Golden Imperial
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Book through Tour Leader Club
43.5 m · 28 guests · 14 cabins
M/Y Golden Imperial is the newest of the large vessels run by the Hurghada operator Golden Dolphin Safari World. Blue hull, white superstructure, “IMPERIAL RED SEA” and the company emblem lettered on her side. She was built in 2021 and her hull was extended in 2026; she now measures 43.5 metres with a 10-metre beam, carries two MAN engines of 1,200 HP each and cruises at 10 knots.
Twenty-eight guests are accommodated in fourteen cabins across three decks. The deck plan breaks down like this: three cabins on the lower deck (a forward one with a wide bed and two twins), eight on the main deck (two forward doubles and six twins), and three on the upper deck (a forward cabin with a wide bed and two twins) plus two separate dive guide cabins. Every cabin has individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV, a minibar, life jackets and a powder fire extinguisher.
The public areas are spread across the decks. The restaurant with its buffet line is on the lower deck and seats all twenty-eight guests at once. The large saloon with a media system, a marble-clad wall and deep sofas is on the upper deck. Above that lies the sun deck with a U-shaped lounge and two jacuzzis forward, and higher still an open platform with sun loungers. The dive deck occupies the aft part of the main deck, where the medical room is also located.
Nitrox up to 32% is free for certified divers; above 32% it costs extra. Divers are taken to the sites by two zodiacs with outboard engines. The usual rhythm of the week is 3–4 dives a day, with a maximum of two on the last day. On board there are two 50-litre oxygen cylinders, a defibrillator and first aid kits.
A word about money: the trip price is not the final figure. A safari fee package is paid on board in cash: €350 for the week-long programme, €375 on certain dates, 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 an occasional two-week programme. The boat works out of both Hurghada and Port Ghalib, and a trip may well start in one port and finish in the other — worth keeping in mind when buying the return flight. A sizeable share of the operator’s weeks are held open “upon request”: the week is reserved for the boat, but the itinerary and price have not been assigned yet.
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
43.5 m
Beam
10 m
Year Built
2021
Capacity
28 guests
Cabins
14
Speed
10 knots
Engine
2 × MAN, 1,200 HP each
Refit
hull extended in 2026
Bathrooms
14
Tender
2 zodiacs with outboard engines
On Board
Diving on board
Check the operator's experience requirements before booking. 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 marine parks (Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Rocky Island, Zabargad, St. John's, Abu Fendera) the Egyptian Water Sports and Diving Authority requires Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives — that is the law, not a recommendation. On Golden Imperial such itineraries make up most of the schedule. Bring your logbook, certification card, a copy of your passport, insurance and a medical certificate (under 40 — no more than two years old, over 40 — no more than a year). A CDWS health record form is completed before departure. The maximum depth under Egyptian law is 40 m. Night dives in marine parks are prohibited, landing on Zabargad and Rocky Island is prohibited, and gloves are prohibited. A dive guide may keep a diver out of particular dives if the required experience is missing, and may adjust the programme to the level of the group. There is no rental stock on board — only spare gear for emergencies — so equipment must be ordered at least a week before arrival, otherwise departure will be delayed.
Food
Full board covers the cruise itself — dinner on arrival day and breakfast on departure day are not included. Vegetarian and vegan meals, allergies and diabetic diets must be reported to the operator by email in advance, as provisions are bought ashore. Beer and wine are sold on board at extra cost; the operator does not publish a price list for this vessel. Alcohol is not served between dives. Wet wetsuits are not allowed in the saloon.
Navigation and safety
Cabins
· 2 cabins
Double bed
Beds: 1 wide double bed
The two roomiest cabins on the boat, both forward — one on the lower deck and one on the upper. A wide bed, a seating area with a sofa, individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV and a minibar. The upper one is the brighter of the two, with windows on both sides and access to the sun deck.
· 2 cabins
Double bed
Beds: 1 double bed
Two forward cabins on the main deck with a double bed. Individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV, a minibar and a wardrobe. These are the closest cabins to the dive deck — a few steps from bed to gear.
· 10 cabins
Twin beds
Beds: 2 single beds
The largest category on board — ten twin cabins, two each on the lower and upper decks and six on the main deck. Individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV, a minibar, a wardrobe and a dressing table. The upper deck cabins have windows looking out to sea; those on the lower and main decks have portholes.
Schedule & Pricing
South to Dolphin Reef
7 nights between Hurghada and Port Ghalib, running in either direction depending on the date. A relaxed southern week with no long open-sea crossings: Marsa Shuona with its sandy plateau and table corals, Abu Galawa Soraya with a sailing yacht that sank in 1980 and is now completely overgrown at seventeen metres, Shaab Marsa Alam, Abu Dabbab, the Fury Shoals reefs and Shaab Maksur. The finale is Sataya, the Dolphin Reef: a broad lagoon with a resident pod of spinner dolphins. Abu Galawa Soraya works as a night dive as well as a day one.
