The newest yacht of the Golden Dolphin Fleet is launched in August 2020. The liveaboard specialises in Egypt’s southern marine parks, however it operates trips throughout the Red Sea.
Golden Dolphin IV is a huge 46m long (and 11m wide) and can accommodate 28 guests in 14 air conditioned cabins on its 3 floors, each with its own bathroom and minibar. There is a spacious and dedicated dining room on the lower deck and 2 air conditioned lounges with TV/DVD on the main and upper decks. There are also 2 large and comfortable sun decks for you to relax in a comfortable atmosphere. The liveaboard has 3 bars, so there is no excuse not to grab a drink and socialise with your fellow guests.
The yacht is powered by 2 x 2200 PS K50 Cummins engines. It has 2 generators (2 x 125 KW und 1 x 80 KW), 2 x Bauer air compressors and a Nitrox Mattai 15KW compressor, and 2 x 10.000 litre desalinators. Dives are made from the 2 x 6m 85 PS motorised Zodiacs. The boat is also rebreather- and tec- diver friendly, and there is a wide range of PADI and SSI speciality courses available onboard. For passenger safety, Golden Dolphin IV has a satellite EPIRB, 2 life rafts, a satellite phone, life jackets, oxygen, fire extinguishers, a first aid kit, and even a defibrillator.
Golden Dolphin trip prices are inclusive of most extras, which is a point worth considering when choosing a Red Sea liveaboard, there are very few extras. And with the Golden Dolphin IV, you won't find a newer option!
Red Sea Route Open (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, dolphins, 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.
Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, 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, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone
Day 1
As soon as you land in Hurghada the Golden Dolphin staff will be at the arrival terminal to welcome you and take care of your visa on arrival. An air-conditioned van will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, during which you will receive a lunch box and drinks. Otherwise Port Ghalib is only 10 minutes away from Marsa Alam Airport if you have landed there. Once onboard the liveaboard you will be met by its crew and the tour leader that will show to you the boat, assign you a cabin and explain in detail the important info and the itinerary of your vacation. Enjoy your dinner in the air-conditioned saloon before going to bed: you will start diving the next day.
Core Days
The Brother Islands are 2 small exposed promontories in the middle of the sea, with a very high concentration of marine life. The walls feature sponges, anemones and hard and soft corals, giving an astonishing variety of colour to the underwater world. It's very common to see sharks at the dive sites around the islands. Scalloped hammerheads and grey reef sharks, silvertip and whitetip reef sharks. At Big Brother there is a wreck that can be dived when the conditions are right, especially if it's not too windy. It's the Numidia that lies between 5-8m, completely covered with hard and soft corals. and gorgonians. The reef at Daedalus and Elphinstone are home to schools of surgeonfish, fusiliers, trevallies and colourful reef fish. Hammerheads, oceanic whitetips and thresher sharks can be seen here, as well as manta rays, usually seen during the summer months.
3 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea marine parks, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon 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.
Expect 3 delicious meals and a snack with fresh juice every day. Main meals are buffet style. Breakfast is usually eggs cooked to your choice (omelette, fried, or scrambled), pancakes, toast, bread, fresh fruit and veggies, cereals and milk or yoghurt, cheese and sausages, hot coffee and tea. Lunch and evening meals usually consist of lots of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, chicken, beef and fish prepared mainly with international recipes, but also some local delicacies will be served during the trip, plus an exciting barbeque night that always impresses the guests. Snacks like cookies, juices and fresh fruit are always available.
Day 8
Check out time is normally at 10:00 am after a small breakfast and farewells with the crew, before being transferred either to the airport or your local hotel. Please note that these trips sometimes use Hurghada marina as the departure or arrival port - check above for details.
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
As soon as you land in Hurghada the Golden Dolphin staff will be at the arrival terminal to welcome you and take care of your visa on arrival. An air-conditioned van will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, during which you will receive a lunch box and drinks. Otherwise Port Ghalib is only 10 minutes away from Marsa Alam Airport if you have landed there. Once onboard the liveaboard you will be met by its crew and the tour leader that will show to you the boat, assign you a cabin and explain in detail the important info and the itinerary of your vacation. Enjoy your dinner in the air-conditioned saloon before going to bed: you will start diving the next day.
Core Days
Among the best sites of the deep south are the St John’s Reefs, some of the most colorful and healthy sites in Egypt. The dive sites are characterised by caves, tunnels, drop-offs, canyons, pinnacles and amazing hard corals. Marine life includes reef sharks, barracuda, and if you are in luck, manta rays and dolphins. This tour also visits the Fury Shoals. This reef system offers amazing scuba diving opportunities with some of the most pristine reefs in Egypt.
4 dives a day are the norm in the southern Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon and a night dive (when outside of the marine parks) 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.
Expect 3 delicious meals and a snack with fresh juice every day. Main meals are buffet style. Breakfast is usually eggs cooked to your choice (omelette, fried, or scrambled), pancakes, toast, bread, fresh fruit and veggies, cereals and milk or yoghurt, cheese and sausages, hot coffee and tea. Lunch and evening meals usually consist of lots of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, chicken, beef and fish prepared mainly with international recipes, but also some local delicacies will be served during the trip, plus an exciting barbeque night that always impresses the guests. Snacks like cookies, juices and fresh fruit are always available.
