New diving safari routes in Egypt
We have expanded our safari tour destinations in Egypt! If you have already been to Hurghada, Safaga, the Deep South, the Brother Islands, Daedalus, Rocky and Zabargad, then it is time to discover our new routes this year! We offer three completely new itineraries!
Our new itineraries
THE TIRAN ISLANDS
One of the most popular North tours originating from Sharm el Sheikh is the one to the Tiran Islands.
We are widening our safari destination offers in 2010, one of which is an expanded North safari originating from Hurghada. In our new itinerary the boat does not turn back at Ras Mohammed but continues towards the Tiran.
The coral reefs we visit from South to North are: Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson. The reefs got their names from 19th century British map-makers who were the first to make maps of this area.
The Tiran Islands which hide a virtual coral reef forrest on the sea bottom, lie at the entrance of the Akaba Bay and almost block the way to the Red Sea. There are only two narrow strips allowing entry through: the Enterprise on the West and the Grafton on the East, where the depths are at 360m, quite shallow compared to the depths of 1,800m to the North and South from here.
This creates currents rich in nutrients, providing an excellent habitat for fish and large whale species.
We recommend the Tiran Islands especially to advanced divers.
Planned North and Tiran itinerary:
1. Day
Arrival in Hurghada, bus transfer to the boat, night spent onboard in the harbour
2. Day
Check dive at Shaab el Erg
Shaab Abu Nuhas (Carnatic wreck dive)
Shaab Mahmoud (reef night dive)
3. Day
The Tiran:
Jackson Reef
Thomas Reef
Gordon Reef
Tiran Island Lagoon (night dive)
4. Day
Ras Mohammed National Park
Shark and Jolanda Reefs
Animone City
Jack Fish Alley (cave dive)
Alternatives Reef (night dive)
5. Day
Shark and Jolanda Reefs
Small Passage Reef
Thistlegorm
Thistlegorm (night dive)
6. Day
Thistlegorm
Abu Nuhas (Ghiannis D. wreck dive)
Gubal Island
Bluff Point (night dive)
7. Day
Rosalie Moller (wreck dive) or reef dive
Siyul or Giftun Island
Return to the harbour by 14:00, night spent onboard
8. Day
Bus transfer to Hurghada airport
ELBA AND ABU FANDIRA
Divers visit these reefs for two reasons: either they go through here when sailing from Egypt to Sudan or they come here to find a place where there are no other boats or hoards of other divers.
Abu Fandira is one place like that as is Elba Reef. From all the Egyptian liveaboards, only one or two sail this far South when an adventurous group books a week on them.
Abu Fandira lies South of St Johns and the Elba Reef can be found on the Egyptian and Sudanese border with a good plateau on its North and South side as well.
On the South plateau lies the large wreck of “SS Isola di Levanzo” that sank in the early 1900s. She is a rarely visited beautiful wreck which is surrounded by scattered sherry bottles all over the sea bottom. A few interesting facts about the wreck:
The “SS Isola di Levanzo” was built in 1901, weighed 3,713 tons with a length of 339.6 feet and a breadth of 46.3 feet. She was a single-flueted and double-masted vessel with a maximum speed of 11 knots and was able to accommodate up to 900 passengers.
She was built by the Orlando Brothers in Leghorn (Livorno) and she was launched in 1901 as the latest vessel of the Southern Marine Transport Association.
The boat laiden with salt and other cargo ran aground on the Elba Reef in the Red Sea on March 14, 1923 on the way from Genova to Durban. On March 28 during a salvage operation the towing rope snapped, the boat drifted onto the rocks and sank.
And finally, do not miss snorkelling in the Elba Reef lagoon.
These two destinations (Abu Fandira and Elba) can be reached by only high-speed vessels since several close to 10-hour-long night sailings dot the week-long itinerary to make sure the divers can start their next dive early in the morning at a far dive site. (The distances are: Hamata-St Johns, St Johns-Elba, Elba-Abu Fandira.) And for these distances are just perfect the two robust steel vessels: Cassiopeia 5* and Andromeda 5*.
