Sunshine

MV Sunshine is a 30m long Egyptian motor vessel that operates budget-friendly liveaboard diving cruises for 20 guests in the Northern Red Sea to its superb wrecks and reefs. This means it specialises in trips to dive at the Straits of Tiran, Ras Mohamed National Park, the world famous SS Thistlegorm World War 2 wreck, the Abu Nuhas wreck system, and the Rosalie Moller.

The air-conditioned saloon has both a lounge with comfortable seating, TV and audio entertainment system, and a dining area for buffet meals. Sunshine understand well how important it is to have great food when you're diving 4 times a day. The menu was created by the executive chef. He not only treats you with tasty food, but makes sure it is perfectly balanced. The galley uses fresh meat and poultry from selected butchers and fresh fruit and vegetables from farms in Qena, Luxor and Nile Delta.

There is a large selection of movies that guests can watch, and an international book library. Wifi is available onboard too. The upper deck has a partially covered sun area with seating and loungers, ideal for enjoying the sea breezes and the Red Sea sunshine. There is an open-air bar and music system where guests can share dive stories, socialise a little with the 11 boat crew, and enjoy a cocktail or beer as the sun sets on another memorable day in Egypt

All the simple cabins have private en-suite bathrooms, They each have twin beds with air-conditioning and daily housekeeping. There is a choice of lower deck or upper deck accommodation. Complimentary toiletries are provided, as well as cabin, dive and beach towels.

2 motorised dinghies are used to take scuba divers to the sites, or occcassionally you can jump in straight from the dive platform, if conditions allow. The dive deck features enriched air nirox for certified divers, wetsuit and towel dry rails, individual gear storage crates, camera rinse tanks, table and battery charging station.

Sunlight Red Sea liveaboard safaris do not use freelancers. Most of the staff have been with the company for a long time and are very professional. They are a competent crew that understand the needs of guests and can deliver a high quality servce. They are also vey flexible to scuba diver special requests - if you want an early morning dive to dive with sharks, no problem! If you want to reserve an unusual route to dive a rare wreck, no problem once again!

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Dive experience: Recommended: North & Wrecks - Open Water diver license and 30 logged dives.

Cruise price per person includes: Scheduled group transfers from local airport/central hotels to boat on cruise departure day and boat return day (2nd last day), cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, soft drinks, drinking water, hot drinks (e.g. coffee, tea), return scheduled group transfers from local airport to liveaboard, dives (as detailed in the trips above), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, 2 experienced English-speaking divemasters, tanks, belts, weights, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 16 per day), diving insurance, service fees (i.e. crew tips: US$ 63 per week), port fees (US$ 52 per trip), park fees (US$ 63 per week) .Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only - EUR, GBP, USD, CHF).

Optional extras: Dive computer (US$ 10 per day), torch (US$ 1 per day), 15 litre tank (US$ 47 per week), alcoholic drinks (beer and wine, should be pre-booked), private transfer (approx. US$ 73 per way). 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: M/V Sunshine departs from Hurghada Tourist Harbour and return transfers from the local airport are provided once boarding begins. For more details, including airlines, see our Red Sea travel information section. Embarkation starts at 7 pm on the first day (boat departs from the marina during the next morning). If you are staying in a hotel in Hurghada, then you will be collected early morning on the second day and transferred to the boat.
The last dive of the trip will be at 10 am on the penultimate day of the tour. Disembarkation is by 10 am on the final day (last night 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 75% of the published price for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise in a standard cabin.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Please ask us for details.

Add-on package: Why not create the vacation of a lifetime by combining your Red Sea liveaboard diving expedition with a land tour to explore the wonderful antiquities of ancient Egypt? You can visit the Cairo Muesum to see the pharaohs and royal mummies, then take a ride outside the city centre to visit the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Then fly to Luxor to board a fantastic cruise to the Valley of the Kings along the Nile River.

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, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M;, Shaab Mahmoud, Ras Mohamed, Straits of Tiran: Jackson, Thomas, Gordon and Woodhouse reefs; Ras Um Sid, Thistlegorm, Gubal Island, Umm Gamar

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport by a representative of Sunshine liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the tourist harbour for boarding in the evening. 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 next few days. Dinner will be served in the saloon 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 to begin diving.

Days 2-7
You will dive 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. Tiran is world famous for its exceptional variety of corals and its strong southwestern currents. It’s home to a lot of big fish and in the summer months even schools of scalloped hammerheads might visit. 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... The north side of Abu Nuhas features 4 wrecks on a sandy seafloor at the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M. Each of them will be a great dive!
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 penultimate day as the boat will then sail back to port.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and sous-chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find a varieties of eggs, toast and preserves, fresh vegetables ordered from local farmers, a selection of cheeses and luncheons, pancakes, sausages and classic porridge. Fresh ground coffee is available during breakfast. 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 salad and soup, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include roast duck with cashew rice and orange sauce, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna al forno, freshly baked jackfish, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables. There is a cocktail bar in the open-air upper deck social area which is a great place to enjoy a sundowner.

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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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: Brothers islands, Daedalus Reef, Elphinstone

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport by a representative of Sunshine liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the tourist harbour for boarding. 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 next few days. Dinner will be served in the saloon 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 to begin diving.

