Holidaying with 19 other Russians aboard the charter-boat Bohemia, they entered the sea at Little Brother in a group of six on Monday 17 August. They were reported missing not long after midday.
A full-scale air and sea search was launched by Egypt’s military SAR division, and other vessels in the area were informed. Searches were suspended at dusk and resumed the following morning.
At about 2.30pm on Tuesday, it was reported that one of the divers, Vitali Vanov, had reached shore 25 miles south of El Queseir, after a 60-mile drift and swim.
He told officials that he had remained with the others before deciding to swim for the shore. He was examined in hospital before being given the all-clear and released.
Boats were launched from El Queseir and Port Ghalib to search for the other divers north and south of Vanov’s beaching point.
At about 6.30pm, they too were reported to have reached shore some three miles nearer to El Queseir than Vanov, having decided also to swim for land.
They were taken to hospital for examination.
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