AL HAMADA, Egypt (13 July 2005) -- Despite promises by UK dive tour company Oonasdivers that "The guests' welfare has been paramount in her construction and operation", the M/Y Coral Queen hit a reef in the Red Sea and quickly sank at the Sha'ab Sataya dive site at Fury Shoals. All of the guests and crew aboard the Coral Queen survived the accident but the liveaboard dive vessel sank quickly and members of the UK dive tour group aboard the boat lost their personal possessions including passports and credit cards. Divers in the tour group blamed the accident on the Coral Queen's diving schedule. The first dive each day started at 5:30am which forced the crew to move the boat to the next dive site in the dark. | | Coral Queen After the Coral Queen sank, guests and crew were transferred by Zodiac to another liveaboard, the Heaven Majesty. According to one guest, the situation could have turned tragic if another liveaboard had not been anchored in the same area. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
