TRAVELSPECIAL
Pretty much everyone I knew had nursed some sort of warm water fantasy during the pandemic . For me , it was the ease and simplicity that comes with a Red Sea liveaboard . The company of fellow divers united by a simple desire to do nothing but eat , sleep and dive , for six blissful days .
So it was that last October I found myself on board MV Hurricane , the steel-hulled workhorse of the Tornado Marine Fleet , visiting the Brother Islands , Elphinstone and Daedalus on the feted ‘ Simply the Best ’ itinerary .
What to expect
At my time of travel last year , the principal requirements for travel to Egypt were an NHS Covid pass and an online Passenger Locator form . By late January this year , the requirement to book a two-day test on return had been revoked , which made everything a bit easier .
Departing London Gatwick on EasyJet was straightforward , as was entry into Egypt . The more challenging segment was leaving Egypt . The system puts all the pressure on the departure airport to check your paperwork , and Hurghada already has a notoriously involved security system . Your outward passage through the airport should look something like this ...
1 . X-ray on all luggage at the terminal entrance . There may also be a mildly humiliating luggage search , in which a needlessly vindictive official barks at you while swabbing your luggage .
2 . Check-in , where you must show your completed Passenger Locator Form and Covid Pass , alongside the usual travel documents . People were ejected from my
56 queue for not having their Covid passes printed in full , and everything moved very slowly . The official wanted to see the entire form , not a screen grab or a QR code on a phone . Print everything to be safe .
3 . Immigration . Straightforward , but never forget that after the immigration officer in the booth has stamped your passport , another is waiting just beyond to check it , so keep your passport handy .
4 . Hand luggage and security checks . The queues move at a glacial pace as everyone removes their belts / shoes / watches / will to live . Security detests a loose battery , so make sure they are either fitted inside the devices or secured inside a charger with insulating tape .
5 . Final security check . Expect a scaleddown version of step 4 just before the gate . 6 . Boarding . At last , you can relax .
Coral grouper with a cleaner wrasse
Above : Bottlenose dolphins at Elphinstone Below : Bearded scorpionfish at Big Brother