Red Sea North & Wrecks (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisoula K), Dunraven, Ras Mohamed: Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef
Day 1
As a guest on the Golden Dolphin II, your cruise starts in Hurghada with a welcome from the liveaboard's team. They will help you get acquainted with the boat's facilities, show you to your cabin, and outline the upcoming trip plans. You'll have a relaxing dinner in the saloon before your first night on the water, ahead of the next day's initial dive.
Core Days
The liveaboard safari heads south to the renowned waters off the Sinai Peninsula. The first highlight is Ras Mohammed Marine Park, a world-class destination where sites like Shark and Yolanda Reef dazzle scuba divers with vibrant hard and soft corals, massive fish schools, and the potential for exciting shark encounters, particularly on early dives.
The Golden Dolphin II tour through maritime history begins with the SS Thistlegorm, an unmissable wreck lying at 32 metres. This time capsule from the Second World War is stocked with an incredible array of military supplies. Further exploration leads to the Dunraven, a British steamer whose inverted hull creates a spectacular swim-through, where shafts of sunlight pierce the darkness for a truly spectacular effect.
The final dive region is Abu Nuhas, a notorious reef that has created a "Ship's Graveyard." Here, you will encounter multiple wrecks like the Giannis D, famous for its aquatic life and intact stern, and the ancient, coral-encrusted Carnatic. These sunken vessels are now artificial reefs teeming with life, including glassfish, scorpionfish, and large pelagics.
The Golden Dolphin II liveaboard adventure wraps up with 2 dives on the final day as you cruise back to port in Hurghada.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day in Hurghada, you can check out, say your goodbyes to the crew and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
Fury Shoals & St. John's (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: St. John's reef system: Big Habili, Small Habili, Umm Erug, Umm Hararim; Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, El Malahi, Abu Galawa Soraya; Shaab Sharm
Day 1
Upon reaching Port Ghalib and boarding the Golden Dolphin II liveaboard, the welcoming crew and tour leader will provide a boat orientation, assign your cabin, and review the essential holiday schedule. After a relaxing dinner in the cool, comfortable saloon, you can settle in for the evening, as the diving adventures begin the following day.
Core Days
The Red Sea’s deep south is home to several excellent dive locations, notably St. John’s Reefs, which stand out as the most colourful and healthy sites in Egypt. The features here include: incredible drop-offs, caves, tunnels, pinnacles, canyons, and amazing hard coral. You can also expect prolific marine life, such as barracuda, reef sharks, and sometimes mantas and dolphins. Umm Hararim, often called the Cave Reef, is a shallow dive site in the Red Sea's St. John's area famous for its complex network of light-flooded caverns, grottoes, and swim-throughs. The reef is heavily perforated, creating an underwater maze where sunlight penetrates the openings, producing mesmerising beams of light. The formations are adorned with colourful soft corals and sea fans, providing shelter for glassfish and other small reef dwellers. It is a unique exploration and photography dive, generally suitable for all levels, focusing on topography rather than large pelagic life.
Small Habili is a small, towering, isolated reef - a pinnacle (or habili in Arabic) - that rises steeply from the deep seabed. It is renowned for its exceptional, healthy density of hard and soft corals that cover almost every surface. Due to its exposure to strong currents, this site is a magnet for pelagic action. Divers frequently encounter schools of large snappers and groupers, as well as grey reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks patrolling the drop-offs. It is a thrilling, exposed dive best suited for experienced divers, offering outstanding visibility and a vibrant marine ecosystem.
This Golden Dolphin II tour also visits the Fury Shoals, where the reef system provides exceptional scuba diving opportunities on some of Egypt’s most pristine reefs with pods of dolphins. Shaab Claudio is a large, horseshoe-shaped reef characterised by its main attraction: a shallow, labyrinthine network of interconnected grottoes, tunnels, and caverns on the eastern side. Divers typically penetrate the reef structure, exploring the spacious grottoes where the light plays beautifully, before exiting to the outer reef wall. While the outside reef features thriving hard coral formations and encounters with turtles and snappers, the true highlight is the architectural exploration inside the reef structure itself.
Abu Galawa Soraya is a popular and relaxed dive site combining a beautiful reef with an accessible wreck. Its main features are a very colourful, healthy sloping reef covered in hard and soft corals, and the remains of a small, 17-metre-long sailing yacht that sank in the 1980s. The well-preserved wreck lies at a shallow depth of around 18 metres and is beautifully colonised by corals and teeming with glassfish. The site offers excellent conditions for all dive levels, boasting calm seas and great visibility, making it a frequent stop as a final shallow dive on this deep south liveaboard cruise.
There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will then sail back to port.
