Okeanos Xplorer

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Photographs: Okeanos Xplorer collection on LiveAboard.com.

A familiar name, with a change of ownership

Okeanos Xplorer joined the Xplorer operation in 2012, when short cruises in Egypt’s Deep South were an important part of its programme. The purchase date is not a construction date. The boat later appeared on northern and southern itineraries, with Hamata a base for its southern trips.

The sale in 2022 means that the former fleet’s current timetable cannot be used as an Okeanos timetable. Argo Xplorer, completed in 2023, is a separate vessel; Vita Xplorer is also a different boat. A new name or a confirmed retirement has not been established for Okeanos.

Choosing between twin and double cabins

The detailed layout lists seven lower-deck guest twins, two main-deck doubles and two superior twins, with an additional guide cabin. These cabins were described with air-conditioning and private bathrooms. The photos show a compact twin arrangement with storage beneath the beds, while the double has one shared bed.

Cabin counts and deck descriptions differ between listings, including the original Divezone review. That matters more than the category name: a booking needs a current cabin plan and the exact room being offered. The guide cabin should not be assumed to be an extra guest room, and solo sharing or a private-cabin supplement cannot be inferred from the presence of twin beds.

Life between dives

The original review’s appeal is easy to recognise in the photographs: there is space to hang out both inside and outside. The main deck has a restaurant-like dining room and a salon with an entertainment unit. Facing sofas make the lounge a natural place to compare a few photos or settle into a book between dives.

Upstairs, the shaded, open-air lounge has wooden tables and cushioned seating. The very top deck was described as a place for sun loungers and star gazers; the Red Sea’s changing view is part of the attraction. These different spaces give the boat more variety than a single communal room, although their present arrangement has not been checked following the sale.

What was on the menu?

The recorded meal service combined local and international cooking, with three buffet meals a day and snacks between them. Dietary requests were handled in advance. Chris, writing about a September 2017 trip for Argonauts Dive Club, particularly appreciated the vegetarian choice. That is useful evidence of the experience then, rather than a promise about a future kitchen or allergy policy.

Okeanos itineraries: short safaris and longer circuits

The documented routes below are in Egypt’s Red Sea. They do not establish visits to Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia or Sudan. None is a confirmed 2026 Okeanos departure, and the current Xplorer fleet’s larger route catalogue is not transferred to this boat.

A three-day southern example

The published mini-safari describes Hamata → Sataya → St John’s → Fury Shoals → Hamata, with an onward transfer to Marsa Shagra. It includes an overnight passage towards St John’s and mentions Sirnake or Sataya as possible night-dive areas. This is an undated programme, not a live offer or a guaranteed stop list.

A voyage with different arrival and departure ports

The September 2017 club account records Hamata → Fury Shoals → St John’s → Fury Shoals → Elphinstone → Marsa Shouna → Port Ghalib. Ports and plans changed before arrival. The account is a useful illustration of why the final boarding and return arrangements matter, rather than evidence that every southern trip follows that sequence.

Map of the documented itineraries

The numbered lines show the documented order of the two southern examples, with regional reference points rather than navigation tracks. Other layers identify the named programme stops without inventing a sailing order. Hamata’s boarding point and the optional Sirnake stop remain unpinned; the two example maps are therefore partial. Port Ghalib marks the port area, not an assigned berth. None of these layers represents a confirmed current departure.

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

Geographic references: CDWS dive-site directory, checked 23 October 2026. St John’s is represented at Habili Ali, Fury Shoals at Claudia Reef and Ras Mohammed at Shark & Yolanda; those reference sites are not guaranteed stops.

• Mini-safari: Hamata (unmapped) → Sataya → St John’s region → Fury Shoals region → Hamata (unmapped); optional Sirnake remains unmapped.
• September 2017: Hamata (unmapped) → Fury Shoals region → St John’s region → Fury Shoals region → Elphinstone → Marsa Shouna → Port Ghalib.
• St John’s week: regional reference only; no ordered stop list or ports verified.
• Ras Mohammed & Brothers: Ras Mohammed, Big Brother and Small Brother references; order and ports unverified.
• Daedalus, Elphinstone & Fury Shoals: the three named references; order and ports unverified.
• Elphinstone to Fury Shoals: the two named references; order and ports unverified.

How the diving was organised

Okeanos had an aft diving area split over two levels, with tender diving and Nitrox listed among its facilities. The original review described two Zodiacs. The recorded week-long programme allowed six diving days, usually with two or three dives a day; an individual club trip sometimes fitted in more. Those figures describe past programmes, not a minimum dive count for a new booking.

The mini-safari package specified Advanced Open Water, 25 logged dives, a dive within the preceding year, a computer and a surface marker buoy. Those were that package’s conditions, not a universal rule for every Okeanos itinerary. Any future operator must provide the requirements for the actual route, including experience, equipment, insurance and Nitrox arrangements.

Prices and the full holiday budget

There is no verified current Okeanos fare or departure to price here. A useful written offer would identify the vessel, operating company, dates, cabin and occupancy before setting out the total. A three-day safari with a land stay and flights is not directly comparable with a seven-night boat-only fare.

Nitrox appears as included in one listing and as an extra in the mini-safari package. Neither establishes what a future sailing includes. No total is calculated from these unmatched offers.

Transfers and ports

Hamata and Port Ghalib feature in the recorded southern programmes, sometimes on opposite ends of the same voyage. A departure described simply as “Marsa Alam” therefore needs its actual marina and transfer details before flights are arranged. The 2017 group arrived via Hurghada and described a long road journey to Hamata; their return from Port Ghalib was shorter. It is a past experience, not a present transfer timetable.

Travelling with a non-diver?

For any proposed Okeanos departure, confirm non-diver acceptance, fares and available activities with the operating company.

What guests loved — and what could be better

The usable accounts describe trips before the 2022 sale. They offer a glimpse of Okeanos’s former operation, not a review of a current crew. A platform review describing a transfer to Vita Xplorer has been excluded from the Okeanos assessment.

Okeanos Xplorer: your questions

Have you travelled on Okeanos Xplorer? Share your experience, including your travel date, cabin, route, crew and anything that made the trip especially good or difficult.

Editorial research checked 23 October 2026. This is a source-based update, not a new inspection aboard. The documented configuration and guest accounts predate the unresolved post-sale operation.