Destiny

Destiny is a steel motor yacht built in Egypt between 2021 and 2023 specifically for diving. Her full name is painted on the superstructure — MY DESTINY. She is 37 metres long and 8 metres wide, and 220 tonnes of steel went into the hull. The bow follows a new design: the vessel cuts through waves better, runs more steadily and faster — 12 knots cruising, 15 knots top speed. Two MAN engines of 900 hp each. The boat was refreshed in 2025.

The owner is a German-Egyptian company, Scarabäus Liveaboard, based in El Quseir. Its fleet consists of exactly one vessel — this one — so there is no sister ship to confuse her with. The crew speaks English and German; there are no Russian-speaking guides on board.

No more than twenty guests sail at a time in ten cabins, and this is one of the rare Egyptian cases where capacity has been deliberately kept low for the sake of space. Five cabins are on the lower deck — numbers 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6; there is no cabin 2, because the deck plan puts the guides’ cabin in its place. Five more are on the sun deck — 7, 8, 9, 10 and the suite, number 11. Every cabin has its own bathroom with a rain shower, individually controlled air conditioning and good mattresses and linen. Towels, bathrobes and ponchos are laid out in the cabin, so there is no need to pack your own. A hairdryer is available on request. Shampoo and shower gel are biodegradable and free; reef-safe sunscreen is sold in the onboard shop, where the boat manager also sells an emergency kit with a toothbrush and razor if your luggage goes missing.

The suite is the ship’s showpiece: 180-degree panoramic glazing, a sofa by the windows and a sea view straight from the bed. Sun deck cabins are finished in deep navy with herringbone wood panelling and LED lighting; lower deck cabins are done in pale oak. The top level is the flybridge with a rooftop bar — the place for sunrise coffee and for sunset after the last dive. Below it are the sun deck with teak planking, loungers and a barbecue, a saloon with sofas, a library and board games, and a restaurant serving à la carte cuisine and themed dinner evenings. The galley works with intolerances — gluten-free, lactose-free and other special diets, declared in advance at booking.

The dive deck is roomy, with personal gear boxes that include charging points, camera rinse tanks, work benches and three outdoor showers. Divers are dropped from two tenders with ladders (Yamaha 85 hp). There are 2 to 4 dives a day; no dives are offered on arrival or departure day. Tanks are 12-litre aluminium and nitrox is included in the price. Three instructors sail with the boat and the operator keeps groups at one guide per seven divers. Safety kit: the ENOS diver recovery system, a defibrillator, oxygen, two life rafts for 25 people each, fire extinguishers on every deck and in every cabin, and fire alarms in the cabins and the saloon.

Routes leave from Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Port Ghalib and almost always start on a Saturday. Most are one week; occasionally there are 10-, 11- and 14-night programmes. The port of departure and the port of return do not always match: some trips start in Hurghada and end in Marsa Alam, so the return flight has to be booked accordingly.

What to know about money before you go. First: the airport transfer is not included in the price. A boat representative meets you at the airport, but the driving is done by a local company at published rates — from €20 for a limousine from Hurghada airport into Hurghada, to €85 for a limousine from Hurghada airport to Marsa Alam, and up to €245 for a coach on the long legs. Second: a package of fees is collected on board covering dive permits, marine park charges and port dues — €230 on the northern routes and Tiran, €285 on the southern routes including the northern marine parks, and €435–570 on the long runs down to Elba Reef. The operator states plainly that these sums can be changed by the authorities and that it may pass any increase on to guests even after the contract has been signed.

On board you can pay in cash — euros, US dollars, Swiss francs, Egyptian pounds — as well as by VISA and Mastercard; the operator warns that card fees can be substantial and recommends cash. A 20% deposit is due at booking, the balance four weeks before departure. On the first or last night, when the ship lies in port, the operator may accommodate guests in a hotel.