Planned Abu Fandira and Elba itinerary:
1. Day
Arrival in Hurghada, bus transfer to Hamata, night spent onboard in the harbour
2. Day
Check dive in the morning
Fury Shoal (day and night dive)
Night sailing to St Johns
3. Day
Diving all day at St Johns
Night sailing to Elba (10 hours)
4. Day
Diving all day at Elba
Night sailing to Abu Fandira (6 hours)
5. Day
Diving all day at Abu Fandira
Early morning sailing to St Johns (4 hours)
6. Day
2-3 dives at St Johns
Sailing to the North
7. Day
2 dives at Fury Shoal
Return to the harbour by 14:00, night spent onboard
8. Day
Bus transfer to Hurg
We have expanded our scuba diving safari tour destinations in Egypt! If you have already been to Hurghada, Safaga, the Deep South, the Brother Islands, Daedalus, Rocky and Zabargad, then it is time to discover our new routes this year along the Red Sea! We offer three completely new itineraries!
Our new itineraries
THE TIRAN ISLANDS
One of the most popular North diving safari tours originating from Sharm el Sheikh is the one to the Tiran Islands.
We are widening our scuba diving safari destination offers in 2010, one of which is an expanded North diving safari holiday originating from Hurghada. In our new itinerary the liveaboards does not turn back at Ras Mohammed but continues towards the Tiran.
The coral reefs we visit from South to North are: Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson. The reefs got their names from 19th century British map-makers who were the first to make maps of this area.
The Tiran Islands which hide a virtual coral reef forrest on the sea bottom, lie at the entrance of the Akaba Bay and almost block the way to the Red Sea. There are only two narrow strips allowing entry through: the Enterprise on the West and the Grafton on the East, where the depths are at 360m, quite shallow compared to the depths of 1,800m to the North and South from here.
This creates currents rich in nutrients, providing an excellent habitat for fish and large whale species.
We recommend the Tiran Islands especially to advanced scuba divers.
ELBA AND ABU FENDERA
Scuba divers visit these reefs for two reasons: either they go through here when sailing from Egypt to Sudan or they come here to find a place where there are no other boats or hoards of other divers.
Abu Fendera is one place like that as is Elba Reef. From all the Egyptian liveaboards, only one or two sail this far South when an adventurous group books a week on them.
Abu Fendera lies South of St Johns and the Elba Reef can be found on the Egyptian and Sudanese border with a good plateau on its North and South side as well.
On the South plateau lies the large wreck of “SS Isola di Levanzo” that sank in the early 1900s. She is a rarely visited beautiful wreck which is surrounded by scattered sherry bottles all over the sea bottom. A few interesting facts about the wreck:
The “SS Isola di Levanzo” was built in 1901, weighed 3,713 tons with a length of 339.6 feet and a breadth of 46.3 feet. She was a single-flueted and double-masted vessel with a maximum speed of 11 knots and was able to accommodate up to 900 passengers.
She was built by the Orlando Brothers in Leghorn (Livorno) and she was launched in 1901 as the latest vessel of the Southern Marine Transport Association.
The boat laiden with salt and other cargo ran aground on the Elba Reef in the Red Sea on March 14, 1923 on the way from Genova to Durban. On March 28 during a salvage operation the towing rope snapped, the boat drifted onto the rocks and sank.
And finally, do not miss snorkelling in the Elba Reef lagoon.
These two destinations (Abu Fendera and Elba) can be reached by only high-speed vessels since several close to 10-hour-long night sailings dot the week-long itinerary to make sure the divers can start their next dive early in the morning at a far dive site. (The distances are: Hamata-St Johns, St Johns-Elba, Elba-Abu Fendera.) And for these distances are just perfect the two robust steel vessels: Cassiopeia 5* and Andromeda 5*.
Views: 4960Author: Livia (Volgyesi) Hertelendy
