Enigma

Enigma is quite a new Egyptian liveaboard and so its name could be quite appropriate, but it has been operating 1-week diving cruises to the very best wrecks and reefs of the Red Sea since 2018. Its philosophy is to show the beauty of the underwater world with high quality services provided by the 9 crew at a price that everyone can afford.

Rebuilt and modernised in 2017, Enigma now has a range of accommodations, with both main and lower deck cabin options, all with private bathrooms. Unusually, the saloon has been moved to the upper deck to provide cabin space on the main deck, and to provide spectacular views from the sky lounge. This is also where guests take their meals - either in the lounge dining area or al fresco in the open air social area. The galley is connected to the dining area, allowing for a fast and easy service.

The flybridge is now an 80 sqm sun deck. It is comfortably fitted with delightful sofas and sun loungers, and has both shaded areas and open areas. There is also a 24- hour services bar on the upper deck where you can sip a cocktail and watch the sun set over the water.

One of the best features of this Red Sea liveaboard are the diving facilities. Older or less mobile scuba divers will love the in-water easy-exit dive rail that runs around the entire stern of the boat. This rail allows divers to more easily manoeuvre to the 2 exit ladders. There are also 2 motorised Zodiacs that are often used to speed divers out the sites. The dive deck and platform are also quite spacious at 70 sqm, and nitrox is provided free of charge.

Enigma accommodates up to 24 guests and is 32 long. Take a Red Sea liveaboard cruise with her now and get to know her better.

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Dive experience: Recommendation for all trips: Advanced Open Water Diver license and a minimum of 20 logged dives; except for any cruises that include the southern marine parks (Brothers, Daedalus Reef, Zabargad or Rocky) - Advanced Open Water Diver and 30 logged dives. Guests may be requested to sit out a dive if the guides assess that it is beyond their experience level.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, soft drinks, drinking water, hot drinks (e.g. instant coffee, tea), port and park fees, return transfers from local airport to the liveaboard, dives (as detailed in the trips above), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, 2 experienced CWDS English-speaking divemasters, tanks, weights, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 126 per week), diving insurance, Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only - international currencies).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks (pre-order or bring own), dive computer (US$ 47 per week), torch (US$ 31 per week), 15 litre tank (US$ 31 per week). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: The Enigma liveaboard departs from either Hurghada or Port Ghalib. Return transfers from the local airport to the departure port are provided. Individual return transfers from Hurghada to Port Ghallib are also provided when required. For more details see our Red Sea travel information section. Check in time starts at 4 pm on the first day (boat departs the next morning and late arrivals can still board until 7 am).
The last dive of the trip will be finished by lunchtime on the second last day of the trip. Check out is at 10 am on the final day (last night is spent in the harbour). Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: 20%.

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 8 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise free of charge, pay for 14 guests and 2 additional persons can join free of charge.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 20 guests and 4 additional persons can join the trip free of charge (total 24 guests).

Add-on package: We strongly recommend to our Egypt clients that they consider some of the wonderful antiquities tours which can be added to your Red Sea liveaboard diving vacation to create a trip of a lifetime.
Cairo museum's pharaohs and royal mummies, the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, a glorious cruise down the Nile to the Valley of the Kings … all the world famous attractions of ancient Egypt and more can be booked as add-on packages.

Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)

Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, 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, Aida II wreck, Numidia wreck, Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone, Dugong Bay, Gota Abu Ramada

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport outside the arrivals hall by a representative of Enigma liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the marina for boarding at 4 pm. The crew will welcome you on board, show you to your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help familiarize you with your new home for the next week. Dinner will be served inside the sky lounge and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
The Brother Islands are 2 small exposed promontories in the middle of the sea, with a very high concentration of marine life. The walls feature sponges, anemones and hard and soft corals, giving an astonishing variety of colour to the underwater world. It's very common to see sharks at the dive sites around the islands. Scalloped hammerheads and grey reef sharks, silvertip and whitetip reef sharks. At Big Brother there is a wreck that can be dived when the conditions are right, especially if it's not too windy. It's the Numidia that lies between 5-8m, completely covered with hard and soft corals. and gorgonians. The reef at Daedalus and Elphinstone are home to schools of surgeonfish, fusiliers, trevallies and colourful reef fish. Hammerheads, oceanic whitetips and thresher sharks can be seen here, as well as manta rays, usually during the summer months.
3 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea marine parks, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon that ends each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will sail back to port.
Onboard meals are served buffet style in the Skydeck lounge and terrace. Uniquely, guests have the choice of dining in the cool of the air-conditioned lounge or al fresco on the adjoining terrace. The liveaboard chefs prepare a varied menu of international dishes complemented with some traditional Egyptian touches. With prior notice they can cater for vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free choices. Additionally throughout the day and evening complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks and a variety of snacks are offered in the dining area. After the diving for the day has ended, the open air terrace provides a relaxing setting to enjoy the sunset with drinks.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, 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.
Note: sometimes this itinerary uses the port in Ghalib. Please double check the ports of departure and return.

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Egypt Red Sea - Route Open (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 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: Route not yet decided. First booking of 2 customers will determine the route: Ras Mohamed & Tiran; North & Wrecks; Brothers; Brothers, Daedalus Reef & Elphinstone; or St. John's.

Itinerary details dependent upon route selected.

