British tourists should be wary of diving holidays in Egypt after feared 11 deaths last month, a watchdog has warned.
Married Devon couple Jenny Cawson, 36, and Tarig Sinada, 49, are among those missing presumed drowned after a boat capsized in the Red Sea during a reef safari holiday.
They are among 11 now believed to have died in the sinking of the 144-foot yacht Sea Story, which had set sail on a five-day voyage despite warnings of bad weather. Two other Britons escaped with their lives.
That disaster came on top of a fire on a dive boat, called the Hurricane, in the Red Sea in June last year that killed three British tourists. Another ship, the Carlton Queen, capsized in April, although everyone on board was rescued.
Now Britain’s Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has said evidence from the incidents means there is “reason for serious concern about the safety of some of the Egyptian dive boats operating in the Red Sea”.
In its rare public warning, the maritime safety body, which works alongside the Department for Transport, said: ‘The MAIB has been notified of three accidents in the last 20 months involving UK nationals on Egyptian diving boats They operated in the Red Sea.
‘The Chief Inspector of Maritime Accidents has written to the Egyptian Maritime Safety Authority outlining his concerns and requesting their full participation in his investigations.
“Meanwhile, the MAIB is preparing a safety bulletin for publication which sets out areas of concern that people wishing to take a float diving holiday in the region should be aware of before booking.”
Jenny Cawson and Tarig Sinada are currently missing after a tourist dive boat capsized in the Red Sea.
Rescuers found five survivors in air bubbles in underwater cabins 30 hours later
Last night the MAIB checklist for divers was not yet available for publication.
But last month the Sea Story had embarked on its voyage despite an official warning from Egypt’s meteorological service that there would be strong winds and waves that would make maritime activities unwise.
On the second day of the trip, the yacht was hit by a large wave that caused it to lose size before sinking in just five minutes.
Rescue frogmen found five survivors in air bubbles in underwater huts 30 hours later, and four bodies.
While those still alive were brought to the surface, one of the hero divers told the Daily Mail that three oceanic whitetip sharks were circling constantly.
Whitetips are also known as “wreck sharks” for their habit of attacking sunken sailors.
Egyptian authorities insisted that some were rescued.
Rescue efforts after yacht Sea Story capsizes in Red Sea off coast of Egypt
Rescuers recover four bodies and three survivors after boat capsizes in Egypt
The Egyptian-owned Sea Story, with four decks above sea level, was only a few years old and had recently passed a security check.
The still-missing couple, Ms Cawson and Mr Sinada, a software expert, both from Newton Abbot in Devon, had actually worked as diving instructors abroad, but it seemed even their competence was not enough to save them. .
British tourists Colin Sharratt, 65, and his partner Sally Jones, 58, were picked up near the site of the Sea Story sinking by another ship, fortunately in the area.
British survivors of the fatal 2023 Red Sea capsize told the Daily Mail last week that their ship had listed dangerously even while still in dock, and that police and local courts refused to accept reports detailing the problems.