Red Sea Liveaboard

The Famous Five

M/Y Echo, Hurghada – Hurghada

09/06/2018 – 16/06/2018

Destination

The Red Sea, Egypt provides UK divers with pristine coral reefs and clear, blue water. The sea temperature in June is warm! Visibility is excellent with 20m being the norm and the variety of fish species and corals is huge (not to mention the dolphins!!). The best way to explore this diver’s playground is on a liveaboard boat, so we are chartering the M/Y Echo!

The Liveaboard

Emperor Echo is designed with the diver in mind, featuring a very spacious dive deck, dedicated camera facilities and concentrating on the excellent diving available both in the north and the south. FREE Nitrox is available.

Emperor Echo easily accommodates 24 guests, in 12 simplistic cabins – six twin-berth and two double bedded cabins on the lower deck and four twin-berth cabins on the upper deck. All cabins are en-suite with individual air conditioning and bathrobes are provided for each guest.

Enjoy a sun-downer at the bar on the upper deck and lounger on one of the many sofas and bean bags.  Enjoy FREE red wine with dinner and on-board limited FREE Wi-Fi (available where there is a signal).

Package

This 1-week package offered by Regaldive includes 6 days diving (3/4 dives per day, normally including 2/3 night dives) with air, 12 litre cylinders and weights; full board, shared occupancy for 7 nights on board M/Y Echo; return flights from Manchester to Hurghada and transfers to/from the boat in Hurghada. Applicable marine park fees and Egyptian Entry Visa inclusive.

Included

Double or twin bed, air-conditioned, en-suite cabins.

All refreshments, with the exception of daytime meals or snacks on the final day.

A wide selection of soft drinks, teas, coffee and beer (available following your final dive of the day and at an extra charge).

Marine park fees and Egyptian Entry Visa costs

Not Included

Transport to/from your home and Manchester airport.

15L cylinders; if you would like to order one at £45 for the week please make sure you let us know at the time of full payment.

Itinerary

Starting from Hurghada, we sail north towards Gubal Island and on to Abu Nuhas and its four well-known wrecks: Giannis D, Carnatic, the lentil wreck and the tile wreck, all offering spectacular dives and plenty of fish life. Explore the Rosalie Moller (the sister ship of the slightly more famous Thistlegorm), which lies from 30 to 50 metres deep and is in excellent condition. Although the visibility is not always good, the wreck is covered in glassfish from bow to stern and hunting them are masses of lionfish. Around the wreck are the usual pelagics such as tuna, trevallies, Emperor fish and many more.

A short ride across the Straits of Gubal and you visit the most famous wreck of the Red Sea, the SS Thistlegorm! An awe-inspiring World War II British vessel with a cargo full of armaments, Bedford trucks and BSA motorbikes, which were all destined for the British troops in North Africa. She was sunk by the German Luftwaffe and now lies in 30 metres of water. Depending on divers’ experience, along with weather and current conditions, we try to offer a night dive here. Nearby is the Ras Mohamed National Park, offering a morning dive at the renowned ‘Shark and Yolanda’ reefs. Ras Mohamed National Park is the furthest Sinai destination before heading south towards the Brothers.

The Brother Islands are the pinnacles of two undersea mountains rising from the depths of the abyss and are located about 60 miles offshore from El Quseir. Part of the Marine Park Islands National Park, these islands offer stunning wall diving, with the walls being covered in soft corals and forests of gorgonians, creating a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours. They attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagics. Big tuna, barracudas, jacks and snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional hammerheads, silky and oceanic white tip sharks and mantas.

For the wreck diver, the Aida II, an Egyptian supply vessel, and the Numidia, a cargo ship, lie on the walls of the Big Brother. Both are covered in a rich growth of soft and hard corals. Marine life includes a family of Napoleon wrasse and grey reef sharks.

The boat will then sail back to Hurghada ready for one final day on shore before departure home.

All dive sites are subject to weather conditions and cannot be guaranteed.

Price

Regaldive: £1390

New Horizons fee:  £80 (£40 for gold Dive Society members)

Please note, single supplement is not available on this trip. If a booking is made as a single traveller, you will be asked to share a cabin.

Finally, New Horizons will provide you with a group leader. To ensure a fun and safe trip for all concerned!  Courses can be completed while on board at a discounted price, such as the Night or Drift Diving Specialties, so please ask for further details.

Equipment

You must take all your personal dive equipment, except tank and weights. Due to the nature of the diving during this week, all divers MUST have dive computers and delayed SMBs with reels. Night dives are included in this package and to participate on these good quality torches will be required.

Equipment rental is available from New Horizons for the week.

Experience Needed

The liveaboard requires 30 logged dives to dive this itinerary and is suitable for Advanced Open Water qualified divers and above.

If you’re interested in this trip but don’t yet fulfill these criteria, please let us know.

A wide range of Specialties can be completed while there at a discounted price; ask for more details.

Further Education

A range of further education courses, such as the Night, Deep and Wreck Specialties can be completed while on board at discounted prices – simply get in touch for further information.

Book

To reserve your place on this trip, please complete a New Horizons Dive Centre booking form, returning the completed form (one per person) to the shop by post, email or in person, along with payment of a deposit of £200 payable to Regaldive plus £80 per person payable to New Horizons. We will provide you with confirmation of your place on the trip once we’ve received the booking form and receipt of payment.

Payments may be made by credit/debit card or online payment – please contact us for details.

The final balance will be due 12 weeks before departure.

Insurance

To go on this trip you must have travel and diving accident insurance. You can book your insurance with Dive Master Insurance through the New Horizons website and save 5%. Simply go to the bottom of our homepage and click on the link to Dive Master Insurance and SAVE 5% – couldn’t be easier.

Legal

Your holiday will be booked with ATOL holder Regaldive, for whom we act as agents. All holiday bookings will be subject to this ATOL holder’s booking conditions, which can be found at www.blueotwo.com/Terms-and-conditions. When a booking and a holiday deposit has been received by New Horizons Dive Centre Ltd, a contract exists between you and the ATOL holder, Regaldive, once New Horizons Dive Centre Ltd issues a confirmation of booking. The client copy of the ATOL holder’s confirmation will be sent to you on request.

New Horizons Dive Centre Ltd will provide your own group dive and holiday leader to organise dives, provide expertise and to run courses as required. The services of this leader and the gear rental available from New Horizons Dive Centre Ltd are the responsibility of New Horizons Dive Centre Ltd and are provided under a separate contract. These arrangements will be confirmed by us.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or require further information, please telephone on 0161 223 5102 or call in to the dive centre.