Discover my adventure diving Egypt’s deep South with Aggressors liveaboards.
I spent a week on the Aggressor 3, the best Red Sea liveaboard, and found Hammerhead sharks, Silky sharks, and dolphins. It is a varied itinerary with awesome diving. Read on for my review of the Aggressor Red Sea 3 and the best dive sites in South Egypt.
Content of this article:
How to get to the Red Sea Aggressor in Port Ghaleb, Egypt?
The Red Sea Aggressor departs from Port Ghaleb, a marina located about 200 km south of Hurghada. The roads are quite good, and it took me three hours to drive it. The easiest way is to book a car with a driver. The Aggressor team can also organize it for you.
There is also an airport in Marsa Alam, which is close by but has very few flights, so it is not convenient for most people.
The best Red Sea liveaboard
If you want to go to Luxor Before or after the trip, it takes about five hours to drive. The roads are very good. I did a stop midway at Dendera temple, which is one of the nicest temples I have seen while in Egypt.
Review of boarding on the Aggressor Red Sea diving liveaboard
Boarding the Aggressor boat starts at 3 pm. I arrived at 6 pm, just in time for the boat briefing.
Upon arrival at Port Ghaleb Marina, a staff member was on the dock to welcome me and take care of my luggage. I was the last to board and was directly shown to my cabin. Within a few minutes, it was already briefing time, and all the guests gathered in the upper deck living room. Amazingly, within 10 minutes of boarding, all the staff knew me by name. It was an indication of the quality of service on the Aggressor 3. It is excellent and is what really makes this boat the best Red Sea liveaboard.
During the briefing, all the guests introduced each other–where they are from, their dive experience, and anything else they wanted to say. It was a nice way to break the ice and get to know the passengers we would share this trip with.
The emergency preparedness briefing was the most comprehensive I have seen on any liveaboards. We knew exactly what to do in case of fire or emergency.
There is no diving on boarding day. We were offered a glass of champagne, which added a bit to the festive spirit. I discovered that most of the passengers were Americans and had a very wide range of experience. Some had just gotten their open water, while others already had done a few hundred dives.
The best Red Sea liveaboard
Many passengers had done a few cruises on Aggressors before. A lady had even done seven cruises on Aggressors all over the world! It’s always a good sign when a boat has many repeat customers and was a good indication for the week to come.
After the briefing, most guests gathered at the outdoor bar area for a pre-dinner drink. It is worth mentioning that, unlike most diving boats, alcoholic drinks like beer and wine are complimentary on the Aggressor. Dinner was served in the indoor dining room, and we spent a quiet night in the Marina.
Covid procedure on the Aggressor liveaboard in Egypt.
Aggressor 3 has put in place a series of measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Another reason it is the best Red Sea liveaboard.
All the guests need to have a negative PCR test result to enter Egypt and board the boat.
We were asked to sanitize our hands when we were picked up, and our temperature was taken upon boarding the boat. They would also take everyone’s temperature every morning during the first dive briefing. A few bottles of hand sanitizer were placed throughout the boat, and they served lunch and dinner at the table instead of using a buffet to avoid the spread of germs often associated with buffets.
It was also interesting to note that almost all the travelers onboard were vaccinated. The Aggressor staff have not yet been vaccinated.
The staff would wash the diving deck with Detol almost daily and were permanently cleaning the boat. It was kept immaculately clean during the whole week.
Review of the Aggressor 3 boat
About 40 m long, the Red Sea liveaboard Aggressor is a large yacht that caters to 22 divers in 11 cabins. It was built in 2017, so it is relatively recent.
The boat is organized on four decks– a lower deck with the cabins, the main deck, the upper deck, and the sundeck.
Its spacious diving deck at the back of the main deck has covered space for equipment and sufficient storage space. From there, it is easy to access a diving platform to facilitate entry and exit from the water. We could access many of the dive sites directly from the boat. For more challenging dives, we would board one of the two onboard zodiacs.
The indoor common areas of this Red Sea liveaboard are very spacious. The dining room is huge, with two large dining tables that make it easy to meet and get to know the other divers on board. It has air-conditioning, and the panoramic windows allow you to watch the turquoise sea during meals.
