The best liveaboard dive trips to the Red Sea on a budget
There’s nothing budget about the diving in the Red Sea, as it’s a place for some of the best scuba diving in the world. But there are budget-priced liveaboards in Egypt and the Red Sea that take you to some of the best dive spots.
Experience pristine reefs, amazingly clear visibility, an abundance of sea life on the best budget Red Sea liveaboards of Egypt:
Red Sea Aggressor II: 22 divers.
M/Y JP Marine Liveaboard: 28 divers.
MY Tillis liveaboard: 26 divers.
Snefro Love budget Red Sea liveaboard: 20 divers.
Affordable MY Golden Dolphin: 20 divers.
The best way to dive the Red Sea, and especially the best and more remote locations in the Red Sea, is by a scuba diving liveaboard. You can check the latest and best deals on Red Sea liveaboards using the following window:
The best budget liveaboards Egypt & The Red Sea
The Red Sea, Egypt is probably one of the cheapest places in the world for liveaboard diving. But cheap in the Red Sea certainly does not mean nasty! In fact quite the opposite.
The list of the best budget liveaboards Egypt & The Red Sea in this article are all very affordable, but they offer luxury and some of the best diving in the world. Diving the Red Sea, Egypt is in warms seas with fantastic visibility and provides the opportunity to see a huge abundance of corals and underwater sea life.
Here’s a short list of affordable Red Sea liveaboards to choose from:
1. Red Sea Aggressor II – 9.1, Superb and 4.5 stars out of 5
Red Sea Aggressor II – best budget liveaboard Egypt Red Sea – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
The budget Red Sea Aggressor II Liveaboard Summary:
Max 22 guests.
11 cabins, 8 twins, 2 Deluxe cabins with queen beds, and 1 suite with a queen.
Cabins are air conditioned.
11 en-suite bathrooms.
Length – 42 metre (138 feet).
DIN Adapters – No.
Nitrox – Yes.
Red Sea Aggressor II liveaboard detail
The Red Sea Aggressor II was a new Red Sea liveaboard in 2018. Offering 7-night liveaboard dive trips to the Northern Red Sea for up to 22 guests. There are 11 cabins on board, with 8 as twins and the other three as doubles with queen beds.
All cabins are air conditioned and have private en-suite bathrooms. Plus they each have a 32in flat screen TV to watch a selection of over 400 movies.
Diving from the Red Sea Aggressor II in the Northern Red Sea includes Ras Mohammed National Park and the Straits of Tiran. Get to experience diving the famous wreck the Thistlegorm. Plus dive wrecks Rosalie Moller and Abu Nuhas too.
To relax in-between dives, there is a large salon, plus a large sun deck. The sun deck also has a shaded area, a hot tub, sun loungers and deck chairs for relaxation. Plus of course a bar.
Nitrox is available for nitrox certified certified divers, but at an extra cost.
Review of the Red Sea Aggressor II – best budget Red Sea Liveaboards – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Diving In Style. “The Aggressor takes you to the best dive spots in the North of the Red Sea. The whole crew were exceptionally helpful, friendly and make you feel extremely welcome. The food on board was plentiful and delicious, the Aggressor chefs were on top form. The Dive Guides, Zoe, Adel and Wajid were fantastic in and out of the water and made my whole diving experience that extra special. Off the back of this experience it has made me want to venture on a Liveaboard once again in another destination and if the standard of the Aggressor boats match this one then I will definitely look at re-booking with Aggressor. 10/10.” Recommended for Food, Dive Spots & The Crew. Oliver M, United Kingdom – 10 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
2. M/Y JP Marine Liveaboard – 8.9 out of 10, Fabulous and 4.5 stars out of 5
JP Marine Liveaboard – Best budget liveaboard Egypt & The Red Sea – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
M/Y JP Marine Liveaboard Summary:
Max 28 guests.
14 cabins, 2 of which are single berths.
Cabins are air conditioned.
14 en-suite bathrooms.
Length – 37 metre (121 feet).
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – Yes.
M/Y JP Marine liveaboard detail
The M/Y JP Marine liveaboard offers Red Sea diving all year-round. This liveaboard is a 37 metre (121 feet) single hulled dive boat.
The M/Y JP Marine liveaboard is designed for up to 28 guests. These guests are accommodated across 14 air-conditioned cabins. All these cabins offer en-suite bathrooms with hot-water showers.
There are plenty of places to relax and unwind on the M/Y JP Marine Liveaboard. This includes two sun decks, a spacious air conditioned salon on the main deck and a sun-worshipers area on deck 4.
Most of the diving is done from two zodiacs after getting kitted up on a large area at the back of the boat.
