Alsuraya

Alsuraya is a steel motor yacht built in 2024, 37 metres long and 8 wide, registered in Hurghada. “Al Suraya” is the Arabic name of the Pleiades, the star cluster Red Sea sailors navigated by for centuries. The vessel belongs to Helmy Hashim, a PADI instructor since 2003 and founder of the VivaSub dive centre in Marsa Alam, and was purpose-built for diving rather than converted from a leisure hull.

Twenty-four guests are accommodated in twelve cabins across three decks. The main deck has four twin cabins, the upper deck another four plus a bunk-bed cabin and the Panorama Suite with a double bed and curved panoramic glazing, and the sun deck holds two suites. Crew quarters and the dive guide cabin sit separately on the plan — there are exactly twelve guest cabins, numbered 01 to 12. Every cabin has an en-suite bathroom, individually adjustable air conditioning and a large window that doubles as an emergency exit by design. Cabins do have power sockets and you can charge your gear at any time — a rarity in the Egyptian fleet.

The public areas are spread across the decks: an air-conditioned saloon with a television on the main deck, a bar and lounge on the upper deck, the restaurant and galley below, sun loungers and bean bags on the sun deck. A dedicated hospitality manager is on board — in the evening he and his team serve an à la carte dinner, during the day he mixes non-alcoholic cocktails. Catering starts with dinner on the day of embarkation and ends with breakfast on the day of disembarkation; water, juices, tea, coffee and soft drinks are free all day, alcohol is paid for, but you are welcome to bring your own beer.

The dive deck sits aft, wide and shaded, with a separate camera rinse and a camera station. Two Bauer K150 compressors and a membrane nitrox station: nitrox in 12 L tanks is free for certified divers, 12 L tanks and weights are included in the price, 15 L tanks and sidemount cost extra and must be ordered in advance. Divers are ferried to the sites by two 8.5-metre rigid inflatables. There are 3–4 dives a day, 2–3 on the first and last day, which comes to 18–21 over a week. Two or three guides per trip, one guide for every eight guests.

Itineraries leave from Hurghada and Port Ghalib and fall into two groups. The northern ones — the Abu Nuhas wrecks, the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran — open at Advanced Open Water with 30 logged dives. The southern ones — Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Rocky, Zabargad and St John’s — require Advanced Open Water and at least 50 logged dives. Egyptian law caps the depth at 40 metres.

What to know about money in advance. The route supplement is not included in the price: it bundles the marine park, port fees, reef tax, diving permits and fuel into one payment made on board, and it depends on the itinerary — €150 on the northern routes, €200 on North and Brothers, €250 on all the southern ones. On top of that come gratuities, which the operator asks you to budget at €100 per guest per week. On board they take cash in euros, dollars and Egyptian pounds; cards carry a 3% bank commission. Single occupancy of a cabin costs 75% on top of the berth price, a suite instead of a standard cabin is €100 per person per trip. Groups get a twelfth berth free for every eleven fully paid ones — route supplements are still payable by everyone.

Wi-Fi on board is free, but shares a 40-gigabyte allowance between all guests and only works within mobile coverage. Check-in is from 16:00, the boat spends the first night in the marina and sails the next morning; check-out is after breakfast, by 10:00. The transfer from the airport or hotel to the yacht and back is included and private — but only within 60 kilometres of the port of embarkation.