Northern Red Sea from April 8 to April 15, 2024

North Red Sea Wrecks and Reefs Tour – €1600

On our classic Red Sea route, you will explore the vibrant and colorful reefs teeming with marine life, as well as the famous wrecks of the Red Sea.

Among our diving locations are Ras Muhammad National Park, points like Danaba and Gobal Island, where you will witness coral reefs and numerous underwater creatures. In the dives at wrecks like Thistlegorm, Giannis D, and Carnatic, you will embark on journeys into the past.

Tour Itinerary

April 8: Meet at 20:00 at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Pegasus Airlines counter. After baggage and check-in procedures, take the 22:45 flight PC620 from Istanbul to Hurghada.

April 9: Land at Hurghada Airport at 00:25. After passport, visa, and baggage procedures, transfer to our boat (approximately 30 minutes) and rest. Depart from the port after breakfast, head north, and start warming-up dives.

April 10-14: Depending on weather and sea conditions, a maximum of 3-4 dives per day (night dives at some points are restricted by local laws).

A typical diving day:

– Briefing and the first dive

– Breakfast – rest – briefing and the second dive

– Lunch – rest time – briefing and the third dive

– Snack – rest time – briefing and the fourth dive

– Dinner

April 14: Return to Hurghada in the afternoon. Free time after returning to the port. During this time, participants can explore the city or join an ATV Safari tour. Transfer to Hurghada Airport at 23:00.

April 15: After baggage and check-in procedures, take the 01:50 flight PC621 from Hurghada to Istanbul. Arrive at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 05:30, concluding our tour.

Our Boat

Blue Horizon, designed to meet all the needs of divers, has won the Best Liveaboard of the Year award from Diver Magazine in 2015 and 2016.

Our boat boasts a spacious diving deck, an entertainment system in a seating/rest area, a large dining hall, and two sun decks. All cabins are equipped with air conditioning, private bathrooms, mini refrigerators, and in-cabin entertainment. WiFi is also available on our boat.

Some Diving Areas in Our Tour Program

Sha’ab El Erg

This area, known as Dolphin House due to its association with dolphins, hosts a magnificent horseshoe-shaped reef filled with stunning hard corals. The region is frequently visited by giant moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, crocodile fish, and napoleon wrasses.

Poseidon Garden

This site is also located in Shaab El Erg. The reef is famous for its large corals of various colors and sizes, along with oysters. In this area, you may encounter masked pufferfish, large schools of bannerfish and butterflyfish, barracudas, and groupers.

Siyul Kebir

Surrounded by a beautiful reef, this island is famous for both rare small creatures and surprising encounters with larger marine life. You might spot frogfish, shrimp, sea snakes, and pipefish in this area. Dolphins frequent the region, and occasionally, zebra sharks are also seen. Night dives in the area reveal various cephalopods.

Gubal Islands

At the entrance of the Gubal Strait, ‘Bluff Point,’ named after the currents created by the island’s east coast, can be found. The Ulysses wreck lies on the reef 300m north of the lighthouse and extends from 5m to 25m. ‘The Barge’ wreck hosts marine life during night dives.

It continues down to 25 meters. ‘The Barge’ wreck, with its hull, hosts creatures seen during night dives.

Abu Nuhas

Also known as the ‘Ship Graveyard,’ this reef is dangerously close to the busy maritime traffic of the Suez Gulf. Abu Nuhas has more wrecks than other areas in the region. On the north side, four wrecks lie at the bottom of a steep reef covered with table corals. Notable wrecks include Ghiannis D, Carnatic (Wine Wreck), Chrisoula K (Tile Wreck), and Kimon M (Lentil Wreck). On the south side, Yellow Fish Reef provides a safe anchorage for boats.

Ras Mohamed – Shark & Yolanda Reefs

This region, at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is a world-renowned diving area. Drift along the colorful coral wall at Shark Reef. As you move towards Yolanda Reef, you’ll reach a plateau filled with coral clusters. Surrounding the reef, you’ll encounter the ‘Yolanda’ wreck, consisting of toilets and bathtubs. The entire area is a habitat for large fish, so don’t forget to look up occasionally.

Small Crack

Named after a crack in the middle of Shaab Mahmoud’s reef, this area features beautiful corals and colorful fish along the outer wall. When the current is suitable, you can pass through a channel at 5 meters deep and reach a lagoon.

SS Thistlegorm

The most famous among Red Sea wrecks, the SS Thistlegorm, is a British cargo ship that was sunk by German planes on October 6, 1941. The 129-meter-long vessel now rests on the seabed, forming an artificial reef reaching depths of 32 meters. It hosts an immense marine life, and large schools of fish can be observed in the area.

Ras Disha

Ras Disha, also known as Disha Malagka, is a coastal reef at the northern tip. It features a steep wall with butterflyfish, bannerfish, surgeonfish, and parrotfish concentrated on a shallow plateau. Cracks and caves in the shallow part of the reef provide shelter for crustaceans, snake eels, shrimps, and schools of glassfish. The area serves as a hunting ground for scorpionfish, lionfish, stonefish, and moray eels.

Gota Abu Ramada

Gota Abu Ramada is an oval-shaped reef descending from the surface to 15 meters. Also known as ‘The Aquarium,’ it hosts various marine life, including parrotfish, pairs of yellow butterflyfish, large schools of fusiliers, and yellow-tailed barracuda.

Included Services in the Price

Not Included Services in the Price

– Foreign exit fee

– Egypt visa ($25 – obtained upon entry)

– Additional baggage fees in case of exceeding flight baggage limits

– Personal expenses and alcoholic beverages (a 14% tax is added to on-board expenses)

– Nitrox usage fee (Weekly €90)

– 15-liter tank usage (Weekly €60)

– Diving equipment rental fees

– Tips

– Any product and service not explicitly mentioned in the price

Considerations

– Participants must have a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the end date of the tour program.

– Flight baggage limits include 8 kg of cabin baggage + 20 kg of baggage + 25 kg of diving equipment.

– Participants must have at least a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent) certification and 20 logged dives. Diving spots on our tour are not suitable for inexperienced divers.

– Participants may encounter challenging sea conditions during the tour as it covers offshore diving spots.

– The boat captain has the authority to change the route, modify the tour program, and halt dives based on weather, sea conditions, or safety concerns.

– All divers will be required to fill out a medical declaration form upon boarding the boat. Therefore, PADI Diver Medical Declaration forms will be sent to confirmed individuals, and detailed information will be provided.

– Since 3 to 4 dives will be conducted per day during the tour, using nitrox is recommended to minimize nitrogen loading and extend dive times as much as possible. For participants without a Nitrox certification, a training program will be arranged on the first day of the tour. Please inform us of your requests for course materials before the tour.

– All participants must have insurance covering the treatment of injuries, emergency evacuation, and pressure chamber treatment costs during diving activities. Dragoman will arrange comprehensive diving insurance for participants, and the insurance fee is included in the tour price. Personal information required for the policy will be requested from you after your reservation.

– Weather conditions, currents, tides, and the number of dive boats at the dive site may require adjustments to the tour director’s and captain’s route during the tour.

– Refunds are not provided if participants cannot dive due to personal reasons or violations of diving rules.

– Each diver must have a surface marker buoy (SMB/DSMB).
– If you need assistance with missing diving equipment, please contact us.

– Dragoman Travel Agency acts as an intermediary between the airline and the passenger and is subject to the 28/09/1955 Hague Protocol.

For Details and Inquiries:

Ozan Atabilen

+90 535 921 8484

ozan@dragoman-turkey.com