Sea Serpent Glorious Miss Nouran Liveaboard

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip and have mostly positive feedback. The boat was comfortable and well maintained, the crew was friendly and attentive, the food was excellent, and the diving was largely very good. The main area where I felt there was room for improvement was communication at times. Boat The boat is in great shape and offers plenty of comfortable spaces on multiple levels to relax, both in the sun and in the shade. The dive deck also felt relatively spacious, especially since only one group geared up at a time. Cabin My cabin was comfortable overall. The furnishings weren’t the highest quality and storage space was limited, both in the cabin and the bathroom, but it was adequate for my needs. The shower had plenty of hot water and good pressure, though there were occasional drainage issues when the boat was tilted a certain way. Charging Electronics and Space for Camera Equipment There isn’t a dedicated room or clearly designated area for charging electronics or setting up camera equipment. There are numerous outlets along the wall in the living room/dining area, but no dedicated surface for chargers or phones, so items end up being placed on furniture or window sills. On the dive deck, there is a small table intended for cameras, but it was often used for other personal items, which limited the available space. Fortunately, there were very few photographers on this trip beyond people using GoPros, so it wasn’t a significant issue in practice. With more serious camera setups on board, however, this could become more challenging. Crew The crew was friendly, attentive, and helpful. After a day or two, they knew what help you needed without being asked, which made things run very smoothly. Guide Our group had Amr for the entire week. He is highly experienced, very attentive—particularly when it came to safety—and always friendly and willing to answer questions. His marine life focus tended to be more on pelagics. Dive Sites and Sightings We saw one dugong on the first day and occasional sharks at a distance throughout the trip. Some sites had beautiful coral with lots of small to medium fish, while others showed significant coral damage. I thought the Brothers Islands were mostly beautiful, but Daedalus had a noticeable amount of dead coral. Elphinstone was wonderful for anemonefish, coral, and overall fish life, though one dive there was particularly crowded. Otherwise, the crew generally did a good job managing dive timing to avoid being on top of other groups. Although Marsa Shoun had great marine life—we saw mating stingrays and a couple of turtles—the reef itself looked mostly dead. Interestingly, Olga, one of your other clients, felt it was the best dive of the trip due to the number of rare fish species she saw. Food and Meals The quality and variety of food on the Glorious Miss Nouran were among the best I’ve experienced on a liveaboard. Chef Ala and his team do an excellent job. Meals are served buffet-style, with breakfast after the first dive, lunch after the second dive, a snack after the third dive, and dinner at 7 p.m. The buffets were extensive, with a wide range of starches, lots of vegetables (both salads and cooked options), and at least two or three protein choices at every meal. There was also plenty of fruit—whole and cut—as well as juices and smoothies at breakfast and snack times. The flavors included a nice mix of local Arabic dishes and international options. They, unfortunately, do not do first breakfast. There was always baked goods laid out on the table in the living room, but I prefer something less sweet and a little more substantial before the first dive. Dinner often featured an impressive centerpiece protein, such as whole roast duck, whole fish, or, on the final night at sea, a large roasted turkey. That last dinner also included an especially eye-catching spread of sides and desserts. Birthdays and milestone dives were thoughtfully celebrated with cakes. We had one birthday and a 700th dive on the same day, with one cake served at lunch and the other at dinner. Desserts and Baked Goods The boat has a dedicated baker who prepares fresh bread daily along with several desserts for lunch and dinner. In addition, there was always a selection of cookies and pastries available in the indoor common area. You definitely won’t go hungry. Room for Improvement Communication Communication is the main area where I think there’s room for improvement. Many guests are repeat customers or have extensive Red Sea experience. While I’ve done many international liveaboards, this was my first in the Red Sea, and I felt there was a lack of upfront information, especially when first boarding. I didn’t really know what was going on until after breakfast the following morning when they did a full briefing. At the briefing they did the most thorough fire safely briefing I’ve ever experienced. Despite the lack of initial information the guides were always happy to answer questions, but I often had to ask for quite a lot of clarification. In addition, the daily schedule wasn’t always updated or posted, which occasionally left people unsure about dive times or when dinner would be served. This wasn’t an issue most of the time, but it did catch me off guard on a couple of occasions.