The diving itineraries on this budget Red Sea liveaboard include trips to the amazing dive site the Brothers, the 100 metre (328 feet) wide Daedalus Reef dive site and the stunning dive site Elphinstone Reef. You can also go to the south of Egypt and dive the Red Sea’s St Johns. Or visit the North Red Sea to dive famous wrecks the SS Thistlegorm and Abu Nuhas.
On board is free internet and nitrox is also available to nitrox certified divers at an extra cost. Also DIN adapters and scuba gear rental are also both available.
Review of budget Red Sea liveaboard MY JP Marine – Best affordable Red Sea liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Fantastic Crew, Great Boat. “Ahmed the mechanic is nothing short of a hero – ‘Mr. Nitrox’ truly deserves his name! Lots of good dives with some decent marine life, however we only had 1 ‘excellent’ dive (where we saw a single hammer up close). Dive groups were a little large at 14 divers to 1 guide… The guides were excellent, but using their local knowledge and expertise to spot creatures in the reef was almost impossible due to the amount of people around you!” Recommended for Crew, Crew, Crew. Abigail R, United Kingdom – 9.2 out of 10, Superb and 4.5 stars out of 5.
Fantastic ship and crew and great diving. “Diving with dolphins Thistlegorm was brilliant The number of dives we got to do which was above what was expected and the effort put in by the crew to ensure we were able to dive the best sites at the best times Food was also amazing, crew went out of their way to cater to my dietary restrictions which was not expected but very much appreciated Cabin was spacious enough and had plenty of storage, with daily cleaning. Also loads of space on the two upper decks to chill between dives and dry gear etc.” Recommended for Diving, food, service. Kristin T, New Zealand – 9.6 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
3. The affordable MY Tillis liveaboard – 8.9, Fabulous and 4.5 stars out of 5
The affordable MY Tillis Egyptian liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
MY Tillis Liveaboard Summary:
Max 26 guests.
13 cabins, 10 twins and 3 honeymoon suites.
Cabins are air conditioned.
13 en-suite bathrooms.
Length – 35 metre (115 feet).
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – Yes. (Free)
MY Tillis liveaboard detail
The MY Tillis is another Egyptian budget Red Sea liveaboard, which is 35 metres (115 feet) in length. Designed for up to 26 guests who are accommodated across 13 cabins.
Each cabin is air conditioned and has its own private en-suite bathroom. 10 of these cabins are twins and three are set up as a honeymoon suite.
The communal areas include a spacious salon, which has an entertainment system together with a separate dining lounge and bar area. There are also two sundecks, which includes a shaded area for relaxation in-between dives.
Review of the MY Tillis liveaboard – Best budget Red Sea Egypt liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Great diving, great crew, great group to dive with. “Boat was very nice and comfortable, Diving was spectacular. I went on the trip as a single and only eight other divers. All the other divers were great, one couple from the U. K, another couple from Spain, a man an his 14 year old son and two other single. Everyone got along just great. Crew was wonderful. The dive guides were very helpful and I budded up with them on most dives. Would highly recommend the Tillis and DivePro for a great trip.” Recommended for Great wreck diving. Beautiful pristine reefs, great crew. Bruce S, United States – 9.6 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
Very Professional. “I had a great time on the Tillis. All the crew was very professional and positive during the whole trip. The diving was excellent and the guides were very knowledgeable. The boat was very comfortable and had ample areas for lounging between dives in both the shade and the sun. The food was excellent! I’d book a trip on the Tillis again!” Recommended for crew, comfort, food. Isabelle M, United States – 9.6, out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
4. Snefro Love Red Sea, Egypt Liveaboard – 9.2, Superb and 4.5 stars out of 5
Snefro Love Red Sea, Egypt Liveaboard – Cheap Red Sea Egypt liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Red Sea Snefro Love Liveaboard Summary:
Max 20 guests.
10 cabins.
Cabins are air conditioned.
13 bathrooms.
Length – 37 metre (121 feet).
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – Yes (free)
Red Sea Snefro Love liveaboard detail
The Snefro Love affordable Red Sea liveaboard of Egypt is a 37 metre (121 feet) long boat.
The Snefro Love liveaboard accommodates up to 20 guests across 10 cabins. All cabins are air-conditioned and have private en-suite bathrooms.
There is a spacious dining room, an area for relaxation on board, and three sun decks. On board there is modern entertainment equipment. This includes a Plasma TV, CD, MP3 & DVD player.
The Snefro Love Liveaboard takes departs from Sharm El Sheikh and takes in dives around the North Red Sea.
On board is free nitrox for nitrox certified divers, DIN adapters and scuba gear rentals.
