How is Hurricane Faring

[Paul Brookes]

All


I last went on MV Hurricane in May 2005, about a year after it was launched.
back then (oh so long ago) it led the way in Liveaboard standards.

I am looking at a liveaboard for November this year and Hurricane is one of the boats doing the itinerary I want.
Has anyone been on it recently? Now that it is 4 years old, is it getting tatty, A/C breaking etc... or is it still a decent boat to be committed to for a week?

Cheers,
Paul

[David D]

Just got back from a week on the Hurricane. Still a great boat, though bits and pieces are getting a bit tired, and it doesn't compete any more with the newer boats for speed. 12-14 knots max, I think.

I spent a week in a cabin where the snip on the door was buggered so if you wanted the door closed you needed to use the key to lock it.

Hot water was patchy. Air-con worked well enough. There were other little things, but so what.

Food was pretty good, only one guest with a bad stomach that I heard about.

The return from Elphinstone to Hurghada overnight was pretty rough, quite a few comments were passed next day, but Hurricane is a steel boat, and pretty stable in rough conditions. Lighter wooden boats would not have been so comfortable.

The new guides, Susie and Thomas, are as switched on as you would expect on Hurricane, and for that reason as much as any other I will be going back. Excellent organisation, short briefings, emphasis on safe diving practices, but perfectly happy to allow you to do your own thing once you've shown you can do what you say you can, or available to those who wanted guides.

I've already checked the schedule for later this year.

[David_Tobin]

I think I was on the same trip as David D.

The main benefits of the boat are:
It is steel and very stable, it was interesting see all the big wooden boats rocking and rolling when moored at Brothers etc.

The crew are very good and I agree with comments about the guides.

Cabins are still in good condition but try to avoid cabin 11 as it is next to the engines! That said ,the cabins in the bow were difficult to sleep in during the rough weather return to Hurghada

Other areas of the boat are still looking fine and the low level diving deck is a great advantage. The jacuzzi /spa is waste of space.

We would use the boat again.

[buchhawk]

One of the guides Sue is a member of YD, you could PM her for any questions from the horses mouth so to speek
http://www.yorkshire-divers.com/foru...uze-11866.html
We had a great time in March, and as above would go again.

Ken

[Paul Brookes]

David, David & Ken

Thanks for the replies. Just wanted to make sure it is still worth paying top price for. The fact that you'd both go back answers that for me.

Totally agree about the steel hull which is what is drawing me back to it.

Cheers, Paul

[Darren555]

Originally Posted by David D

The new guides, Susie and Thomas, are as switched on as you would expect on Hurricane, and for that reason as much as any other I will be going back. .

What's happened to Nicole and Thijs?
Nicole was worth the full package price alone

[sailorbuoy]

I was on the same trip as the Davids.... and echo their thoughts - especially about the guides .. but...

I have been on other steel boats where the guides have been just as good, the food more varied, the crew as, if not more, friendly and the boat more spacious and better laid out.

Oh... and free nitrox as well.

I won't be going back - sorry Susie and Thomas.

Richard

[Jules]

free nitrox would be a key feature i would look for...

[David D]

Originally Posted by Darren555

What's happened to Nicole and Thijs?
Nicole was worth the full package price alone

Yes, repeat guests were disappointed not to find Nicole aboard; they've moved on to other things. Lots of dark chocolate Toblerone bought by repeat guests intended for Nicole went on offer.

Originally Posted by sailorbuoy

I was on the same trip as the Davids.... and echo their thoughts - especially about the guides .. but...

I have been on other steel boats where the guides have been just as good, the food more varied, the crew as, if not more, friendly and the boat more spacious and better laid out.

Oh... and free nitrox as well.

You're a hard man to please Rich.

The crew were as friendly as I've ever seen them; spend a week aboard during Ramadan for comparsion. This week I thought they were on very good form.

I'm sure there are many good guides in the Red Sea, but if you don't know them in advance, it's always a risk. And if they're crap, such as Ali Baba and Achmed on GSS a few years ago, it'll really mess up your diving. This was a big lesson for me and the main reason I tend to stick with guides I know where possible.

Thomas can take care of more technical requests. Important if you want to do anything outside of the ordinary recreational stuff. Now, having been with them before, they're [hopefully] less suspicious of unusual diving requests.

But I know what you mean about free Nitrox. If you dive it all week, it's worth 80ish quid to you, and more than likely having someone like Thomas around is of no benefit to you anyway. I can't really understand why Tornado Marine haven't followed other fleets with this; can't be good for business.

Different strokes etc.

[sailorbuoy]

Originally Posted by David D

Yes, repeat guests were disappointed not to find Nicole aboard; they've moved on to other things. Lots of dark chocolate Toblerone bought by repeat guests intended for Nicole went on offer.

Now that explains the generous offers during the film....

Originally Posted by David D

You're a hard man to please Rich.

Yes - but then when parting with £1200 (x2) of hard earned (ish) cash i expect the best available. I'm not saying that Hurricane was bad - not by any means - but I have been on better too.

Originally Posted by David D

The crew were as friendly as I've ever seen them; spend a week aboard during Ramadan for comparsion. This week I thought they were on very good form..

Yes they were.

Originally Posted by David D

I'm sure there are many good guides in the Red Sea, but if you don't know them in advance, it's always a risk. And if they're crap, such as Ali Baba and Achmed on GSS a few years ago, it'll really mess up your diving. This was a big lesson for me and the main reason I tend to stick with guides I know where possible.

Thomas can take care of more technical requests. Important if you want to do anything outside of the ordinary recreational stuff. Now, having been with them before, they're [hopefully] less suspicious of unusual diving requests.

I agree both Susie and Thomas were excellent - i accept that this is an important factor in making a dive holiday decision.

Originally Posted by David D

But I know what you mean about free Nitrox. If you dive it all week, it's worth 80ish quid to you, and more than likely having someone like Thomas around is of no benefit to you anyway. I can't really understand why Tornado Marine haven't followed other fleets with this; can't be good for business.

And not that expensive to provide either....

Originally Posted by David D

Different strokes etc.

indeed