Golden Dolphin
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Book through Tour Leader Club
36 m · 20 guests · 10 cabins
M/Y Golden Dolphin is the first vessel the Hurghada operator Golden Dolphin Safari World ever owned, and the boat the whole fleet grew from. She was built in 2003 specifically for diving — from the dive deck with its wide platform up to the two sun decks. Since then she has been refurbished in 2007 and had her hull extended twice, in 2014 and again in 2025; the engines were replaced in 2014 as well.
She is a small ship: 36 metres, twenty guests, ten cabins. Eight twin cabins sit on the lower deck, and two cabins with a wide double bed are up top beside the sun deck. Every cabin has air conditioning, a private bathroom with shower, a minibar, a porthole or window, life jackets and a powder fire extinguisher. The two forward cabins on the lower deck are laid out differently from the rest — their berths follow the line of the hull.
The saloon and restaurant form one large air-conditioned space with carved wooden ceiling panels, a bar, a TV and soft sofas; the buffet is served in the same room. Above there are two lounging areas: an awning-covered deck with mattresses and sofas, and an open upper platform next to the flybridge helm.
The dive deck is aft, with individual stations, rinse tanks and a roomy platform; divers are taken to the sites by two zodiacs. Nitrox up to 32% is free for certified divers, there are Bauer compressors, and tanks are 12 l aluminium DIN/INT with 15 l on request. The usual rhythm of the week is 3–4 dives a day, with a maximum of two on the last day.
A word about money: the trip price is not the final figure. A safari fee package is paid on board in cash — €350 for a week-long programme and €490 for the two-week one. It covers the Egyptian visa (about €25), marine park fees, port fees and fuel. Cards are not accepted on board at all — only cash in euros, dollars, Swiss francs or Egyptian pounds.
The standard trip length is 7 nights, with occasional two-week programmes. The operator keeps some weeks open “upon request”: the week is held for the boat, but the itinerary and price have not been assigned yet. The published schedule runs to the end of 2027.
No mark-up
You pay the rate the operator publishes. The only thing added on top is the actual payment processing cost — no fee of ours.
We run the booking
Correspondence with the operator, holding your places, the contract, confirmation and all paperwork sit on our side. Nothing for you to arrange yourself.
Pay by card
We send you a Stripe invoice — pay by card, in your own currency, from anywhere in the world. The transfer to the operator is handled on our side.
Support in your language
We help you pick the cabin and dates, answer questions on the route and gear, and stay reachable until you are home — in English, in your time zone.
We quote the exact amount when confirming the booking: it covers the operator's rate plus the actual payment processing cost. No hidden charges.
Yacht Specifications
Length
36 m
Beam
7.5 m
Year Built
2003
Capacity
20 guests
Cabins
10
Speed
10 knots
Engine
2 × Cummins K19, 650 HP each, fitted in 2014
Refit
2007, hull extended in 2014 and 2025
Bathrooms
12
Tender
2 zodiacs with 25 HP and 40 HP outboards
Freshwater maker
Two watermakers, 4,500 l per day each
On Board
Diving on board
The operator's experience requirements are worth checking before you book. Any safari calls for a diving certificate and at least 30 logged dives, the most recent no more than a year old. For itineraries entering the marine parks (Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Rocky Island, Zabargad, St John's) the Egyptian Water Sports and Diving Authority requires Advanced Open Water plus 50 logged dives — that is law, not a suggestion. Bring your logbook, certification card, a copy of your passport, insurance and a medical certificate (no older than two years under 40, no older than one year over 40). A CDWS health record form is filled in before departure. The maximum depth under Egyptian law is 40 m. Night dives are banned in the marine parks, landing on Zabargad and Rocky Island is banned, and gloves are banned. A dive guide may keep an under-experienced diver out of individual dives and adapt the programme to the group's level. There is no rental stock on board, only spare kit for emergencies, so equipment must be ordered at least a week before arrival.
Food and drinks
Full board covers the cruise itself — dinner on arrival day and breakfast on departure day are not included. Vegetarian and vegan meals, allergies and diabetes must be reported to the operator by email in advance, since supplies are bought ashore. No alcohol is served between dives. Wet wetsuits are not allowed in the saloon.
Navigation and safety
Cabins
· 8 cabins
Twin beds
Beds: 2 single beds
Eight cabins on the lower deck, four on each side. Twin beds, air conditioning, a private bathroom with shower, a minibar and a vanity with mirror. The two forward cabins are laid out differently — their berths follow the line of the hull.
· 2 cabins
Double bed
Beds: 1 wide double bed
Two cabins on the upper deck next to the sun deck — the roomiest on board. A wide double bed, air conditioning, a private bathroom with shower and a minibar. They open straight onto the deck.
