Warm water, endless visibility, vibrant coral walls, and some of the most legendary dive sites on the planet. The Red Sea is a diver’s dream—and this liveaboard adventure puts you at the heart of it.

Join Blue Planet on another incredible trip to Egypt! Our itinerary will have us returning to the Central Red Sea to dive the iconic Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone sites. We'll explore gorgeous, healthy reefs and look for thresher sharks, hammerheads, and oceanic white tips. And if you'd like to visit Egypt’s historical sites, stick around after the liveaboard to journey from Luxor to Aswan on a Nile River cruise and tour Cairo.

Why the Red Sea
Beneath the crystal blue surface of the Red Sea lies a rich and diverse ecosystem just waiting to be explored. Located between Africa and Asia, the warm tropical waters are home to more than 1100 species of fish, 200 species of hard and soft corals, and 44 species of sharks. This rich diversity is in part due to the expanse of coral reefs that extends along its coastline.

The Red Sea is a unique marine paradise that offers some of the most spectacular diving in the world. With miles of beautiful coral reef, numerous wrecks, and a vast array of marine life, from brightly colored nudibranchs and tropical fish, to large pelagics such as oceanic white tips and hammerheads, there really is something for everyone!

Who Should Join?
This is a bucket-list trip for experienced divers! Advanced Open Water Diver certification is required. The Deep Diver specialty is strongly recommended since some sites go to 130 feet (40m); it can also be completed on the trip. The suggested logged dives before arriving is a minimum of 50, with 100 or more preferred.  

What the Diving is Like

Diving is primarily done from tenders, although certain sites or conditions may allow for diving from the liveaboard. There are 3-4 dive guides on board each week who will provide an in-depth briefing before each dive, describing the topography, conditions, the current (if any), depth and include a visual aid. You can follow them for a guided dive, which we recommend.

We'll be visiting Elphinstone Reef, full of vibrant soft corals and a chance of seeing pelagic species; Brothers Islands, well-known for their magnificent hard and soft corals and shark sightings; and Daedalus Reef, home to stunning steep walls and more sharks and pelagics. For a full rundown on these sites, check out the itinerary below.

Life Onboard the All Star Ghani
We'll be diving from the All Star Ghani, a spacious liveaboard designed with divers in mind.  At 138 feet long and 25 ft beam, All Star Ghani safely accommodates up to 24 passengers over its four decks.

Guests will enjoy comfortable, well-appointed cabins with private en-suite bathrooms, individual climate control, and convenient 220v power outlets for all devices.

The spacious dive deck is purpose-built for efficiency and comfort, complete with rinse tanks, camera tables, and access to two zodiac tenders for easy transfer to dive sites. Between dives, relax in the cozy lounge or shaded outdoor areas and share stories of the day’s adventures with fellow divers.

Aboard All Star Ghani, all meals are served buffet-style, offering plenty of variety to satisfy every appetite. Four meal services are offered daily – a light pre-breakfast, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks between dives to keep divers fueled and refreshed. Those who follow a special diet, such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, are welcome.

Getting There
We recommend arriving in Hurghada, Egypt, the day before the boat departs to ensure you and your bags make it in time. We board the boat at 5 PM on Monday, November 23. We will disembark the boat at 9 AM on Monday, November 30th. The marina is about 3 miles from the Hurghada airport, so you can fly out any time after noon that day. Please contact the shop before booking your flights.

OR you can spend some time in Cairo before the boat departs, and then join us for a spectacular Nile River cruise after the liveaboard!

Sign Up Now!

If the Red Sea has always been on your dive bucket list, this is your chance to experience it the best way possible—by liveaboard, with an incredible group of divers, and unforgettable dives every single day.

Upon cancellation of a reservation for any reason, the refund of the deposit and payments made or due will be contingent upon Blue Planet reselling the participant's reservation. Any refund may also be subject to a cancellation fee of $250 and payment of any non-refundable fees imposed by the tour company, dive operator or any other contractor associated with the trip. 

Dive accident insurance is required for all divers on this trip. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your vacation investment. Contact us if you need more information. 

Ideally you flew into Hurghada on Sunday and overnighted in one of the recommended hotels, or spent some time in Cairo. Enjoy the gorgeous pool or beach and then join us on the yacht at 5 PM. There will be briefings, tours, dinner and preparing for the week ahead.

Resting only a few miles from the coast of Marsa Alam, Elphinstone Reef is likely the most famous dive site in Egypt – and it’s no wonder why. Here, the corals are as pristine and colorful as any diver could imagine.

Steep walls drop off the east and west edges of the reef, which tower up to just a few feet below the surface. On the north end, two pillars mark the end of the plateau. At the southern tip, the sarcophagus archway is a beautiful piece of scenery sitting in deep water beyond recreational limits. Fortunately, shallower water along the reef walls are plentiful and waiting to be explored.

