Red Sea
BROTHERS AND ELPHINSTONE, EGYPT
Sharks, sharks and soft coral splendour
Season: Year round diving
Visibility: 10-35 metres
Water Temperature: 20-31°C
Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Charles Hood)
Elphinstone Reef, approximately 450 meters long and with steep drop offs on either side could easily make a 40-plus meter dive. You will be torn between admiring the soft coral covered wall with its greens, purples and reds and keeping an eye on the blue for Oceanic White-tip Sharks or deeper still, Scalloped Hammerheads. This reef is not without some of the more common schooling fish such as coral groupers, butterflyfish and yellow snappers. Currents tend to be ever-present at Elphinstone, but most prevalent at the northern and southern tips, especially the northern tip so here is where you can expect more shark action! Occasionally, the sometimes-resident Thresher Shark might pop up briefly from the depths to see what all the fuss is about. Have your cameras ready for these as well as the schools of tunas and the solitary barracudas that patrol silently out in the blue. When you are coming up for your safety stop, keep your eyes open - you may also be fortunate enough to spot a Whale Shark in the shallows on the seaward side of the reef.
Big Brother and Little Brother (more commonly referred to simply as ‘Brothers’) are two small islands that just break the surface of the water almost mid-way between the shores of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This wonderful mid-sea location means that these are the only areas of coral for miles around and thus they provide a spectacular display of underwater life including schools of jacks, snappers and numerous sharks. Even Tiger Sharks cruise this area from time to time. Colourful Little Brother is small enough to circumnavigate and the coral shelf which has developed around the island supports a vast array of reef-dwellers. A forest of huge gorgonians reaches out to seaward and soft corals in many colours are highly abundant. The menacing shapes of Oceanic White-tip Sharks, accompanied by their characteristic small groups of Pilot Fish, can regularly be seen here. Watch out for that tell-tale rounded dorsal fin!
This region is not without two classic wreck dives too. The Numidia hit Big Brother in 1901 and has since been claimed well and truly by the sea. Now home to plenty of schooling fish such as snappers, jacks and barracudas, the Numida offers little in the way of structure or artefacts to marvel at. The real focus is on the wealth of marine life that now makes its home here. The wreck is accessible from 10 meters for those in search of a shallower dive, and all the way down to 40 meters for those wishing to seek out the grey reef sharks that lurk in the ‘silent zone.’
The western tip of Big Brother is where the Aida went down in 1957. With her prow at 30 metres and her stern at 70 metres, this wreck is heavily coral-laden and lies exposed to much current. In the right conditions the interior of the wreck can be explored. Like many deep wrecks around the world, a school of glass fish make their home in the engine room.
BLUE O TWO
blue Fin was blue o two’s first member of the luxury fleet. blue Fin is a 39 metre long 5 star super class cruiser. Luxury knows no bounds on board this liveaboard! She can take up to 24 guests in 13 en-suite, air conditioned cabins, each with a mini-bar and state of the art Cyclone multi-media player. Three suites, each with a king-size bed have 21 inch televisions whilst the 10 twin cabins all have 15 inch televisions. Two king-size suites are on the middle deck whilst the remainder of the cabins are on the lower deck. Bathrobes are provided for each passenger. Two sun decks mean there is ample space for catching inter-dive rays, though there are shaded areas for those sensitive to the sun. For evening entertainment the spacious, air conditioned saloon is home to the bar and doubles as a cinema with its 42 inch flat screen television and surround sound system. Guests sit together on one large table in the dining area and meals are served buffet style. The dive deck covers the aft third of the lower deck. Each diver has their own crate to store their gear. The crew will help you don your dive equipment at your dive station or on the lower dive platform before beginning the dive. Diving is usually done from zodiacs with entry into the water a backwards roll. Nitrox is available to be custom blended. A bathroom and freshwater shower are located on the dive deck. A dedicated camera table in a shaded area is useful for preparing your photographic gear. All televisions on board can be linked to laptops to review images. Upon request, a laptop with Adobe Master Collection and Lightroom can be placed on board.
