Ghazala Explorer, Египет

Truly great Red Sea dive trip.

It's a very comfortable boat: large enough to have room to move around and be stable on the water, but small enough so divers can get to know one another. Cabins had plenty of room and storage space. New sites every day. Before each dive the briefings by a dive guide, with audiovisual assist, were complete and understandable. The deck staff both before and after the dives were everywhere assisting with gear and helping in any way they could. Always a snack and a drink waiting when we came up. My wife and I were encouraged to get nitrox certified and we did; looking at the nitrox log I saw that everyone else on the boat, now including us, were using nitrox blend. The reefs weren't the best I've seen, having dived in Belize and Palau and Roatan, among others, but they were always good and often amazing. The emphasis was on spotting pelagics and we did see some; I'm more of a reef and small critter person and could have used more of that. Since it was my first time there, I stuck with a guided group for almost all my dives and this generally went well; the guides were all pros and kept a good eye on us. Some interesting caves on some of the dives which gave nice variety. We took a RIB excursion to see dolphins up close but did not see any in the one place where we could actually get in the water with them, but the snorkeling was fun. Loved the night dives. Full days every day, up at 6 and in the water not long after, with dinner usually around 9 after the night dive, if there was one. Great food, a mix of Western and Egyptian that was tasty and varied, and there was plenty of it. They seemed proud of it and deservedly so.

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attentiveness of the staff during diving. quality, knowledge, and preparation of the dive guides. emphasis on safety.

Fantastic Experience!

Amazing guides, and super-helpful crew. Drinks and snacks always available. Great chef, who was responsive to dietary concerns. New boat with all the modern niceties. All the guides/crew were so attentive and responsive. Their zodiac even has a ladder on it (but they know that people don't necessarily like zodiacs, so they do try to minimize its usage). Just a great great experience. We will definitely use them again the next time we're in the Red Sea.

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1) the guides, 2) the crew, 3) the boat

Everything was excellent

Everything was excellent. The cabins are spacious and the bathrooms are excellent. There was plenty of hot water for the showers. The food was excellent, and all of the crew were great. The jot tea after the dive is a nice touch.

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Cabin, food, diving

What a wonderful family experience we had!

Swimming with dolphins, and eating four delicious meals a day, and interacting with the crew and fellow passengers as we sailed and dove the Red Sea!

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The crew are so kind, and genuinely excited to serve, and excellent in everything they do.

Book this one!

Go ahead and book that trip! Being on the Ghazala Explorer is one amazing liveaboard experience. The boat, the staff, the food, the diving experience and assistance is extraordinary. The boat is immaculately clean, the staff is always smiling and ready to help and the briefings are always entertaining and very informational. Having beach towels and plush terry cloth robes is an amazing touch! ALL THE TOILETS HAVE A BIDET! WOOHOO! But its this huge white doorknob thing close to the base, unlike the "bum guns" you find all over Southeast Asia. (this, to me, is exceptionally important!) The customer service is TOP NOTCH. I cannot ask for anything more - they have been immeasurably assuring and very attentive to all of my questions. The dive guides are amazing and you cannot ask anything more! I think I found the best falafels on this boat, and I have a suspicion everything else I taste will fail in comparison. The experience on the boat is fun and very congenial. The dive guides caught me dancing and singing while diving so eventually they joined in right after safety stops and we had some fun scuba dancing. Though, I'd say I got extremely lucky since I do have the same name as the local beer, so they instantaneously remember my name! Some tips and travel advice: BRING ALL YOUR COMFORT STUFF. Vicks Vaporub/Tiger Balm type of stuff is NOWHERE to be found in Hurghada, and if you do find it, it's not the same smell. There are no Asian stores around and the pharmacies don't carry it. Trust me, I looked. Tampons are not everywhere, so if there's a specific brand you like, bring that with you too. Also, Red Tiger Balm is GOLD around these parts. So if you are carrying them (or something similar) from wherever you are coming from, please bring an extra jar or two for the crew. They will forever remember the amazing gesture! (Diving tip: I massage a little red tiger balm around my ears so i equalize better underwater.)

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Customer Service, Boat Experience, Amazing Boat, Staff and Crew

Wonderful experience

The crew did a great job accommodating special dietary needs. The dive masters were super - very helpful with pointers and advice and we felt they took very good care of us as newbies, especially in the somewhat challenging Red Sea wrecks.

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Great itinerary, total pro dive masters and crew.