Due to Elphinstone’s exposed location, currents can be quite strong but this means it’s a popular place for pelagics. Along the wall, schooling barracudas, jacks and trevallies hunt for smaller fish. Whale sharks even make their way through the area occasionally. From May to August, manta rays frequent the reef. And from time to time, dolphins, napoleon wrasse and tiger and hammerhead sharks are seen by lucky divers. The beauty of Elphinstone’s soft corals can’t be overstated; they truly are an underwater marvel.

Highlights:

• Sharks – especially oceanic whitetips and hammerheads
• Pelagics – occasional whale sharks and manta rays
• Vibrant soft corals

The Brothers Islands are an exciting destination for divers visiting Egypt. More than 40 miles from shore, they’re quite difficult to access unless diving from a liveaboard. These two islands are well-known for their magnificent hard and soft corals and shark sightings. The exposed location results in some strong currents and surface conditions.

LITTLE BROTHER
Diving the walls at Little Brother is a real treat. Since the island is uninhabited, its corals are extremely pristine as evidenced by the vibrant colors. Schooling fish flourish along the full length of the wall, while sharks make frequent visits as they ascend from deep water. Grey reef sharks are most common at this island, but oceanic whitetips are visible from October to November.

BIG BROTHER
A working lighthouse, manned by four to five Egyptian soldiers (and not open to visitors), sits atop Big Brother; from a liveaboard, it’s an impressive sight. The diving is quite different compared to Little Brother because of the shipwrecks, sharks and a sizable fish population.

The Numidia wreck,  a colossal British cargo ship that sunk in 1901, rests steeply on the wall. Recreational divers can explore the bow section of the boat. However, the stern is submerged into the depths and only accessible to tec divers. Since 1957, the wreck of Aida II has sat about 100 feet (30m) down on the wall and features many photo-worthy opportunities.

Thresher sharks are periodically spotted at Big Brother, making it one of the rare places divers can encounter the elusive animals. Grey reef sharks are also common, along with oceanic whitetips and sometimes whale sharks.

Highlights:

• Sharks – especially threshers and oceanic whitetips
• Wrecks for recreational and advanced divers
• A fully functional lighthouse

Much like the Brothers Islands, Daedalus also sits in open water a good distance from the shore and has a manned lighthouse. However, the reef is much larger and because of its sheer size leaves divers with many options, depending on skill level and challenge desired.

With year-round viewings of hammerheads, Daedalus is a unique locale. While schooling hammerheads often appear from May to August, divers may also encounter oceanic whitetips, grey reef and thresher sharks. Tunas, trevallies and manta rays are seen here, too.

While sharks and pelagics are the main attraction for this area, Daedalus hosts an astounding array of visual experiences, too. Steep walls, covered with hard and soft corals, are stunningly beautiful and healthy. Many of the hard coral formations are massive creating dramatic scenes perfect for taking underwater photos or videos. Since the reef is situated in a marine park, it showcases some of the Red Sea’s healthiest corals. The vibrant colors, various textures and fascinating structures are world-class.

Highlights:

• Hammerheads – local year-round and schooling seasonally
• Pristine reef with immense hard coral formations
• A fully functioning lighthouse

We will have breakfast and then disembark the yacht at 9 AM. Transfer to the Hurghada airport OR continue the adventure and join us for the Nile River cruise! (Optional add-on)

If you're doing the cruise, we'll depart Hurghada and head to Luxor where we'll board the All Star Fayrouza. Following guest check-in, our Egyptologist tour guide will take us across the Nile River to Luxor’s West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. We'll return to All Star Fayrouza for lunch. The afternoon is free for you to relax and explore our luxurious Dahabiya.

Following breakfast onboard, we travel to Egypt’s famous Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Return to All Star Fayrouza to cruise toward Edfu, passing through the Nile River’s Esna Locks, where we will dock. Dinner onboard.

After breakfast onboard, we sail to Edfu to tour the temple of the god Horus, his wife and their son. We then cruise to Kom Ombo and explore this temple, dedicated to the two deities Sobek and Harwer (Horus the Elder). Returning to All Star Fayrouza, we sail to Aswan, where we overnight.

Following breakfast onboard, guests visit Philae Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Isis, and the Aswan High Dam, built for flood control of the Nile.

Guests return to All Star Fayrouza. This evening’s festivities feature for a traditional Galabia Party, a celebration where guests are invited to wear colorful, loose-fitting garments known as galabeyas.

After this morning’s final breakfast, we end of the cruise portion of our trip. Guests disembark All Star Fayrouza and transfer to their select Aswan hotel or the Aswan International Airport.

Interested in seeing even more in Cairo? We're looking into options for visiting the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, the new Egyptian Museum and some other must-see sites!