Two of the casualties are children, another couple has died, leaving their surviving children orphaned.

A local Egyptian guide told Green Prophet, neglect was the reason: “It is dilapidated and not maintained. The glass window [was] broken and [the sub was] 20 meters deep,” when the accident happened, he said.

Local reports say the sub was out less than a mile when the accident happened. All the tourists were Russian.

Egypt’s waters have been the site of numerous maritime disasters in recent years, particularly among the diving and tourism industry, where safety protocols are often ignored, and equipment maintenance is subpar. Past incidents, such as the 2022 sinking of the Carlton Queen dive boat and the 2021 fire aboard the diving vessel Heaven One, highlight a troubling trend in Egypt’s Red Sea tourism sector, where safety takes a back seat to profit.

Eleven people died in November, 2024 in the Sea Story incident when a dive boat sank and to this day no one knows the real cause or why the Egyptian Navy failed to rescue people quickly as the boat bobbed above the water for 2 days. We have a survivor story here.

In this latest incident, authorities confirmed that six tourists died, while 39 others were rescued. The victims included a married couple who were both doctors, with their two children now recovering in the hospital.

What Went Wrong?

Survivors have given conflicting accounts of what caused the accident. One Russian tourist, Ekaterina, told Russian outlet Ren TV that as passengers were boarding the submarine, water began pouring in due to two open hatches. She described it as if the vessel had fallen from its mooring, sending it plunging underwater before anyone could react. Other reports suggest the submarine may have hit a reef at a depth of 20 meters, causing it to lose pressure and take on water rapidly.

Compounding the disaster, the Sindbad company—responsible for the vessel—has provided little information. All upcoming submarine tours have been canceled pending an investigation, but for many, this response is too little, too late. Critics argue that Egyptian authorities should have enforced stricter safety protocols long ago, preventing such tragedies from occurring in the first place.

Tourists who have previously taken Sindbad submarine tours are now speaking out about the concerning lack of safety protocols. British tourist Roy Gillson, who was on a trip just last week, admitted, “Looking back, we had no safety drill whatsoever.” Another tourist stated that a recorded safety briefing was played, but there was no real enforcement of emergency procedures.

This aligns with broader issues in Egypt’s diving and maritime tourism sector. I have interviewed about 10 people connected to the Sea Story tragedy and all confirmed lack of functioning safety gear. Many operators in Egypt cut corners to maximize profits, resulting in poorly maintained vessels, inadequate crew training, and ineffective emergency response capabilities. Unlike in countries with stringent maritime regulations, Egypt lacks a dedicated, well-equipped rescue infrastructure, leaving victims to rely on often ill-prepared local resources when disasters strike.

Even going on a low-key boat trip can be dangerous in Egypt. One reader sent us this story about boating with children. 

Egyptian authorities have launched an investigation, but many fear it will be yet another superficial review with little real impact. In previous maritime accidents, accountability has been rare, and companies often resume operations with minimal consequences.

As one survivor put it, “This could have been prevented. How many more people have to die before they take safety seriously?”

Egypt relies heavily on tourism as a key sector of its economy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism contributed about 12% to Egypt’s GDP and was one of the country’s largest sources of foreign currency. The industry also provided jobs for around 10% of Egypt’s workforce, directly and indirectly supporting millions of people.

Tourism revenue fluctuates based on global events, security concerns, and economic conditions. In 2019, Egypt earned $13 billion from tourism, but the pandemic caused a sharp decline in 2020. However, the industry has been recovering, especially with the rise in visitors to historic sites like the Pyramids, Luxor, and the Red Sea resorts.

To reduce dependence on tourism, Egypt has been investing in infrastructure, manufacturing, and its Suez Canal revenues. But the Houthi Yemeni terrorism has also taken a toll on Egypt’s shipping routes in this regard. Some people are turning to the Red Sea Islands in Saudi Arabia as an alternative but the prices there can’t match the affordability in Sinai and Egypt.

The post Six Dead in Red Sea Tourist Submarine Disaster, Raising Concerns Over Egypt’s Maritime Safety appeared first on Green Prophet.

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.

By Thursday afternoon some seven people were missing and recent rescue efforts revealed that a number of people were rescued from their cabins. The yacht is in about 12 meters of water with a part of it poking above the surface. Ongoing rescue operations hope to find and return those who may be trapped inside their cabins.

Related: Red Sea cargo ship sinks

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.

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.

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.

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When they arrived, rangers working for the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs were towing the 500kg female dugong to shore and Professor Adel Sehem gave them permission to do further analysis in order to determine the cause of death. While it is too soon to know for sure, activists suspect that the increased development and tourism traffic in Hurghada might be partially responsible.

HEPCA says that the dugong showed no signs of external trauma and that it was freshly dead when they arrived.

A biopsy of the lungs and kidneys will hopefully give more clues about why she died, and it will be the first time that a DNA fingerprint can be extracted of a dugong swimming in Egyptian Red Sea waters, according to the group.

Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, dugongs have been hunted for centuries for their meat and oil. Although they traverse 48 countries and 140,000 km of coastline, the population has dropped precipitously in recent years.

Dugongs are herbivorous mammals that typically stay close to the coastline so they can feed on seagrasses and other marine plants. These habitats are typically threatened by over-fishing, hunting and development. The port in Lamu, a Swahili outpost in Kenya, is one such development that threatens their fragile population.

That dugongs live for up to 70 years and are slow to reproduce makes it more challenging for their numbers to recover.

Once the biopsy of the Red Sea Dugong is completed, HEPCA hopes to be able to report their findings to the public. In the meantime, they are mourning this tragic loss.

“It’s a sad day to lose such a beautiful animal,” they posted on Facebook. “The harassment that these animals are exposed to by the endless over pressure of the snorkeling and diving boats has to stop,” they added.

