Emperor Superior
This March I will be on my 5th trip with Emperor within the last 5 years. It started with 2 people on Asmaa and this we are going to be 8 people on Superior.
Looking and that the Emperor Fleet cannot be bad as I alsways bring the same people plus some more. I never had anyone coming back from a trip being dissapointed.
Diving:
Really spacious dive deck with a lot of storage aread. Great for photographers since the offer nice camera tables with rubber tops and air blow guns next to it.
With their partner Tecstreme the offer everything you need for technical and rebreather diving. The guides on board are always very friendly and helpfule. And also very professional and with a high knowledge. All the needed safety equipment is available and also the local boat crew is very helpful und professional
Accomondation:
Nice spacious cabins for two people with ensuite bath. Some boats offer single cabins as well as master suites with queen size bed. Very very clean, new towels and bedsheets after half the trip. Cabins are cleaned every day. The boats all offer enough room for everyone even if the boat is fully booked. Jacuzy on the sundeck.
Almost like a 5 Star Hotel
Food:
best food I ever got on a boat. Cooked to order breakfast plus buffet style. Lunch and dinner was always perfect. On the last night on the sea they do a captains dinner with fresh full turkey. Softdrinks, water , tea and coffee are free. Beer and wine at extra cost (except Elite which offers wine for dinner)
Dive sites:
What can I say: the Red Sea! Best water I ever got my head in and I'm diving a lot since 1991. Beatiful coral reefs, chance for big stuff like Manta Ray, Sharks, Dolphins. Some of the best wrecks of the world and some of the most amazing drop offs.
Timing:
It is hard to tell when it is the best time for a Red Sea dive trip. Generally it is all year diving, but you will see different thing on different times. November until March is meant to be winter time which means that it is a bit more cold, or lets say less hot. Day temperatures are around 25 C / 77 F. Water is a bit colder at around 20 C / 68 F. Does not sound to bad, but with the typical Red Sea wind you might get cold getting out your wetsuit. In Summertime water gets up to 25 to 28 C / 77 F to
83 F while the air get really hot during daytime. 40 C / 102 F is easily possible.
Wintertime is somewhat like low season, so less crowded, but due to the political situation in Cairo it is quite slow in Egypt all year round now. By the way, the situation in Cairo does not really affect the diving in the Red Sea.
The warmer the water the more beatiful coral life will be, but vis also goes down a bit. The colder the water the better the chance for big stuff. Best season for sharks is in March and April, but you never know. Red Sea is always good for suprises. The only whale shark of my life came by at Brother Islands in June which is very unusal.
Routing:
Emperor Divers do offer different routes from different ports in Egypt. I did not travel on all routes yet, but my most favourite is "simply the best" as it combines wrecks in northern Red Sea and the world famous Brother Island with their amazing drop off walls and good chances for sharks. But you will travel a lot with the boat, so if you prefer more dives and tend to get seasick you should stay north or south. "Deep South" route offer beatiful coral gardens, some caverns and beatiful marine life.
For wreck lovers "get wrecked" or "reef and wrecks" is the better option. There are a lot of nice wrecks in the northern part of Red Sea. So if you are for rust go there.
Emperor Divers also offer desginated tech trips with special dive sites with depths below 70m / 230 feet. These trips are only for certified tech and rebreather divers.
General:
Great dive operator with great boats, very professional staff and perfect reaction times on emails. Always had been happy going diving with them and I will return for sure.
Red Sea is for sure divers paradise and for all european people an amazing option to go with an 4 hour flight. But it is also worth taking a long flight from the US to get down there.
