Red Sea Explorers Trip, Already booking the next!!

Davey Willo · September 30th, 2006, 08:35 PM

Well just got back from what is without doubt my most memorable diving holiday to date, 20 of us have just had a most awesome week diving from the Red Sea Explorers liveaboard, a fantastic mixture of Rec and Tec diving that has blown us away.

Quite a few DIRX members there including myself, Jenny Cowling, Rick Huggins, Andy Bryson, Dave Dowson, Dom Delegros, Rob Dobson, Marianne and John Ollerton (although I'm not sure if John is a member)

What a bloody great set-up, awesome in every respect, DIR to the core but with the very real and added value of making it all fun fun fun.. Faisal and AG are a team to be reckoned with and they made our holiday one to remember for ever, these guys and their crew of TDave, Mo and others went that extra mile to make this predominantly DIR trip a bit special.

I say predominantly because not only did we have a collection of PADI trained friends along but also my little boy Brad and my wife Diane who have both been training with PADI doing a referral course in the UK, confined water dives and exams over here in the UK, open water experience dives over there in the Red Sea... Spoilt rotten they are...

Well I'm delighted to say that Andrew Georgitsis (<<-- AG himself no less) and Dave Smith (TDave) were the two that looked after Brad & Di and had them hovering DIR stylee in BP's harnesses and single tank wings like a pair of old pro's, even had them frog kicking along the reefs, needless to say both passed with flying colours and saw so much more than a pair of noobs would of done normally thanks to the hands on, one on one support given by both Dave and Andy... too cool!

We dived wrecks, we dived reefs, we swam with sharks, dolphins, turtles, and even a dugong.. we dived single rigs, doubles rigs, single and multiple stage dives, we used scooters, we even played in the shallows with BP's, a stage and a scooter (fondly termed as monkey diving by the crew, a liberating and extremely good fun way to play around the shallow reefs)

Our gas mixes were always spot on, the fills were always on the mark. The equipment always ready to rock and roll, trimix analysers handy, kit fettling was done in an instant, there were 80's and 40's clipped along the side, we used bottom stages to save helium costs (suggested by AG) we had a crew of grinning, singing egyptians that would lift our gear all day and do magic with zodiacs making our ingress/egress simple even when the sea's became choppy..

The cabins were clean and comfortable, the food.... (Oh My God the food!!!) was incredible, copiuous amounts of fresh coffee, chilled juices and water always on tap, there were CD's, DVD's even a PS2 to please those who felt the need, although most of us hit the sack early each night as the days were full and started some mornings as early as six am.... gulp!

A quick example of the fun we were having.. Parked off the side of Elphinstone, we jumped in and free swam with dolphins and an oceanic white tip (Doms photos of how close he got to the shark are quite scary) back on board we analysed our gasses, then climbed into one of the zodiacs with doubles and stages, dropped down and hovered inside Elphinstone Arch at 55m with three, yes thats three napoleon wrasse.. deco'd all of the way up the reef, at no time more than a few feet from a visual feast, either from the myriad of fish living on the reef or the shoals of barracuda and other larger life hanging off it, we hit a glassy surface after a 65 minute run time only to be picked up by a waiting zodiac and whisked back on board RSE for..... breakfast!!

LOL... yep, all this before breakfast, followed by an even better tec dive a few hours later on the north end of Elphinstone..

Do I sound pleased??? well thats an understatement, I was blown away by it all and my depression flying home was balanced only by my constant thoughts of returning and the dives I'll be persuing with these guys.

I'm booking another trip straight away for next year (rec & tec) so will be taking a list of names, pm me if you're interested in joining us on the next one.

I'll be linking to some pics and video when I get them sorted, I don't know if any of the other guys from the trip have got anything to post on here for now.

Cheers ya'all
Dave.

**GLOC** · September 30th, 2006, 08:56 PM

Sounds like fun. Lets see the photos Dom...

dlegros · October 1st, 2006, 10:31 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by GLOC)

Sounds like fun. Lets see the photos Dom...

Here's one that I've quickly prepped for web

Dom

Rick · October 1st, 2006, 10:38 AM

Indeed it was a fantastic trip!

I'm still trying to put it into words for some kind of report, but here's a few pics in the meantime.

Andy Bryson and me

The Aida on Big Brother

dlegros · October 1st, 2006, 10:41 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick)

The Aida on Big Brother

OI, ya lying Haggis Muncher!

THERE ARE NO WRECKS ON BIG BROTHER!

Dom

Rick · October 1st, 2006, 10:45 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by dlegros)

THERE ARE NO WRECKS ON BIG BROTHER!

Dom

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the Nimibia yet.

Did you actually see the reef?

Seriously big balls for giving that white tip a chinese burn dude!

*Clare* · October 1st, 2006, 11:48 AM

Always thought you lot were going to have a blast - sounds like you did!

As usual a write up which makes me wish I'd been with you Davey - although I'd have given seeing you in X shorts a miss

Fraser and I had fun on the same itinery last year - although MV Tala sounds like an even better experience. Deco up a reef is certainly more pleasing to the eye than staring at your buddy - especially if your buddy is Fraser

Sod the unpacking - more photos please!