The upper deck lounge is also spacious, with plenty of sofa space and a wooden floor that gives the room a homely feel. We would use this room for the dive briefings. It has a huge TV, so it is also a great place if you want to watch a movie.
Tip: if you use the Aggressor’s wifi, the router is located in the upper deck saloon, where you will get the best internet connection.
Charging plugs have been conveniently located below all the sofas in the lounge, making it a good place to edit your pictures or work on your computer.
The upper deck has an outdoor area with sofas and bean bags. The bar is located here, and it was usually the social center point of the boat, with most people choosing this area to rest in between dive and enjoy post-diving sunset drinks. We connected a phone in the stereo system and played the best relaxing music. We were delighted with many peaceful evenings on this deck of the Red Sea liveaboard.
The bar is stocked with beers, soft drinks and wine, and it was all complimentary during the cruise.
The sun deck at the top of the boat has plenty of sunbeds and a jacuzzi. This deck doesn’t have a shade cover, and it could get hot. Make sure you use sunscreen if you spend time there. Some passengers were surprised by the strength of the Egyptian sun and got slightly sunburned.
The boat is usually easy to navigate with wide stairs and hallways. It has been well-designed, with handles placed at strategic points through the boat.
Review of the cabins on the Red Sea Liveaboard Aggressor 3.
I stayed in cabin 7 on the lower deck towards the back of the boat.
The Agressor has eight “regular” cabins on the lower deck and three premium cabins above.
Our cabin was comfortable, with two twin beds and a large window. The wooden floor and wall decorations give it a warm feeling. There is plenty of storage space. I liked that they designed the beds so that we could store suitcases underneath.
The room has individually adjustable AC. It was Fresh. I didn’t smell any mold ( that you sometimes smell on other boat with below deck cabins)
The bathroom is small. It has a porthole that you can open to get fresh air into the room. The shower is small but has good water pressure. Hot water was constantly available during our trip.
The cabin was generally quiet on the Red Sea liveaboard. We could hear the motor while navigating, but it wasn’t very strong, and I slept very well, even during the nights that we were navigating.
I had a look at the premium cabins on the main deck. While the cabins don’t seem bigger than the other cabins, they have a larger panoramic window and slightly larger bathrooms. They are, however, located towards the front of the boat, so they might be choppier in case of bad weather.
Tip: If you get seasick easily, request a cabin towards the back of the boat as it is usually the most stable place on a boat.
Review of the service on the Aggressor Red Sea 3
While the boat and the cabins are nice and comfortable, they are not the biggest at sea. What really differentiates Aggressor Egypt from other boats, in my opinion, is the quality of the service.
The team was simply amazing. Super professional and organized but also very friendly. They addressed everyone by name and were always looking for ways to make our diving cruise better.
You could see that they have been running dive boats for many years. The organization is flawless, and the attention to detail remarkable. The crew worked tirelessly to make us comfortable.
The team was led by Mahmoud, the cruise director and also the divemaster. He is from Egypt and has years of experience working on liveaboards, and it shows. No requests were too much, and everything was met with a smile. He was accompanied by Katia and Micky, the other two divemasters. They would share all the meals with us, accompany us on dives and created a beautiful video of the trip.
The best Red Sea liveaboard
Hegazy and Ali were the stewards and seemed to work non-stop between 5 am and 10 pm. They were everywhere. They cleaned our cabin twice a day. The cabins were spotlessly clean. I enjoyed the chocolate they would place on our bed every night. They served dinner and drinks throughout the day and also assisted us on the dive deck.
A really nice touch was the hot towel they would hand us after every dive. They would make sure we were well-hydrated by giving us a glass of water on the dive deck before each dive and always had a special juice or milkshake ready for us after the dive.
The navigation and deck people, Elwensh, Alaa, Araby and Mohammed, were also proactively looking for ways to help on the dive deck. During the one-week cruise, I don’t think I was ever able to put on my BCD alone. Someone would always rush to help me out 😊
They were very careful, making sure we could get safely on the zodiac, even when there were big waves and would rinse and bring our equipment back to the boat. The Aggressor offers a marvelous five-star service.
The trip is organized like clockwork. The schedule is tightly controlled, and the program is made clear every day by Mahmoud, the cruise director. Doing 5 dives a day can be intense, but we never felt rushed.
