elphinstone and the brothers - egypt

hi i am heading back out to marsa alam in a weeks time, does anyone know if the oceanics are there yet. this is usually the time of year that they start showing up. i have done a few goooglies and cannot find any recent trip reports.

cheers in advance, stew

The best people to ask are Red Sea Diving Safari at Marsa Shagra. RSDS run at least two dive trips to Elphinstone each day so if anyone knows, they will. You'll be able to contact them via their www site and they also have a facebook page.

Last season, there were only about six Longimanus resident at Elphinstone. As individual Longimanus normally frequent the same sites throughout their annual migrations we are hoping the absentees will make a showing this year. Otherwise the conclusion will be that they have been caught...

I hope you have a good trip. There's nothing quite like the south plateau of the 'Stone when a bunch of Oceanics are buzzing you!

Otherwise the conclusion will be that they have been caught...

 

I hope you have a good trip. There's nothing quite like the south plateau of the 'Stone when a bunch of Oceanics are buzzing you!

well lets hope they havent been caught. i was at shagra last year, but we were there too early for the oceanics. we were on a liveaboard about 5 years ago and we had a few circling us on our safety stop, an absolutely brilliant experience

i will give them an email to see what the craic is.

cheers, stew

Hey Stew

Thinking of going to Marsa for the very same reason late November.

Haven't been in the water with them since 2001 on Big Brother.

Let me know what the scores on the doors are either through your research or as a trip report when you get back.

Cheers

Nige

Hey Stew

 

 

Let me know what the scores on the doors are either through your research or as a trip report when you get back.

 

Cheers

 

Nige

I will do, I have emailed Shagra but yet to hear anything. I will post a trip report here when I get back, fingers crossed.

I'm going to the Brothers Is at the end of June 2009. We've booked the Royal Evolution through Peter Hughes. Has anyone been on the Royal Evolution and would you know what the diving is like there?

The boat departs from Hurghada and returns to Port Ghaleb and my buddies are telling me I should fly to Marsa Alam. I'm based in Hong Kong so I suspect I'll have to fly to Dubai or somewhere in Europe to get to Marsa Alam. If you have any advice on which airline frequents Marsa Alam I would really appreciate it.

I'm going to the Brothers Is at the end of June 2009. We've booked the Royal Evolution through Peter Hughes. Has anyone been on the Royal Evolution and would you know what the diving is like there?

 

The boat departs from Hurghada and returns to Port Ghaleb and my buddies are telling me I should fly to Marsa Alam. I'm based in Hong Kong so I suspect I'll have to fly to Dubai or somewhere in Europe to get to Marsa Alam. If you have any advice on which airline frequents Marsa Alam I would really appreciate it.

I am also planning a land-based diving in Marsa Alam. Most likely I will fly from HKG to Cairo and then to Marsa Alam, both by EgyptAir. The return ticket of Cairo/Marsa is only around HKD1500.

I'm going to the Brothers Is at the end of June 2009. We've booked the Royal Evolution through Peter Hughes. Has anyone been on the Royal Evolution and would you know what the diving is like there?

 

The boat departs from Hurghada and returns to Port Ghaleb and my buddies are telling me I should fly to Marsa Alam. I'm based in Hong Kong so I suspect I'll have to fly to Dubai or somewhere in Europe to get to Marsa Alam. If you have any advice on which airline frequents Marsa Alam I would really appreciate it.

The Evolution is as good as it gets liveaboard-wise in the Red Sea - a fantastic ship. They normally do 14-day trips Marsa Alam-Port Sudan-Marsa Alam, but during the hotter months they do Egypt-only itineraries.

Brothers is a top spot in the Red Sea. End of june is normally very good with clear blue water, nice temperatures, calmer conditions and good chances of sharks of various spieces. Your itinerary will most likely also include Dedalus Reef, which offers the same type of diving (steep walls into the abyss). They can be crowded this time of year, unfortunately, which inmo spoil some of the fun.

good luck

To Stew and Nige

You guys have had any new info about Longimanuses prsesently hanging out at Elphinstone?

Traveling there in a month, so all the info would be much apreciated

Cheers,

Scubamoose

To Stew and Nige

 

You guys have had any new info about Longimanuses prsesently hanging out at Elphinstone?

Traveling there in a month, so all the info would be much apreciated

 

Cheers,

 

Scubamoose

Im heading that way next week... I will let you know what the situ is when i return... Hopefully there will be a few hanging around...

Dive safe

DeanB

Thanks alot DeanB!

Can't wayt to hear the good news and maybe get a glimpse of some good picture's

Happy shooting

Scubamoose

Thanks alot DeanB!

 

Can't wayt to hear the good news and maybe get a glimpse of some good picture's

 

Happy shooting

Scubamoose

No probs... But stills ain't my bag, so info only im afraid... I'm back on the 12th so if you dont hear anything please PM me for details..

Dive safe

DeanB

No probs... But stills ain't my bag, so info only im afraid... I'm back on the 12th so if you dont hear anything please PM me for details..