Andrew Bryson · October 1st, 2006, 12:19 PM

Cracking write up Dave.

I wish I was back in the Red Sea as I sit here looking out the window to dreary UK weather. Ho hum, all the great diving I did keeps me smiling

AG took a fair number of photographs over the week and has produced a movie slideshow containing some images, it can be downloaded from here.

Some random thoughts about the holiday:

Monkey diving is so much fun
X-scooters make you smile
Baby sharks are cute
Lion fish are sneaky and should be avoided!

I could go on for ages, so many good times.

andy

tim · October 1st, 2006, 12:23 PM

This sounds like an incredible holiday, thankyou for the detailed report! Napoleon wrasse under the arch in particular sounds awesome; I've only seen the very top of the arch from above and am really looking forward one day to diving the arch itself. MV Tala and her crew sound superb too, great to hear that operation is one to aspire to holidaying with.

I'm curious; what kind of weather did you have out there in late September, particularly sea state? Was there much trouble with seasickness? And how was the visibility, in general?

Thanks again for a great report; can't wait to see more photos!

Tim

Rick · October 1st, 2006, 12:32 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by tim)

This sounds like an incredible holiday, thankyou for the detailed report! Napoleon wrasse under the arch in particular sounds awesome; I've only seen the very top of the arch from above and am really looking forward one day to diving the arch itself. MV Tala and her crew sound superb too, great to hear that operation is one to aspire to holidaying with.

I'm curious; what kind of weather did you have out there in late September, particularly sea state? Was there much trouble with seasickness? And how was the visibility, in general?

Thanks again for a great report; can't wait to see more photos!

Tim

On the penultimate day we had mill pond conditions at Elphinstone but the beginning of the week was quite rough!

The currents were ferocious with up/down drafts but depending on when you dived, it was a bit hit and miss.

Just something else on the dives to monitor and work with.....and to be honest it made the diving more of a challenge and more satisfying.

P.S Lion fish are evil! :D

September 30th, 2006, 08:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
GLOC(Offline) Moderator and aka Mavis Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Malmesbury, Wilts Posts: 2,772	Sounds like fun. Lets see the photos Dom... __________________ Gareth Images of Life Photography DIR Team Foxturd Travels Underwater and Further Afar “Set your expectations high; find men and women whose integrity and values you respect; get their agreement on a course of action; and give them your ultimate trust.” “It is far better to be trusted and respected that it is to be liked.”

October 1st, 2006, 10:31 AM	#3 (permalink)
dlegros(Offline) 20% Ninja 80% Rebel Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Birmingham Posts: 245	Quote: (Originally Posted by GLOC) Sounds like fun. Lets see the photos Dom... Here's one that I've quickly prepped for web Dom __________________ Dom I reject your reality and substitute my own DIR-RA Last edited by dlegros; October 1st, 2006 at 01:07 PM.. Reason: Image now proprly hosted

October 1st, 2006, 10:38 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Indeed it was a fantastic trip! I'm still trying to put it into words for some kind of report, but here's a few pics in the meantime. Andy Bryson and me The Aida on Big Brother __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

October 1st, 2006, 10:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
dlegros(Offline) 20% Ninja 80% Rebel Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Birmingham Posts: 245	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick) The Aida on Big Brother OI, ya lying Haggis Muncher! THERE ARE NO WRECKS ON BIG BROTHER! Dom __________________ Dom I reject your reality and substitute my own DIR-RA

October 1st, 2006, 10:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Quote: (Originally Posted by dlegros) THERE ARE NO WRECKS ON BIG BROTHER! Dom Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the Nimibia yet. Did you actually see the reef? Seriously big balls for giving that white tip a chinese burn dude! __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