Review of the food on the Aggressor liveaboard
Food is really plentifully on the Aggressor liveaboard with 4 meals a day.
Early breakfast was quite simple with bread, jams, and coffee. After dive breakfast was more complete with hot breakfast changing choices changing every day, fruits and bread.
Lunch and dinner are a full sit-down affair with 4 courses each! I did put on weight during the trip despite all the diving.
The chef was super responsive to dietary requirements cooking individual dishes as needed.
I liked that they would put up the day menu every morning. You can see below a sample menu during our trip.
Review of the Dive organization on the Aggressor Red Sea Liveaboard
Diving is probably the most important aspect for divers deciding to join a liveaboard for a week.
The Aggressor caters to people who want to dive, dive and dive…
I don’t think you can find a liveaboard in Egypt that offers more dives per day than the Aggressor. The Aggressor offers a whopping four or five dives a day! They are the best best Red Sea liveaboard for diving!
It is obvious that the boat has been custom-built for divers, and the whole boat organization revolves around diving. Diving can be off the boat or using the zodiac, depending on the dive site.
The dive deck is spacious and well-designed, and the staff ever-ready to assist with dive gears.
Diving Safety on the Aggressor Liveaboard in Egypt
The diving rules are focused on safety. The maximum depth is 30 meters, and the maximum dive time is 60 minutes or 50 bars. Which, trust me, when you do five dives a day, is enough 😊
They also don’t allow deco dives or unaccompanied dives in the blue. They place a tank under the boat at five meters in case anyone runs out of air for the safety stop.
They told me that when they dive trickier sites with a strong current, they give divers Nautilus GPS systems, but we didn’t need them during our trip as we had almost no current dives.
Diving groups on the Aggressor Liveaboard
Diving groups are the best on the Red Sea liveaboard. The diving groups were a bit different from the 20+ liveaboards I have been on before. I am used to guided dives in groups of 3-6 people put together based on a diver’s experience.
In that regard, diving in Egypt was very different. The Aggressor has two dive guides for 22 divers, so the group size is large. Divers are encouraged to dive independently by buddy teams.
I must admit that before the trip, I was worried about having to dive with a group of 10 people, especially as the Aggressor mixes beginner divers and more advanced divers in the same groups.
All the dives during our trip to the Deep South of Egypt were simple with almost no current, so it was nice and easy to go independently with just my buddy. If you are a good diver, this can actually feel liberating to be allowed to dive on our own.
If you don’t feel comfortable diving without a guide, you can also sign up for a diving class and stay closer to the dive guide. Some guests on our boat did their advanced, nitrox and photography certification.
Given the easiness of the dives in the Red Sea, the system worked well, but it would be more challenging in places like Indonesia that can have fierce currents and where you really need a guide to stay safe.
Do you need Nitrox to dive the Red Sea?
Nitrox is available for 100 USD per week, and it is quite useful for some of the dives. Dives at Daedelus and Elphinstone’s are deeper. Using Nitrox gives you more bottom time and more chances to see the sharks.
Diving with Nitrox is also recommended if you do four or five dives a day as it is better for your body. So go for Nitrox on this trip. If you are not Nitrox certified, it is easy to do the training onboard for a small fee.
Using your underwater camera on the Aggressor Red Sea liveaboard
There is a good camera table and individual charging stations on the dive deck, so it is a great boat if you are into underwater photography.
The crew would rinse my camera and place it on the camera table after every dive.
They had a professional photographer that offered photography classes on board. It is a great way for beginners to discover underwater photography as you can try out different cameras, strobes and lights.
During the Deep South itinerary, the focus was on wide-angle more than macro. We didn’t see many new interesting nudibranchs or critters, but the landscapes, sharks and dolphins made for great wide-angle photos.
Diving schedule on the Red Sea Aggressor liveaboard
With four or five dives a day, the program looks like dive, eat and repeat…
You can see the schedule for the first day below ( most days had 4 or 5 dives)
Mahmoud, the cruise director, provided informative dive briefings before each dive.
What is the water temperature in the Red Sea?
I was there in June, and the water temperature in the deep south of the Red Sea was between 27 and 28 degrees.