Review of the Snefro Love Liveaboard Egypt – Best Egypt budget liveaboard – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Relaxing atmosphere. “The Thistlegorm is a world class highlight. We also had a fantastic night dive on the wreck. Around the Dunraven wreck we met a group of dolphins. There were lots of turtle encounters.” Recommended for The boat was comfortable. Everything worked well onboard. Free Nitrox. Erik F, Norway – 9.6 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
My first Liveaboard experience and definitely not the last! Amazing! “The diving was spectacular! Particularly Thistlegorm, Jackfish Alley and Shark and Yolanda. These dives were epic! The reef is gorgeous and thriving with life. We spotted Giant Napoleons, A Tiger Shark among many others.
The crew on this fleet is tireless and amazingly friendly. The guides Alaah and Juan were great and always ready with stories and help. 4 dives a day was just what we were looking for and the we would sit on the deck with new friends and beers! The food was wild and welcome after the dives! Beautiful spread on the buffet. Made so many lovely new friends from all over the world! Definitely a highlight and beautiful memory created for life! Would 100% recommend for new/intermediate divers!” Recommended for The Diving, The Crew, Living on a Boat! And the Food!Utsov D, India – 10 out of 10, Exceptional and 5 stars out of 5.
5. The affordable MY Golden Dolphin Egypt liveaboard
The affordable Golden Dolphin Egypt liveaboard – luxury on a budget – image courtesy of Liveaboard.com
Red Sea MY Golden Dolphin Liveaboard Summary:
Max 20 guests.
10 cabins, 8 twins and 2 with queen beds.
Cabins are air conditioned.
12 bathrooms.
Length – 32 metre (105 feet).
DIN Adapters – Yes.
Nitrox – Yes (free).
Red Sea MY Golden Dolphin liveaboard detail
The MY Golden Dolphin Red Sea affordable liveaboard was designed with scuba divers in mind. This 32 metre (105 feet) liveaboard boat caters for up to 20 guests.
There are 10 cabins on board, each with a private en-suite bathroom and air conditioning. These cabins are split as 8 twins and two with queen double beds.
For relaxing in-between dives you have two sun decks, where you’ll find loungers to relax on guests have the choice of 2 sun decks with comfortable loungers. For those that don’t want to be in the sun, there’s a shaded area too. There is also an indoor lounge with various entertainment systems to enjoy.
There is free nitrox for those certified to take advantage of it. Plus DIN adapters and scuba gear rental.
Red Sea itineraries on this budget Egypt liveaboard MY Golden Dolphin include the Northern Wrecks and Straits of Tiran down to the Deep South of St. Johns, and everything in-between.
This list of Red Sea liveaboards is in descending customer rating order, followed by Scuba Diving Luxury Rating (SDE Lux Rating, see below), so the liveaboards with the highest customer rating and the best SDE lux rating will be at the top of the list. If you want to change the list order, use the “Sort by” dropdown below.
The Scuba Diving Earth Luxury Rating (SDE Lux Rating) is explained on each liveaboard review when you click the “Discover Liveaboard” link, and is my own Liveaboard Luxury Rating I’ve assigned to all liveaboards. Choosing between liveaboards is helped by customer scores, and if you get stuck choosing between two or three liveaboards, where each one has a high customer score out of 10, you can use the SDE Luxury Rating to help narrow down your choice.
Think about it like using Booking.com when searching for the best hotel. Booking.com also use a customer score where each customer rates hotels out of 10. This is similar to the liveaboard customer rating, which is also rated out of 10. But let’s say you only like to stay in hotels rated 8 and above on Booking.com, but you also want the hotel to have WIFI or parking, or to have a swimming pool etc. The features each hotel has is usually secondary to the score out of 10.
I hope you enjoyed this article about budget liveaboards Egypt
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about budget liveaboards Egypt), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.
Have fun and be safe!
Best budget liveaboards Egypt & The Red Sea (Affordable Red Sea diving)
Liveaboard Diving Europe Liveaboard diving in Europe is a great way to explore the underwater and includes destinations like The Azores, Malta, Croatia, Turkey, Scotland and the Red Sea.
The Best Technical Diving Liveaboard Red Sea: 35 Tech… Red Sea technical diving liveaboards including a table of 34 Red Sea liveaboards offering support to technical divers. The support offered by most of these Red Seas liveaboards is either…
Is Liveaboard.com Legit? (Liveaboard.com Reviews) Netherlands based Liveaboard.com is a legitimate scuba diving travel agency. Their business is dedicated to booking liveaboard holidays across the world. Each of the people who work for Liveaboard.com know…
Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
