Emperor Superior

The Emperor Superior is well named since it is indeed superior to a vast number of liveaboards that operate around the northern Red Sea. Cutting an impressive figure, this sleek white deluxe liveaboard boat has some of the features that the top-end Emperors enjoy such as outstanding accommodation, food and facilities, all marking the MV Emperor Superior out as one of the finest luxury liveaboards around.

At 37 metres long, it offers spacious comfort to no more than 26 divers, across 13 twin-berth or double bed en-suite cabins per trip. Emperor has a 'no hidden extras' policy. This means that they have transparent pricing and you will not find any extras such as fuel surcharges, local taxes, marine park fees, green/environment fees, airport transfers - these are all included in the sales price!

Purpose-built for liveaboard diving in the Red Sea, the cabins are roomy, air-conditioned and feature private, en-suite bathroom facilities. On the dive deck, the EANx membrane system supplies free nitrox for trained divers. There is a camera table and there are 2 motorised dinghies and a minimum of 2 guides per trip to ensure an attentive and speedy diving service.

The Emperor Superior's ample space is fully utilised by a huge saloon with a segregated dining area, 2 sundecks, and a spacious dive deck and platform. The semi-shaded sundeck on the upper deck is comfortable and enormous, as good a lounging area as you will find on any liveaboard. As with the rest of the Emperor fleet of Red Sea liveaboards, Emperor Superior has a Wi-Fi system which operates except when at sites very distant from shore. Emperor Internet usage is free of charge.

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Notes: For lower deck twin bunk bed cabins: Emperor Superior offers a US$ 42 discount per person off the published prices of the lower deck twin bunk bed cabins.

Dive experience: 50 logged dives and advanced diver certification are required for Red Sea liveaboard safaris to any of - Brothers, Daedalus Reef, Zabargad and Rocky Island.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, red wine with dinner, drinking water, soft drinks and hot drinks, return transfers from Hurghada or Marsa Alam airport/hotel to boat (fixed times), dives (as detailed in the trips above), 2 experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), tanks, weights and weightbelts, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, all park & port fees, fuel surcharges, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 203 per week, incl. dive computer), diving insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: All other alcoholic drinks, 15 litre tank (US$ 37 per week), torch (US$ 60 per week). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: MV Emperor Superior departs from Hurghada and return transfers are provided from nearby hotels/ Hurghada airport to the departure point. Arrival transfer at 6 pm. Departure transfer at 9 am. For more details, including airlines, visit our Red Sea travel information section. The first and last nights of the trip are spent in the harbour. Guests arrive and board on the first day. The boat leaves the harbour on the morning of the second day. The last dive of the trip will be at around 12 noon on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: US$ 37 gift voucher to spend onboard.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 50% of the published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests and 1 extra person can join the cruise in a Standard cabin free of charge (total 8+ guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 23 guests and 3 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge.

Add-on package: If you have time, we strongly recommend that you consider some of the wonderful antiquities tours in Egypt which can add a whole new dimension to your holiday.

Cairo museum's royal mummies, the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, a glorious cruise down the Nile staying in a luxury cabin, The Valley of the Kings, all of these and more can be seen in packages starting at 6 nights' duration. Other activities such as 4x4 safaris and camel tours are also available as are custom-made packages to suit your needs.

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, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Shaab El Erg, Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisoula K), SS Thistlegorm, Gubal Island, Ulysses, Kingston, Carina, Dunraven, Ras Mohammed: Shark Reef, Yolanda, Straits of Tiran: Jackson Reef, Thomas Reef, Gordon Reef

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Superior liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Approximate transfer time between Hurghada Airport and Hurghada Marina is 20-30 minutes. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
This route allows you to visit famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. There will be 4 dives a day, usually with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive, and either a sunset or a night dive. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life. The most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the wreck of the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world. The Rosalie Moeller, carrying a cargo of coal, suffered the same fate just 2 days later.
The reefs around Gubal Island feature deep walls with an abundance of schools of fish like snapper and surgeonfish. Ras Mohamed, at the southernmost tip of the Sinai, is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. You will also dive the 4 famous reefs of the Strait of Tiran: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas & Gordon. These magnificent formations, rising from the depths, are often frequented by large pelagics due to the abundance of currents. 4 dives a day will be the norm on most days, except on the penultimate day, when 2 or 3 dives are scheduled before returning to Hurghada.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Red Sea Northern Wrecks (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)