September 2026
1 departureOctober 2026
1 departureBrothers — Daedalus — Elphinstone
7 nights, starting and finishing in Hurghada or Port Ghalib depending on the date. This is the boat's signature programme and its most demanding: three offshore reefs in open sea. The Brothers are two rocks 60 km from the coast; the steamer Numidia lies on Big Brother's wall with the Aida below her, while Little Brother is carpeted in soft and hard corals, with turtles, tuna and schools of mackerel. At dawn and dusk thresher and hammerhead sharks gather here, along with greys, whitetips and blacktips. At Daedalus the walls drop to 500 metres — with the right current that is a drift along a vertical face. Elphinstone rises out of the depths like a camel's hump, with beautifully overgrown plateaus and its own sharks. Some departures add offshore sites near Port Ghalib such as Shaab Abu Dabab. The itinerary enters marine parks — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required.
April 2027
1 departureJune 2027
2 departuresJuly 2027
1 departureSeptember 2027
1 departureSt. John's — Abu Fendera
Port Ghalib to Port Ghalib, 7 nights. The boat's southernmost week. The St. John's reefs lie beyond Berenice and form the largest reef plateau north of Port Sudan: walls loaded with giant gorgonians and soft corals, caves and swim-throughs, humphead parrotfish up to 1.8 metres long, and up to eight shark species regularly seen in the blue — thresher, hammerhead, tiger and oceanic whitetip. Abu Fendera is almost at the Sudanese border: the main reef runs some six kilometres and the passages between the reefs are studded with coral towers under soft corals, home to Napoleon wrasse of every size and schools of bumphead parrotfish, in a place where you may not see another boat for days. The itinerary enters a marine park — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required.
October 2026
1 departureNorth — Strait of Tiran — Dahab
Hurghada to Hurghada, 7 nights. The boat's most northerly programme: after the Ras Mohammed national park come the reefs of the Strait of Tiran — Jackson, Thomas and Gordon — and then the boat carries on up to Dahab. There you get the Canyon, the Islands, the Oasis, the Bells and the Golden Blocks, and the night dive at Gabr el Bint is a thing of its own. The famous Blue Hole is here too. The SS Thistlegorm is dived on the way back.
June 2027
1 departureJuly 2027
1 departureSeptember 2027
1 departureTwo weeks — North, Tiran, Brothers, Daedalus, Rocky Island and Zabargad
Hurghada to Hurghada, 14 nights. The boat's longest programme, and effectively two weeks running without repeats. The first half is northern: Shaab El Erg, the Abu Nuhas wrecks — Carnatic, Chrisoula K and Ghiannis D — the SS Thistlegorm and the reefs of the Strait of Tiran (Jackson, Thomas, Gordon), with the Rosalie Moller if the weather plays along. The second half heads south: the Brothers with the Numidia and the Aida, Daedalus with its 500-metre walls, Rocky Island where the reef drops away around the entire perimeter and permanent currents feed soft corals, gorgonians and fans, and Zabargad with its drop-offs and shallow coral garden. On the way back comes the Salem Express off Safaga: a ferry that sank in December 1991 and is officially designated a grave, so she is dived only from the outside. The itinerary enters marine parks — Advanced Open Water and 50 logged dives are required. The safari fee package on this programme is €490.
August 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 999 EUR / 7 nights
Estimated wait time — 24 hours
Similar Yachts
Double bed
The two roomiest cabins on the boat, both forward — one on the lower deck and one on the upper. A wide bed, a seating area with a sofa, individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV and a minibar. The upper one is the brighter of the two, with windows on both sides and access to the sun deck.
- Deck
- lower and upper decks
- Beds
- 1 wide double bed
- Windows
- Porthole or window
- Cabin numbers
- 1, 12
- cabins of this type
- 2
Double bed
Two forward cabins on the main deck with a double bed. Individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV, a minibar and a wardrobe. These are the closest cabins to the dive deck — a few steps from bed to gear.
- Deck
- main deck
- Beds
- 1 double bed
- Windows
- Porthole
- Cabin numbers
- 4, 5
- cabins of this type
- 2
Twin beds
The largest category on board — ten twin cabins, two each on the lower and upper decks and six on the main deck. Individually controlled air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with shower, a TV, a minibar, a wardrobe and a dressing table. The upper deck cabins have windows looking out to sea; those on the lower and main decks have portholes.
- Deck
- lower, main and upper decks
- Beds
- 2 single beds
- Windows
- Porthole or window
- Cabin numbers
- 2, 3, 6–11, 13, 14
- cabins of this type
- 10
Golden Imperial
from 999 EUR
