JP Marine Liveaboard

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Photographs: DiveSafariMaster and the original Divezone JP Marine gallery.

The boat and its twin cabins

Built in 2014, JP Marine measures 37 metres long. Fourteen guest cabins accommodate 28 passengers, with eight twins below and six on the upper deck. A separate guide cabin is not part of that guest inventory. JP Marine and Queen Sherry are distinct boats in the operator’s fleet.

Every guest cabin has air-conditioning and a private bathroom with a hot-water shower. The original review’s practical details still matter: bedside storage, wardrobes and reading lamps help keep a week’s belongings organised. The photographed upper room has a broad window, while the lower room has a porthole and a central bedside shelf.

A twin layout works naturally for friends sharing. Solo travellers should have the sharing arrangement or private-cabin supplement stated in their offer; a twin cabin is not a dedicated single room. No complete dated refit history has been established for this update.

Life between dives

The indoor salon has plenty of bench-like couches and cushions, along with an entertainment system. The dining room has a restaurant-style arrangement of tables, so meals offer a proper break from the dive deck rather than another place to balance a plate on your knees. These are useful communal spaces for comparing photographs or talking through the day’s dives.

Outside, the boat has two sun decks. One is more like an outdoor salon and is mostly covered; the other is open, with mattresses and seating. The choice between shade and sunshine is welcome on a holiday built around repeated trips in and out of the water. The large dive deck and platform keep equipment preparation separate from those relaxation spaces.

Meals, snacks and staying connected

Three buffet meals are served each day, with snacks after dives and bread and pastries baked aboard. Vegetarian choices are offered at meals; allergies and other dietary needs deserve an advance conversation with the kitchen. The dining routine is part of the safari’s rhythm: dive, eat, rest, and find out what the next briefing has in store.

Wi-Fi is mainly useful near the coast. The southern and offshore parts of the week may have no mobile signal, so JP Marine is a better place to put work aside than to promise a daily video call. A satellite telephone is available at an additional charge.

Equipment and diving arrangements

Diving uses the main platform and two inflatable tenders. Nitrox and rental equipment are available, with the standard package using 12-litre cylinders and weights. Personal equipment stations help keep the preparation area organised, but the actual entry, pickup and dive plan depend on the site and briefing.

Offshore routes need confidence with current, boat entries and open-water ascents. Advanced Open Water or equivalent is required on the BDE, Golden Mix and Secrets of Zabargad programmes; the departure’s logged-dive and recent-experience conditions should also be agreed before payment. Pelagic programmes describe options for Open Water divers, sometimes with private guiding or training. That is not permission to exceed certification limits or a promise that every dive is suitable for a beginner.

Dive insurance is mandatory. The trip checklist requests printed insurance and certification documents, a dive computer and an SMB. Equipment hire should be reserved at least two weeks ahead, particularly for sizes and larger cylinders.

Travelling with a non-diver?

Pelagic programmes include Sataya snorkeling, and Deluxe adds Abu Dabbab, but non-diver acceptance and fares need confirmation for the particular JP Marine departure.

Which JP Marine itinerary fits your trip?

The current boat calendar documents five route families across its booking horizon, although not every option sails in 2026. The weekly programmes normally start with coastal dives before reaching the offshore reefs. Sea conditions, permissions and the group’s experience can change the order and the number of dives.

Golden Mix is still described as a final-season 2026 programme, while the calendar lists later dates. A 2027 or 2028 booking therefore needs written confirmation of the actual route. The separate St John’s and yoga programmes found elsewhere on the operator’s website are not automatically JP Marine departures.

JP Marine itinerary map

The layers locate the five documented southern programme families. Connections are not drawn where the exact sailing sequence within an area is unconfirmed. Marsa Alam coastal dives, the assigned marina and Abu Dabbab’s snorkeling bay remain unpinned; the Deluxe layer is therefore partial. North Stars has no sufficiently verified circuit to map.

Daedalus marker: southern reef reference from Red Sea Diving, checked 4 November 2026. This is a geographic reference, not a dive-entry point.

