Aphrodite
Explore the Red Sea's wonders in comfort and style.
- Individually controlled AC
- En-suite bathrooms
- Mini-bar
5.0(27 reviews)
23 guestsfrom $198/day
Free dive insuranceincluded with every bookingLiveaboards in the Northern Red Sea
from $90 / day6 of 60 · Northern Red Sea liveaboard routes, seasons & prices
AVO
Explore the Red Sea with AVO: Confirmed weekly voyages with ENOS safety and Nitrox included.
- Jacuzzi
- En-Suite bathrooms
- Aircon Cabins
5.0(9 reviews)
24 guestsfrom $196/day
Sindalahs
Explore the Red Sea's wonders in comfort and style aboard the Sindalahs.
- En-Suite bathrooms
- Aircon Cabins
- Warm Water Showers
5.0(33 reviews)
26 guestsfrom $155/day
SS Serena Dreams
Dive into the Red Sea's wonders aboard a boutique liveaboard.
- En-Suite bathrooms
- Aircon Cabins
- Warm Water Showers
5.0(63 reviews)
18 guestsfrom $160/day
Star Jet
Access the Red Sea's underwater sites from a well-appointed liveaboard.
- Snorkeling gear available
- Paddleboard available
- Kayaks available
5.0(89 reviews)
28 guestsfrom $145/day
Diving the Northern Red Sea
The Northern Red Sea is the stretch between Sharm El Sheikh, the Sinai peninsula and the reefs north of Hurghada — and it is the most dived water in the whole region. Short crossings, sheltered anchorages and a chain of shallow shipwrecks make it the classic first liveaboard: you sleep in calm bays, dive three to four times a day and rarely spend more than two hours under way.
This is wreck country. The SS Thistlegorm, bombed in 1941 with motorbikes, trucks, rifles and two steam locomotives still in her holds, sits at 16–30 m. Abu Nuhas reef alone holds four freighters — Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Kimon M — between 4 m and 27 m. Add the Dunraven and the Rosalie Moller and a single week covers more diveable wrecks than most countries own.
The reefs are just as good. Ras Mohammed National Park drops from a shallow plateau into blue water, and between June and August Shark and Yolanda Reef fill with barracuda, batfish and snapper walls so dense they block out the sun. The Straits of Tiran add four reefs — Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon — with grey reef sharks, turtles and drift diving along the Sinai coast.
Because everything sits close to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, the northern fleet is the largest and the most affordable in Egypt, with departures almost every week of the year.
Regions & routes
One sea, three completely different underwater worlds. Pick the route that matches your experience and the animals you dream of meeting — every itinerary writes its own story.
Liveaboards at Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone
Liveaboards in the Deep South Red Sea
Liveaboards in Egypt
Liveaboards in the Red SeaTop reasons to dive the Northern Red Sea
Wreck diving with no equal, reefs you can dive on your 25th logged dive, and a fleet that sails every week of the year. This is why the north stays the busiest liveaboard region in Egypt.
The world's best wreck week
Thistlegorm, Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Kimon M, Dunraven and Rosalie Moller — seven serious shipwrecks inside one itinerary, most of them shallow enough for two dives each.
Perfect for your first liveaboard
Sheltered anchorages, dive sites 12–30 m deep and crossings of one to two hours. Around 20–25 logged dives and an Open Water card are enough for almost every northern route.
Ras Mohammed in summer
From June to August Shark and Yolanda Reef hold enormous schools of barracuda, batfish, jacks and snapper — one of the biggest fish aggregations in the Red Sea, right at the tip of Sinai.
Night dive on a legend
Northern boats moor on the Thistlegorm overnight. Three or four dives on the same wreck, including a night dive through the truck holds, is something no day boat can offer.
The cheapest way into liveaboard diving
The biggest fleet, the shortest transfers and weekly departures out of Hurghada keep the northern routes the best-value liveaboard week in the Red Sea.
Year-round departures
Sheltered by Sinai and the offshore reef chain, the north sails in every season. Winter brings 21–23 °C water and the clearest visibility of the year; summer is warm, calm and busy.
