Thunderbird is a 31m long wooden hull motor yacht. With a maximum of just 16 guests onboard, it is an ideal choice for clubs and groups searching for a Red Sea liveaboard diving safari with a family atmosphere. Furthermore, Thunderbird regularly schedules special cruises for kids, so it is also a great option for families.
The liveaboard operator has gained many years of experience with safari dive boats and the knowledge acquired has been consistently implemented in every detail to offer guests the maximum in comfort and relaxation. Thunderbird was built in 2001 but underwent a major renovation in 2016.
Each spacious cabin has a private bathroom and individually controlled air-conditioning. 7 of the cabins have twin side-by-side beds and 1 cabin has a queen size double bed. For the kids safaris, Thunderbird can accommodate a maximum of 18 guests, as an extra bed can be added in 2 of the cabins.
The onboard chef is hotel-experienced and serves up culinary delights of Egyptian and European origin. Guests often comment that they are spoiled by the high standards of cuisine. The boat crew is also highly experienced and the dive guides are always onhand to help and advise scuba divers with all their needs.
Public areas onboard include an indoor saloon where meals are served, and also with a seated lounge area with TV, DVD, internet and Bluetooth box. There are also 3 partially shaded sun decks where guests can make the most of the Red Sea's glorious sunshine
The dive deck includes a charging station for scuba divers to recharge their underwater camera and torch batteries, a nitrox membrane system that delivers free fills for enriched air-certified divers, ENOS lost diver tracking system, extra large 15 litre tanks for those that consume a lot of air, and 2 Zodiacs for easy access to the sites.
Scheduled departures, prices, destinations, durations...
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Fury Shoals & Elphinstone (8 Days / 7 Nights - 20 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, 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: Abu Dabbab, Marsa Shoona, Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, Shaab Maksour, Sataya South (Dolphin Reef), Shaab Sharm
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding during the afternoon. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
The Fury Shoals is a vast reef system. Sha'ab Claudio is a classic dive with its famous swim-throughs and huge porites corals, Malahi with its mazes and friendly turtles, and Abu Galawa Soraya with its fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat smothered with glassfish. Sataya, with its resident spinner dolphin population, is a must for snorkelling between dives, as well as having some good underwater offerings. Safaga has some great dives too, offering a combination of shallow reef dives like Panorama Reef, and drop-offs, blue-spotted stingrays, schools of angel and butterfly fish.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea (but only 3 when in the marine parks), with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea Northern 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 wrecks (Giannis D., Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M.), Thistlegorm, Umm Gamar, Small Giftun
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding at 3 pm. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
This route visits the famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning open sea diving. The most famous wreck, 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. 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life.
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.
4 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea (but only 3 when in the marine parks), with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, after a final breakfast on the yacht. 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. Transfers are always provided from Hurghada.
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, Daedalus, Elphinstone
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding at 3 pm. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of 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 reefs 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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, after a final breakfast on the yacht. 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. Transfers are always provided from Hurghada.
St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 20 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: Abu Dabbab, Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, Sataya; Shaab Sharm, St. John's: Gota Soraya, Habili Ali, Habili Soraya, Umm Aruk
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea South (8 Days / 7 Nights - 17 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: Daedalus Reef, Rocky Island, Zabargad
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding at 3 pm. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
Daedalus Reef is a popular choice for experienced Red Sea divers, especially photographers and lovers of sharks. Photographers will appreciate the colourful fans and corals on the reefs and drop-offs. Larger creatures include turtles, Napoleon wrasses and manta rays. Shark lovers will appreciate threshers, oceanic whitetips, hammerheads, and whitetip reef sharks. Zabargad Island is a popular diving region, distinguished by the variety of dive sites and a 70 metre-long wreck. Rocky Island is a site that can get the adrenaline going. When its currents are in full flow. Thanks to its exposed location and small circumference, it is a very lively reef. Silvertip sharks and grey reef sharks are often present in the blue and if you are in luck there may also be mantas and dolphins.
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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea South & St. John's Reefs (8 Days / 7 Nights - 18 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, dugongs/manatees, great macro life/ marine diversity
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: Rocky Island, Zabargad, St. Johns
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding at 3 pm. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
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.
Zabargad Island is a popular diving region, distinguished by the variety of dive sites and a 70 metre-long wreck. Rocky Island is a site that can get the adrenaline going. When its currents are in full flow. Thanks to its exposed location and small circumference, it is a very lively reef. Silvertip sharks and grey reef sharks are often present in the blue and if you are in luck there may also be mantas and dolphins.
3 dives a day are the norm in the marine parks of the Red Sea (4 dives outside of the parks), with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea South & St. John's Reefs (15 Days / 14 Nights - 37 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, dugongs/manatees, great macro life/ marine diversity
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, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Rocky Island, Zabargad, St. Johns
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding during the afternoon. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-14
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. The reefs 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.
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.
Zabargad Island is a popular diving region, distinguished by the variety of dive sites and a 70 metre-long wreck. Rocky Island is a site that can get the adrenaline going. When its currents are in full flow. Thanks to its exposed location and small circumference, it is a very lively reef. Silvertip sharks and grey reef sharks are often present in the blue and if you are in luck there may also be mantas and dolphins.
