Red Sea Simply The Best

Red Sea: Simply The Best

Taking in the world-famous marine parks at Brothers and Daedalus, plus the awe inspiring Elphinstone Reef, this thrilling itinerary of spectacular drop-offs is perfect for divers keen to glimpse some big animals at these remote off-shore reefs.

Itinerary Highlights

Brother Islands

The northernmost part of Egypt’s offshore marine park is made up of two islands 60km away from the coast and 140km south from Hurghada. The larger island (complete with a lighthouse from 1883) is 400 metres long with a spectacular plateau on the south east corner which is dotted with coral mountains and famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island has two impressive wrecks which both lie almost vertical on the side of the reef. The most spectacular is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer which sank in 1901 and now lies on the tip of the island between 10 and 80 metres covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic predators. The smaller wreck of the Aida (sitting between 30 and 65 metres) was a lighthouse authority supply vessel which sank in bad weather in 1957.

The smaller island, whilst only a little over 200 metres long, hosts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of hard and soft corals and compelling overhangs to explore. The highlight is the fish life; with regular seasonal sightings of hammerhead, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks.

Daedalus

This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen… oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often sighted, but Daedalus is most famous for its scalloped hammerhead sharks which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!

Elphinstone Reef

A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

M/Y Red Sea Adventurer

The most recent and fourth addition to the blue o two fleet, M/Y Red Sea Adventurer offers outstanding value for money. Refurbished in 2013, followed by an update in early 2016 due to her dry dock season, M/Y Red Sea Adventurer is a traditional Egyptian style liveaboard designed specifically for divers to make your diving holiday as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.

At 32 metres long with 12 cabins divided over three decks, M/Y Red Sea Adventurer is an ideal choice for smaller full charter groups. There are eight comfortably appointed twin cabins, two double cabins and two single cabins providing accommodation for 22 guests (24 in special circumstances). All cabins benefit from en-suite facilities, air conditioning and in-cabin entertainment. The vessel boasts a large communal dining and saloon area with an entertainment system, shaded deck area and two sun decks; there is always space to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Red Sea! TVs in the communal areas are also equipped with an Apple TV and a hard drive containing movies and TV series.

M/Y Red Sea Adventurer is equipped with a nitrox membrane, trimix blending panel, booster pump and can also cater for rebreather divers. The vessel is also photography friendly and meets all the demands placed on a modern day diving

Qualification Needed:

The currents at these fantastic dive sites are what make its sightings so exciting but also means that this itinerary is not suitable for inexperienced divers. For your safety, we ask that divers must be a PADI Open Water diver or equivalent and have logged a minimum of 30 dives to join this safari. Please note that night diving and snorkelling is prohibited in the marine park where you will normally spend three or four days of the trip depending on the route. To get the most out of these superb dive sites, many dives will be from a RIB.

PLEASE NOTE the itinerary is an example of the planned route and dive sites cannot be guaranteed. All dives sites are subject to weather conditions and the final route taken is at the absolute discretion of the captain and dive guides. Adverse weather can affect this route which includes several overnight sailings. This itinerary can depart from and arrive to either Port Ghalib or Hurghada, which will influence the order of the itinerary and the dive sites available at the start and end of the week. Please note that ports are subject to change.