It was much warmer than the sites in the North of the Red Sea, where the water temperature was 25 or 26 degrees.
Egypt in June can be very hot with temperatures reaching 40 degrees. We didn’t get too affected by the warm weather of June, as it is quite windy on the boat while out at sea. We could, however, feel the heat once we got back in the protected area of the Port Ghalib Marina.
Our Itinerary for the Egypt Red Sea Deep South Diving Cruise
Day 1: Check dive and shore dives near Marsa Alam
We left Port Ghaleb Marina at around 9 am and cruised over turquoise water for one hour before reaching the first dive site.
Marsa Shouna dive site is a reef by the shore near Marsa Alam which we used for the first check dive. The coral comes down in a slope to about 30 meters.
There are many small fishes and a mix of soft and hard corals. Watch the seagrass, as there can be turtles and dugong. We didn’t see a dugong but saw a turtle getting cleaned by two large remora fishes.
Ocean life is the best on the Red Sea liveaboard
Two more dives, including a night dive, were organized near Marsa Alam.
We spent the night navigating towards Daedalus Reef. The sea was quiet, and we had a good night’s sleep.
Day 2: Hammerheads, dolphins and silky sharks in Daedalus reef!
We arrived at Daedalus after sunrise.
Daedalus is a small island surrounded by a large deep reef with a lighthouse in the middle.
There were 9 boats anchored. I hadn’t seen that many dive boats on a site since the beginning of Covid. In normal times, there could be up to 20 boats in Daedelus, so I guess we were lucky.
The Aggressor’s schedule is a bit different than all the other boats because the Aggressor does more dives, so we didn’t encounter too many divers while underwater at Daedalus.
Daedalus is one of the best dive sites in Egypt because of its resident hammerheads and the chance to see other large pelagic. It is isolated, surrounded by a very deep sea and is only accessible by liveaboard. The reef goes down to 2,000 meters. The reef is a cleaning station. Anything can pass by in the blue.
At 20 meters, there is a plateau sloping down to 40 meters.
On the first dive, we didn’t see hammerhead sharks, but we saw a family of four dolphins that sneaked upon us from behind. It was a magical moment. Two of the dolphins were big, and one was still a baby.
We saw a few tunas and a school of barracudas.
The reef in the deeper part is not amazing. It is mostly covered by soft orange corals.
The reef in the shallow area is more colorful and populated by thousands of little red anthias fishes, so it is worth getting closer to the reef for your safety stop.
Tip: Daedalus is a place where your chances of seeing big pelagic increases if you go deep. So make sure you are advanced certified so that you can dive to 30-40 meters and check your depth, especially if you are using Nitrox, as you don’t want to go deeper than your maximum authorized depth.
The second dive was less exciting. We went into the blue but didn’t see any sharks.
Our third dive in Daedalus was the lucky one. We saw three hammerheads. One of them swam around us for over five minutes. They swim by undulating their tail and are absolutely majestic.
A few schools of tuna and giant trevallies and a handful of great barracuda passed by. A turtle was feeding on the reef.
The shallow was full of corals and small fishes. Many pufferfish were getting cleaned. What a dive!
Tip: A lot of the big pelagic hang out in the blue, so you have a better chance of seeing them if you dive parallel to the wall but slightly away from it. Hammerheads don’t like the noise from a banging tank. They also don’t like lights, so make sure you turn off your camera lights and strobes.
On the last dive, we went looking for silky sharks.
We found three silky sharks. One came straight towards us, which was a bit scary. A napoleon fish joined our dive group and dived among us for the last 10 minutes of the dive. We think he was trying to avoid the silky shark and looking at us for protection. He already had a few bites marks on his back, so we were sorry to abandon him when we finished our dive.
Daedalus is a spectacular place with so much marine life. It is not every day that you can meet hammerheads, silky and dolphins!!
We ended this stunning day with a walk to the lighthouse, and we were rewarded with a mesmerizing sunset. The water around the lighthouse was so active with hundreds of fishes jumping out of the water.
Tip: They sell cool t-shirts on Daedalus Island, so make sure you bring cash if you want to buy one of them.
Day 3: Exploring St John, the southern reef of the red sea
After a quiet night of navigation, we arrived at St John.
