The UK’S Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a formal safety warning following a spate of Egyptian liveaboard dive boat accidents.
To support the warning, BSAC has also released its own guidance to members.
The past five years have seen 16 incidents involving dive liveaboards in the Red Sea.
Three liveaboards have been lost within the last 21 months alone, resulting in numerous deaths, including some UK nationals. Having recently raised serious concerns over the safety of dive boats operating in the Red Sea, MAIB has now published its safety bulletin for divers looking to book a liveaboard holiday in the region.
The report highlights significant safety issues, including poorly constructed vessels, defective lifesaving equipment, poor structural fire protection, unmarked emergency escape routes and inadequate safety briefing and crew training.
As a result, MAIB is urging divers to only book a Red Sea liveaboard through reputable vendors and to always request that the crew provide a thorough safety briefing before departure.
MAIB was prompted to act following the latest incident last November, which saw the capsizing of the liveaboard Sea Story near the port of Marsa Alam with the loss of four people, while seven people are still missing, including two UK divers.
Speaking on the release of the latest safety guidance, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said MAIB had offered every assistance to the Egyptian authorities in their investigations:
Our safety bulletin now 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.
The full MAIB safety bulletin can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/hrymacd6
BSAC guidance for its members
Following on from the 2025 MAIB Safety notification, BSAC has been asked by members for guidance on holidays on Red Sea Liveaboards. We are unable to give guidance on specific vessels but have detailed some of the considerations for liveaboard trips, most of it is applicable everywhere:
MAIB guidance
- Book liveaboard dive holidays through recognised vendors who can provide assurance about safety standards applicable to the dive boat.
- Request a detailed safety briefing before departure. This should cover warning signals, emergency exits, the location and use of safety equipment and abandon ship procedures.
Additional considerations for divers:
- Ask for a walk-through of emergency exits as part of safety briefing on board. This allows you to know the location of the emergency exits, how they open and to establish that the exits are clear.
- Be aware of life jacket locations on deck and in cabins. Ask for an emergency drill practice before departure.
- Some fire signage is luminous rather than lit - have a small spare dive torch in your cabin overnight or better still a small dry bag next to your bed with dive torch, water bottle and any location-at-sea kit you have.
- Search and rescue is chargeable in Egypt (currently 4,000 USD per hour) so ensure you have insurance for any cover you might require. Make sure your travel insurance, or the tour or dive company, will cover the costs for any air or sea rescue. The Egyptian authorities might only start rescue operations when they are guaranteed payment. Book excursions for activities at your resort, or through approved agents or tour operators.
- Consider your sea survival kit options for any dive trip to ensure you can be found at sea in the event of diver separation, or separation from your vessel. Mirrors, strobes, PLBs, EPIRBs, flags, dye bombs and dSMBs all have different advantages in an emergency situation, so ensure you have appropriate kit with you. Consider always having a torch with you, even for day dives.