Trip highlights: dolphins, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Abu Nuhas (Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Kimon M and Giannis D), Gubal Barge, SS Thistlegorm, Ulysses, Rosalie Moller, El Mina, Kingston, Dunraven, Carina, Hurghada reefs

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Superior liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Approximate transfer time between Hurghada Airport and the marina is 20-30 minutes. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
This route allows you to visit famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. There will be 4 dives a day, usually with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive, and either a sunset or a night dive. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives with plenty of marine life, making fantastic material for the underwater photographer. The reefs around Gubal Island feature deep walls with an abundance of schools of fish like snapper and surgeonfish. The island is also a perfect place for night diving.
The most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the wreck of the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world. The Rosalie Moeller, carrying a cargo of coal, suffered the same fate just 2 days later. Please note that there will only 2 dives on the last full day of the tour; the final night will be spent again in Hurghada marina.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Red Sea North, Wrecks & Brothers (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Big Brother, Little Brother, Abu Nuhas (Carnatic, Chrisoula K, Kimon M and Giannis D), Straits of Gubal, SS Thistlegorm, Ras Mohamed, Rosalie Moller, Panorama Reef, Salem Express

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Superior liveaboard at around 18:00 hrs. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Approximate transfer time between Hurghada Airport and Hurghada Marina is 20-30 minutes. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Diving the Brother Islands are a must for all experienced divers. You will surely have fun while diving drop-offs, wrecks, huge gorgonians and colourful soft corals that are home to octopus, lionfish, nudibranchs, frogfish, large schools of fish: an underwater photographer’s dream! Bucket list encounters include hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, whale sharks, thresher sharks and manta rays. Lots of curious turtles, Napoleon wrasse and whitetip reef sharks will be common encounters on several occasions!
This route also allows you to visit famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life. Ras Mohamed is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. The most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world. The Rosalie Moeller, carrying a cargo of coal, suffered the same fate just 2 days later.
Safaga has some great diving, offering a combination of shallow reef dives like Panorama Reef, and drop-offs, as well as unforgettable wreck diving on the Salem Express, a 100-metre ferry boat that hosts frogfish, blue-spotted stingrays, schools of angel and butterfly fish. The ship is now covered in hard and soft corals. On the penultimate day of the tour the boat will head back to port, after 2 morning dives.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.


Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 09:30 hrs, after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel. Sometimes Port Ghalib is used as the port in this itinerary.

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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, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Shaab El Erg, Alternatives, Stingray Station, Thistlegorm, Gubal Barge, Dunraven, Ras Mohammed: Shark Reef, Yolanda, Marsa Bereika, Straits of Tiran: Jackson Reef, Thomas Reef, Gordon Reef

Day 1
After passing through customs and collecting your luggage at Hurghada Airport you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a representative of the Emperor Superior liveaboard. If you are already staying at a local hotel then Emperor will contact you the evening before with a pick-up time. Approximate transfer time between Hurghada Airport and Hurghada Marina is 20-30 minutes. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other divers that like you have chosen this amazing cruise for their vacation in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Designed to showcase some of the highlights of the Northern Red Sea – wrecks and reefs - at a relaxed pace, whether diving or snorkelling. It's also the best time of year for dolphin spotting and the world class fish schooling event at Ras Mohamed. There will be 4 dives a day, usually with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive, and either a sunset or a night dive. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while the most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the wreck of the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world.
Ras Mohamed, at the southernmost tip of the Sinai, is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. You will also dive the famous reefs of the Strait of Tiran. These magnificent formations, rising from the depths, are often frequented by large pelagics due to the abundance of currents. From here the boat will head back to Hurghada, after 2 dives on the last full day of the safari.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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Red Sea North, Wrecks & Tiran (Women's Special) (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Shaab El Erg, Alternatives, Stingray Station, Thistlegorm, Gubal Barge, Dunraven, Ras Mohammed: Shark Reef, Yolanda, Marsa Bereika, Straits of Tiran: Jackson Reef, Thomas Reef, Gordon Reef

