Red Sea Aggressor II

The Red Sea Aggressor II.

Courtesy of Aggressor Adventures

You’ll be following in the “finsteps” of the famed underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau when you choose a liveaboard vacation to the northern Red Sea and Straits of Tiran aboard the luxury Red Sea Aggressor II. It will be a trip you won’t soon forget.

With three itinerary options, Red Sea Aggressor II visits more than a dozen world-famous wrecks and reefs in the Red Sea, Straits of Tiran and Ras Mohamed National Park. The Northern Red Sea and Straits of Tiran itinerary includes diving on the historic SS Thistlegorm, where it’s possible to view preserved artifacts from World War II. The dive site Abu Nuhas is known as “Ships Graveyard” for good reason—the four wrecks here, Giannis D, Carnatic, Chrisoula K and the Rosalie Moeller, lie in a chain on the sandy bottom of a sloping reef covered with table corals. The former Victorian sail- and steam-powered ship Dunraven is covered in corals and is a haven for schools of yellow goatfish, giant morays and loads of macro life. In the national park, two standout sites are Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef, where you have a good chance of diving with grey and blacktip reef sharks.

Guests rehash their dives from the day while enjoying chef-prepared meals in the dining room.

Courtesy of Aggressor Adventures

The Northern Red Sea and Dahab trip puts you on many of the same reefs and wrecks, but you’ll also cruise to Dahab. Here, you’ll dive Blue Hole, a drift dive that starts at the “Bells,” a chimney crack in the reef that deposits you on a stunning wall, and the Canyon, a classic, aquarium-like site that features colonies of star coral, gorgonians and soft corals, as well as butterflyfish, angelfish and clownfish. Another adrenaline-packed highlight of this itinerary is the Blue Hole, where you’ll descend into a small crack in the reef table—when you exit, you’ll explore a stunning wall adorned by coral overhangs.

The Yolanda, a shallow wreck overgrown with soft corals.

Courtesy of Aggressor Adventures

The Get Wrecked Northern Red Sea itinerary offers the chance to explore more than a dozen sunken ships, including the Thistlegorm; Abu Nuhas wrecks; the steamship Ulysses; Dunraven; el Mina, a minesweeper with its anti-aircraft guns still intact; El Khafain, a ferry that sunk due to an explosion; and Salem Express, the roll-on, roll-off ferry whose hundreds of passengers and crew met with tragedy in these waters.

“There is nothing I could complain about. Everything was perfect, dive briefings were thorough, dive guides were so considerate under water - Kimo, Abdo and Carlos were amazing!!” - Caroline B

All three options offer itineraries that are packed with history, shark and dolphin encounters, and mind-blowing marine life, some of which is found nowhere else on Earth, including the Red Sea flasher wrasse, masked butterflyfish and broomtail wrasse.

Need to Know

Home Port: Hurghada, Egypt

Dive Season: Year-round

Dive Conditions: 74˚F-82˚F

Travel Tip: A copy of your passport is required 14 days prior to the yacht’s departure. You can download the yacht’s complete “Know Before You Go” PDF under the Travel Information tab on Aggressor’s website.