Our first dive site is called Paradise St John. It is a submerged reef that goes down to a wall. There are many passages and canyons, creating an interesting topography. It is a pretty and easy dive.
Watch out for the anemones and the ever-playful Nemo’s. Schools of goat fishes and yellow snappers populate the area and look great in photos.
Tip: The nicest area of the reef is around 10 meters. There is no need to go deep.
St Johns cave is the best dive site in the area of the Red Sea liveaboard. It is composed of pinnacles near each other, creating swim-throughs. The underwater canyons and rock formations are absolutely stunning. The combination of waves and light going through those canyons is mesmerizing.
There are many small gorgonians. Plenty of fish and blue-spotted stingrays make you feel like you are in an aquarium. It was a shallow and easy dive, but it requires good buoyancy to go inside the swim through and caves.
Day 4: Swimming with dolphins at Fury Shoal
Fury Shoal (also called Sataya) dive site is a submerged reef.
It is a famous site because a pod of dolphins lives there, so there is always the hope of encountering them during the dive.
We did a drift dive along the wall that goes down 100 meters.
The first part of the wall was not very colorful and full of dead coral that had been colonized by soft corals.
There are many turtles around. The coral was healthier around the corner, where the current picked up a bit. The bay with the shallow coral garden was prettier with some interesting bommies and rock formations.
We then went snorkeling with a pod of dolphins, and that was a highlight.
Over 50 dolphins were undulating through the water.
Tip: The dolphins are curious, so if you don’t move and splash too much, they will likely come and check you out.
We had a few very close encounters with dolphins coming to look at us and coming within touching distance. The way we looked at each other was a moment of pure magic!
The second, third, and fourth dives of the day was the Gotya Sataya dive site.
Another submerged reef. It is an easy, shallow dive of about 15 meters. The wall is not the most colorful, but some of the small pinnacles in the sandy bottom are worth a look.
A very curious turtle came to join us. He was very promiscuous, maybe a bit too much 🙂
Day 5: More Canyons and caves near Shaab Claudia
We got 20-knot strong winds overnight, so we couldn’t navigate. The captain decided to alter the itinerary to keep everyone safe and comfortable.
We ended up diving Shaab Claudia reef that is located near the dolphin’s lagoon. The reef is made mostly of humongous corals!
On the first dive, we explored the canyon on the East. The corals in the wall were quite broken, but the area around the canyon was very nice.
However, the highlight was the caves and corridors to the east. The landscape created by those huge corals is grand and imposing. It felt like being in the Gaudi cathedral underwater! Hooks and corners are everywhere. It was fun getting lost in this stunning landscape. We found a white tip shark in one of the caves. Schools of yellow goatfish and snapper patrol the area. A few scorpionfish were resting on the corals.
During our safety stop, a jack fish was busy hunting smaller fishes.
It was a magical dive, and many passengers considered it their favorite dive of the trip!
We then moved to the Shaab Maksour dive site for the third dive of the day.
It means the broken reef in Arabic because the west side is broken.
The reef goes down in a wall and becomes a sandy bottom. We didn’t see anything particularly interesting, and it was hard to compete after the imposing diving of Shaab Claudia.
Day 6: More hammerheads and hunting action at Elphinstone
This was already the last diving day of an awesome diving trip.
We started the early morning briefing by watching the video that the Aggressor team did for the week. It is a fantastic souvenir of a week full of adventure and great memories.
TIP: If you want to keep this souvenir of the trip on the Aggressor Red Sea 3, the video is available for sale for 65 USD.
The Elphinstone dive site is a submerged reef with steep drop-offs. There are gently sloping plateaus at about 20 meters on both sides of the reef.
The whole reef is surrounded by a very deep wall, and there was a lot of action going on… We first saw a humongous napoleon and a few giant trevally hunting.
Three huge tunas passed by. Suddenly, two hammerheads came to join the hunt. They were frantic, and one came straight at me. Scary!
TIP: Check your depth, as it is easy to go deeper than you wish on Elphinstone dive site.
The shallow has a beautiful coral garden full of small fishes and colorful corals. A turtle was feeding on soft coral.
What a dive site! So much action before breakfast opens up the appetite!