Day 1
This special trip is a wonderful opportunity to get a break from the men and enjoy a bit girls-only time in the water. it offers a safe and supportive environment for female solo travellers to explore the beautiful Red Sea. The crew will welcome you on board, show you your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help you on familiarizing with your new home for the duration of the trip. Dinner inside the huge saloon with a segregated dining area will be a great moment for getting to know the other ladies. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
The itinerary is designed to showcase some of the highlights of the Northern Red Sea – wrecks and reefs - at a relaxed pace, whether diving or snorkelling. It's also the best time of year for dolphin spotting and the world class fish schooling event at Ras Mohamed. There will be 4 dives a day, usually with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive, and either a sunset or a night dive. There are beautiful hard coral gardens and dolphins at Shaab El Erg, while the most famous wreck in the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm, will leave you in awe: it was sunk in 1941 after being bombed by the German Luftwaffe! With its historical cargo of World War II machinery and equipment, all neatly stowed in its open holds, the wreck of the Thistlegorm would be a highlight of diving anywhere in the world.
Ras Mohamed, at the southernmost tip of the Sinai, is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. You will also dive the famous reefs of the Strait of Tiran. These magnificent formations, rising from the depths, are often frequented by large pelagics due to the abundance of currents. From here the boat will head back to Hurghada, after 2 dives on the last full day of the safari.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find eggs cooked to order, toast and preserves, falafel, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate, soft drinks, as well as snacks, are available at all times in the dining area. A variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, served with a choice of salads, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include cream of tomato soup with croutons, goulash with cheese, roast beef with mushroom gravy, macaroni with tomato sauce, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the boat. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.

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[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 vast space of the Emperor Superior accommodates 26 divers in 13 cabins. 1 upper deck twin bed cabin, 1 upper deck double bed cabin, 1 main deck flexi double/twin bed cabin, 1 main deck twin bed cabin, and 9 cabins all on the lower deck:: 8 are twin bed cabins, and 1 twin-bunk 'L-shaped' bed cabin. The cabins all have private en-suite bathrooms.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 14 / 14 - hot water

Crew comprises: Complimentary nitrox - 2 motorised dinghies - 39.5m² dive deck with 2 hot water showers, toilets & charge points for electrical equipment - Separate rinse tank for cameras - Camera table - 30m² dive platform with 2 access ladders - Air-conditioned saloon with big-screen TV, DVD and music players - Restaurant area with well-stocked bar - Library with movies, magazines, novels and fish ID books - Computer, B&W printer & CD burner - Free internet usage - 70m² sun deck with sun matresses & seating - 36m² shaded area with bar - Water dispenser - Emergency laundry

Customer reviews:

"We were impressed by the quality of the dive master Lily. The crew were helpful and fun. The food was excellent and we especially enjoyed trying the Egyptian food. It was so good we asked them to make it again. The trip was good except the wind was a bit blustery but we managed to make most of the planned itinerary. The wreck dive trip is fun and we managed to do enough reefs on the trip to make it more varied. The Red Sea has great reefs in the North and we enjoyed some amazingly relaxed drift dives." - Donald Henderson, Mexico, 16 September 2019 ...

"It was a good experience as my first live onboard diving. Just my personal feeling, the diving staff, they were seemed to be tired a bit due to their continuous operations, maybe. All the arrangement including personal transfer services were perfectly worked on time, that what I appreciated so much" - Sayuri Teramoto, Japan, 9 January 2019 ...

"The liveaboard was absolutely fantastic! The dive guards were super knowledgeable about all the dive sites and the staff were always there when you needed them. At no point of my trip was I annoyed with the staff. The bathrooms of the boat could use a bit of an update, but other than that I was pleased with my cabin and the shared spaces of the boat." - Rebecca Spillers, USA, 24 May 2015 ...

"Had a good trip, excellent diving and the wrecks were spectacular. Excellent all around. Only complaint was sharing a cabin and had the top bunk, which was awkward to get in and out of, especially with a stranger in the bottom bunk. Note: I did not raise this issue with the operator, as I knew there were no other accommodation available. Just slept most nights on the top deck. Only reason not a 5 out of 5 is the bunk bed as mentioned above and the fact that we spent the first and last nights on the boat tied up in the harbour. Would have rather had 5 nights on the boat and spent the other 2 in a hotel." - Scott Curry, USA, 14 January 2011 ...

"Emperor get 5/5 for the way they run things. Best feature was post-dive check-in using the scuba tanks and the dive stats log. Minimal risk of being left behind, which is more than I can say for shore dive operations at places such as Titanic." - Rob Koch, South Africa, 28 February 2010 ...