LDA Travel

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. This itinerary involves some long distance (overnight) travel. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4, (1 or 2 night dives per week, but not guaranteed)
• Dinner (in summer sometimes night dive before dinner)

The first diving day aboard the Blue Horizon starts with a check-out dive around Port Ghalib before heading south for an afternoon dive on the way to the Marine Parks. The next two days will be spent at the islands of Rocky and Zabargad. Enjoy some relaxing and beautiful dives at Fury Shoal on day 4. Day 5 will be spent at the famous Daedalus Reef, looking for hammerhead sharks. After an early morning dive at Elphinstone on your last day, we schedule 1 more dive near Port Ghalib, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Rocky Island
Rocky Island hosts a fringing reef that circles the entire perimeter of the island, dropping steeply to astonishing depths. Keep your eyes on the blue for life but take care as there can be strong currents.
Zabargad
The island of Zabargad is an amazing dive spot. It is characterised by an enormous mountain reaching out of the water, surrounded by a lagoon and circling reef. There are a couple of wrecks, such as The Khanka (better known as: the Russian wreck; a Russian spy ship) and a great variety of corals and reef fish.
Fury Shoal
This large cluster of reefs offers spectacular and easy dives. From the northern side of Small Abu Galawa to its southernmost site of Sataya, Fury Shoal can prove to be surprising and diverse. Each dive site has its particularity; from dolphins to stunning hard coral formations. There are two nice little wrecks: ‘Tug Boat’ and ‘Yacht’ as well.
Daedalus
This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen... Oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often sighted, but Daedalus is most famous for its scalloped hammerhead sharks which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!
Elphinstone
A Red Sea legend, this finger-shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals is both unpredictable and exciting. This is truly an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in vast numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari aboard Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4, (no snorkeling or night dives allowed in the Brothers Marine Park)
• Dinner

The first diving day starts with a check-out dive before heading north for an afternoon dive at Abu Nuhas and a night dive. Over the following 2-3 days you will see many of the famous wrecks: Thistlegorm, Dunraven, Ghiannis D., Carnatic, Rosalie Moller and potentially even more. Day 4 will be spent visiting the Salem Express and Al Kafain, two large ferry wrecks close to Sha’ab Sheer in Safaga. On day 5 you will visit the Numidia and the Aida wrecks at Big Brother Island. On your last day diving day, we schedule 2 morning dives near Hurghada, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Abu Nuhas
Also known as the ‘Ship’s Graveyard’, this reef is positioned dangerously close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. Abu Nuhas has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the north side there are four wrecks laying on a sandy sea floor on the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Tile and Lentil wrecks. On the south side, there is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two ergs, knows as Yellow Fish Reef.
SS Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. The 129m English freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6 October 1941.
Today, she makes for an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 32m maximum depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.
Please note: Due to local legislation, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck.
Rosalie Moller
The greenish water on this wreck offers a mystical ambiance rarely found on other Red Sea wrecks. With the main deck at 35m, the superstructure can be explored up to 30m and before you start your ascent.
Big Brother Island: Numidia and Aida
The most spectacular wreck is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer that sank in 1901 and lies at a depth of 10-80m covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic fish. The smaller wreck – named Aida – used to be a lighthouse authority supply vessel. She sunk in 1957 in bad weather and landed in 30-65m deep water.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4
• Dinner

The first diving day aboard Blue Horizon starts with a local check-out dive around Port Ghalib, before heading south for your afternoon and night dive on the way to Fury Shoal. We normally spend 2 days at Fury Shoal, on a schedule of 4 dives per day. On day 4, we proceed to Daedalus, where we will also spend 2 days to look for bigger pelagic fish. On your last day we schedule an early morning dive at Elphinstone. Afterwards, you can enjoy a relaxing morning dive local to Port Ghalib to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Daedalus
This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen...
Oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often spotted here, but Daedalus is most famous for the scalloped hammerhead sharks, which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!
Fury Shoal
This large cluster of reefs offers unforgettable and easy dives. From the northern site of Small Abu Galawa to its most-southern site of Sataya, Fury Shoal can prove to be surprising and diverse. Each dive site has its particularity: from dolphins, to stunning hard coral formations and not forgetting the two little wrecks "Tug Boat" and the "Yacht".
Elphinstone Reef
A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4
• Dinner

