Sea Story, Egyptian live aboard diving vessel sinks. Many are still missing.
An Egyptian yacht built in 2022 has sunk, leaving passengers trapped inside the boat since Monday. The live aboard diving boat encountered large waves Monday morning in the Red Sea, and capsized quickly. Some 28 people were rescued right away on Monday by the Egyptian Navy, the Egyptian authorities say they have recovered four bodies.
The floor plan of the Sea Story dive boat. Divers are trying to rescue those who may be trapped inside
The survivors and the missing are an international group of divers and an Egyptian crew. The boat sunk within 5 minutes in the early morning. No doubt many passengers were still in bed.
A coral reef in the Red Sea
The Sea Story was a live-aboard diving boat meant to bring divers to their dream dive destinations in Egypt. The yacht left its port near the Egyptian town of Marsa Alam on Sunday for a five-day diving trip. On Monday it was believed to be hit by a large wave which caused it to sink. In total 33 passengers have been rescued, along with four bodies.
Inside the Sea Story
The owner of EcoOcean, a research vessel that conducts environmental research in the Red and Med Sea, told me once about the power of the Red Sea and the time that they almost capsized. A storm blew in and being a vessel registered in Israel they could not dock at Saudi Arabia or Sudan and had to keep going despite the risk of capsizing. The Red Sea in the area of the Sinai Peninsula is remarkably calm but go more south and it can be wild.
See below footage from divers onboard the Carlton Queen documenting its sinking and rescue last year.
Diver Ian Cilia from Malta, told Green Prophet: “I was on this boat..absolutely beautiful boat. Probably owners had to recover the money they spent on it by going out in atrocious conditions. Cost peoples lives. Just my opinion.”
Egypt is not known for its strict enforcement of the laws. You can ride in the back of a pickup truck and walk on coral reefs in nature reserves. It is in Egypt where people do not get into trouble for keeping dolphins in swimming pools.
Questions have already been raised about diving operations in the region. This isn’t the first time a tourist boat has seen trouble. Last June, three British tourists died after a diving yacht caught fire on the Red Sea. Another yacht, the Carlton Queen, capsized and sank near Hurghada earlier last year. No one died, but the passengers onboard said the vessel was not seaworthy. Also at Hurghada, tourists are shocked to see restaurants serving sharks and manta rays on the menu.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