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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: Abu Nuhas wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M.), Thistlegorm, Ras Mohamed, Tiran: Jackson, Thomas, Gordon and Woodhouse reefs

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport outside the arrivals hall by a representative of Enigma liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the marina for boarding at 4 pm. The crew will welcome you on board, show you to your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help familiarize you with your new home for the next week. Dinner will be served inside the sky lounge and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Dives will be done at some very special and world famous reefs and wrecks. Ras Mohamed is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. In the summer months even schools of scalloped hammerheads might visit. Tiran is world famous for its exceptional variety of corals and its strong southwestern currents. It’s home to a lot of big fish. The Thistlegorm is one of the most fascinating wrecks in the Red Sea. It is a British ship that was hit by a German bomb during World War II. It lies at 32m, on a sandy sea bottom with its cargo ready for you to explore: trucks, motorcycles, jeeps, car tyres, military uniforms... Shaab Abu Nuhas is a coral reef that has claimed several ships whose wrecks now lie in the deep. One of them is the Carnatic that lies at the base of the Abu Nuhas, with her stern at about 24m depth on the seabed. The wooden structure has rotted away, but the steel hull is visible and held together by iron supports.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive to end each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will then sail back to port.
Onboard meals are served buffet style in the Skydeck lounge and terrace. Uniquely, guests have the choice of dining in the cool of the air-conditioned lounge or al fresco on the adjoining terrace. The liveaboard chefs prepare a varied menu of international dishes complemented with some traditional Egyptian touches. With prior notice they can cater for vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free choices. Additionally throughout the day and evening complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks and a variety of snacks are offered in the dining area. After the diving for the day has ended, the open air terrace provides a relaxing setting to enjoy the sunset with drinks.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, 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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St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 19 Dives)

Trip highlights: dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, 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 Marsa Alam, Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudia, El Malahi, Abu Galawa, Tien Hsing, Shaab Maksour, Shaab Sataya (Dolphin Reef); St. John's, Elphinstone

Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport outside the arrivals hall by a representative of Enigma liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the port for boarding at 4 pm. The crew will welcome you on board, show you to your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help familiarize you with your new home for the next week. Dinner will be served inside the sky lounge and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
In the deep south of Egypt you will have the chance to dive St. John’s Reefs and the Fury Shoals, the healthiest and most colourful in the Red Sea, with their fantastic drop offs, pinnacles, canyons, caves and tunnels, and amazing hard-corals. There is a lot of marine life too, such as barracuda, different types of reef shark, sometimes even turtles, Napoleon wrasse, dolphins, dugongs and mantas. Elphinstone has steep current-swept walls and exposed points, making it perfect for encounters with big marine life like oceanic whitetip sharks.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive to end each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will then sail back to port.
Onboard meals are served buffet style in the Skydeck lounge and terrace. Uniquely, guests have the choice of dining in the cool of the air-conditioned lounge or al fresco on the adjoining terrace. The liveaboard chefs prepare a varied menu of international dishes complemented with some traditional Egyptian touches. With prior notice they can cater for vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free choices. Additionally throughout the day and evening complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks and a variety of snacks are offered in the dining area. After the diving for the day has ended, the open air terrace provides a relaxing setting to enjoy the sunset with drinks.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, 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.
Note: sometimes this itinerary uses the marina in Hurghada. Please double check the ports of departure and return.

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Red Sea North & 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 wrecks (Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M.), Rosalie Moller, Ulysses, Kingston, Thistlegorm, Dunraven, Ras Mohamed

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport outside the arrivals hall by a representative of Enigma liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the marina for boarding at 4 pm. The crew will welcome you on board, show you to your cabin and provide a detailed boat briefing that will help familiarize you with your new home for the next week. Dinner will be served inside the sky lounge and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. The boat will leave port early morning while everyone gets ready to dive.

Days 2-7
Dives will be done at some very special and world famous reefs and wrecks. Ras Mohamed is one of the best kept national parks in Egypt. Its waters are rich in nutrients, attracting pelagics. In the summer months even schools of scalloped hammerheads might visit. The Thistlegorm is one of the most fascinating wrecks in the Red Sea, discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1956. It was a British ship that was hit by a German bomb during World War II. It lies at 32m with its cargo ready for you to explore: trucks, motorcycles, jeeps, car tyres, military uniforms... The Rosalie Moeller is in an upright position and in very good condition, with the winches and the winch houses still intact. The cargo of coal is still visible, while in the galley you can find pots and pans still hanging above a large stove. One of the 4 propeller blades is missing and the actual damage caused by the bombs that sank the ship is hardly visible. Abundant fish and coral life is all around, covering the decks and railings. Trevallies and tuna can be seen feeding during the morning hours. Shaab Abu Nuhas is a coral reef that has claimed several ships whose wrecks now lie in the deep. One of them is the Carnatic that lies with her stern at about 24m. The wooden structure has rotted away, but the steel hull is visible and held together by iron supports.br> 4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive to end each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the last day before disembarkation as the boat will then sail back to port.
Onboard meals are served buffet style in the Skydeck lounge and terrace. Uniquely, guests have the choice of dining in the cool of the air-conditioned lounge or al fresco on the adjoining terrace. The liveaboard chefs prepare a varied menu of international dishes complemented with some traditional Egyptian touches. With prior notice they can cater for vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free choices. Additionally throughout the day and evening complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks and a variety of snacks are offered in the dining area. After the diving for the day has ended, the open air terrace provides a relaxing setting to enjoy the sunset with drinks.

Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, 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].

There are 12 cabins on Enigma. On the main deck is a Master Suite with double and twin beds, and bow sea views (can be used to accommodate families of 4). Also on the main deck are 6 Superior seaview twin bed cabins (8 sqm). On the lower deck are 4 twin bed and 1 double bed cabins (8 sqm). All cabins are en-suite.

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