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 marine parks of the Red Sea, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon to end each amazing day of underwater discovery. There will only 2 dives on the penultimate day as the boat will then sail back to port.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and sous-chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find a varieties of eggs, toast and preserves, fresh vegetables ordered from local farmers, a selection of cheeses and luncheons, pancakes, sausages and classic porridge. Fresh ground coffee is available during breakfast. 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 salad and soup, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include roast duck with cashew rice and orange sauce, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna al forno, freshly baked jackfish, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables. There is a cocktail bar in the open-air upper deck social area which is a great place to enjoy a sundowner.

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.
Note: these cruises sometimes use Port Ghalib instead of Hurghada so please check the ports of departure and return.

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Safaga & Hurghada (8 Days / 7 Nights - 20 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: Shaab El Erg, Abu Nuhas wrecks: Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M; Gubal, Safaga: Salem Express, Shaab Sheer, Abu Kefan, Panorama Reef, Middle Reef, Tobia Arba, Ras Abu Soma, Abu Hasheesh; Small Giftun

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport by a representative of Sunshine liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the tourist harbour for boarding in the evening. 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 next few days. Dinner will be served in the saloon 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 to begin diving.

Days 2-7
You will dive at some world famous wrecks. he north side of Abu Nuhas features 4 wrecks on a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. The wrecks here - the Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M - are an attraction point for divers from all around the world, as they are now encrusted with beautiful corals that attract lots of reef fish. Inside the wrecks expect to find thousands of glassfish.
Safaga has some great diving too, offering a combination of shallow reef dives like Panorama Reef, and drop-offs, as well as an unforgettable shipwreck. The Salem Express was a 100-metre ferry boat and remains one of the largest accessible wrecks in the Egyptian Red Sea and diving it is a must for every experienced scuba diver, as long as you can handle the nature of the recent tragedy. It is now covered in hard and soft corals and hosts frogfish, blue-spotted stingrays, schools of angel and butterfly fish.
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 penultimate day as the boat will then sail back to port.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and sous-chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find a varieties of eggs, toast and preserves, fresh vegetables ordered from local farmers, a selection of cheeses and luncheons, pancakes, sausages and classic porridge. Fresh ground coffee is available during breakfast. 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 salad and soup, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include roast duck with cashew rice and orange sauce, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna al forno, freshly baked jackfish, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables. There is a cocktail bar in the open-air upper deck social area which is a great place to enjoy a sundowner.

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 & Dahab (8 Days / 7 Nights - 19 Dives)

Trip highlights: 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, Shaab Mahmoud, Dunraven, Ras Mohamed, Straits of Tiran, Dahab: Gabr el Bint, Blue Hole, Canyon; Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas wrecks, Umm Gammar, Carless Reef

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport by a representative of Sunshine liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the tourist harbour for boarding. 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 next few days. Dinner will be served in the saloon 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 to begin diving.

Days 2-7
You will dive 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, and in the summer months even schools of scalloped hammerheads might visit. 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... The north side of Abu Nuhas features 4 wrecks at the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M. Each of them would be a great dive!
You will also dive the world renowned Blue Hole of Dahab, and the Straits of Tiran - one of the most famous diving areas in the Red Sea. The strong current brings plenty of nutrients and schooling fish to the reef, tempting pelagic fish in from the open water. Large schools of barracuda and jacks are common here, as are larger predators including several species of shark.
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 penultimate day as the boat will then sail back to port.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and sous-chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find a varieties of eggs, toast and preserves, fresh vegetables ordered from local farmers, a selection of cheeses and luncheons, pancakes, sausages and classic porridge. Fresh ground coffee is available during breakfast. 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 salad and soup, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include roast duck with cashew rice and orange sauce, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna al forno, freshly baked jackfish, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables. There is a cocktail bar in the open-air upper deck social area which is a great place to enjoy a sundowner.

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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Hurghada (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: Hurghada: Small Giftun, Umm Gamar, Gubal island, Abu Nuhas wrecks, Carless Reef, Fanadir, Abu Ramada, Underwater Museum

Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport by a representative of Sunshine liveaboard and transferred in a minibus to the tourist harbour for boarding. 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 next few days. Dinner will be served in the saloon 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 to begin diving.

Days 2-7
You will dive at some of the very best sites of Hurghada; including daily night dives, drift dives and some exploration dives along local islands, which are still as yet unmapped. The north side of Abu Nuhas features 4 wrecks on a sandy seafloor at the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M. Each of them will be a great dive!
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 penultimate day as the boat will then sail back to port.
All meals are freshly prepared by a professional chef and sous-chef and served buffet style. At breakfast you will find a varieties of eggs, toast and preserves, fresh vegetables ordered from local farmers, a selection of cheeses and luncheons, pancakes, sausages and classic porridge. Fresh ground coffee is available during breakfast. 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 salad and soup, will satisfy your hunger at lunch time, while dinner options might include roast duck with cashew rice and orange sauce, roast beef with mushroom gravy, lasagna al forno, freshly baked jackfish, basmati rice and sautéed vegetables. There is a cocktail bar in the open-air upper deck social area which is a great place to enjoy a sundowner.

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].

There are 10 cabins on the MV Sunshine - 8 on the lower deck and 2 on the upper deck. All the cabins have twin side-by-side beds and private bathrooms.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 12 / 12 - hot water

Note: hot water and air-con are not available on the final night in the tourist harbour on cruises that end in Hurghada.