The Egyptian liveaboard Seaduction took on water and sank in late October, at Elba Reef close to the border with Sudan. JOHN BANTIN explains why particular care must be taken when utilizing timber-hulled vessels within the Crimson Sea
Scuba divers and skilled ocean-going mariners would have you ever consider that the Crimson Sea is 2 solely totally different locations.
The primary transport lanes that kind the vital thoroughfare between the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal are positioned between the Arabian Peninsula and the North African deserts. The Empty Quarter of Arabia will get exceedingly sizzling, and the air consequently rises.
This attracts air from the African aspect of the Crimson Sea, leading to highly effective winds, often round drive 8, with painfully uncomfortable quick seas. Solely in the course of the hottest a part of the yr are the deserts on each continents in equilibrium, with consequently calm water for a interval of some weeks.
However, those that go diving round Egypt’s reefs take pleasure in calm water sheltered by being within the lee of the land to its west. Not so those that enterprise out from Jeddah on the Saudi aspect, which suffers from an onshore wind.
ETA: By no means
Again within the early Nineties, I crewed a vessel that made its manner south the entire size of the Crimson Sea. It was summer time, and we hoped for calm climate. Nonetheless, we weren’t fortunate with the climate coming north from Port Sudan.
The slim hull of our vessel was 60 years previous however manufactured from strong German metal and designed for the less-hospitable seas of northern Europe, so we punched onwards.
Though we had a notional cruising velocity of eight knots, there have been occasions when the not too long ago fitted GPS displayed “ETA: By no means”, as a result of we have been making no headway.
Years later, I made the identical journey within the Egyptian m/y Royal Emperor. It was a steel-hulled vessel that had been pressed into service as a diving liveaboard. The journey north from Port Sudan was so powerful that we would have liked to shelter for a time behind a reef whereas the crew bailed out the water from the cabins under decks.
The bilge pumps had not been capable of take care of the onslaught. The violence from repeatedly head-butting the waves even brought on some air-conditioning items to fall off the partitions of the salon.
So you’ll be able to take pleasure in a following sea, going south, however there’s just one manner again.
Security in numbers
As soon as the Egyptian diving business took off, a number of Egyptian-built liveaboards would optimistically enterprise offshore to the Brother Islands. The journey again north was so intense that there have been typically casualties.
The Egyptian authorities then decreed that such boats needed to journey in convoy, in order that between them they might be capable to impact the rescue of any vessel that failed in the course of the journey.
The Egyptians make nice-looking boats, however they make them from timber. In the event that they collide with the reef, it’s often deadly for the hull, but when they keep within the calm waters across the reefs within the lee of Egypt’s shore, they need to be OK.
Take one out into the primary sea-lanes which can be so infamous with ocean-going mariners and, punching into the ocean going north, it is going to typically end in structural failure and the attainable lack of the vessel.
Wood-hulled vessels not designed or meant for offshore use that try the journey endure from the ignorance or hubris of the operator.
We all know of just one Egyptian liveaboard vessel constructed and run in compliance with SOLAS laws, appropriate for the journey again from Elba Reef. It wasn’t m/y Seaduction. It’s the steel-hulled m/y Royal Evolution.
Additionally on Divernet: EGYPTIAN LIVEABOARD SINKS IN DEEP SOUTH, EXOCET DIVE-BOAT SANK AFTER HITTING RED SEA REEF, RED SEA LIVEABOARD SINKS AT ABU NUHAS, ‘OUR DIVE LIVEABOARD CAPSIZED: NOW WHAT?’, HOW WELL-COVERED IS YOUR LIVEABOARD TRIP?
