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Call 904.737.0050 today to be placed on the standby list.
Explore the beautiful waters & wrecks
of the Red Sea & the wonders of
Ancient Egypt
Oct 9-20, 2023
For years I have wanted to dive the northern Red Sea. World renown for its wrecks, beautiful blue water, colorful reefs, abundant marine life and oh….SHARKS!!! Personally, this is definitely “bucket list” material. My friends, this is one of my most adventurous trips to date. Not only are we spending 7 days diving the wonderful wrecks of the northern Red Sea but we will also be spending 5 days exploring the Ancient Egyptian sites in Luxor and Cairo.
For this adventure, we have partnered with Blue O Two (the same live-aboard operator for our Palau 2023 trip) and Memphis Tours. We will be spending a week aboard the beautiful M/Y Blue Horizon. The Blue Horizon is a 135ft long depiction of dive live-aboard luxury, comfort and indulgence. After our seven nights on board the Blue Horizon we will all embark together for our 5-day/4-night land excursion of Ancient Egypt. We will have our own privately guided tour of Luxor Temple, The Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, The Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Cairo Museum and much more. By partnering with Memphis Tours, an industry leader with organizing and conducting guided tours in Egypt, we will be in good hands.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join my wife Suzy, and I as we head to Egypt to see for ourselves the beauty and wonder of the Red Sea and Ancient Egypt. But not only that…join us for an opportunity to share this experience with some wonderful people and your future best friends. With only 12 staterooms available (24 people) I have a feeling this trip will sell out fast
Blue Horizon Official Video!
Ready to book? Call us today at 904.737.0050 to check availability!
DIVE INTO HISTORY
We'll be diving in some of the most exciting places a diver can experience!
Abu Nuhas
Also known as the ‘Ship’s Graveyard’, this reef is positioned dangerously close to the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Suez. Abu Nuhas has claimed more ships than any other in the area. On the north side, there are four wrecks laying on a sandy seafloor on the bottom of a steep sloping reef layered with table corals. Wrecks here include the Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Tile, and Lentil wrecks. On the south side, there is a safe anchorage for liveaboards and two ergs known as Yellow Fish Reef.
SS Thistlegorm
Probably the most famous of the Red Sea wrecks. German fighters bombed the 425ft English freighter on 6 October 1941. Today, she makes for an artificial reef on a sandy bottom at 105ft maximum depth. She is home to an enormous variety of marine life and is especially popular with large schooling fish.
Please note: Due to local legislation, you must have a minimum of 20 logged dives in order to dive on this wreck.
Rosalie Moller
The greenish water on this wreck offers a mystical ambiance rarely found on other Red Sea wrecks. With the main deck is at 115ft, the superstructure can be explored up to 100ft and shallower before you start your ascent.
Big Brother Island: Numidia and Aida
The most spectacular wreck is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer that sank in 1901 and lies at a depth of 35-260ft covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic fish. The smaller wreck – named Aida – used to be a lighthouse authority supply vessel. She sunk in 1957 in bad weather and landed in 100-215ft of deep water.
Ready to book? Call us today at 904.737.0050 to check availability!
TRIP INFORMATION:
Rates:
*All pricing is based off double occupancy per stateroom/hotel room.*
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Classic Stateroom w/2 Twin Beds (Lower Deck) (ONLY 2 available): $3150
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Classic Stateroom w/ 1 Twin 1 Double Bed (Lower Deck) (SOLD OUT): $3150
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Premium Stateroom w/ 1 Double Bed (Mid Deck) (SOLD OUT): $3250
Specific stateroom availability is first-come-first-serve. Please let us know at booking if you have any specific stateroom requests. Please keep in mind that there is only 4 Premium Staterooms available on the Mid-Deck.
Deposits / Payments:
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$750 per person (pp) Non-Refundable Deposit Due at Booking
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$750 pp Payment Due by Sept 1, 2022
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$750 pp Payment Due by March 1, 2023
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Balance Due by June 1, 2023
What's Included and Highlights:
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Airport Transfers from Hurghada airport to the Marriott Resort Marina
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7-Night accommodation / Double occupancy per stateroom
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All meals and snacks (to exclude the Sunday evening meal back at port)
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Soft drinks, tea and coffee (to exclude Schweppes tonic, soda or lemon soda)
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Up to 4 dives per day with a maximum of 18 total dives during trip (subject to change depending on local weather and conditions)
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Use of AL80 w/ Air and use of lead weights
Not Included:
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Airfare. Getting there, please book your travel from the U.S. to Hurghada, Egypt. For the return, please book your flight from Cairo, Egypt.
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Marine park fee, currently $80. ( can be paid on-board)
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All U.S. citizens must obtain an Egyptian Travel Visa. Currently this costs $25 and can be purchased upon arrival in Hurghada Airport. The visa is valid for 30 days.
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Alcoholic beverages. ( can be purchased on-board)
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On-board merchandise.
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Crew & dive guide tips.