The first diving day aboard Blue Horizon starts with a local check-out dive around Port Ghalib, before heading south for your afternoon dive on the way to St. Johns. We normally spend 1 day and the morning of day 3 at St. Johns. We will then travel north to dive at Cave Reef before heading to Fury Shoal. On the fourth day you will be diving at the beautiful reefs of Fury Shoal. Famous Daedalus will be visited the next day to look for big pelagic fish. On your last day we schedule an early morning dive at Elphinstone and a relaxing dive local to Port Ghalib to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
St. Johns Reef
Located on the Tropic of Cancer, this chain of reefs boasts stunning dive sites, most of which are very close to each other allowing you to move quickly and easily from one place to another. This adds a lot of variety to your dives; drop-offs, tunnels and stunning hard-coral formations. One of these dives (St. Johns Caves or Umm Kharalim) is truly unique and is a photographer's heaven with rays of light filtering through into the beautiful tunnels. The reef formation is not the only thing that will stun you at St. Johns; the marine life and colours of the soft corals are some of the best in the Red Sea. With any luck, dolphins or sharks will join you on your dives and St. Johns will forever have a place in your heart.
Fury Shoal
This large cluster of reefs offers unforgettable and easy dives. From the northern site of Small Abu Galawa to its most-southern site of Sataya, Fury Shoal can prove to be surprising and diverse. Each dive site has its particularity: from dolphins, to stunning hard coral formations and not forgetting the two little wrecks "Tug Boat" and the "Yacht".
Daedalus
This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen...
Oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often spotted here, but Daedalus is most famous for the scalloped hammerhead sharks, which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!
Elphinstone Reef
A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. This itinerary involves some long distance (overnight) travel. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4
• Dinner

The first diving day aboard Blue Horizon starts with a check-out dive before heading for an afternoon dive on your way to St. Johns, where you will spend day 2. After a morning in St. Johns, day 3 will take you to Cave Reef before continuing to Fury Shoal. Alluring reef diving in Fury Shoal will mark day 4, while on day 5 the Red Sea Master will travel north and you can explore the great dive sites in the Wadi Gamal area. After an early morning dive at Elphinstone on your last day, we schedule 1 more dive near Port Ghalib, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
St. Johns Reef
Located on the Tropic of Cancer, this chain of reefs boasts stunning dive sites, most of which are very close to each other allowing you to move quickly and easily from one place to another. This adds a lot of variety to your dives; drop-offs, tunnels and stunning hard-coral formations. One of these dives (St. Johns Caves or Umm Kharalim) is truly unique and is a photographer's heaven with rays of light filtering through into the beautiful tunnels. The reef formation is not the only thing that will stun you at St. Johns; the marine life and colours of the soft corals are some of the best in the Red Sea. With any luck, dolphins or sharks will join you on your dives and St. Johns will forever have a place in your heart.
Fury Shoal
This large cluster of reefs offers unforgettable and easy dives. From the northern site of Small Abu Galawa to its most-southern site of Sataya, Fury Shoal can prove to be surprising and diverse.
Each dive site has its particularity: from dolphins, to stunning hard coral formations and not forgetting the two little wrecks "Tug Boat" and the "Yacht".
Daedalus
This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen...
Oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often spotted here, but Daedalus is most famous for the scalloped hammerhead sharks, which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!
Elphinstone Reef
A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the nature of this itinerary, there will be one or two overnight sailings.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4, (no snorkeling or night dives allowed in the Brothers Marine Park)
• Dinner

