving, giving them the option to book packages including flights while enjoying the financial protection of a fully bonded tour operator.
As Ahmed Fadel, technical instructor and manager of M/Y Scuba Scene explains: “We strongly feel, that this is the most honest and fair way to deal with our valued guests in this period.”
The 2021 & 2022 schedules are published on the Scuba Scene website at www.scubasceneliveaboard.com/trip-schedule.
Or visit www.oysterdiving.com/trip/scuba-scene-egypt or call 0800 699 0243 for more information.
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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