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Instruction during trip. (I will be able to do the PADI Wreck & Deep Diver Specialty courses during this trip for anyone who is interested)
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Equipment rental is available on-board. Please make sure you get with us prior to the trip to reserve whatever gear you wish to rent. (fees apply)
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Nitrox. Unlimited Nitrox package is available for a $90 upcharge. Can be paid on-board.
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Higher capacity steel tanks are available for a $55 upcharge. Please let us know prior to the trip so we can arrange this for you.
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Dive insurance is mandatory (as with all of our trips). We suggest DAN for this service.
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Trip insurance is recommended. Again, we suggest DAN for this service.
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Because of the nature of the diving we will be doing, the minimum certification requirement is Advanced Open Water Diver along with logged proof (logbook or computer log) of 30 dives.
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Currently this trip is open to only recreational divers conducting Non-Decompression/No-Stop Dives. If you are a technical diver or wish to dive with a rebreather then please get with Dan prior to booking. He will let you know whether this is an option or not.
LAND EXCURSION DETAILS:
What is included:
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This is a packaged dive/land tour. It is a complete package and can not be broken up.
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5-day/4-nights land tour of Ancient Egyptian sites in Luxor and Cairo.
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2-night hotel stay in Luxor on a half-board basis.
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2-night hotel stay in Cairo on a half-board basis.
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Domestic flight from Luxor to Cairo with Egyptair.
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All transfers by private a/c vehicles.
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English speaking tour guide.
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Entrance fees to the sites.
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Lunch meal during tours.
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Bottled water during tours and transfers.
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All service charges and applicable taxes.
What isn't included:
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Optional tours/experiences to be paid locally.
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All evening dinners.
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Tipping to your guides and drivers.
Note: Please keep in mind that FCD can not complete the final arrangements for the land tour segment of this trip until about 1-year out from the trip. Some of the details provided for the land tour will change. The information provided here is to give you as much info as possible with the understanding that there will be tweaks when we make our final arrangements with the tour company. But rest assured Worldwide Dive & Sail has worked with Memphis Tours for years providing the exact same type of land tour outlined here. The land tour outline described here will be our template when we complete our final arrangements.
Ready to book? Call us today at 904.737.0050 to check availability!
SAMPLE ITINERARY:
Monday, Oct. 9th: At the port of Hurghada, Egypt. Embarkation at 18:00 followed by dinner and briefings (Suzy and I will be flying in the day prior and spending the night at the Marriott there at the Marina)
Tuesday, Oct. 10th: Start the week with a check dive before heading north for an afternoon wreck dive at Abu Nuhas followed by a night dive.
Wednesday, Oct. 11th: The next two days are spent cruising the wrecks of the northern Red Sea. Normally you will have the opportunity to make three day dives and a night dive each day. The exact itinerary and order of dive sites will vary depending on the conditions. But you can expect to visit plenty of wrecks including the world-famous Thistlegorm, Ghiannis D, Carnatic, Rosalie Moller, and potentially even more.
Thursday, Oct. 12th: See above
Friday, Oct. 13th: Visit the Salem Express and Al Kafain, two large ferry wrecks close to Sha’ab Sheer in Safaga.
Saturday, Oct. 14th: A day at the Big Brother Island where the wrecks of Aida and Numidia are located.
Sunday, Oct. 15th: Enjoy two final morning wreck dives at El Minya (a minesweeper) and the Mohamed Hassabella (a fishing trawler) close to the port of Hurghada allowing us to cruise into harbor in the early afternoon. Take advantage of the evening onshore for shopping and to enjoy Egypt’s famous hospitality.
Monday, Oct. 16th: Following breakfast on board, disembarkation will be between 09:00-10:00. Then we will board our air-conditioned motor coach for the two-hour drive to Luxor. Upon arrival early afternoon we check into our hotel where we will stay 2-nights. You can enjoy an afternoon visit to Luxor Temple and/or enjoy the optional Sound & Light Show at Karnak Temple (to be paid locally)
Tuesday, Oct. 17th: We will be visiting the western bank of the Nile with a private guide. We will be visiting The Valley of Kings (3 tombs), Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch we will make our way over to the eastern bank of the Nile to visit Karnak Temple with our private guide. And again, there is another opportunity to see the optional Sound & Light Show at Karnak Temple.
Wednesday, Oct. 18th: An optional addition for your morning is a Hot Air Balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings (to be paid locally). We will then transfer to Luxor airport for our short flight to Cairo. Once there we will check into our hotel for the next 2 nights. We will then spend the day with our private guide visiting the Egyptian Museum, Citadel and Khan El Khalili Old Souk.
Thursday, Oct. 19th: We will be spending the day exploring the ancient Egyptian monuments in and around Cairo with our private guide. We will be visiting the Plaza of Giza, Pyramids & Sphinx and the Step Pyramid of Sakara.
Friday, Oct. 20th: Check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for our flight home.
Note: This is a sample itinerary of what we can expect during our adventure to Egypt and the Red Sea. There will certainly be changes, but this is generally what we can expect.