“Although the examinations are not finished yet to determine the reason of the death of this dugong , the pressure on sea grass beds where these beautiful animals feed such as Abu Dabbab , Marsa Umbarak and Magawish and the continuous harassment has gone beyond tolerance. This crime has to stop.”

The post Dead Dugong With “Tears of Blood” Found in Egypt appeared first on Green Prophet.

Tourists offended by this gruesome display of endangered species reported the Picalbatros restaurant in Hurghada, Egypt to the local conservation agency.

Tourists who dine at the Pickalbatros restaurant in Hurghada might be greeted with a gruesome scene: sharks, rays, and parrot fish hanging from hooks, Egypt Independent reports. While some people have turned a blind eye, on three different occasions tourists disturbed by this dark display contacted the Hurghada Environmental Protection Agency (HEPCA) (who is largely credited with the establishment of Egypt’s first dolphin sanctuary) to lodge a formal complaint. The agency in turn is pursuing legal action against the food chain.

Polyester imitations of sharks and rays?

Egypt Independent’s Louise Sarant traveled to the restaurants in question and snapped up ghoulish images of the animals being displayed from hanging hooks and on a buffet table.

Shark’s eyes were gouged out and sting rays were peeled raw, and patrons had the option of picking out a piece of flesh and having it grilled in front of them.

When HEPCA’s Ahmed Droubi caught wind of this foul play, he contacted the restaurant’s sales manager to complain.

“I have established contact with the sales manager of the Pickalbatros chain to complain about their display of dead protected species,” Droubi told Egypt Independent. “And he replied in an email that the fish were covered in polyester!”

Illegal fishing

The Red Sea governorate banned shark fishing in 2004, a law that was backed up by Egypt’s Agriculture Minister the following year. But regulation has grown soft since last year’s revolution and one environmental official speaking anonymously noted that employees of the General Authority of Fish Resources are running shark fishing boats on the side in order to generate extra income.

Sharks in the Red Sea are facing extinction. Since they are an apex species, this bodes poorly for the marine ecosystem, and could seriously erode the region’s tourism appeal.

Droubi told the paper that he has provided a lawyer with documents in preparation of a lawsuit against the hotel chain’s management.

:: Egypt Independent (formerly Almasry Alyoum)

images courtesy of Louise Sarant

More on the Red Sea and Sharks:

Egypt’s Red Sea Sharks Face Extinction

Post Revolution Development in Egypt Destroys Popular Red Sea Dive Spot

Egypt Establishes Country’s First Dolphin Sanctuary

The post Tourists Bust Egyptian Restaurants Serving Endangered Species appeared first on Green Prophet.

Egypt’s Red Sea Governor Mahmoud Assem has established a safe-zone designed to protect the vulnerable Indo-pacific dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). The move, which bans any kind of vessel from entering the Fanous Reef, has been lauded by conservation groups such as the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA) – one of the few organizations committed to protecting the region’s marine life. HEPCA recognizes Egypt’s first dolphin sanctuary as a ” milestone achievement” and published a handy guide for divers and swimmers still permitted in the safe zone that describes best practices to maintain in the presence of dolphins. 

Bikya Masr reports that the tourism industry in Hurghada has had a deleterious effect on the region’s wildlife.

Unbridled development and poor environmental oversight have led to a serious degradation of the local ecosystem, and tourists eager to see dolphins in their natural environment inevitably put undue stress on them.

Tourism accounts for a large portion of Egypt’s gross domestic product, but diving and other activities are only sustainable in the long term if the local ecosystem is kept intact.

By cordoning off an area at the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, where dolphins routinely rest and and socialize, the Red Sea governorate is sending a very clear message that it is committed to caring for its marine life.

Although boats are not permitted to enter the safe zone, divers and swimmers still can, so HEPCA has provided the following behavioral tips that will ensure harmony between human visitors and custacean residents.

• Feeding dolphins is strictly forbidden (it is detrimental to their health and behavior)
• Do not throw any objects in the water
• Reduce noises such as shouting or whistling (dolphins rely almost completely on sense of hearing)
• Swim gently and quietly avoiding movement with arms and splashes
• Swim to intercept the dolphin route and then freeze; let the animals approach and decide if and how to interact
• Avoid noises such as shouting, whistling, using rattles and horns
• Do not chase the dolphins (it could only increase their speed)
• If snorkeler, do not free dive when dolphins dive
• If diver, do not follow the dolphins when they surface
• Touching the dolphins is strictly forbidden (and could lead to skin infections for both)
• Always use fins, masks and snorkels

The post Egypt Establishes Country’s First Dolphin Sanctuary appeared first on Green Prophet.

“The Mega Leisure Destination on the Red Sea” has sprung an oily leak so serious that the Egyptian authorities have declared a state of emergency, according to Almasry Alyoum. General Petroleum Corporation reported that one of their wells is leaking in three Gamsha spots north of Hurghada – a spot that is popular among tourists and the scene a very serious oil spill covered up by authorities last year.

Called a development comprised of “environmentally conscious design” by property developers eager to turn the area’s 39 kilometers of shoreline into the next Dubai, Gamsha is just one among numerous developments along the Red Sea that compromise its long term health. We recently reported that temperatures in the Red Sea (in concert with rising air temperatures) are escalating faster than the global average. This latest oil spill won’t make it hotter, but it’s bound to kill off coral a lot sooner. Authorities are still working on the spill, among numerous other emergencies.

:: Al Masry Al Youm

More Red Sea Stories:

Red Sea Oil Spill Cover Up Worse than Expected

The Red Sea is Getting Hotter and Faster than the Rest

Post-Revolution Development in Egypt Destroys Popular Red Sea Resort

image via SOS (Save Our Shores)

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