The first day will start with a local check out dive before heading north to do an afternoon and a night dive. The next two days you will be cruising the north of the Red Sea; normally daily 3 dives and if possible a night dive are scheduled. You will pay a visit to a fair number of wrecks, including the famous SS Thistlegorm. Moreover, you will dive in the Ras Mohamed Marine Park, renowned for its wonderful reef diving and chances of seeing megafauna as well. Onwards to Big and Small Brother Islands, where we will spend 2 full days looking for the larger pelagic fish. On your last day on board, we schedule two morning dives not far from your disembarkation point (Hurghada or Port Ghalib), to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Brother Islands
The northernmost part of Egypt's offshore marine park is made up of two islands 60 km away from the coast and 140 km south from Hurghada. Big Brother, the larger island (complete with a lighthouse from 1883) is 400 m long with a spectacular plateau on the south east corner which is dotted with coral mountains and famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island has two impressive wrecks which both lie almost vertical on the side of the reef.
The most spectacular wreck is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer which sank in 1901 and now lies on the tip of the island between 10 and 80 m covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic predators.
The smaller wreck of the Aida (sitting between 30 and 65 metres) was a lighthouse authority supply vessel which sank in bad weather in 1957.
Small Brother Island is only a little over 200 m long, but hosts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of hard and soft corals and compelling overhangs to explore. Main attraction is the abundant pelagic life; with regular seasonal sightings of hammerhead, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks.
SS Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. The 126.5m English freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6 October 1941. Nowadays, she creates an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 32m max depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.
Please note: Due to local legislation, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck. Other dives on the itinerary are not affected.
Ras Mohamed - Shark & Yolanda Reefs
This is a world renowned dive site, situated at the tip of the Sinai. Two small ergs are joined by a vertical wall dropping into the abyss. At Shark Reef the current allows you to drift along the wall, rich with colourful corals. Moving towards Yolanda Reef you reach a plateau scattered with small ergs and coral outcrops. Continuing around the reef you will come upon the scattered remains of the wreck 'Yolanda' complete with its cargo of toilets and baths. The whole of this area is big fish territory so keep an eye on the blue!

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the nature of this itinerary, there will be one or two overnight sailings.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4, (no snorkeling or night dives allowed in the Brothers Marine Park)
• Dinner

Start the week with a local check dive before heading north for an afternoon and night dive. You will spend four days cruising the northern Red Sea. Normally, you will have the opportunity to make three day dives and a night dive each day. The exact itinerary and order of dive sites will vary depending on the conditions but you can expect to visit plenty of wrecks including Thistlegorm, Dunraven, Giannis D, Carnatic and potentially even more. There is also some fantastic reef diving including the Ras Mohamed marine park, Danaba (Shag Rock), Sha'ab El Erg (famous for dolphin encounters) and the Island of Gobal. On your last day diving day, we schedule 2 morning dives to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
SS Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. The 126.5m English freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6 October 1941. Nowadays, she creates an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 32m max depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.
Please note: Due to local legislation, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck. Other dives on the itinerary are not affected.
Ras Mohamed - Shark & Yolanda Reefs
This is a world renowned dive site, situated at the tip of the Sinai. Two small ergs are joined by a vertical wall dropping into the abyss.
At Shark Reef the current allows you to drift along the wall, rich with colourful corals. Moving towards Yolanda Reef you reach a plateau scattered with small ergs and coral outcrops. Continuing around the reef you will come upon the scattered remains of the wreck 'Yolanda' complete with its cargo of toilets and baths. The whole of this area is big fish territory so keep an eye on the blue!
Gubal Islands
At the gate of the Strait of Gubal is ‘Bluff Point’, which gets its name from the turbulence created by strong currents that beat the eastern coast of the island. The wreck of the Ulysses lies on the reef 300m north of the lighthouse, starting at 5m and sloping down to 25m. The Barge wreck provides divers with a fun and unusual night dive with the wreck’s skeleton creating protection for all sorts of night critters.
Abu Nuhas
Also known as the ‘Ship’s Graveyard’, this reef is positioned dangerously close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. Abu Nuhas has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the north side there are four wrecks laying on a sandy sea floor on the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Tile and Lentil wrecks. On the south side, there is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two ergs, knows as Yellow Fish Reef.
Danaba – Shag Rock
This large circular reef is often overlooked but offers excellent diving on pristine coral from any location on its perimeter. Weather permitting, you can dive the wreck of the Kingston which sank in 1881 and has become part of the reef and is now covered in hard corals.
Sha’ab El Erg
Famous for its dolphin sightings (therefore also knows as: Dolphin House), this shallow reef can offer a dive you will never forget.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. This itinerary involves some long distance (overnight) travel. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4
• Dinner