The northern itineraries compared
Three itinerary families sail the north. They differ in how much wreck diving you get, which port you fly into and how far the boat travels.
The Classic
North & Wrecks (Hurghada round trip)
Highlights
Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas, Rosalie Moller, Ras Mohammed, Small Crack
Difficulty
Easy to moderate
12–30 m, short crossings, mild current
Best season
All year; calmest March–May and September–November
First liveaboardwreck loversmixed-experience groups
Reef & Drift
Straits of Tiran & Sinai
Highlights
Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas & Gordon Reef, Ras Mohammed, Dunraven
Difficulty
Moderate
drift diving, current on the Tiran reefs
Best season
All year; best May–October
Reef and drift diversturtles and grey reef sharks
Step Up
North & Brothers (combined)
Highlights
Northern wrecks plus the two Brothers islands and their wrecks
Difficulty
Advanced
offshore leg with blue-water walls and strong current
Best season
May–July and October–November (marine-park season)
50+ logged divesdivers who want wrecks and sharks in one week
Requirements & experience per itinerary
The north is the friendliest region in the Red Sea, but the wrecks and the offshore add-ons still have rules. Here is what operators actually check at boarding.
| Route | Certification | Logged dives | Conditions | Gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North & Wrecks | Open Water Diver (PADI, SSI, CMAS …) | Around 20 logged dives recommended | Wrecks and reefs at 12–30 m, mild to moderate current, one- to two-hour crossings | 3–5 mm suit (7 mm in winter); torch useful, nitrox recommended |
| Straits of Tiran & Sinai | Open Water Diver, Advanced preferred | 25 logged dives; drift experience helps | Drift dives along steep reef edges, moderate to strong current, negative entries occasionally | DSMB mandatory; nitrox recommended |
| North & Brothers combined | Advanced Open Water — required by most operators | 50 logged dives minimum | Offshore walls, deep blue-water descents, strong unpredictable current, open-sea crossing | DSMB mandatory, nitrox strongly recommended |
North & Wrecks
- Certification:
- Open Water Diver (PADI, SSI, CMAS …)
- Logged dives:
- Around 20 logged dives recommended
- Conditions:
- Wrecks and reefs at 12–30 m, mild to moderate current, one- to two-hour crossings
- Gear:
- 3–5 mm suit (7 mm in winter); torch useful, nitrox recommended
Straits of Tiran & Sinai
- Certification:
- Open Water Diver, Advanced preferred
- Logged dives:
- 25 logged dives; drift experience helps
- Conditions:
- Drift dives along steep reef edges, moderate to strong current, negative entries occasionally
- Gear:
- DSMB mandatory; nitrox recommended
North & Brothers combined
- Certification:
- Advanced Open Water — required by most operators
- Logged dives:
- 50 logged dives minimum
- Conditions:
- Offshore walls, deep blue-water descents, strong unpredictable current, open-sea crossing
- Gear:
- DSMB mandatory, nitrox strongly recommended
Penetration of the Thistlegorm's holds is done as a guided swim-through, not as technical wreck diving — no wreck certification is required, but a torch is essential. Egyptian national-park rules apply everywhere in the north: no gloves, no reef hooks, and every diver carries a surface marker buoy.
Signature dive sites of the Northern Red Sea
The wrecks and reefs that define a northern week. Each site has its own page with depths, conditions and the boats that go there.
SS ThistlegormThe 1941 supply ship with motorbikes, trucks, rifles and two locomotives at 16–30 m — the most dived wreck in the world.Abu NuhasThe 'ship graveyard': four freighters on one reef, from the shallow Carnatic to the Kimon M at 27 m.Giannis DThe most photogenic of the Abu Nuhas wrecks — a disorienting tilted stern section covered in soft coral.CarnaticAn 1869 mail steamer with an open wooden hull, glassfish clouds and famously easy light at 18–27 m.Ras MohammedShark and Yolanda Reef — vertical walls, summer fish schools and the scattered cargo of the Yolanda.DunravenAn upside-down 19th-century steamer at 18–30 m with a swim-through along the entire hull.Straits of TiranJackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon Reef — drift diving with grey reef sharks and turtles.Thomas ReefThe smallest Tiran reef with a famous deep canyon and dense soft coral on the drift.