Day 8
Following breakfast on your final morning, check-out time from the Golden Dolphin II. You will then bid farewell to the liveaboard crew before being transferred to the airport or your designated hotel in Port Ghalib.
Egypt Red Sea - Route Open (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Route not yet decided. First booking of 2 customers will determine the route: Ras Mohamed & Tiran; North & Wrecks; Brothers; Brothers, Daedalus Reef & Elphinstone; or St. John's.
Itinerary details dependent upon route selected.
Daedalus, Rocky, Zabargad & St. John's (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Daedalus Reef, Zabargad, Rocky Island, St. John's reef system: Big Habili, Small Habili, Umm Erug, Umm Hararim
Day 1
The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board the liveaboard Golden Dolphin II in Port Ghalib. They will brief you about the boat and the cruise, and assign you to your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served and diving begins the next day.
Core Days
In the Red Sea’s deep south, the best sites include St. John’s Reefs. These are among the most colourful and healthy dive locations in Egypt. Here you'll find fantastic drop-offs, caves and tunnels, pinnacles, canyons, and amazing hard corals. The prolific marine life includes barracuda, reef sharks, and sometimes even manta rays and dolphins.
Big Habili, or Habili Ali, is a renowned deep offshore reef, popular on deep-south liveaboard routes. This exposed coral pillar rises dramatically from over 500 metres to near the surface, making it an advanced, current-dependent drift dive. The sheer walls are blanketed in incredibly healthy hard and soft corals, notably dense gorgonian sea fans. It is a prime location for pelagic life, famous for large schools of barracuda and jackfish, and frequent sightings of oceanic whitetip, grey reef, and hammerhead sharks in the blue.
Umm Erug (Mother of Veins) is a distinctive and popular dive site that the Golden Dolphin II visits. Divers navigate around the coral blocks, which are blanketed in soft corals and dense populations of glassfish, anthias, and clownfish. It is also an excellent spot for night diving and encountering moray eels and small reef sharks.
At Daedalus, the reefs are teeming with myriad tropical fish plus schools of trevallies, fusiliers, and surgeonfish. Sharks here are more likely to be hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, and threshers. You can also see manta rays during the summertime.
Rocky Island’s year-round currents promote healthy specimens of soft coral, gorgonians, sponges and black coral trees. Marine creatures seek shelter here including grey reef sharks and silvertips, manta rays, dolphins and turtles. Zabargad island is an excellent liveaboard dive destination with drop-offs, walls and brightly-lit coral gardens inhabited by soldierfish, wrasses, and schools of snappers.
On the last day before disembarkation, there will only be 2 dives before the Golden Dolphin sails back to port.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day in Port Ghalib you can check out, say your goodbyes to the crew and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
Daedalus, Rocky & Zabargad (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Daedalus Reef, Zabargad, and Rocky Island
Day 1
The liveaboard crew will welcome you on board Golden Dolphin II in Port Ghalib for a boat briefing and cabin assignment. Guests may check in throughout the day. A welcome dinner will be served in the evening, followed by a quiet night at port before the cruise officially begins.
Core Days
Rising 80 kilometres offshore, Daedalus Reef is a legendary Red Sea outpost renowned for high-adrenaline encounters and pristine wall diving. This remote, current-swept pinnacle is most famous for its resident schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, which frequently patrol the North Point along with oceanic whitetips and elusive thresher sharks. Beyond the pelagics, the reef features Anemone City, a massive vertical carpet of vibrant anemones, and sheer walls adorned with giant gorgonian fans. Because of its deep-water location and unpredictable currents, Daedalus offers exceptional visibility and a truly wild atmosphere, topped by its iconic 19th-century lighthouse that serves as a lonely sentinel in the open sea.
Located in the remote southern Red Sea, Zabargad Island is the largest of the marine park outposts, distinguished by its dramatic mountain peaks and turquoise lagoons. This versatile destination offers a unique mix of sheer walls and protected, sun-drenched coral gardens that teem with life. Divers here can explore the island’s famous drop-offs, where schools of snappers and barracuda gather, or navigate the ornate Turtle Bay in search of hawksbill turtles nesting in the sand. Beyond the vibrant reefs and resident pods of spinner dolphins, Zabargad also hides a touch of history with the shallow wreck of a sunken Soviet spy ship, making it a captivating blend of marine biodiversity and underwater exploration.