3 dives a day are the norm in the marine parks of the Red Sea (4 dives outside of the parks), with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 15
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea North & Wrecks (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: Abu Nuhas wrecks of Giannis D., Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M., Gubal Island, Ulysses, Gubal Barge, Rosalie Moller, Thistlegorm, Beacon Reef, Dunraven, Bluff Point, Siyul, Umm Gamar, Ras Mohamed
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding in the afternoon. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
This route visits the famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. The most famous wreck, 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. 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life. 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.
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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Safaga & Hurghada (Kids Special) (8 Days / 7 Nights - 20 Dives)
Trip highlights: dolphins, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities
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: Ras Torombi, Marsa Moawad, Shaab el Hamre, Abu Kafan, Panorama Reef, Shaab Claudio, Tobia Arba, Shaab el Arab, Gota Abu Ramada, Carless Reef, Umm Kamar, Giftun Soraya
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding at 3 pm. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
This diving safari has been specifically designed to allow families with kids to enjoy a liveaboard cruise together. The route is adjusted and the dive sites selected to guarantee the most fun for children. Besides scuba diving, there will be special opportunities for swimming, snorkeling and play time. If required, the instructors will guide parents on how best to relate the their kids underwater, as well as be on hand to provide certification courses onboard too, for both adults and juniors. The dive staff just love to see lots of bright and happy faces onboard.
3 dives a day are the norm in the Red Sea on these safaris, with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast and main meals are a mix of European and Egyptian dishes. However, the normal daily routine is adjusted to suit children too. The day starts a little later, and the food includes lots of dishes that kids tend to enjoy. Parents can also inform us about their kids particular eating habits in advance. In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available. There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts at around 10 am, after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Red Sea North & Wrecks (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: Abu Nuhas wrecks of Giannis D., Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M., Gubal Island, Ulysses, Gubal Barge, Rosalie Moller, Thistlegorm, Beacon Reef, Dunraven, Bluff Point, Siyul, Umm Gamar, Ras Mohamed, Straits of Tiran: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, Gordon reefs
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Firebird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding in the afternoon. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
This route visits the famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. The most famous wreck, 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. 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life.
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. The Straits of Tiran are the narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas which separate the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. These reefs, named after British cartographers are world famous for their extraordinary diversity of corals and strong south westerly currents that make them home to many large pelagic 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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
(8 Days / 7 Nights - Dives)
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: zz
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Red Sea North, Wrecks & Dahab (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: Dahab, Abu Nuhas wrecks of Giannis D., Carnatic, Chrisoula K. and Kimon M., Gubal Island, Ulysses, Gubal Barge, Rosalie Moller, Thistlegorm, Beacon Reef, Dunraven, Bluff Point, Siyul, Umm Gamar, Ras Mohamed
Day 1
You will be met at Hurghada Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to the marina for boarding in the afternoon. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
This route visits the famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea, along with some stunning reef diving. The most famous wreck, 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. 4 wrecks will be the highlights of diving at Abu Nuhas, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of marine life. 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 world renowned Blue Hole of Dahab.
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. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falaffel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
Daedalus Reef & St. John's (8 Days / 7 Nights - 19 Dives)
Trip highlights: hammerhead sharks, shark action, 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: Abu Dabbab, Elphinstone, Daedalus Reef, Fury Shoals: Shaab Claudio, Sataya; Shaab Sharm, St. John's: Gota Soraya, Habili Ali, Habili Soraya, Umm Aruk
Day 1
You will be met at Marsa Alam Airport at the arrivals hall by a representative of the Thunderbird liveaboard and transferred in a collective minibus to Port Ghalib for boarding. The crew will greet you on board, show you to your cabin and allow you time to unpack and prepare your dive gear in the basket that will be allocated to you. Dinner will be served inside the saloon and this will be a great opportunity to get to know the other guests on this cruise in the Red Sea. After dinner, the tour leader will provide a detailed boat safety and dive briefing for the next week. The yacht will leave port early morning for the first day of diving.
Days 2-7
Daedalus Reef is a popular choice for experienced Red Sea divers, especially photographers and lovers of sharks. Photographers will appreciate the colourful fans and corals on the reefs and drop-offs. Larger creatures include turtles, Napoleon wrasse and manta rays. Shark lovers will appreciate the bucketlist encounters with threshers, oceanic whitetips, hammerheads, and whitetip reef sharks.
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.
3 dives a day are the norm in the marine parks of the Red Sea (4 dives per day elsewhere), with a couple of morning dives followed by a 3rd dive in the afternoon, and either a sunset dive or night dive. There will only be 2 dives on the last day of diving as the boat will then sail back to port for the final evening. You can then take a look around the marina, go shopping, or go for a drink.
The breakfast is international with Arabic items such as falafel, foul beans and white cheese. For the main meals guests can enjoy a mix of European and Egyptian dishes, supplemented by a soup and a dessert in the evening.
In between meals there are always fruit and snacks. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and water are always available.
There is also an open-air bar with a grill area on the sundeck, where you can enjoy a sundowner and socialise with fellow guests.
Day 8
Disembarkation starts after a final breakfast on the yacht. You can arrange with the crew to be transported back to the airport or to a local hotel.
[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].
Cabins, Berths, Showers, Bathrooms...