Season & water conditions
The north sails all year. What changes is water temperature, the wind and how busy the moorings get.
Dec–Feb
21–23 °C18 °C32 °C
25–40 m
Coldest and clearest. 7 mm suit or semi-dry, hood recommended. Northerly wind can reroute boats, but the wrecks stay diveable.
Mar–May
22–26 °C18 °C32 °C
20–30 m
Spring shoulder: calm seas, quiet moorings, excellent wreck visibility. The best all-round window in the north.
Jun–Aug
27–30 °C18 °C32 °C
20–30 m
Hot, calm and busy. Peak season at Ras Mohammed with huge fish schools; a 3 mm shorty is enough.
Sep–Nov
26–28 °C18 °C32 °C
25–40 m
The classic peak: warm water, best visibility, settled weather. Departures sell out earliest in this window.
The prevailing wind blows from the north almost every day, so the leg towards Sinai is the bumpy one and skippers usually sail it at night. If you get seasick, book the Hurghada round trip rather than a one-way Sharm route.
Big-animal calendar: when to see what
The north is reef and wreck territory rather than shark country, but it has its own seasonal stars. Every name links to a full species profile with photos, behaviour and the sites where it lives.
Grey Reef SharkJFMAMJJASONDStraits of Tiran, Shark Reef at Ras MohammedPatrols the reef edges of Jackson and Gordon Reef, most often in the early morning on the drift.
Whale SharkJFMAMJJASONDRas Mohammed, offshore between Hurghada and SinaiNever guaranteed — early-summer plankton blooms bring occasional whale sharks into the northern reefs.
Reef Manta RayJFMAMJJASONDRas Mohammed plateau, Tiran reefsSpring plankton draws mantas onto the shallow plateaus, often while divers are on their safety stop.
Spinner DolphinJFMAMJJASONDShaab El Erg (Dolphin House), open water crossingsResident pods rest in the sheltered lagoon of Shaab El Erg — a snorkel stop on most Hurghada round trips.
Oceanic Whitetip SharkJFMAMJJASONDOuter reefs north of HurghadaAutumn brings the occasional longimanus into northern waters — reliable encounters need the offshore route instead.
DugongJFMAMJJASONDSeagrass bays around Hurghada and GubalA handful of resident animals graze the shallow seagrass beds; sightings are luck, not schedule.
These windows come from years of sighting patterns across the fleet. Nature keeps no fixed schedule, but choosing your month with this table raises the odds dramatically.
Getting there & departure ports
Northern itineraries leave from two airports and three marinas — the route decides which flight you book.
Hurghada
The main northern hub. Round trips to Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas and Ras Mohammed start here; the marina is 20 minutes from the airport with direct flights from most of Europe.
Sharm El Sheikh
Departure port for Tiran, Ras Mohammed and short Thistlegorm itineraries. Some routes embark in Sharm and disembark in Hurghada.
Safaga
Used for northern routes that combine wrecks with the Salem Express and the reefs south of Hurghada. About one hour from Hurghada airport.
Port Ghalib (Marsa Alam)
Only relevant for combined north-and-offshore itineraries that finish in the south — check the disembarkation port before booking flights.
Some northern boats add an offshore leg to the Brothers islands, which sits in a marine park with its own permits and season. If your itinerary includes it, expect an Advanced certification check and 50 logged dives as a minimum.
What does a Northern Red Sea liveaboard cost?
Real numbers instead of guesswork: these are the current starting prices per day, taken live from the bookable departures in our system — the same basis you see on every boat card across the site.
Northern Red Sea (wrecks & reefs)
The most affordable Egyptian route: short crossings, the biggest fleet and weekly departures from Hurghada.
Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone
The offshore step up — marine-park fees and shark itineraries push prices above the northern average.
Deep South (St. John's & Sataya)
Remote southern reefs with longer transfers from Marsa Alam or Hamata.
Egypt (whole fleet)
The entry price across every Egyptian route, for a quick sanity check on any offer.
Included in the trip price
A northern week is full board: cabin, all meals, water, coffee and tea, three to four dives a day, tanks, weights and a dive guide are included in the trip price.
