Discovery I · Egypt · 8D7N
This exhilarating one-way liveaboard trip charts a course from Hurghada south to Port Ghalib, targeting the Red Sea's three most iconic offshore marine parks. This itinerary is designed for advanced divers, offering a thrilling combination of deep walls, strong currents, and world-class pelagic encounters. You will explore the legendary pinnacles of the Brothers Islands, seek out schooling hammerheads at Daedalus Reef, and drift along the vibrant walls of Elphinstone. The journey includes dives on historical wrecks and pristine coral reefs, promising an unforgettable adventure through the heart of Egypt's most prized underwater wilderness.
Board the vessel in Hurghada for an evening check-in. You'll meet the crew and fellow divers, participate in a welcome briefing, and settle into your cabin before the boat prepares for its early morning departure.
The trip begins with check dives at sites near Hurghada. Explore the El Mina wreck, a torpedoed Egyptian minesweeper, followed by a dive at Small Giftun, known for its beautiful gorgonian fan corals and plateaus, before starting the southward journey.
Dive sites: El Mina Wreck, Small Giftun
Today is dedicated to the renowned sites of the Safaga area. The itinerary includes the poignant Salem Express wreck, a passenger ferry that now serves as an artificial reef. You'll also dive Panorama Reef, a huge coral formation with sheer walls, and Tobia Arbaa, a collection of seven stunning coral pinnacles.
Dive sites: Salem Express Wreck, Panorama Reef, Tobia Arbaa
A full day is spent at the legendary Brothers Islands, two deep-sea pinnacles offering some of the most spectacular wall diving in the Red Sea. Big Brother is home to the Aida and Numidia wrecks, now encrusted with vibrant corals. Both islands are magnets for pelagic species, with sharks often sighted in the blue. The area is known for its stunning wall diving and a breath-taking display of colour with rich variety of soft corals and gorgonians. You will find large and small fish in abundance; tuna, barracuda, shoals of snappers and jackfish, as well as hammerheads, silky and oceanic whitetip sharks, even the occasional thresher shark and manta ray. Sightings of the Grey Reef shark are almost guaranteed on the North and South Plateaux of Small Brother.
Dive sites: Big Brother, Numidia Wreck, Aida Wreck, Little Brother
Arriving at the remote Daedalus Reef, the day's diving focuses on the pristine walls of this isolated reef. This is a prime location for encountering schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks, especially on the northern side. The reef walls are covered in dense hard and soft corals and teeming with life. Daedalus Reef is also known for its mountainous, pristine, hard coral formations and strong chance of spotting schooling Hammerheads, and grey reef sharks.
Dive sites: Daedalus Reef
A second day at Daedalus allows for more opportunities to explore this massive reef and maximize chances of significant pelagic encounters. Depending on conditions, dives will again target the areas most frequented by hammerheads and other large fish, taking advantage of the currents that bring in nutrients. Daedalus Reef is also known for its mountainous, pristine, hard coral formations and strong chance of spotting schooling Hammerheads, and grey reef sharks.
Dive sites: Daedalus Reef
The final day of diving begins at Elphinstone Reef, a cigar-shaped reef famous for its thrilling drift dives along deep plateaus and walls, often patrolled by oceanic whitetip sharks. The trip concludes with dives at sheltered coastal sites like Shaab Shouna near Port Ghalib, preparing for arrival in port. Elphinstone, with its sheer walls covered in soft corals, offers a likely encounter with Grey Reef Sharks circling on the plateaux and even Oceanic White Tip Sharks can be seen here for most of the year.
Dive sites: Elphinstone Reef, Shaab Shouna
Enjoy a final breakfast on board before disembarking in Port Ghalib. The crew will assist with your luggage and onward travel arrangements. Port Ghalib is a modern resort town with a beautiful marina serving as a convenient disembarkation point. While there are no dive sites directly within the marina, it provides easy access to the stunning southern Red Sea reefs for future diving adventures.