After the fires of recent years, liveaboard operators in Egypt are tightening up their emergency protocols. Kirsty Andrews reports
KIRSTYANDREWS
Liveaboard safety in the Red Sea
After the fires of recent years, liveaboard operators in Egypt are tightening up their emergency protocols. Kirsty Andrews reports
Do you consider safety and‘ what happens if …’ when you’ re booking your dive holidays? I will admit that in the past it’ s not something I gave more than a fleeting thought to, being a natural optimist and not much of a planner. More and more, though, in recent years, the headlines about liveaboard incidents worldwide, some with truly tragic consequences, have been hard to avoid. Even for a happy-go-lucky girl such as myself it gives pause for thought.
Trying on lifejackets for emergency evacuation practice on the Ghazala Adventure
Earlier this year I went back to Egypt for the first time in a few years, on brand new boat the Ghazala Adventure. I can’ t resist a liveaboard: the lifestyle on board( sleep, dive, eat, repeat) is just so enticing; the ability to get to sites further afield or earlier than the day boats, the sheer quantity of dives available, it all floats my boat, as it were.
Egypt has had more than its fair share of disastrous headlines in recent years, and in response, I believe that the top holiday companies have had to raise their game in
order to keep tourists filling their bunks. I’ m talking from my personal experience of this boat, but it’ s not a paid promotion I promise, and I do understand that other operators are taking matters similarly seriously.
As an annoying photographer type, I’ m very conscious that I come bringing my very own personal fire risk. The number of batteries I tote around, some Lithium, some Ni-mh, is eye-popping to the non-initiated. They are all essential of course! In the past, guests could charge personal items in their cabins but this is now no longer permitted by Egyptian rules; instead, we had charging areas on the deck. These weren’ t the traditional cubbyholes open to the saltwater elements either. I have personal bad experience of those; my battery charger spontaneously melted. Scary stuff. In this set-up, even for overnight charging there is a night watch who patrols, and has to check in every two hours to show they are alert and all is well.
My first impression of this safety-first attitude was on night 1, as I set out my dive kit. I was provided with my own personal EPIRB( Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), as was every diver onboard, with instructions on how to use the simple device, just in case. I tucked it in my pocket and thankfully didn’ t have to use it.
Before we left dock, there was the usual kerfuffle as we waited for the coastguard to allow us to leave. We used the time profitably, with a safety briefing. I was used to this from other trips over the years, but this briefing was considerably more thorough. The dive guides demonstrated to us how to use the O2 kit. Not totally unfamiliar territory for me, given my BSAC First Aid and Oxygen Administration training, but a useful reminder for all.
Next, we collected our lifejackets from our rooms and were supervised in putting them on correctly. Initially, some were the wrong size for certain larger or smaller guests, but this was quickly rectified from a plentiful supply of spares – a benefit of trying them on day one. We were also shown where the spares were kept upstairs, in case we were outside our cabins should disaster hit.
Then we conducted a full drill of emerging from our cabins in response to the fire alarm. This involved familiarising myself with the route through the crew quarters to the bow, as my cabin was downstairs. And yes, the fire alarms were operational! This was the most thorough briefing I’ ve had on a dive boat, and naturally quite reassuring.
Beyond that, all went well. Maybe like me you will be more inclined to consider the safety record of your operators when booking your next one. I wish you all equally safe and secure diving holidays in future. �
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