Your first diving day starts with a check-out dive near Port Ghalib before heading south for an afternoon dive on the way to the Marine Parks. The next three days will be spent between Rocky and Zabargad Islands and the reefs of St. Johns. Enjoy some relaxing and beautiful dives at Fury Shoal on day 5. After an early morning dive at Elphinstone on your last day, we schedule 1 more dive near Port Ghalib, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Rocky Island
Rocky Island hosts a fringing reef that circles the entire perimeter of the island, dropping steeply to astonishing depths. Keep your eyes on the blue for life but take care as there can be strong currents.
Zabargad
The island of Zabargad is an amazing dive spot. It is characterised by an enormous mountain reaching out of the water, surrounded by a lagoon and circling reef. There are a couple of wrecks, such as The Khanka (better known as: the Russian wreck; a Russian spy ship) and a great variety of corals and reef fish.
St. Johns Reef
Located on the Tropic of Cancer, this chain of reefs boasts stunning dive sites, most of which are very close to each other allowing you to move quickly and easily from one place to another.
This adds a lot of variety to your dives; drop-offs, tunnels and stunning hard-coral formations. One of these dives (St. Johns Caves or Umm Kharalim) is truly unique and is a photographer's heaven with rays of light filtering through into the beautiful tunnels. The reef formation is not the only thing that will stun you at St. Johns; the marine life and colours of the soft corals are some of the best in the Red Sea. With any luck, dolphins or sharks will join you on your dives and St. Johns will forever have a place in your heart.
Fury Shoal
This large cluster of reefs offers unforgettable and easy dives. From the northern site of Small Abu Galawa to its most-southern site of Sataya, Fury Shoal can prove to be surprising and diverse.
Each dive site has its particularity: from dolphins, to stunning hard coral formations and not forgetting the two little wrecks "Tug Boat" and the "Yacht".
Elphinstone Reef
A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari on board Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. This itinerary includes several overnight sailings. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Snack, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & 1 night dive per week
• Dinner

The first diving day aboard Blue Horizon starts with a local check-out dive, followed by a practiced zodiac dive and a night dive before heading out to the Brother Islands. We normally plan to spend a day each at Big Brother, Small Brother, Daedalus and the Elphinstone area. On your last diving day, we schedule 2 morning dives near the arrival port, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Brother Islands
The northernmost part of Egypt's offshore marine park is made up of two islands 60 km away from the coast and 140 km south from Hurghada. Big Brother, the larger island (complete with a lighthouse from 1883) is 400 m long with a spectacular plateau on the south east corner which is dotted with coral mountains and famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island has two impressive wrecks which both lie almost vertical on the side of the reef.
The most spectacular wreck is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer which sank in 1901 and now lies on the tip of the island between 10 and 80 m covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic predators. The smaller wreck of the Aida (sitting between 30 and 65 metres) was a lighthouse authority supply vessel which sank in bad weather in 1957.
Small Brother Island is only a little over 200 m long, but hosts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of hard and soft corals and compelling overhangs to explore. Main attraction is the abundant pelagic life; with regular seasonal sightings of hammerhead, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks.
Daedalus
This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dive sites in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure to keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen… Oceanic whitetips, grey reef and thresher sharks are often sighted, but Daedalus is most famous for its scalloped hammerhead sharks. They can often been seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!
Elphinstone
A Red Sea legend, this finger-shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals is both unpredictable and exciting. This is truly an awesome reef where grey reef sharks and Napoleon wrasses are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in vast numbers during late autumn.