Lying just a few kilometres south of Zabargad, the Golden Dolphin II liveaboard will also visit Rocky Island - a small, rugged pinnacle famous for the intense, nutrient-rich currents that surge around its perimeter. These constant flows foster a spectacular forest of soft corals, massive gorgonian fans, and rare black coral trees that cling to its sheer vertical walls. Because it sits in the path of open-ocean currents, the island is a magnet for large pelagics; divers can expect frequent encounters with grey reef sharks, silvertips, and schools of hammerheads. The island’s narrow fringing reef also serves as a sanctuary for hawksbill turtles and passing pods of dolphins, offering an exhilarating, high-energy diving experience for those seeking the Red Sea's wilder side.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day in Port Ghalib you can check out from the Golden Dolphin II, say your goodbyes to the crew and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
Red Sea North, Wrecks & Brothers (8 Days / 7 Nights - 19 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Big Brother, Little Brother, Aida II wreck, Numidia wreck, Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisoula K), Dunraven, Ras Mohamed: Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef. Cruises that use Port Ghalib may also dive at Elphinstone.
Day 1
Once aboard the Golden Dolphin II in Hurghada, you will be welcomed by the crew and tour leaders for a liveaboard orientation and safety briefing. After settling into your cabin and setting up your equipment on the dive deck, the evening is reserved for a buffet dinner. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow divers and relax as the boat prepares for early morning departure.
Core Days
A significant draw of this itinerary is the time spent at the Brother Islands, two solitary pinnacles rising from the depths of the Red Sea. Exposed to open ocean currents, Big Brother and Little Brother act as magnets for pelagic life. Divers here drift along vertical walls covered in soft corals and huge gorgonian fans, keeping an eye on the blue for scalloped hammerheads, silvertips, and grey reef sharks. Big Brother also hosts two distinct wrecks: the Numidia, a railway cargo ship hanging precariously on the vertical reef wall starting at just 8 meters, and the Aida II, a supply vessel sitting deeper and offering atmospheric dives around its engine block and superstructure.
The route is equally famous for its historic metal, headlined by the SS Thistlegorm. Resting upright at 30 meters, this World War II British supply ship is widely considered one of the world’s best wreck dives. You will have the chance to explore its open holds, still packed with Bedford trucks, BSA motorcycles, and Bren gun carriers, as well as the two steam locomotives blown off the deck during the sinking. Further north, the reef of Abu Nuhas -known as the "Ship’s Graveyard"- offers a collection of accessible wrecks. Highlights include the broken stern of the Giannis D, the 19th-century copper-hulled Carnatic, and the cargo vessels Chrisoula K and Kimon M, all of which are now encrusted with hard corals and populated by glassfish and lionfish.
Rounding out the classic northern sites, the vessel visits the Ras Mohammed National Park. At Shark and Yolanda Reefs, strong currents nourish an explosion of marine life, from batfish schools to hunting trevallies. The dive usually concludes over the wreckage of the Yolanda, famous for its scattered cargo of bathroom porcelain. You may also dive the Dunraven, an inverted steamship offering a long swim-through past its boilers and prop shaft. Please note: On cruises that embark or disembark via Port Ghalib, the itinerary may also include Elphinstone Reef, a legendary finger reef known for its plateaus and frequent shark sightings.
Day 8
The final morning aboard the Golden Dolphin II in Hurghada begins with breakfast served on the main deck. After vacating your cabin and finalizing any onboard accounts, you will bid farewell to the captain and crew. Transfers are arranged to take you back to Hurghada Airport for your onward flight or to a local hotel if you are extending your stay in Egypt.
Red Sea North, Wrecks & Tiran Straits (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisoula K), Dunraven, Ras Mohamed: Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef; Straits of Tiran: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon reefs
Day 1
Upon landing in Hurghada you will be met at the arrival terminal and given assistance with your visa on arrival. A 20 minute air-conditioned van ride will take you to the marina where the Golden Dolphin 2 is moored. The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board brief you about the boat and the cruise and assign your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served before bedding down for a good night’s sleep before the fun days ahead.
Core Days
The SS Thistlegorm is by far the best-known wreck in the Red Sea. It sits upright on the sea-floor at a maximum of 32m depth. You can see and dive around its cargo of tanks, motorcycles, trucks, weapons, railway carriage and 2 railway engines. The Abu Nuhas reef is renowned for its 4 wrecks, which draw in divers from around the globe. They are now encrusted with beautiful corals attracting numerous reef fish. Thousands of glassfish lurk in shallow sections insider the wreck. The Ras Mohammed marine park promises excellent diving, particularly at Yolanda reef and Shark reef. Both feature excellent hard and soft coral coverage, large numbers of fish and sharks, especially on early morning dives. The Straits of Tiran are one of the most famous diving areas in the Red Sea. The strong current brings plenty of nutrients and schooling fish to the reef, tempting pelagic fish in from the open water. Large schools of barracuda and jacks are common here, as are larger predators including several species of shark.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon and a night dive that ends each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will then sail back to port.