We did a second dive there to the south plateau, but we didn’t get as lucky as during the first dive. Elphinstone’s dive site was a great way to close what has been a remarkable week of diving.
It was already time to navigate back to Port Ghaleb.
We arrived around 4 pm. A doctor came on board to do the required PCR test for people traveling. It costs 100 USD and is very convenient. It takes less than five minutes on the boat, and they send you the results by email or WhatsApp before 1 pm the next day. Fortunately, everyone’s tests came back negative.
The crew then hosted a cocktail party on the outside deck with champagne and dancing music. It was festive. An Aggressor tradition is to give out iron diving awards to guests who have completed all the dives during the trip. Milestones like new diving certifications or x00 dives are also celebrated with certificates.
The last night’s dinner is not included onboard. All the passengers decided to have dinner in the Italian restaurant near the boat. It was a mixed experience. Some passengers followed the waiter’s suggestions and ordered a dish that was not on the menu and got clearly overcharged, paying around 50 USD per person… Beware and check the price of what you order on the menu… Some of the water bottles were also not sealed, so check that as well.
That didn’t dampen our festive mood. Everyone had a huge smile on their face after what had been a great week of diving onboard the Aggressor Red Sea 3.
Can you get internet coverage while in the Red Sea?
The Red Sea Aggressor is one of the few liveaboards in Egypt that provides free internet onboard. They use an Etisalat mobile phone plan which worked most of the time but I still had slightly better coverage by buying my own data plan with Vodaphone Egypt.
Area with internet coverage in the South Red Sea
On the cruise to Saint Johns and the deep South, plan to be without coverage for a few days in the middle of the cruise
We had access to the 4G network while in Port Ghalib and for the first day at the dive sites near Marsa Alam. There is no internet coverage in Daedelus or in the Saint John area. We had very weak coverage while navigating near Fury Shoal on day 5 and also in Elphinstone’s on day 6. Coverage improved as we navigated towards Marsa Alam
TIP: the best coverage is at the highest point of the boat so bing your phone on the sundeck. It is a great place to be around sunset!
How to get an Egyptian phone card at Hurghada airport?
If you need higher-quality internet during your cruise, you might want to get a local Egyptian sim card with a data plan.
The four phone companies in Egypt have a counter just outside the arrival hall in the Hurghada airport (after you get your luggage and pass the luggage custom control).
The best cell phone coverage is with Vodaphone. The coverage from my phone was often faster than the hotel or airport’s wifi. I purchased a card with 16 GB of data valid for 30 days for 20 USD. The data takes over an hour to activate, so don’t worry if it doesn’t work immediately.
You’ll need your passport, as they will take a copy of it.
To check your package and data balance if you don’t read Arabic, the easiest way is to download the Vodafone Egypt App.
TIP: It’s worth noting that calls with WhatsApp or Skype don’t work in Egypt, but Viber and Zoom are working.
In conclusion of my review of the Aggressor Red Sea liveaboard diving cruise to St John’s
The Aggressor Red Sea is a special boat. It might not be the newest boat in Egypt but it has the best service and is very comfortable. It is geared towards “heavy divers,” offering four or five dives a day. What makes it outstanding is the quality of the service and the professional organization onboard. It is also one of the few boats in Egypt offering complimentary soft drinks, beer, wine, and internet.
The Deep South Red Sea itinerary offers outstanding diving. You get a chance to dive with hammerheads and big pelagic and snorkel with dolphins. It is also diverse as beyond the deep pinnacles of Daedalus and Elphinstone, you get to explore the intricate rocks and coral formations of St Johns and Shaab Claudia.
I absolutely enjoyed this diving cruise and look forward to exploring more destinations with Aggressor liveaboards.
To book, check the Aggressor website here. They are offering great “Covid” discounts this summer. They can also help you organize the rest of your trip to Egypt.
If you are interested in the North Red Sea diving itinerary, check my review of the Blue Force Liveaboard here. While in Egypt, I also dove the Jackson reef near Sharm El Sheikh with the Four Seasons Resort. Finally, no trip to Egypt is complete without a visit to the Pyramids and Luxor. I also wrote an article about the Luxor Winter Palace ( Luxor’s best hotel) and what to do in Luxor.
Happy travels to Egypt on the best Red Sea liveaboard!-