The following is a description of the dive sites we may visit during your liveaboard safari aboard Blue Horizon. We wish to show you the very best diving possible, however, a number of factors determine which route the Cruise Director and Captain will choose and which dive sites we visit. Weather, tides, currents and the number of other dive vessels at a particular site all play a part in where the boat is heading to. While we attempt to ensure the number of dives we have scheduled is fulfilled, bad weather can hinder the yacht’s ability to reach a specified dive site in good time. The safety of all on board is paramount and we always do our best in offering diving at alternate locations should we be unable to visit those sites listed below. Due to the exposed nature and possible strong currents, some elements of this itinerary are not suitable for novice divers.
The diving day has a typical schedule as follows:
• Light Breakfast, followed by a briefing & Dive 1
• Full Breakfast, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing & Dive 4, (no snorkeling or night dives allowed in the Marine Parks)
• Dinner

Start the week with a check dive before heading north for an afternoon and night dive. We will spend four days cruising the northern Red Sea. Normally you will have the opportunity to make three day dives and a night dive each day. The exact itinerary and order of dive sites will vary depending on the conditions but you can expect to visit plenty of wrecks including SS. Thistlegorm. There is also some fantastic reef diving including the Ras Mohamed and Tiran marine parks, Sha'ab El Erg (famous for dolphin encounters) and the island of Gubal. On your last day on board, we schedule two morning dives not far from our arrival port, to allow plenty of time for off-gassing.
Strait of Tiran
Only accessible by boat, this dive area is situated in the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba and is made up of four main reefs that form the top of an underwater bridge. These reefs, named after British cartographers (Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, Gordon), are world-famous for their extraordinary diversity of corals and strong south westerly currents make them home to many large pelagic fish.
Jackson Reef is the most northerly reef and on its northern edge lays the wreck of a freighter serving as a stark warning to ships in the narrow straights. Diving is usually conducted from the moorings on the south side, which is sheltered from the main swell and currents.
Moving northwards you will come across a forest of spectacular gorgonian fan coral at about 20 to 30 metres as well as many different kinds of reef fish. This site can also be done as a drift dive heading from the mooring towards the East with the reef on the left where it is mostly wall diving with excellent corals. Diving at the back of Jackson in late summer can give you the chance to see the resident hammerhead sharks.
Woodhouse Reef is the longest reef of the four in the Strait of Tiran. Home to reef sharks and eagle rays, it is dived as a drift dive usually from south to north. Jumping at the southern part of the reef is a wall to about 30m covered with coral from the surface all the way down. There is a canyon going along the reef at about 25m which spreads out into a coral garden with sand alleys.
Thomas Reef is the smallest reef in the strait and diving here is governed by conditions as there are potential strong currents. The ends are vertical walls with a large plateau at about 25m on the south eastern side. This plateau is covered in colourful coral has a fence of gorgonian fans where you can find the longnose hawkfish.
Gordon Reef is the most southerly reef of the four and has a different topography from the others offering both a shallow plateau area and drop offs. There is a huge variety of reef fish and the chance to see sleeping whitetip reef sharks on sand patches. At 4 to 5 metres there is an eel garden area along with coral encrusted drums. The top of the reef, with its lighthouse, is also home to the wreck Louilla, which sits almost parallel to the wreck on Jackson Reef.
Abu Nuhas
Also known as the ‘Ship’s Graveyard’, this reef is positioned dangerously close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. Abu Nuhas has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the north side there are four wrecks laying on a sandy sea floor on the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Tile and Lentil wrecks. On the south side, there is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two ergs, knows as Yellow Fish Reef.
SS Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. The 129m English freighter was bombed by German aviation on 6 October 1941. Today, she makes for an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 32m maximum depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.
Please note: Due to local legislation, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck.