Arabian Aggressor

Djibouti is a small and little-visited country at the mouth of the Red Sea, near the Horn of Africa, with coastal areas, volcanic plateaus and mountain ranges. But divers in the know will tell you that it is one of the most reliable places in the world to encounter those gracious giants of the sea – whale sharks. The Arabian Aggressor was constructed in 2020 and visits this region during prime season in order to see these incredible creatures. Other marine creatures you will see on a 1 week liveaboard cruise in Djibouti include manta rays and dolphins, as well as vast numbers of fish.

The Arabian Aggressor is a large and modern yacht at 120 ft (36m) long. It has a steel hull and is built and for comfort and safety, with all the services to which divers have become accustomed to from the Aggressor Fleet. 20 guests are accommodated in 10 staterooms with en-suite bathrooms and TVs across 2 decks, and are attended to by the 12 crew members.

The spacious air-conditioned saloon features a dining area and a comfy lounge area to watch TV or chat with fellow passengers. The upper deck has a large social area with lounge-style seating, chaise lounges, bar, music system and hot tub. The dive deck includes warm freshwater showers, fin storage and water exit ladders, rinse tanks and a camera table with low pressure air hoses, and a membrane nitrox system. Up to 5 dives per day are done from the 2 large tenders.

There is a highly varied weekly menu, featuring Western style breakfast, and Arabic and international lunches and dinners. These include salads, soups, main courses of fish, seafood, beef or chicken, fresh bread, vegetables, and a selection of desserts. Dinners are served each evening with complimentary local beer and wine. As with all Aggressor safaris, the final night is spent in the port and dinner is taken at a recommended restaurant. So if you are looking for a new and off-the-beaten track diving destination on a high quality liveaboard yacht, where you are very likely to encounter whale sharks, look no further than the Arabian Aggressor.

Dive experience: All certified divers may dive on these Djibouti liveaboard cruises.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, local beer and wine, dives (as detailed in the trips above), 2 experienced in-water safety divers, tanks, weights and weightbelts.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (US$ 175 per week), diving computer, port and park fees (US$ 150), dive insurance, restaurant meal on final evening. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (credit card only).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks (other than local beer or wine), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 100 per person per tour), torch, 15 litre tank (US$ 50-70 per week), transfers to the boat from the airport (US$ 40 each way). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: Major airlines that fly to Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport (JIB): Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air Djibouti, Air France, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Fly Dubai and Kenya Airways. The airport is located 10 minutes from the port, Port Djibouti. Transfers are provided from the airport to/from the yacht. Everyone else must make their own way to the yacht.

Arrival/Boarding/Departure: Boarding starts at 3 pm and the boat departs on the following morning after port authorities have checked all guests’ passports. The liveaboard boat returns to port in the afternoon of the penultimate day, with checkout being at 8 am.

The last dive of the cruise will be at around 12 noon on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Diving Environment: Djibouti is made up of volcanic plateaus and mountain ranges, with no rivers that flow into its coastal areas. This contributes to the healthy reefs, colourful soft corals and abundant marine life. You could explore the Seven Brothers Islands, Gulf of Tadjourah and Ghoubet al Khara. There are relatively untouched soft and hard coral reefs, depth-defying drop offs and ship wrecks. You will have the opportunity to see large schools of fish, dolphins and manta rays. But the region is best known for its amazing and prolific whale shark encounters, especially common from mid-October to February.

Over 200 species of coral are found in Djibouti, at the mouth of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, making it an extremely diverse ecosystem. Currents coming in from the Indian Ocean attract large marine animals such as the whale sharks, pilot whales, beaked whales, grey and nurse sharks, manta rays and dolphins. It’s also very common to see large schools of stingrays, barracudas and groupers.

All dives are done from the two motorised tenders. The visibility in Djibouti is variable from 15-100 ft (5-30m). The water temperature varies from 74-84°F, 23-29°C. A 3 mm wetsuit recommended in the summer and 5 mm wetsuit in the winter.

Non-diver rate: Unknown.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 65% of the normal published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Unknown.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Unknown.

The Arabian Aggressor has 10 guest cabins, all with private bathrooms. There are 2 Master staterooms with queen-sized beds on the upper deck, with seaview windows. Also on the upper deck, there are 2 Deluxe Staterooms with twin single beds that can be moved together as a double. And on the lower deck, there are 6 Deluxe Staterooms with fixed twin single beds and portholes.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 12 / 12 - hot water