The Red Sea – Day 1: Cranky in Hurghada
THE RED SEA
Day 1: Cranky in Hurghada
June 22, 2024
Cranky after two flights and a sleepless night, I was finally in Hurghada. The second I stepped outside the airport, I was mercilessly attacked by hordes of taxi drivers who wanted to give me a lift.
Given my previous experience in Egypt, especially with scammers, I was prepared for this. With sleep deprivation getting the best of me, I gave in to my urge to make a scene – and so, I made a scene. I must have appeared like a neurotic mess, which I was, as I yelled at them to get out of my way and stop treating tourists like friggin’ ATMs. Needless to say, they all backed off immediately and went to chase other potential clients.
Meanwhile, I had a couple of hours to kill until Amelia would land. I figured they’d batch both of us onto the same shuttle, given that it would be a three-hour ride – but I figured wrong. After an hour of waiting, a driver from the Sea Story came up to me, visibly annoyed that I had made him wait for so long. And so, I started the journey to Port Ghalib all alone.
Once there, we made our way to the dock where – lo and behold – there was the Sea Story, right next to the Tillis, which was preparing for departure too. Given that we were originally meant to board the latter, I had no idea why they had changed our plans. Fishy as hell, but I didn’t question it much at the time. Plus, the Sea Story seemed nice enough.
Boarding the Sea Story
I was the first and only one to embark the Sea Story. As soon as I was introduced to the staff, I was led into the cabin I’d be sharing with Amelia and then had some time to explore the boat.
The Sea Story was a luxury liveaboard yacht designed specifically for diving expeditions. Measuring around 44 metres in length, it could accommodate up to 36 guests in 18 cabins. The vessel featured four spacious decks, including indoor lounges, dining areas, wide sun decks for relaxing between dives and, most importantly, the dive deck. This would be our home for the entire week, and I couldn’t have been more excited if I’d tried.
After a couple of hours, the boat started to get a bit more populated. First came the sibling duo Karl and Kurt, along with their father, Johan – all from Austria. Then came Ross, a Dutch guy working as a diving instructor in the Philippines; Lena and Frieda, friends from the US and Australia respectively; and Antida, an Austrian world-renowned horse rider.
Last but not least came yet another Austrian – my favourite thus far – Amelia. It was so, so good to see her again. Everything was just right once again – as it always did when I was in her company. Just being next to her would take me back to our days in Utila – the best of vibes!
Briefings, Gear and First Impressions
After everyone got settled in, and Amelia and I got caught up over coffee and beer, we were gathered in the lounge area for our first briefing.
Here, we were introduced to the staff, with Aladin and Youssef being our local guides throughout the entire expedition. Then we were told about the boat and given a short safety briefing. We’d be starting our dives the following day, given that it was now too late to do our check dive.
In the meantime, we were shown to the dive deck, where we got to try on our equipment, and then had our first dinner together – serving as a great icebreaker to get to know everyone. It seemed like we’d be a good fit from the very start.