Dining gets underway with a full cooked breakfast each morning (eggs cooked to order, pancakes, cheese, sausages, cereal and toast). Buffet-style lunch and dinner includes plenty of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, fresh fish, chicken and beef. Dishes are mostly international fare plus a number of local delicacies. There is also a barbecue night each trip which goes down well among the guests. Snacks such as fresh fruit, cookies and juice are always available.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day you can check out around 10:00 hrs, say your goodbyes to the crew and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
Red Sea North, Wrecks, Tiran & Dahab (8 Days / 7 Nights - 20 Dives)
Trip highlights: turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, drift diving, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Shaab El Erg, Gubal Island, Straits of Tiran, Gordon Reef, Jackson Reef, Thomas Reef, Ras Mohamed: Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, Jackfish Alley, Dahab: Blue Hole, Dahab Canyon, Dahab Habili, Thistlegorm, Kingston Wreck / Shag Rock, Abu Nuhas wreck: Giannis D, Siyul Kebir, Umm Gamar, El Mina Wreck
Day 1
Upon landing in Hurghada you will be met at the arrival terminal and given assistance with your visa on arrival. A 20 minute air-conditioned van ride will take you to the marina where the Golden Dolphin 2 is moored. The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board brief you about the boat and the cruise and assign your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served before bedding down for a good night’s sleep before the fun days ahead.
Core Days
The SS Thistlegorm is by far the best-known wreck in the Red Sea. It sits upright on the sea-floor at a maximum of 32m depth. You can see and dive around its cargo of tanks, motorcycles, trucks, weapons, railway carriage and 2 railway engines. The Abu Nuhas reef is renowned for its 4 wrecks, which draw in divers from around the globe. They are now encrusted with beautiful corals attracting numerous reef fish. Thousands of glassfish lurk in shallow sections insider the wreck. The Ras Mohammed marine park promises excellent diving, particularly at Yolanda reef and Shark reef. Both feature excellent hard and soft coral coverage, large numbers of fish and sharks, especially on early morning dives.
You will also dive the world renowned Blue Hole of Dahab, and the 4 famous reefs of the Strait of Tiran. These magnificent formations, rising from the depths, are often frequented by large pelagics due to the abundance of currents.
Normally you can expect 4 dives a day; 2 morning dives, a 3rd in the afternoon, and a night dive or sunset dive. On the last day before disembarkation, there will only be 2 dives before the boat sails back to port.
Dining gets underway with a full cooked breakfast each morning (eggs cooked to order, pancakes, cheese, sausages, cereal and toast). Buffet-style lunch and dinner includes plenty of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, fresh fish, chicken and beef. Dishes are mostly international fare plus a number of local delicacies. There is also a barbecue night each trip which goes down well among the guests. Snacks such as fresh fruit, cookies and juice are always available.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day you can check out, say your goodbyes to the crew and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
Fury Shoals & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, El Malahi, Abu Galawa Soraya, Abu Galawa Kebir, Shaab Maksur, Shaab Sataya (Dolphin Reef); Shaab Sharm, Elphinstone, Shaab Sharm, Shilineat
Day 1
Upon landing in Hurghada you will be met at the arrival terminal and given assistance with your visa on arrival. A 3 hour air-conditioned van ride will take you to Port Ghalib marina where the Golden Dolphin 2 is moored. During the journey you will be served a lunch box and drinks. Otherwise you can fly to Marsa Alam Airport which is only 10 minutes away from Port Ghalib. The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board brief you about the boat and the cruise and assign your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served before bedding down for a good night’s sleep before the fun days ahead.
Core Days
This Red Sea diving tour visits the Fury Shoals. This reef system offers amazing scuba diving opportunities with some of the most pristine reefs in Egypt, including small caves, reef blocks, plateaus, canyons, coral gardens and drop-offs, not to mention resident pods of dolphins. Elphinstone has steep current-swept walls and exposed points, making it perfect for encounters with big marine life like oceanic whitetip sharks. Other creatures you could encounter on this tour include dugongs, mantas, turtles and Napoleon wrasse.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea deep south, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon and a night dive that ends each amazing day of underwater discovery. On the last day before disembarkation, there will only be 2 dives before the boat sails back to port.
Dining gets underway with a full cooked breakfast each morning (eggs cooked to order, pancakes, cheese, sausages, cereal and toast). Buffet-style lunch and dinner includes plenty of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, fresh fish, chicken and beef. Dishes are mostly international fare plus a number of local delicacies. There is also a barbecue night each trip which goes down well among the guests. Snacks such as fresh fruit, cookies and juice are always available.
Day 8
After breakfast on the final day you can check out, say your goodbyes to the crew, and be transferred to the airport or hotel.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