Day 8
Check out time is normally after a small breakfast and farewells with the crew, before being transferred either to the airport or your local hotel.
Red Sea South & St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, dugongs/manatees, great macro life/ marine diversity
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
As soon as you land in Hurghada the Golden Dolphin staff will be at the arrival terminal to welcome you and take care of your visa on arrival. An air-conditioned van will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. The journey takes about 3 hours, during which you will receive a lunch box and drinks. Otherwise Port Ghalib is only 10 minutes away from Marsa Alam Airport if you have landed there. Once onboard the liveaboard you will be met by its crew and the tour leader that will show to you the boat, assign you a cabin and explain in detail the important info and the itinerary of your vacation. Enjoy your dinner in the air-conditioned saloon before going to bed: you will start diving the next day.
Core Days
Among the best sites of the deep south are the St John’s Reefs, some of the most colorful and healthy sites in Egypt. The dive sites are characterised by caves, tunnels, drop-offs, canyons, pinnacles and amazing hard corals. Marine life includes reef sharks, barracuda, and if you are in luck, manta rays and dolphins.
Daedalus Reef is home to schools of surgeonfish, fusiliers, trevallies and colourful reef fish. Hammerheads, oceanic whitetips and thresher sharks can be seen here, as well as manta rays, usually seen during the summer months. One of the more current-swept regions of the Red Sea is Rocky Island. Here the nutrient-rich water movement gives rise to healthy gorgonian fans, black coral trees and sponges. Often found sheltering in quieter spots are turtles, grey reef sharks, and silvertips. Manta rays and dolphins are also common visitors. Zabargad islands is a site populated by soldierfish, wrasses and schools of snappers. It features walls, drop-offs and shallow coral gardens.
3-4 dives a day are the norm in the southern Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon and a night dive (when outside of the marine parks) 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.
Expect 3 delicious meals and a snack with fresh juice every day. Main meals are buffet style. Breakfast is usually eggs cooked to your choice (omelette, fried, or scrambled), pancakes, toast, bread, fresh fruit and veggies, cereals and milk or yoghurt, cheese and sausages, hot coffee and tea. Lunch and evening meals usually consist of lots of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, chicken, beef and fish prepared mainly with international recipes, but also some local delicacies will be served during the trip, plus an exciting barbeque night that always impresses the guests. Snacks like cookies, juices and fresh fruit are always available.
Day 8
Check out time is normally at 10 am after a small breakfast and farewells with the crew, before being transferred either to the airport or your local hotel.
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
As soon as you land in Hurghada the Golden Dolphin staff will be at the arrival terminal to welcome you and take care of your visa on arrival. An air-conditioned van will take you to Port Ghalib where the dive cruise ship is moored. Once onboard the liveaboard you will be met by its crew and the tour leader that will show to you the boat, assign you a cabin and explain in detail the important info and the itinerary of your vacation. Enjoy your dinner in the air-conditioned saloon before going to bed: you will start diving the next day.
Core Days
One of the best known dive sites of the Red Sea is the WWII wreck the SS Thistlegorm. Lying upright at a maximum depth of 32 metres, you can dive around the cargo. This includes motorcycles, trucks, weapons, a railway carriage and engine and even tanks! The Abu Nuhas reef is home to 4 wrecks making it a popular spot. They have been overtaken by marine life and are home to large numbers of fish including thousands of glassfish in sheltered spots.
The Ras Mohammed marine park’s best reefs include Yolanda Reef and Shark Reef which have excellent hard and soft corals and numerous fish and sharks. 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 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.
Expect 3 delicious meals and a snack with fresh juice every day. Main meals are buffet style. Breakfast is usually eggs cooked to your choice (omelette, fried, or scrambled), pancakes, toast, bread, fresh fruit and veggies, cereals and milk or yoghurt, cheese and sausages, hot coffee and tea. Lunch and evening meals usually consist of lots of fresh vegetables, rice, noodles, chicken, beef and fish prepared mainly with international recipes, but also some local delicacies will be served during the trip, plus an exciting barbeque night that always impresses the guests. Snacks like cookies, juices and fresh fruit are always available.
Day 8
Check out time is normally at 10 am after a small breakfast and farewells with the crew, before being transferred either to Hurghada Airport or your local 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].
"
The cruise director, the beautiful yacht, the food, the cleanliness of everything, the beautiful staff and their attention to detail and extremely happy, funny attitudes! The only thing regret I see is the absence of names on their shirts so I could send kudos to them individually." -
Jennifer Seguin, United States, 26 September 2024 ...
"
The divemaster who served as the boat manager was incredible well organized, knowledgeable and fun to dive with. The boat was immaculate as it's fairly new and the largest liveaboard in the Red Sea. Plenty of sitting and lounging space, beautiful views of the water and well equipped and functional for diving. Food on the boat was good prepared by chefs who put a ton of care into it." -
Steven Flisler, USA, 12 October 2023 ...
"
Boat and itinerary was great. Staff very helpful and nice
Food was quite good. Diving variety very good together with safety. Many German speakers in boat though." -
Sergio Guadamillas, Switzerland, 3 June 2022 ...