Costs that come on top
Budget extra for national-park and port fees (paid on board), nitrox fills, rental gear, soft drinks and alcohol, and the crew tip — customarily five to ten percent. Flights and pre-cruise hotel nights are never included.
March–May and September–November sell out first and cost a little more. June–August and December–February often bring the best deals on exactly the same boats and wrecks.
Cost level
The calendar below shows how liveaboard prices shift month by month, so you can see exactly when your money goes furthest. We want every diver to get the best possible value, which is why we highlight the seasons that balance great conditions with the fairest rates.
$90–$185
per day liveaboard
Prices reflect typical costs for mid-range to premium options. Budget alternatives may be available.
Northern Red Sea liveaboard FAQ
When is the best time to dive in the Northern Red Sea?
Diving conditions in the Northern Red Sea change throughout the year. Check our month-by-month best-time-to-dive guides to plan around peak visibility, weather and marine life encounters.
Do I need a liveaboard to dive in the Northern Red Sea?
A liveaboard gives you access to remote dive sites in the Northern Red Sea that day boats cannot reach, plus 3–5 dives per day in maximum comfort. For the best dives in the Northern Red Sea, a liveaboard is the recommended choice.
What certification do I need to dive in the Northern Red Sea?
Most Northern Red Sea liveaboards require Open Water as a minimum, with Advanced Open Water and 30+ logged dives recommended for currents and deeper sites. Some expert routes require Tech or 100+ dives.
How much does a Northern Red Sea liveaboard cost?
Liveaboard prices in the Northern Red Sea typically range from €1,500 to €6,000+ per week depending on vessel category, route length and season. Browse the boats below for live pricing.
Do I need a visa for Northern Red Sea?
Visa requirements vary by your nationality. Always check the latest entry rules with the destination's official government source before booking flights.
Is diving in the Northern Red Sea safe for beginners?
Many Northern Red Sea sites are beginner-friendly, but some routes feature strong currents or deep walls suited only to experienced divers. Check each vessel's recommended experience level.
Is the Northern Red Sea good for a first liveaboard?
It is the best choice in Egypt. Dive sites sit between 12 m and 30 m, crossings last one to two hours, the boat anchors in sheltered bays overnight and an Open Water card with around 20–25 logged dives is enough for the standard wreck route.
Which wrecks does a northern itinerary cover?
Almost always the SS Thistlegorm plus two to four of the Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Kimon M). Many routes add the Rosalie Moller, the Dunraven or the Salem Express depending on wind and departure port.
Can I dive inside the Thistlegorm?
Yes. The holds are open and guides lead swim-throughs past motorbikes, trucks and rifle crates. No wreck certification is needed, but bring a torch — and most boats moor overnight so you can dive her three or four times, including at night.
Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh — which port?
Hurghada for the classic wreck round trip and the biggest choice of boats. Sharm for Tiran, Ras Mohammed and short Thistlegorm trips. Check whether your itinerary is a round trip or a one-way route before you book flights.
When is Ras Mohammed at its best?
June to August. That is when barracuda, batfish, jacks and snapper mass over Shark and Yolanda Reef in schools thick enough to darken the water. The rest of the year the walls are still excellent, just without the crowds of fish.
How cold is the water in winter?
21–23 °C from December to February. With three to four dives a day most divers wear a 7 mm suit or semi-dry with a hood. In exchange you get the clearest visibility of the year and the quietest moorings.
Where to go next
Compare the north with the other Egyptian route families, or explore the main liveaboard countries around the Red Sea — including Djibouti's whale-shark season and Saudi Arabia's emerging coast.
EgyptVisas, airports, ports and the complete Egyptian fleet
DjiboutiWhale-shark season in the Gulf of Tadjoura, Oct–Feb
Saudi ArabiaThe newest Red Sea coast — few boats, unexplored reefsRed SeaThe whole sea: all routes, seasons and countries in one overviewBrothers, Daedalus & ElphinstoneThe offshore shark route for 50+ logged divesDeep South Red SeaSt. John's, Fury Shoals and Sataya — pristine coral, few boatsPlan your trip
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