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

No worryes! The main thing is to be in the wather right

Planning to borrow a cam from a friend to give it a try myself. So far experiences only with shooting pic's

Talk to You soon

Scubamoose

fingers crossed they will still be about. i did a trip report from my trip and posted pics somewhere too. . the brothers produced loads of oceanics and elphinstone was very good too if you go into the blue. enjoy

Hi

Was at Brothers this June but tec diving. Did both Numidia 82m and Aida 65m then deco'd driting along wall back towards the boats, Had 3 big grey reefs at 40m above Numidia and them 2 Threashers and 3 grey reefs at 85m that were very curious about us. Drifting along wall had a couple more reef sharks and a hammerhead and then a manta under the boat. Not a bad dive.....

Also the east wall of little brother 1st thing in the morning. Jumped as soon as sun came up (6am) Dropped to 40m, headed to the south corner until we hit the gorgonian fans and found a patch of sand and settled down. Had 16 passes by various grey reefs patrolling (2 individuals and a pair) the 4 of them followed us round for most of the dive......awsome. Trien to do the same on the north plateau but the cross current nearly blew us away and the swell was awful so we ended up having to wedge ourselved in a crack to deco....great fun though!!!!

No oceanics though...however when I got back to sharm I had an oceanic about 50m from reef on Ras Ghozlani (Ras Mo). Most unusual....All I could think was thank go these guests are taking so long to get in the water and how I wish we could take cameras in the water when guiding. Sam 13 whalesharms this year and never had the camera with me.........grrrrrrrrr

Enjoy!!

Duncan

To Stew and Nige

 

You guys have had any new info about Longimanuses prsesently hanging out at Elphinstone?

Traveling there in a month, so all the info would be much apreciated

 

Cheers,

 

Scubamoose

I was at Elphinstone a couple of weeks ago and witnessed an incident.

A liveaboard moored on the South Plateau had a diver hauled out of the water amoungst loads of shouting.

All went quiet and after 20 mins or so the boats zodiac raced off towards land with the diver on board.

We got in the water dropped to 15m deployed DSMB's and drifted off into the blue with our zodiac following the bags.

In an hour we aborted having seen just one large Barracuda which showed an interest in the bouys.

Back on our boat we were informed that a diver had been mauled by an Oceanic White Tip Shark and had been evacuated to hospital for treatment.

I spoke to Diver Magazine's editor Steve Weinman when I got home, he did some research and told me the diver was a marine biology student on a charter with Dr. Alan Ritter, the incident wasn't serious and the victim was showing off the wounds that evening.

So Scubamoose the Longiminus are there and they have tasted human blood .... Good Luck

Nige

I was at Elphinstone a couple of weeks ago and witnessed an incident.

A liveaboard moored on the South Plateau had a diver hauled out of the water amoungst loads of shouting.

All went quiet and after 20 mins or so the boats zodiac raced off towards land with the diver on board.

We got in the water dropped to 15m deployed DSMB's and drifted off into the blue with our zodiac following the bags.

In an hour we aborted having seen just one large Barracuda which showed an interest in the bouys.

Back on our boat we were informed that a diver had been mauled by an Oceanic White Tip Shark and had been evacuated to hospital for treatment.

I spoke to Diver Magazine's editor Steve Weinman when I got home, he did some research and told me the diver was a marine biology student on a charter with Dr. Alan Ritter, the incident wasn't serious and the victim was showing off the wounds that evening.

 

So Scubamoose the Longiminus are there and they have tasted human blood .... Good Luck

 

Nige

are you sure it wasnt eric ritter as opposed to alan. he was at shagra this year. if you dont know who eric ritter is do a search and include bull shark in the search box.

are you sure it wasnt eric ritter as opposed to alan. he was at shagra this year. if you dont know who eric ritter is do a search and include bull shark in the search box.

Yep thats the guy Stew.

Alan Ritter's a work colleague of mine and he definately is not a doctor .... Oooops

Isn't there a saying "Once Bitten" or something.

Nige

Nice one Nige!!!

Seem's that I might get lucky afterall!!

But I'm afrayed that I'm diving Elphistone without my partner tough. No way my wife's going under after the last statement

Or maybe it's just better not to tell her...

Tough it's not very often a diver get's attacked by a shark - isn't it?!

If someone might know where there's more information about this specific incident, then be sure to post me!!

Hope the student is OK by now, and doesn't let this "little" incident affect his choise of career.

Thx alot Nige - GREAT NEWS!!!

Hey Scubamoose,

On the Saturday before the incident a group of divers from my hotel visited Elphinstone and came back with some stunning images of Longiminus.

From the images I saw there were two or more sharks and they hung around by the back of the boat allowing photogs to get close.

One lucky guy had a head and shoulders shot with three pilot fish right on the sharks nose taken with a small compact with internal strobe, on his laptop it looked awesome.

The nice thing about Elphinstone is that its such a stunning divesite with loads to see, on the East wall there's a chasm which attracts a shoal of big Snapper Just hanging in the slack current,

The whole reef seems to pulse with a miriad of Anthia and the coral is some of the healthiest I've seen in the Red Sea.

Have a brilliant time I wish I was going with you.

Nige