MY Golden Dolphin III is a sleek, white Egypt liveaboard built in 2008 measuring 37m purpose built for Red Sea dive tours. Up to 20 guests can be accommodated comfortably on board yet it is always possible to find a quite space such is the boat's roominess and intelligent layout.
Examples of the space on board include the large dive deck, shaded relaxation areas on the main and upper deck and the exposed sun deck, and an outdoor bar. There is a dedicated air-conditioned restaurant on the main deck and, for those who prefer to relax indoors, there is a large air-conditioned lounge complete with TV, DVD, free internet and music system. There is also a library of marine and general books in a variety of languages, mostly English and German.
There are a number of features which reveal Golden Dolphin III to be a real scuba divers' liveaboard: the large dive deck boasts a camera table and charging station, hot showers and toilet, plus free nitrox is available. Space, comfort and good service are all elements of a Red Sea diving trip emphasised by the Golden Dolphin's Egypt liveaboards.
MY Golden Dolphin III has 10 cabins: 2 Double bed cabins with windows on the upper deck and 8 Twin bed cabins with portholes on the lower deck.
All the cabins have:
- Air-conditioning
- En-suite bathroom with hot water shower and hand basin
- Hand soap & towels provided
- Minibar; Double cabins have an extra fridge
- Music
- Bedding
- Cabinet, shelves and mirror
- Reading light
- 24-hour, 220V electricity and 2 flat pin plug points. No adaptors are available
- Fire warning system
- Life jackets and fire extinguishers
No. of bathrooms / showers - 12 / 12 - hot water
Fury Shoals & St. John's (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, manta rays, dugongs/manatees, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: St. John's reef system: Big Habili, Small Habili, Umm Erug, Umm Hararim; Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, El Malahi, Abu Galawa Soraya; Shaab Sharm
Day 1
Upon landing in Hurghada you will be met at the arrival terminal and given assistance with your visa on arrival. A 3 hour air-conditioned van ride will take you to Port Ghalib marina where the Golden Dolphin 2 is moored. During the journey you will be served a lunch box and drinks. Otherwise you can fly to Marsa Alam Airport which is only 10 minutes away from Port Ghalib. The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board brief you about the boat and the cruise and assign your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served before bedding down for a good night’s sleep before the fun days ahead.
Core Days
Among the best sites of the deep south are St John’s Reef, some of the most colorful and healthy sites in Egypt. The dive sites are characterised by caves, tunnels, drop-offs, canyons, pinnacles and amazing hard corals. Marine life includes reef sharks, barracuda, and if you are in luck, manta rays and dolphins. This tour also visits the Fury Shoals. This reef system offers amazing scuba diving opportunities with some of the most pristine reefs in Egypt.
In the Red Sea deep south you will normally do 4 dives a day: 2 in the morning and a 3rd and 4th in the afternoon/evening. On the penultimate day of the cruise, you will do 2 dives before the liveaboard makes its way back to port.
The dining experience on board kicks off with a hot breakfast of eggs, omelettes, toast, pancakes, sausages, cheese, cereal, tea and coffee). Lunch and dinner are buffet-style and involve an array of fresh vegetables, chicken, beef and fish, rice and noodles. Daily snacks include fresh fruit, juice and cookies. Each trip normally features a barbecue.
Day 8
On the final day of the cruise, you can enjoy a hot farewell breakfast and a chance to say goodbye to your fellow guests and the crew. You will disembark at around 10:00 hrs and be transferred to our hotel or the airport.
Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Big Brother, Little Brother, Aida II wreck, Numidia wreck, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone
Day 1
You will either fly into Hurghada or Marsa Alam airport. If departing from Hurghada, you will be met by Golden Dolphin staff and helped with the visa on arrival process. After that you jump into an air-conditioned minivan for the 20 minute drive to the marina where you will board the Golden Dolphin 3. If departing from Port Ghalib, you can either fly direct to Marsa Alam, 10 minutes from Port Ghalib. Alternatively you can fly into Hurghada and take the 3 hour minivan transfer to the departure point in Port Ghalib. A lunchbox and drink will be provided en route. The tour leader and crew will welcome you on board brief you about the boat and the cruise and assign your cabin. Guests will arrive throughout the day. Dinner will be served before bedding down for a good night’s sleep before the fun days ahead.
Core Days
Among the best loved dive sites of the Red Sea are the famous Brother Islands, 2 exposed promontories that act as a magnet for sea life. Here you will find walls bedecked in colour; sponges, soft corals and anemones. There is a good chance you will spot a variety of sharks including scalloped hammerheads, numerous grey reef sharks, silvertips and whitetips. There is a wreck called Numidia lying in the shallows which is decorated with gorgonians and hard and soft corals. The reefs of Elphinstone and Daedalus are home to a vast array of tropical reef fish as well as schools of surgeonfish, fusiliers and trevallies. You can spot manta rays here, especially in the summertime and sharks year round may include hammerheads, thresher sharks and oceanic whitetips.
In the Red Sea you will normally do 3 or 4 dives a day: 2 in the morning and a 3rd and 4th in the afternoon. On the penultimate day of the cruise, you will do 2 dives before the liveaboard makes its way back to port.
The dining experience on board kicks off with a hot breakfast of eggs, omelettes, toast, pancakes, sausages, cheese, cereal, tea and coffee). Lunch and dinner are buffet-style and involve an array of fresh vegetables, chicken, beef and fish, rice and noodles. Daily snacks include fresh fruit, juice and cookies. Each trip normally features a barbecue.
Day 8
Check out time is normally after a small breakfast and farewells with the crew, before being transferred either to the airport or your local hotel.
Please note that these trips sometimes use Hurghada marina as the departure or arrival port - check above for details.
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, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, 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.
[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].
Boat crew of 11 comprises:
- 2 x Dive Masters
- Captain
- Cook
- Engineer
- Maid
- Stewardess
- 3 Deck Hands
- 1 x General crew
Nitrox - 41m² Dive deck with 2 hot showers and a toilet - Camera table and charging points for electrical equipment - 30m² Dive platform with rinse tank - 2 x 25 HP diving tenders - Air-conditioned 63m² saloon on main deck and TV, DVD and music players - 42m² Dedicated air-conditioned restaurant with bar on main deck - Free internet wi-fi - Satellite telephone for customer use - Library with movies, magazines, novels and fish ID books - Open air shaded dining area - 2 x Sundecks with sun matresses - Water dispenser
You can expect to be well-fed on board Golden Dolphin III since meals start with a pre-breakfast before your first dive and are followed by a cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals are served buffet style with waitress assistance. There is a mix of international cuisine and Middle-Eastern specialties, with 4 or 5 different dishes served per sitting. There is always tea, coffee, biscuits and toast available in between meals.
- International cuisine is served along with Italian, BBQs and Egyptian delicacies.
- Main meals are buffet style and comprise pre-breakfast, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
- Meals are served in the air-conditioned restaurant or beneath the shade of the main deck.
- Snacks consist of candy bars, biscuits, bread, toast and fruit, and are available all day free of charge.
- Tea, coffee, soft drinks and drinking water are also complimentary.
- Beer and wine are available for purchase onboard.
- Vegetarian and other special diets can be catered for with prior notice.
- Catering starts with dinner on the first day of check in.
"
Everything on the trip was fantastic - the equipment was great, the dive guides were awesome and the boat crew were incredible! The crew could not do enough - they were always there to help, they work very hard on these tours!" -
Hayley Drake, South Africa, 8 April 2013 ...
