We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

alias: Scheduled dry dock for Cassiopeia II

For unknown reasons, in the noon hours last Sunday, the Diving City safari boat caught fire in the Safaga dock and two hours later, was completely destroyed. The boat was right behind Cassiopeia, awaiting works to be done on her. The sometimes strong winds from the North-Northwest managed to blow some of the flames onto Cassiopeia as well, burning off the paint in some areas of the boat.

The fact that Cassiopeia did not suffer any more serious damage can be attributed to the twenty people who were working together to save the boat by emptying all the fire extinguishers and by using an old hose to pump some water that was found nearby onto the fire. Cassiopeia did not have any water onboard as it all had to be drained the day before when she was being lifted out of the water and she fell back due to being too heavy for the operation. It was very close that Cassiopeia could have also been eaten up by the fire.

Following the Sunday scare, the renovation continued on Monday. The new steel sheet were installed along with the stabiliser wings onto the bottom of the hull and all the paint was sanded off to prepare for the new coat of paint. On the main deck the walls of the diningroom are bare, waiting to receive the new covering.

To be continued…

He took his first breath underwater in 1991. In 1996 he turned his passion into a way of living and became a diving professional. He worked in Turkey, Croatia, Bali, the Red Sea and Austria, among others.

His new love underwater, beside technical diving, is underwater video, though he is still a newbie.

He made his first attempts with different cameras and housings, from homemade to Nimar.

Now, for practical reasons, he chooses a small one-hand setup, Sanyo HD2000 in a Patima Housing. It is not the most professional but it is enough for the usual stuff.

Tibor Fazekas website and Facebook page

St. Johns Safari 2009 may – underwater

New Diver Search and Locate System onboard Andromeda

Last week the SEA MARSHALL diver search and locate security system was installed onboard Andromeda and now both our vessels are equipped with this essential diver security system. It can happen to any diver that upon surfacing, they do not see their boat or they find themselves drifted hundreds of metres from the reefs or from their group. In bad visibility, with big waves in rough seas, not much good do bouys, mirrors or sound alarms.

This system has worked very well onboard Cassiopeia and the divers enthusiastically have been taking along their transmitters for the dives, so it has become a must for Andromeda as well. The SEA MARSHALL PLB 8 is a small transmitter, not bigger than a digital camera and it can be easily placed in the BCD’s pocket or on the tank.

Surfacing divers, after realising that they had gotten far from the boat, activate the system. The receiver on the bridge registers the signal and alerts the crew onboard. The receiver shows the direction and the signal strength from which the position of the diver can be calculated. Given ideal conditions, conservative dive plans, appropriate experience and attention, drifting can be avoided but it does not hurt to be ready for possible emergencies and to always have a plan “B”.

After a well-done job, everyone deserves some rest. For some, it may be a long bath or a massage to rejuvenate, while others will do with just a new make-up or with a little relaxation. After a long season, at the beginning of December, Cassiopiea was lifted out of the water and into the dry dock, into professional hands to beautify and to renew her in the coming weeks.

Every boat must be continually checked and repaired because the constant use and time leave their marks on them. Wooden boats are taken to the dry dock about every 9-12 months where following the lift out of the water and the sanding, the decayed and damaged wooden planks are replaced. However, for steel boats it is enough to do the dry dock work every 3 years. During the interim years the steel boats are maintained by repairs to the interior such as painting, sanding the teak and interior surface cleaning and repairs.

The hull bottoms of steel boats are protected from the algee deposits by special paint which is guaranteed for 1-3 years depending on the price. This special paint protected the bottom of Cassiopeia’s hull for 3 years which is now sandblasted all the way to the steel and the new coat of paint is applied.

Andromeda’s underwater stabiliser wings have worked very well and substantially reduced the rocking of the boat in the wind. As a result, Cassiopeia is also going to be equipped with similar wings.

The rubber caulking around the propeller rod has also served its purpose and their replacement is also part of the general technical check-up and maintenance.

Besides the maintenance of the electronics in the engine room and steel hull, the interiors are also going to be renewed in the dining room, the salon, the corridors and the cabins. Instead of the previous faux leather coverings we are going to use chenille coverings as we did on Andromeda.

Get away to Egypt for some winter sun and some of the best scuba diving to be found in the World.

The brand new luxurious M/Y Andromeda Liveaboard is offering the following spectacular last minute offer for the following cruise date. Some places are still available on this incredibly – priced, low season scuba diving safari.

Available: 12 to 19 December 2009 on board Andromeda, Brother’s trip, for 590 euro, 10 places for sale!

Don’t delay, this offer sell out fast! For more details contact volgyesi.livia@cassiopeiasafari.com