2019 Red Sea Underwater Photo Workshop

Join Craig Dietrich on an underwater workshop with remarkable soft corals and pelagics! Hop aboard the Blue Horizon and dive the amazing Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone!

Aug 5-12 (liveaboard) & Aug 12-18 (land extension)

Price:

7 Nights for: $1,595 pp

(Also Includes Nitrox & Airport transfers for free!)

Optional 6-Night Land Extension: $1,140 pp (double) | $1,515 pp (single)

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Why Join This Trip? - Why Travel with Bluewater?

Trip Information - Package Details - Itinerary - Accommodations

How to Get There - Payment - Trip Leader - Underwater Photos

Why Join This Trip?

 ✓ 25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo

 ✓ FREE daily photo workshops by photo pro Craig Dietrich

 ✓ One of the most popular dive destinations in the world with over 1,000 fish species, many of them unique to the Red Sea

 ✓ Great itinerary featuring some of Red Sea's finest diving at the Brother Islands and Elphinstone Reef

 ✓ Beautiful reefs, lots of big fish and great wrecks

 ✓ Luxurious modern liveaboard at an affordable price - the Blue Horizon - with FREE nitrox and airport transfers 

Why Travel with Bluewater?

 ✓ We book resorts/ liveaboards that offer the best overall value

 ✓ Gear discounts and other benefits

 ✓ Great support if flight/weather issues occur

 ✓ "Bluewater helped me out when I needed it most, the airline wouldn't let me board because of a Visa issue. They saved my butt" - Ray Tsusuki

Trip Overview

With awesome visibility and breathtaking soft corals, the Red Sea is one of the most popular dive destinations in the world. There are over one thousand species of fish in the Red Sea, 20 percent of which can be found nowhere else in the world.

Visiting Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone, this trip is a great all-around tour for divers with slightly more experience; offering challenging dives, big drop-offs, beautiful coral walls and plenty of large fish.

Blue Horizon boat (LEFT) & its dive deck (RIGHT)

Dive Overview

Water temps are between 74 - 84 degrees and a 3mm or 5mm full suit is recommended.

Brother Islands

The northernmost part of Egypt's offshore marine park is made up of two islands 60km away from the coast and 140km south from Hurghada. The larger island (complete with a lighthouse from 1883) is 400 meters long with a spectacular plateau on the southeast corner which is dotted with coral mountains and famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island has two impressive wrecks which both lie almost vertical on the side of the reef. The most spectacular is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer which sank in 1901 and now lies on the tip of the island between 10 and 80 metres covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic predators. The smaller wreck of the Aida (sitting between 30 and 65 meters) was a lighthouse authority supply vessel which sank in bad weather in 1957. 

The smaller island, whilst only a little over 200 meters long, hosts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of hard and soft corals and compelling overhangs to explore. The highlight is the fish life; with regular seasonal sightings of hammerhead, thresher, grey reef, and oceanic whitetip sharks.

Daedalus

This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the seabed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognized by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish. Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen... oceanic whitetip, grey reef, and thresher sharks are often sighted, but Daedalus is most famous for its scalloped hammerhead sharks which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!

Elphinstone Reef

A Red Sea legend; a finger-shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.

Read the reviews on diving the Red Sea and the recap on our previous Red Sea trip.

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Package Details

Included in the 14 day/13 night package:

 ✓ Daily underwater photo workshops

 ✓ Transfers to/from the vessel and Marsa Alam airport or Hurghada airport

 ✓ 7 nights full board accommodation on the vessel (incl. meals, water, tea, coffee, soft drinks)

 ✓ All diving with 12 Ltr cylinder, air fills, and weights

 ✓ Nitrox

 ✓ All ground transfers and sightseeing throughout the land tour extension*

 ✓ 3 Nights accommodation at Sonesta Saint George Luxor hotel in Side Nile view rooms including breakfast*

 ✓ Full day tour visits of Luxor Temple & Karnak Temple*

 ✓ Full day tour visits of the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon*

 ✓ 3 Nights accommodation at Le Meridien Pyramids hotel in Premium Pyramids view rooms including breakfast*

 ✓ Full day tour visits the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, Memphis & Sakkara*

 ✓ Full day tour visits the Egyptian National Museum, Khan El Khalili & Moez Street*

 ✓ English speaking local tour guide*

*Included in the 6-night land extension 

Excluded in the 14 day/13 night package:

 ✗ $55 / person safari service fee that covers marine park fees, fuel supplements, port departure taxes etc.

 ✗ Domestic & International flights

 ✗ Tips 

 ✗ Any meals/drinks not mentioned in the program 

 ✗ Any personal extras

 ✗ Entry visa

Daily Photo Workshops

Workshops will be given daily on topics such as wide-angle underwater photography, ambient light shots, snorkeling with large animals, strobe exposure, and positions, avoiding backscatter and composition.

About the Blue Horizon

Blue Horizon's King (LEFT) & Twin cabins (RIGHT)

Blue Horizon's dining room (LEFT) & jacuzzi (RIGHT)

With a contemporary and stylish feel, M/Y blue Horizon takes Red Sea liveaboard luxury to a whole new level. With a large dining area, totally separate sky lounge with state of the art entertainment system, shaded deck area, and sun deck, there is always space to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Red Sea.

All cabins benefit from air conditioning, ensuite facilities, mini refrigerators, and personal entertainment systems.

See more about the Blue Horizon here.

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How to Get There

The flight time is approximately 11 hours direct from US (East coast) and 14 hours direct from US (West coast). The closest airport is Marsa Alam (code RMF) which is about 15 minutes from the yacht at Port Ghalib. Transfers are provided from the Marsa Alam airport or Hurghada airport to Port Ghalib Marina. Check in is at 4pm-6pm on the day of arrival. The boat will spend the night in port and depart the marina the following morning at approximately 8am.

Upon your return into the marina on Thursday afternoon, you will be expected to vacate the vessel between 9am and 10am on the following morning. On leaving the liveaboard and depending on your return flight times, you will be provided with local day use facilities. Transfers back to the airport are also provided.

If you need assistance with flights, please contact us for flight suggestions and booking assistance.