Dive Review of Sea Queen 2 in
Red Sea

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Sea Queen 2, Apr, 2010, by Mr Brent Woods, ON, CA ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 13 Helpful votes). Report 5847.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My trip to the Red Sea was organized by my local dive shop. We were originally booked on the MV Hyatt. It burnt in dry dock 2 months before the trip. We were rebooked on the MV Julliet. It was impounded 3 days before we boarded due the boat docked beside burning. We were rebooked onto the Sea Queen 2. Conclusion: there is overcapacity on the Red Sea and it's being resolved by fire. We went from a five star boat to a three star with no change in price, although to be fair the stated capacity of the Sea Queen 2 was for twice as many people. It was comfortable for our group of 13. It would be cramped for a larger group. The Sea Queen is an older boat, and while well maintained, is showing its age. It is very stable which was much appreciated on a number of days. The crew was friendly and helpful. Their English was limited as was our Arabic. The cuisine was Egyptian. Our dive master was from the MV Julliet. His English was adequate but his attitude wasn't. His time on board was spent whining about how hard done by he was or on Facebook with his harem. In Egypt, the dive master is the senior person on the boat. The quality of your trip is very dependent upon him and so much of this review is applicable to the MV Julliet. The first and last nights were spent in the Sharm-el-Shielk marina. The boats were so tightly packed you easily step onto the neighbouring boats. There is no electrical service so all boats run their diesels all night to provide power and A/C. There may be a worse marina somewhere. I hope not to find it. The diving preferences of our group were evenly split between reefs and wrecks. It was agreed the first half of the trip would focus on wrecks in the Gulf of Suez; the second half on reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba. We never made it to the Gulf of Aqaba due to high winds when we were in the Gulf of Suez. The Thistlegorm is worth its reputation. The other wrecks and the Gulf of Suez reefs were mediocre. The direction of the current was checked before each dive and sometimes changed during the dive. There were no tides tables on board or perhaps they don't exist. Currents can be strong. The Red Sea reefs are not spectacular. This is not surprising as they are on the limits of coral's range. However, their reputation is otherwise. Sites within reach of shore based operators are crowded and the reefs often degraded. The number of fish species is impressive. Some sites had large schools of juvenile fish. Mature fish are rare and pelagics almost nonexistent. We did not see one of the Red Sea's famed sharks during a week of diving. In summary, I had high expectations of the Red Sea given its reputation. They were not met. I feel this would have been the case regardless of dive operator.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Thousand Islands and Great Lakes, Cuba, Jamaica, Roatan, Bonaire, Galapagos, Sea of Cortez, Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Guam
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	72-°F / 22-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Sea Queen 2 in Red Sea

Sea Queen 2, Apr, 2010,

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 Sea Queen 2 in
Red Sea