Ghazala Explorer

A look aboard Ghazala Explorer

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A single cabin, twins and suites on three decks

The current direct booking plan lists 13 cabins: twelve for two guests and one single, giving 25 berths. Some older descriptions still quote 12 cabins and 24 guests. The numbered cabin plan is more useful when choosing a room: lower-deck twins have portholes, while the upper cabins and suites bring larger sea views. Every guest cabin has air-conditioning and its own bathroom.

These are the operator’s displayed promotional fares for the seven-night North: Wrecks & Reefs departure, checked on 14 October 2026. Cabin 1 offers privacy without paying for an unused second berth. By comparison, sole occupancy of a lower twin was €1,831 and a suite €2,042 on that sailing. Different agents may have different cabin allocations, so the single cabin should be confirmed against the actual departure.

Explorer was built at Rasheed on the Nile delta and measures 37 metres by 8.2 metres. The 2026 refit included changes to cabin arrangements, air-conditioning and the camera workspace. Published reports also describe lower-deck exit and alarm improvements; these are reported alterations, not an independent safety assessment or a guarantee of a silent cabin.

Life between dives

The boat offers plenty of space for you to enjoy, both indoors and outdoors. The indoor lounge and restaurant-style dining room provide an air-conditioned place to regroup, while the open and covered deck areas let you choose between sunshine and shade. Loungers and beanbags suit an unhurried surface interval; the upper-deck bar area is a more sociable spot when the day’s diving is over.

Meals are prepared fresh daily and served buffet-style. The menu combines local and international cooking, with snacks between dives. Giving dietary requirements in advance helps the kitchen plan around the group, especially for allergies. Tea, coffee and drinking water are part of the package; alcohol and other drinks need checking against the booked offer.

Photographers have a dedicated camera workspace following the refit, alongside charging and rinsing facilities. The library and board games offer a break from editing images. Wi-Fi depends on mobile coverage, and the operator’s December trip specifies a shared 40 GB fair-use allowance for everyone aboard: useful for keeping in touch, less suitable for a working holiday built around large uploads.

Diving from the stern platform

At the stern, the spacious dive deck has individual equipment stations and storage beneath the seats. Two tenders extend access beyond the mooring, while the lower platform makes the transition between boat and water more straightforward. The operator normally provides two or three guides according to the group size and advertises a maximum ratio of eight divers per guide.

Recreational nitrox is included for certified divers, as are a standard 12-litre cylinder and weights. Rental equipment, larger cylinders and courses need arranging separately; the official specification does not list rebreather support. A wide dive deck does not make every itinerary equally suitable: offshore walls, current, wreck depth and overnight passages all affect the choice.

The 14 December 2026 northern departure lists at least 20 logged dives. The operator’s general guidance recommends at least 30 for southern routes and recent diving within six months; those recommendations do not replace a departure’s certification and experience conditions. The guides may change or exclude a dive when qualifications, experience or conditions warrant it. Wreck penetration and overhead passages are never an automatic part of booking the cruise.

Travelling with a non-diver?

The partner listing welcomes non-divers and offers optional snorkelling equipment. A companion can enjoy the lounge and shaded decks, but the fare and supervised water activities need confirming for the chosen route; offshore diving weeks do not imply daily shore visits.

Choose the week before choosing the cabin

The boat-specific schedule checked on 14 October 2026 lists seven-night departures through January 2028. The nine programme labels below include the specialist-hosted version of Get Wrecked. They cover different holidays, from northern wreck circuits to lengthy southern journeys; a boat photograph alone will not tell you which one you are buying.

The map shows selected geographic references, not every dive site or a guaranteed sailing order. Port Ghalib is a port-area reference. The exact joining berth and the Hurghada marina belong in your departure instructions; complete route connections are omitted where the sequence is not established.

The rhythm of a week

Arrival day is for boarding and the welcome briefing, with the first night normally spent in port. After permissions and check dives, the main diving days may offer three or four dives where the route and rules permit. The final diving day is shorter, normally no more than two dives, before the return to port. Marine-park islands do not allow night dives. Weather, permissions and the group can change both the sites and the number of dives.

Recognising the main reef areas

Abu Nuhas is a wreck reef; Ras Mohammed and Tiran bring walls and current-exposed reef profiles. The Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone are offshore or exposed reef choices, while St John’s spreads the diving across pinnacles and reef formations far to the south. These references help explain the geographical differences; they are not entry points or navigation instructions.

A film from Ocean Tribe Fleet

The operator links this presentation alongside Ghazala Explorer. It introduces the fleet’s Red Sea experience rather than documenting every cabin after the 2026 refit.

▶ Ocean Tribe Fleet presentation

Illustrative boat photograph; film by Ocean Tribe Fleet. Watch the presentation on YouTube.

What the fare includes

The December example starts at €1,144 per person in a shared lower twin or the single cabin. The direct offer includes full board, dive permits, taxes, marine-park and harbour fees, diving, nitrox for certified divers, a standard cylinder, weights, round-trip boat transfers and Wi-Fi within coverage and fair-use limits. Those included fees should not be added a second time when comparing this offer with another boat.

Flights, entry formalities where applicable, insurance, equipment hire, special cylinders, courses, drinks outside the package and souvenirs remain separate. The partner lists a full equipment set at €190–200 per trip and a private guide at €400; these are optional services to include in a personalised quote. Gratuities are discretionary. An agent’s flight-inclusive sterling package is a different product from a boat-only euro fare.

Getting to the right port

The checked December departure boards in Hurghada at 18:00 and checks out at 09:00. This departure-specific checkout is earlier than the operator’s general FAQ, so use the details attached to your sailing. The first or last night can be spent in port or an agreed hotel under the operating arrangements.

Hurghada airport is around 15 minutes from the local port. Port Ghalib is around 15 minutes from Marsa Alam airport but roughly three hours by road from Hurghada. One-way November BDE sailings make that distinction particularly useful when planning flights. The operator advises a 24-hour interval after the last dive before flying; the actual final dive and transfer schedule should determine your return arrangements.

What guests loved — and what could be better

LiveAboard.com displayed 9.7/10 from 185 guest reviews on 14 October 2026. In the accounts examined, helpful crew, detailed briefings and meals recur as strengths. These are guest experiences, separate from Divezone’s visitor rating.

Ghazala Explorer: practical questions

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Editorial update checked 14 October 2026. This is a source-based guide, not a new firsthand inspection aboard. Fares and departure arrangements can change.