1. Pelagic Trail: Sunday coastal check dives → Monday–Tuesday Daedalus → Wednesday–Thursday Sataya–Fury Shoal → Friday Marsa Alam area or Elphinstone → Saturday checkout.
2. BDE: Sunday coastal dives → Monday–Tuesday Brothers → Wednesday Daedalus → Thursday–Friday Marsa Alam area and Elphinstone → Saturday checkout.
3. Golden Mix: Sunday coastal dives → Monday Daedalus → Tuesday Rocky / Zabargad / St John’s programme → Wednesday St John’s → Thursday Sataya–Fury Shoal → Friday coastal dives and return.
4. Secrets of Zabargad: Sunday coastal dives and overnight passage → Monday–Tuesday Rocky and Zabargad → Wednesday St John’s → Thursday Sataya–Fury Shoal → Friday coastal dives and return.
5. Pelagic Trail Deluxe: the Daedalus and Sataya sequence, followed on Friday by Abu Dabbab snorkeling and coastal or Elphinstone dives. The bay visit is not represented by a reef marker.

These are indicative weekly programmes, not navigational tracks or guaranteed stops. Exact reefs within St John’s and Fury Shoal vary. Lighthouse visits depend on access, and snorkeling activities do not guarantee dolphin or dugong sightings.

Principal reef locations

The Brothers, Daedalus, Rocky and Elphinstone are offshore reef and wall-diving references. Zabargad adds island reef scenery. Claudia marks one part of Fury Shoal, and Habili Ali represents one reef in the wider St John’s group. Sataya’s marker is a reef reference, not an authorised water-entry point. The local briefing determines the actual dive plan.

Geographic references: CDWS dive-site directory. Programme context: JP Marine programmes, checked 23 October 2026.

Red Sea diving on film

The destination film retained from the original article offers a look at Red Sea diving. It is not a JP Marine cabin tour or evidence of the boat’s current condition.

▶ Watch Red Sea diving

SCUBA Diving Egypt Red Sea — Underwater Video HD.

What a JP Marine week costs

The following reference fares were displayed on 23 October 2026 for a person sharing a cabin on a seven-night trip. They are examples for planning, not a live availability feed. Cabin allocation, supplements and the final compulsory charges belong in the confirmed offer.

The route information lists €215 in taxes and fees from 1 June 2026 and €70 crew gratuities; the booking partner treats the service charge as compulsory. Older information still gives lower fee figures, and some inclusion lists mention park permits separately. The subtotals above provision €285 rather than assuming those costs disappear into the fare. Obtain a reconciled total for the chosen sailing.

The usual package includes accommodation, full board, guided diving, standard tanks and weights, water and soft drinks, and scheduled group transfers. Flights, visa, insurance, hotel nights, alcohol, private transfers and optional diving extras remain outside these subtotals.

Onboard-payment documents conflict: the trip checklist specifies cash in euros or US dollars, while some sales pages advertise cards. Cash planning is prudent until the operator confirms which charges can actually be paid by card on your departure.

Arriving for the Saturday departure

Southern programmes refer to embarkation in the Marsa Alam area, but the exact marina should be attached to the travel confirmation. Included group pickups are normally Saturday from Hurghada (HRG) or Marsa Alam (RMF) airports between noon and 18:00, with a narrower hotel-pickup window. Check-in is around 18:00 and sailing normally follows on Sunday after clearance.

The return programme allows Saturday checkout around 08:00, with the group transfer reaching Hurghada approximately between 12:00 and 14:00, or Marsa Alam airport between 10:00 and noon. These are planning times rather than a guaranteed flight connection. An earlier arrival, different flight schedule or extra hotel night may require a private transfer, and the final diving schedule also matters when arranging flights.

What guests loved — and what could be better

LiveAboard.com displayed 8.6/10 from 479 verified guest reviews when checked. Crew, guiding and food recur in the accessible accounts; those opinions describe individual trips rather than a new inspection of the vessel.

When another boat might suit you better

JP Marine’s all-twin accommodation suits friends sharing more naturally than a couple seeking a double-bed suite. Its southern circuits also place the emphasis on diving and sea passages. Travellers wanting extensive shore time, a documented non-diver programme or a firmly confirmed northern wreck week may find a different departure easier to match to their holiday.

JP Marine: practical questions

Have you travelled aboard JP Marine? Share your experience, including your date, route, cabin and the details that made a difference.

Information checked 23 October 2026. This researched update preserves useful descriptions from the original article; it is not a new onboard inspection.