M/Y blue Horizon’s creation symbolises the success of the blue o two fleet. She is larger, at 41 metres in length and slightly more luxurious than her sister ships, blue Fin and blue Melody. The flagship carrier of the blue o two fleet now sets the standard by which all other Red Sea liveaboards are measured by. blue Horizon carries up to 26 passengers in thirteen en-suite, air conditioned cabins, each with a mini-bar, television and Cyclone media player. Four suites on the middle deck have king sized beds and five double cabins and four twin cabins are on the lower deck. The five double cabins each have one double and one single bed. The four twin cabins each have two single beds. Bathrobes are provided for each passenger. The exquisite sky lounge is located on the upper deck where you simply must take advantage of the Cambridge Audio cinema system with infinity speakers! The luxurious and wonderfully appointed saloon is equipped with a Sony surround sound cinema system complete with a 34 inch flatscreen television. The saloon also acts as the dining room where meals are served buffet style. There are two sun decks, one of which is home to the Jacuzzi! Both sun decks have shaded areas. The spacious dive deck covers the aft third of the lower deck. Each diver has their own crate to store their gear. The crew will help you don your dive equipment at your dive station or on the lower dive platform before beginning the dive. Diving is usually done from zodiacs with entry into the water a backwards roll. Nitrox and trimix are available for custom blending. There is a freshwater shower on the dive deck for that all important rinse off after each dive. A dedicated camera table is in a shaded area is useful for preparing your photographic gear. All televisions on board can be linked to laptops to review images. Upon request, a laptop with Adobe Master Collection and Lightroom can be placed on board.
blue Melody is the most recent addition to the blue o two’s Red Sea fleet. She was refurbished and re-fitted in 2008. The smallest member of the fleet at 38 metres in length, she carries up to 26 passengers. Ten twin cabins and two double cabins are on the middle deck and one double cabin is on the upper deck. All cabins are en-suit and air conditioned. blue Melody has two Cyclone multimedia players and two 42 inch flat plasma screens. The dining room, saloon and bar are all separate areas so it can often be pleasant to spend a quiet moment away from the evening hubbub if you wish. The dive deck covers the aft third of the lower deck. Each diver has their own crate to store their gear. The crew will help you don your dive equipment at your dive station or on the lower dive platform before beginning the dive. Diving is usually done from zodiacs with entry into the water a backwards roll. Nitrox is available to be custom blended. A freshwater shower and bathroom are located on the dive deck. A dedicated camera table is in a shaded area is useful for preparing your photographic gear. All televisions on board can be linked to laptops to review images. Upon request, a laptop with Adobe Master Collection and Lightroom can be placed on board.
Mini-bars on the blue o two fleet are not stocked by the vessel but guests are welcome to bring their own purchases from duty free or to transfer drinks from the main fridge to their cabin. Usually each vessel carries 10 crew members though this can alter depending on the capacity and destination of each boat. Fresh drinks, fruit and biscuits are served between dives (hot chocolate if it is a night dive!) and on most afternoons a fresh cake is baked on board.
blue o two cruises operate out of Hurghada or Port Ghalib depending on the cruise itinerary, departing every Friday for 7 nights cruises throughout the year. Below are the blue o two itineraries that include diving on Brothers and Elphinstone:
North and Brothers: Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas, Brothers, wrecks of the Numidia and Aida.
Straits of Tiran and Brothers: Straits of Tiran, Jackson Reef, Woodhouse Reef, Gordon Reef, Abu Nuhas, Big Brother, Little Brother.
Deep South: Elphinstone, Fury Shoal, Sataya Reef, St. John’s Reef North, St John’s Reef
Brothers and Elphinstone: Brothers, Elphinstone, Aida, Numida
Simply The Best: Brothers, Elphinstone, Aida, Numida, Daedalus
Best of the Red Sea Tour: Elphinstone, Daedalus, Fury Schoal, Zabargad Island, Rocky Island
Best of Wrecks: Salem Express, SS Thistlegorm, Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Aida, Numida
Best of Brothers: A whole week at the Brothers as well as the opportunity to dive wrecks of The Aida and The Numidia
‘Project Shark’ is a fascinating development. Daedalus and St John’s, Brothers and Elphinstone, Deep South and Simply The Best itineraries have, on selected weeks, invited Elke Bojanowski, Ph. D. on board the vessel to help you get the best out of these opportunities to dive with Red Sea sharks. The week will enable you to learn more about the biology and behaviour of sharks in the Red Sea and develop data collection and identification skills. If you have even the remotest interest in sharks, these cruises are a must!
Price: from about £899. Includes: Return flights from London Gatwick to Hurghada; Egyptian entry visa, marine park fees, 7 nights cruise on the blue o two vessel of your choice on a twin/share basis with full board, including soft drinks, tea, coffee and water; 5 full days of diving (up to 2 or 3 dives per day) plus 2 or 3 dives on the last day; airport transfers.
Night diving is not permitted on itineraries that are subject to marine park regulations, (Elphinstone and Brothers Islands).
Back-lit soft coral (Jamie Edge)