September 30th, 2006, 08:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
Davey Willo(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Cleveland Posts: 197	Well just got back from what is without doubt my most memorable diving holiday to date, 20 of us have just had a most awesome week diving from the Red Sea Explorers liveaboard, a fantastic mixture of Rec and Tec diving that has blown us away. Quite a few DIRX members there including myself, Jenny Cowling, Rick Huggins, Andy Bryson, Dave Dowson, Dom Delegros, Rob Dobson, Marianne and John Ollerton (although I'm not sure if John is a member) What a bloody great set-up, awesome in every respect, DIR to the core but with the very real and added value of making it all fun fun fun.. Faisal and AG are a team to be reckoned with and they made our holiday one to remember for ever, these guys and their crew of TDave, Mo and others went that extra mile to make this predominantly DIR trip a bit special. I say predominantly because not only did we have a collection of PADI trained friends along but also my little boy Brad and my wife Diane who have both been training with PADI doing a referral course in the UK, confined water dives and exams over here in the UK, open water experience dives over there in the Red Sea... Spoilt rotten they are... Well I'm delighted to say that Andrew Georgitsis (<<-- AG himself no less) and Dave Smith (TDave) were the two that looked after Brad & Di and had them hovering DIR stylee in BP's harnesses and single tank wings like a pair of old pro's, even had them frog kicking along the reefs, needless to say both passed with flying colours and saw so much more than a pair of noobs would of done normally thanks to the hands on, one on one support given by both Dave and Andy... too cool! We dived wrecks, we dived reefs, we swam with sharks, dolphins, turtles, and even a dugong.. we dived single rigs, doubles rigs, single and multiple stage dives, we used scooters, we even played in the shallows with BP's, a stage and a scooter (fondly termed as monkey diving by the crew, a liberating and extremely good fun way to play around the shallow reefs) Our gas mixes were always spot on, the fills were always on the mark. The equipment always ready to rock and roll, trimix analysers handy, kit fettling was done in an instant, there were 80's and 40's clipped along the side, we used bottom stages to save helium costs (suggested by AG) we had a crew of grinning, singing egyptians that would lift our gear all day and do magic with zodiacs making our ingress/egress simple even when the sea's became choppy.. The cabins were clean and comfortable, the food.... (Oh My God the food!!!) was incredible, copiuous amounts of fresh coffee, chilled juices and water always on tap, there were CD's, DVD's even a PS2 to please those who felt the need, although most of us hit the sack early each night as the days were full and started some mornings as early as six am.... gulp! A quick example of the fun we were having.. Parked off the side of Elphinstone, we jumped in and free swam with dolphins and an oceanic white tip (Doms photos of how close he got to the shark are quite scary) back on board we analysed our gasses, then climbed into one of the zodiacs with doubles and stages, dropped down and hovered inside Elphinstone Arch at 55m with three, yes thats three napoleon wrasse.. deco'd all of the way up the reef, at no time more than a few feet from a visual feast, either from the myriad of fish living on the reef or the shoals of barracuda and other larger life hanging off it, we hit a glassy surface after a 65 minute run time only to be picked up by a waiting zodiac and whisked back on board RSE for..... breakfast!! LOL... yep, all this before breakfast, followed by an even better tec dive a few hours later on the north end of Elphinstone.. Do I sound pleased??? well thats an understatement, I was blown away by it all and my depression flying home was balanced only by my constant thoughts of returning and the dives I'll be persuing with these guys. I'm booking another trip straight away for next year (rec & tec) so will be taking a list of names, pm me if you're interested in joining us on the next one. I'll be linking to some pics and video when I get them sorted, I don't know if any of the other guys from the trip have got anything to post on here for now. Cheers ya'all Dave.

October 1st, 2006, 11:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
Clare(Offline) GUE Instructor Site Admin Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,930	Always thought you lot were going to have a blast - sounds like you did! As usual a write up which makes me wish I'd been with you Davey - although I'd have given seeing you in X shorts a miss Fraser and I had fun on the same itinery last year - although MV Tala sounds like an even better experience. Deco up a reef is certainly more pleasing to the eye than staring at your buddy - especially if your buddy is Fraser Sod the unpacking - more photos please! __________________ Clare . "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions....Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." Interested in DIR dive training? Always happy to chat/answer questions so get in touch via PM or visit www.dirdiver.co.uk

October 1st, 2006, 12:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
Andrew Bryson(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Abingdon Posts: 317	Cracking write up Dave. I wish I was back in the Red Sea as I sit here looking out the window to dreary UK weather. Ho hum, all the great diving I did keeps me smiling AG took a fair number of photographs over the week and has produced a movie slideshow containing some images, it can be downloaded from here. Some random thoughts about the holiday: Monkey diving is so much fun X-scooters make you smile Baby sharks are cute Lion fish are sneaky and should be avoided! I could go on for ages, so many good times. andy

October 1st, 2006, 12:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
tim(Offline) Big Grin Syndrome Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oxford Posts: 461	This sounds like an incredible holiday, thankyou for the detailed report! Napoleon wrasse under the arch in particular sounds awesome; I've only seen the very top of the arch from above and am really looking forward one day to diving the arch itself. MV Tala and her crew sound superb too, great to hear that operation is one to aspire to holidaying with. I'm curious; what kind of weather did you have out there in late September, particularly sea state? Was there much trouble with seasickness? And how was the visibility, in general? Thanks again for a great report; can't wait to see more photos! Tim

October 1st, 2006, 12:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Quote: (Originally Posted by tim) This sounds like an incredible holiday, thankyou for the detailed report! Napoleon wrasse under the arch in particular sounds awesome; I've only seen the very top of the arch from above and am really looking forward one day to diving the arch itself. MV Tala and her crew sound superb too, great to hear that operation is one to aspire to holidaying with. I'm curious; what kind of weather did you have out there in late September, particularly sea state? Was there much trouble with seasickness? And how was the visibility, in general? Thanks again for a great report; can't wait to see more photos! Tim On the penultimate day we had mill pond conditions at Elphinstone but the beginning of the week was quite rough! The currents were ferocious with up/down drafts but depending on when you dived, it was a bit hit and miss. Just something else on the dives to monitor and work with.....and to be honest it made the diving more of a challenge and more satisfying. P.S Lion fish are evil! :D __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/