Daedalus Reef

The Daedalus Reef is a huge reef formation that lies about 180km south of Brother Islands. The reef is surrounded by a sheer wall all around, featuring a plateau on its southern side that goes from 28m beside the reef to 40m on the edge of the drop-off. If the weather is good, try to get as far north as possible and drift along one of the sides of the reef. Reef and hammerhead sharks are often spotted here. Underwater marine life is here more abundant than anywhere else, with schools of surgeons, fusiliers, and carangids.

Rocky Island

The site features several submerged rocks surrounded by sandy areas with a nice swim-through at around 20 m deep. There is beautiful staghorn and hard coral. You can often find a leopard shark and a whitetip reef shark resting on the sand. Turtles and pelagic fishes like the Giant Trevally are common too. The maximum depth is around 39 meters deep but most of the dive is done around 15 meters. The current can be quite strong and this dive spot is better suited to open-water advanced divers.

Zabargad

The island of Zabargad has been known since the time of the pharaohs for the presence of the ancient mines from which olivine was extracted, a green stone similar to the emerald. In Zabargad you will dive along the south wall characterized by a multitude of very scenic passages.

St Johns

This vast reef system lies furthest to the south on the Egyptian side, 10 miles from the Sudanese border. There are dozens of excellent dives. Its reefs rise from a gigantic underwater plateau hidden in the inky blue water.

Sataya (Dolphine reef)

South of Marsa Alam, in the area of Wadi Gimal there is Shaab Sharm. A huge reef with colorful overgrown drop-offs on the north and north-west sides and a gorgonian wall between 17m and 22m in the east direction. The plateau on the east side, starting from 18m to 32m depth, with its coral block formations is the home of a lot of marine life. Doctor fishes, different kinds of reef fishes, napoleons, and small critters – very often you see a turtle eating and resting. The plateau continues small along the south side of the main reef. Dolphins, sharks, and mantas patrol along the reef in the blue. Shilineat in Wadi Gimal is the aquarium. Along the beautiful hard coral garden on the west side and in the high amount of blocks in the sandy area beside the reef you can rummage for camouflage artists and small critters. In a maximum of 16m and with the white sand and the sunlight it is amazing and full of small fishes and species. Very often there are turtles or dolphins around.

Elba Reef

Elba Reef is located at the Halaib Triangle on the Egyptian and Sudanese border with very nice plateaus on its North and South side. It is a triangle-shaped reef. The Plateau in the North is long and starts at around 20 m and ends at around 45 m depth. At the edge of the plateau, plenty of huge coral fans can be found. One of the main attractions, at the edge of a deep drop-off at the South plateau, is the large wreck of “SS Isola di Levanzo” that sank in the early 1900's. She is a rarely visited beautiful Wreck that is surrounded by scattered sherry bottles all over the sea bottom. The propeller of the ship lies at 18 m and the entire upper or stern section can be penetrated. Further inshore, the reef is relatively shallow but well-grown with a variety of corals all around the reef. Fish life is interesting as from reef species to sharks everything can be spotted.

Brother Islands

The Brother Islands are one of the best diving spots in the world. The Islands – the Big Brother and the Little Brother – are two small exposed promontories that just come out of the water in the middle of the sea at around 60km from the Egyptian coastline. The Little Brother has a very high concentration of life in a much-reduced area. The walls are covered literally with sponges, anemones, and all sorts of hard and soft corals in an astonishing variety of colors and shapes. Of course, you will find here plenty of fish. It is not unusual to see sharks: hammerheads, thresher sharks, grey reef sharks, silvertip, and whitetip reef sharks. About one km north of the Little Brother lays the Big Brother. Situated, in the middle of the island, is a lighthouse. When it is not too windy, you can proceed to dive the Wreck NUMIDIA which lies upon the reef on the northern side of the island between 5m and 80m. This 150m long ship sunk in 1901 and is now completely covered with both hard and soft corals and gorgonias. On the NW side of the island, you will find the other Wreck: the AIDA. This 82m long steamship sunk in 1957. The remaining pieces of the Wreck are scattered all over the reef and just the back side of the hull can be found between 34m and 60m. It is nicely overgrown and worth visiting. Because of strong currents and maybe high waves, it is not easy to dive at the Brothers. This safari is only for experienced divers.

Safaga

The most famous dive site in Safaga: Abu Kufan legendary for hammerhead sightings in late spring and manta rays in wintertime. This 300 m long and narrow reef offers a plateau in both north and south tips. Panorama Reef: one of the largest reefs in Safaga, featuring numerous grottos and overhangs, where gorgonians and soft corals thrive with frequent nurturing currents. Due to the size of the barrier, there are at least three different dives to be done here: the south plateau and the east and the west drop-offs Tobia Arbaa: Named the "seven pillars" after the small pinnacles rising from a sandy bottom. One of the best dives in Safaga, despite the shallow bottom, sometimes the cause of not perfect visibility. Soft corals cover all the seven ergs, glass fish, gorgonians, giant puffer fish, octopus, blue spotted rays, morays, lionfish, sergeant majors, nudibranchs, and many more.

Itinerary Sample

• Check-in: Boarding begins on the arrival day at 6:00 p.m.
• Departure: The vessel departs the marina the following day before noon.
• Diving Schedule: 3–4 dives per day, depending on the route. The execution of the diving cruise is subject to weather, sea conditions, local regulations, and the divers' skill levels. Therefore, specific reef visits cannot be guaranteed.
• Last Day: A maximum of 2 dives is scheduled on the day before departure, followed by a return to the marina.
• Meals: Full board is provided during the cruise, except for dinner on the arrival day and breakfast on the departure day.
• Check-out: Guests must disembark by 10:00 a.m. on the departure day.
• Accommodation: For organizational or technical reasons, guests may be accommodated at a hotel (half-board basis) for the final night.
• Transfers: Transfers to the airport are provided.
• Note: Changes to the schedule may occur.

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip. Divers are recommended to wait for 24 hours before flying after the last dive.

Sample itineraries and maps are for illustrative purposes only. The exact route and sites visited are subject to change based on local regulations, guest experience, weather, and logistics and are at the Captain’s discretion.