Schedule & Pricing
North — Abu Nuhas, Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed
Hurghada to Hurghada, 7 nights. The classic northern week with no long crossings. Shaab El Erg with its dolphins, Umm Gammar, Carless Reef, the wrecks of Abu Nuhas — Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Ghiannis D — Shaab Mahmud with the Dunraven, and the Ras Mohammed national park with Jolanda and Shark Reef. The centrepiece is the SS Thistlegorm, a British transport sunk by a German bomber in October 1941: she sits upright at thirty metres with tanks, trucks, motorcycles and a locomotive still in her holds. This itinerary does not enter the marine parks, so the experience bar is the lowest of the fleet's routes.
October 2026
1 departureNovember 2026
1 departureMay 2027
2 departuresJuly 2027
1 departureNorth — Strait of Tiran
Hurghada to Hurghada, 7 nights. The northern wrecks plus the reefs of the Strait of Tiran off the Sinai coast. First Shaab El Erg, then Abu Nuhas with the Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Ghiannis D, then the Thistlegorm. After that the strait itself: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon — sheer walls, dense coral gardens and Gordon's shark amphitheatre at 24 metres. On the way back, if weather and current allow, there may be a dive on the Rosalie Moller, a ship that went down the same night as the Thistlegorm and lies in the Strait of Gubal at 45–50 metres.
December 2026
1 departureJanuary 2027
1 departureApril 2027
1 departureJune 2027
1 departureJuly 2027
1 departureNorth — Strait of Tiran — Dahab
Hurghada to Hurghada, 7 nights. The boat's most northerly programme: after Ras Mohammed come the reefs of the Strait of Tiran — Jackson, Thomas and Gordon — and then the boat carries on up to Dahab. There you dive the Canyon, the Islands, the Oasis, the Bells and the Golden Blocks, and the night dive at Gabr el Bint is a trip of its own. The famous Blue Hole is here too. The Thistlegorm is on the way back.
March 2027
1 departureNovember 2027
1 departureNorth — Brother Islands
7 nights, starting and finishing in Hurghada or Port Ghalib depending on the date. A week in two halves: first the northern wrecks (Abu Nuhas, the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed), then a crossing into open water to the Brothers, two rocks 60 km offshore. The steamer Numidia lies on Big Brother's wall with the Aida below her; Little Brother is carpeted in soft corals, sponges and anemones. At dawn and dusk hammerheads, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks gather here. Some departures add the Strait of Tiran or the Salem Express off Safaga. This itinerary enters a marine park — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required.
October 2026
2 departuresJanuary 2027
1 departureFebruary 2027
1 departureMay 2027
1 departureJune 2027
1 departureJuly 2027
1 departureNorth — Safaga — Salem Express
Hurghada to Hurghada, 7 nights. The northern wrecks and Safaga. After Shaab El Erg, Abu Nuhas and the Thistlegorm the boat heads south to Safaga with its Abu Kifan and Panorama Reef. The Salem Express lies there too — a ferry that sank on Shaab Sheer reef in December 1991. She is officially declared a grave, so the dive is on the outside and into the stern ramp only; the cabins remain closed.
April 2027
1 departureBrother Islands and Safaga
7 nights. A programme built entirely around the Brothers: Big Brother with its lighthouse, the steamer Numidia on the wall and the Aida further down the slope, and Little Brother with its unbroken carpet of soft corals and schools of mackerel. Hammerheads, thresher and grey reef sharks are routine here. Some departures add Safaga — Abu Kifan, Panorama Reef and the Salem Express. This itinerary enters a marine park — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required.
September 2026
1 departureMay 2027
1 departureAugust 2027
1 departureSeptember 2027
1 departureTwo weeks — best of the Red Sea
14 nights between Hurghada and Port Ghalib, running in either direction depending on the year. The boat's longest programme: Daedalus with its plateau at 28–40 metres and walls patrolled by hammerheads and reef sharks; Rocky Island, ringed by a sheer reef and covered in soft corals, gorgonians and black coral trees; Zabargad with walls, drop-offs and a shallow coral garden; the St John's reefs with Big and Small Habili; and Elphinstone on the way home. This itinerary enters a marine park — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required. The safari fee package on this programme is €490.
September 2026
1 departureSeptember 2027
1 departurePrices and availability can change. Get in touch and we'll confirm current dates and pricing.
Included in Price
Not Included
Required extras
Optional extras
Extras are shown per person and are paid on board.
from 950 EUR / 7 nights
Estimated wait time — 24 hours
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Golden Dolphin
from 950 EUR
