Emperor Asmaa Itinerary

South and St Johns

Day 1: Once onboard there will be a safety briefing, crew introduction, complete and check dive paperwork, cabin allocation and boat orientation. Our boats moor in the port on arrival day, departing early the next morning. The first dive is a check dive near the port.

Days 2-6: Sailing to the southernmost reefs, you’ll depart from Port Ghalib and dive some sites to the south before sailing overnight to your southernmost point in the St. John’s area. Depending on weather, government approval and marine life sightings in recent weeks, we may sail to the southernmost islands of Rocky and Zabargad, or we’ll moor instead in the vast reef system of St John’s to begin the adventure in the South.

When leaving Port Ghalib the route can sometimes take in a dive at Abu Dabab on the first or last day. Often spoilt for choice, your guides will pick sites that they know to be the best for the time of year and can find excellent alternatives should the weather affect the normal route. 

On the way to Fury Shoals, we’ll dive Sha’ab Sharm with its wall dives and whitetip reef sharks. At Fury Shoals, dive Sha’ab Claude with its famous swim-throughs and huge porite corals. Whitetip reef sharks and an anemone and clownfish settlement can be seen a little off the reef to the south. Abu Galawa Soraya has a fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat populated with glassfish.

St Johns is a vast collection of small reefs offering some of the most remote and rewarding diving in the Red Sea. This incredibly beautiful reef lies a short distance north of the Sudanese border. The reef covers a huge area and many dives would be needed to explore the numerous coral heads and islands. Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals whilst grey reef, silvertip and schools of hammerhead sharks might be found on the west side. Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of snappers, butterfly fish and barracudas. Mantas, grey reef and silvertip sharks can often be seen in the blue.

Gota Kebir is a massive reef, famous for its tunnels and south plateau, where jacks and barracudas can be seen and the occasional manta. The tunnels are ideal for novice cave divers.

Gota Soraya is rated as possibly one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with overhangs and cracks in the reef wall full of glass fish and sweepers and an abundance of corals, Grey Reef, Silvertips and Hammerhead sharks.

Day 7: On the last day as we head back to port, we will try to take in a dive or two on the world famous Elphinstone Reef if weather and diver experience permits us, or we will finish in the Abu Dabab area perhaps with another dive or two closer to Port Ghalib. We return to port at approximately 13.00 and moor here overnight. In the evening, we will pack up diving equipment, visit the marina and settle any outstanding bills. 

Day 8: Depart for the airport or hotel.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.