Discovery II, Egypt

We will be back!

Wonderful experience. Great crew. Very competent and friendly dive guides. Safety is the priority. Great dive sites. Saw more than what we expected. The food on the boat is amazing.

Recommended for

Dive sites. Dive guides. Food.

Erlebnisreich und chaotisch.

Discovery II hat einen erheblichen Renovierungsbedarf, mehr noch als Discovery l. Diveguides waren viel zu nervös und haben unverständlicherweise auf Kleinigkeiten überreagiert, so dass man sich ständig kontrolliert gefühlt hat. (habe erst 400 Tauchgänge). Nach der Safari hat sich der wahre Grund herausgestellt. Die Woche davor wurden drei Taucher von Longimanus verletzt, darunter auch ein Guiede, der ja eigentlich wissen müsste, wie man sich korrekt verhält. Die Tauchboote sprechen sich nicht ab, so kam es auf den Big Brothers zu einer regelrechten Karambolage ca 50 Taucher sind aufeinander getroffen und viele Gruppen sind dabei auseinandergerissen worden. Das war jetzt in 32 Jahren meine 16. Rotes Meer Tour und es wird mich eine Überwindung kosten nochmal eine zu buchen, obwohl es einer der Schönsten Tauchplätze der Welt ist. Schade :-(

Recommended for

Manta. Bootscrew. Elfistone.

Great itinerary on a generally comfortable ship with diligent crew

1. Pick up / drop off was fantastic. Drivers were ready on time and brought me to/from the dive boat without any additional hassle. I arrived on a red-eye flight at 5am and understood I could not check-in until 4pm, but I wish I would have known that the dive boat schedule did not actually leave the pier until the morning of the 2nd day, meaning I could have checked in anytime before midnight--other guests arrived at 10pm--so the schedule wasn't clear. Guests were informed that "this is normal, we need to get park permits, etc." but the 2nd day required a return to the pier to "get a spare part for the engine." Fortunately there were no problems, but this was a rough start. 2. Hurghada pier: this isn't only the Discovery II ship's fault, but with so many divers and so much money going through here, it is strange that the pier is so tiny and basic. This is Egypt, after all, but the real problem started after arriving back at the pier on the last full day before check-out: fumes from the 8 idling dive boat engines made some of the downstairs cabins very "exhaust fume-y" and cannot possibly have been healthy. 3. The ship itself was comfortable with a functional dive deck, and relaxing areas, plus a galley that could serve up to 24 divers. It was crowded, but there was always enough food and it was good! The A/C worked in the cabins quite well on the first night, not at all on the second night and the Red Sea crossing to the dive sites was one of the roughest I've experienced. Crew was on hand with sea sickness meds as necessary, but sleep was impossible as the cabin shower door slammed from the motion of the ocean! 4. Dive Guides: there are world class dives, and the guides are pretty good for those divers without enough experience to DIY the dive sites. I prefer the guides, but I was having issues with the unfamiliar rental equipment, and as a relatively inexperienced diver who only goes once a year, I needed more attention on balancing to help my buoyancy. My problem, but I feel like the guides could have been more attentive on the initial check dive. My fault for not being more aggressive about explaining my issues up front. Overall: very satisfied to have done this, the crew and the guides generally gave a top effort and made the week's diving and vacation experience a good one. With a few tweaks, this could be an excellent experience.

Recommended for

Itinerary. Guides and Crew. Food.

Good experience

Generally the boat meets all my expectations for the price. Very fair. I liked the food, it was plenty, good choice of salads, which were safe to eat. Diving groups are large with 8-10 people. Equipment cannot be exchanged once the boat has left the shore. While I did a nitrox course, which was okay, I didn't have the impression that dive guides go the extra mile to help, especially beginners, to improve their diving skills. WiFi only works close to the shore. Our departure time on the first day was significantly delayed, due to guests arriving late and the boat wasn't fuelled. Luckily we didn't miss any dives. Regarding the dive sites, be prepared to dive with up to 10 other boats at the same time. The crews should stagger times more I think. Also I don't think that these sites deserve to be considered top spots for diving in the world. Decent, some nice sites, 2 sharks in 1 week (maybe due to water being to warm), but that's it.

Recommended for

Spacious boat with three nice outdoor areas. Good rental equipment. Friendly and helpful staff.

Unforgettable experience

We had a wonderful time on board discovery 2. Staff was super friendly, food was exceptional, variety of diving was great. Would definitely reccomend. Alex

Recommended for

Friendly staff. Great food. Incredible dives.

Great diving experience

Overall was a great week, weather changed our itinerary but that is out of anyone's hands. I'm not sure if there was a mid communication from booking to the boat however, I stipulated upon booking that I am Vegan and listed all the food I do not eat, yet once onboard it would seem that didn't get passed on and all the crew kept giving me in letters and food with milk and cheese in. I basically lived off rice, fries and a bit of fruit all week. They did make me and the vegetarians an extra dish but again, it was always egg and cheese and no matter how many times I said I didn't eat that, every meal it kept coming. No milk alternatives so my coffee had to be black which was gross. No vegan snacks. 3 or 4 dives a day eating a poor diet was hard

Recommended for

Khaled and Mohammed the dive guides. Lots of space to find a nice spot. Easy and spacious dive platform.