Tourists visiting Egypt throughout the spring have been warned to be weary of booking “liveaboard vessels”. The Foreign Office has highlighted that there has been a number of incidents involving British nationals on boats and tours in the red sea, although the nature of the type of boats involved vary from incident to incident.
Liveaboard vessels are particularly designed with the goal of allowing tourists to dive into the ocean, with passengers generally staying on board the vessel overnight or even longer. According to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport, customers are advised only to book liveaboard dive holidays through reputable vendors. This is so safety standards for diving are more guaranteed.
Furthermore, customers should request that the crew involved in the diving procedure go through a safety briefing prior to departure. Earlier this month, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch issued a warning over the increased loss of life on Egyption liveboard dive boats.
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said: “The MAIB is aware of 16 accidents that have occurred over the last 5 years involving liveaboard dive vessels operating in the Red Sea. It is deeply regrettable that a number of these accidents have resulted in the loss of life and our thoughts are with all those affected.
“While MAIB does not have the jurisdiction to investigate accidents involving non-UK flagged vessels operating within the territorial waters of another coastal state, we have made the appropriate authorities aware of our national interest and offered every assistance with any safety investigation they conduct.
“Our safety bulletin provides important guidance to those intending to stay on liveaboard vessels. It is important to remember that such vessels are unlikely to be built, maintained, equipped, and operated to the standard of similar vessels in the UK and we urge the exercise of extreme caution when choosing a boat.”
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), almost a third of drownings abroad take place while victims are swimming, with many facing difficulty combatting strong currents and rip tides in the ocean. Full details of advised watersports safety abroad can be found here.
The foreign office also issued the following water safety tips that tourists should remember:
- not dive or snorkel without a dive buddy or guide
- observe safety standards on board and exercise caution
- check the weather and stay alert to changes
- not dive below your insurance policy’s depth limit – doing so will invalidate your cover
- make bookings through your tour representative or reputable operator if possible