Topaz

Topaz is a 41-metre yacht belonging to Sea Pirates Egypt of Hurghada, the only vessel in their fleet. She is easy to pick out in port: “M.Y TOPAZ” runs in large letters along the white superstructure, with an anchor-in-a-circle in place of the letter O — the same mark is etched on the bathroom mirrors and embroidered on the towels. White hull, modern lines, five decks, twenty-eight guests, fourteen cabins — and all fourteen have their own bathroom, air conditioning and a window.

She is a new boat, built in 2024, and the finish shows it. The cabins are roomy by Egyptian standards — the operator quotes 13–15 square metres — with LED cove lighting around the ceiling, timber panelling behind the headboard, fitted wardrobes and a slot under the bed for your suitcase. The bathrooms are white, with vessel basins and rain showers, and in the upper-deck cabins the window runs the width of the bulkhead straight onto the sea.

The layout is clear from the deck plan. Lower deck: restaurant, galley, engine room, crew quarters and two guide cabins. Main deck: eight guest cabins (01–08), the dive station and the entry platform. Sun deck: four cabins (09–12), the saloon with its bar and a lounge area. Bridge deck: wheelhouse, two cabins (13–14) and the jacuzzi terrace. Above that, an open observation deck. Fourteen guest cabins, twenty-eight berths, no triples anywhere; the guides live separately, below.

The sun-deck saloon is large and bright: two rows of sofas along the sides, low tables, a television, windows all the way round. Next to it are the bar and a half-open lounge where the sunset comes straight through the opening. There are three separate places to sit outside: an aft terrace with sofas on teak, a deck with bean bags and dining tables, a row of sun mattresses by the wheelhouse, and the jacuzzi on the bridge deck — Egyptian boats often call such a tub a “spa”, but a jacuzzi is what it is. The lower-deck restaurant seats every guest at once, at tables of four and six, and everything is cooked on board.

The money is worth understanding in advance, because this operator’s model is unusual for Egypt. The week’s price covers seven nights full board, drinking water, tea, coffee and soft drinks, three to four dives a day, dive guides, tanks and weights, a return transfer from the airport or hotel — and nitrox 28–32%, which many of their neighbours charge for. Exactly one compulsory charge is collected on board in cash: the marine park and port fee with fuel surcharge. It depends on the route and on the year of departure: on the northern routes 150 euros in 2026 and 200 euros from 2027, on “Hidden Gems of the North” 180 euros, on “Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone” 200 euros in 2026 and 230 euros from 2027, and 230 euros on every southern route. That is the only compulsory extra the operator itself names. The Egyptian visa is paid separately; the operator offers visa assistance with a meet-and-greet at the airport and help with lost luggage for 35 euros. Crew gratuities are described as recommended and put at 80–100 euros per guest per week. Alcohol is not included.

Cabins are priced differently, and the difference sits not in the trip price but in a category supplement: the six main-deck twins go at the base rate, cabins 07–10 add 100 euros per person per trip, cabins 11–14 add 200 euros. Single occupancy in any category costs 50 per cent more. The main-deck twins and the sun-deck twin can be booked with same-sex sharing — the operator offers it openly at booking; the double-bed cabins and both suite categories are let whole. A booking is held with a 25 per cent deposit, with the balance due 90 days before departure.

Topaz runs all year from two ports — Hurghada and Port Ghalib — on around ten programmes, from the northern classics with the Thistlegorm and Tiran to the deep south with Rocky Island, Zabargad and St John’s. Some departures start in one port and finish in the other, which changes your return ticket, so every such date carries its own note in the schedule. Experience requirements are attached to the route rather than to the boat, and they do not rise steadily from north to south: “North, Tiran and Dahab” opens at Open Water with ten logged dives, the northern classic asks for twenty, “North, Safaga and the Brothers” for forty, and “Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone” and “Fury Shoal” for fifty. The southern programmes “Daedalus, Rocky, Zabargad” and “Zabargad, Rocky, St John’s” open at Advanced Open Water with thirty dives. Check-in from 16:00, check-out at 10:00, and the last night is spent on board in the marina.

What the operator does not publish is worth knowing too. There is no rental price list on the site, although gear is available on board: ask for the price when you book. Nor are there published booking conditions — the site’s “Terms & Conditions” link goes elsewhere, and the conditions field in the booking system is empty. Hull material, crew size and the rules on power outlets in cabins are not stated either.