"Northern Wrecks and Reefs," MY Blue Fin!
by Martin Sutcliffe

Not another red sea trip report I hear you cry. Well yes, I'm afraid, it's another one. But lets be honest - the red sea is one of those destinations where you can go back again and again, and you will have a completely different holiday each and every time. Blue o Two is a relatively new liveaboard operator in the Red Sea, and as such I thought that a report on one of their trip was perhaps worth writing for the travel club! My trip took place during November 2007.

My trip was, as is often the case, a bit of a last minute decision. I phoned Blue o Two and spoke to Rory who helped me place a booking. Blue o Two were kind enough to hold my space for me for a couple of days, at no charge, whilst I ensured my annual leave from work was confirmed. I quickly paid for my space (note - if you don't ask for a discount, then you won't get one), and my place was confirmed and tickets arrived promptly.

My flights were with excel airways, who were kind enough to provide a slightly increased weight allowance for diving equipment. They were, however, less than accommodating of my 6'6" stature. Check in was swift, and whilst at the airport I was able to make a quick call to a blue O Two rep to check what currency on board 'extras' would be billed in (British Pounds) so I would know what currency to take. At Hurghada airport I was the only Blue O Two customer on the flight, and was met with my visa sticker, and then again after passport control, where a small minibus took me though to the boat.

I was welcomed on board by Kevin, who appears to be the resident dive guide aboard Blue Fin. Kevin showed me where to unpack my dive kit (I was first on board, so had pick of the spots), and showed me around the boat. We had the necessary paperwork completed in just a few minutes, and then I headed for the bar (well, fridge with beer in).

An hour or so later, the Gatwick contingent arrived, and I met the group I would be spending the next week on (and off) the boat with. The group, from scubadoo divers in Suffolk were led by Gerry - bald headed chap with a gold tooth - my stereotypical crook. Well, he's a PADI instructor, so what does one expect?? (Tongue firmly in cheek!!). I knew I was in for a good week, as they seemed to unpack in a slightly different order to me - I'd never have thought of buying duty free booze in the UK and bringing it abroad with me!! I'll know for next time, mind. Dinner was soon served (curry), and the drink flowed late into the night. This is the nice thing about diving holidays - you can turn up as a single, and have at least one thing in common with the rest of the group immediately.

We departed from the mooring on Saturday morning, and were soon in the water. The first day was spent diving a couple of nice reefs between Hurghada and Abu Nuhas, which served to permit kit tinkering and weight checking. Over the next 6 days we were offered 21 dives, including a night dive every night!. The emphasis was firmly on the wrecks.

I missed out on two of the night dives, because I was led to temptation by the Sakara gold in the fridge. The dive guide (quite rightly) was somewhat against me diving whilst under the influence. As such, I completed the following dives:

1. Poseidons
2. Syal Kebir
3. Abu Nuhas
4. the Chrisoula K
5. the Carnatic
6. Shaab Mahmood
7. beacon Rock
8. the Dunraven
9. Small Crack
10. The Thistlegorm (twice)
11. Shag Rock
12. 'The Barge' - at day, and at night
13. Rosalie Moller
14. the Ulyssess
15. the Giannis D
16. Um Jamnara
17. the Minesweeper

The diving was well organized, and usually from the two zodiacs. Kevin provided sensible briefings, and reasonable limits on dive plans. He helped to ensure buddy pairings were organized, especially for those who were travelling (like me) alone. He made no effort to keep such a large group together (thankfully), and buddy pairs were free to jump in and do what they liked, within the limits of the briefing.

I will not review each individual site - there are too many, and you can purchase books which will be in greater detail and more accurate than my recollections. Needless to say, they were all fantastic. The night dives tended to be at popular mooring spots, and as such were often crowded, but Kevin and the crew were fairly happy with letting us wait until all the other boats had 'jumped' before we started to kit up. If you go on this safari, and do only one night dive, then do "The Barge." It is, quite genuinely, fantastic!

Between dives there was so much space available on the boat it never felt crowded. The crew are helpful, and take part in the water-based fun between dives just as much as the customers. The cabin I shared was cleaned daily, the shower was better than in many hotels, and the toilet flushed. Some of the group complained of smelly toilets in the ensuites, but this was not my experience. Instead of this I got one of the very large and very noisy engines at 0400, however. Each cabin also has a TV & DVD player, with AV inputs, so you can admire your photos after the dive. The fridge was kept well stocked, and the meals were superb. If you are out with Blue Fin, then you should keep a tally of the number of eggs you think you are using - and you'll find out at the end just how many eggs a boat full of people can use in a single week. Baz, the cabin manager, is highly entertaining, especially when he forgets to ask the night before how you would like your eggs in the morning, and at the end of the week he just might come out for a meal and show you how to smoke Shisha properly!

There was only one technical problem on our trip - the Nitrox system was broken. As such, we all dived on air all week. It didn't really matter, to be honest. Kevin organized Nitrox for our one particularly deep dive (the Rosalie moller), by partial pressure blending, and blue o two kindly did not charge us for the nitrox! My only other real criticism would be that (as with so many centres) blue o two didn't seem to recognize that as a BSAC diver, one is indeed qualified to conduct decompression dives!

Would I go on blue fin again - well, I've already booked for October 2008! I can't wait. Was I sea sick? No. I started to feel queezy, but quickly applied the 'Sea Bands' I had purchased at Boots in the airport. I am now a convert, and they will ALWAYS be in my dive bag! Forget your kwells, ginger biscuits, stugeron etc. I think I have found my solution.