We were horrified at how broken the reefs were, what a dramatic difference from 15 years ago. The food was very disappointing for vegetarians, we could only eat the vegetarian side dishes, the cuisine was meat-heavy throughout.

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We got on the boat on Saturday and were due to set off on Sunday. On Sunday we went to a usual diving spot in Hurghada (offered by every diving center) and then back to the harbor for a repair on the ship. In the harbor, the ship's engines were not switched off and the cabin smelled so strongly of exhaust fumes that it was impossible to sleep, gave us a headache and made us nauseous. The windows / portholes were closed. For the most part the air conditioning did not work. The service was ok until the tip. On the penultimate day there were 2 envelopes on the bed "Tips for the crew & guides" and we were told verbally that everything up to 70 euros belonged to the crew and only the guides would receive anything above that. Incidentally, I had already given the crew (10 people) 50 dollars after 3 days. So we tipped 2 people a total of 250 euros. When we settled our drinks bill, we were not paid the remaining 20 euros (which was already rounded off, so another tip). On the last day, as soon as we arrived in the port, the crew started to stress us out and we didn't care about safety.

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The excellent diving safari was very professional thanks to the experienced dive guides and crew. My request to visit the wreck Salem express was a success. The diving conditions were exceptional with a calm sea as a result. All divers got along very well even with this motley crew of Dutch,Belgian,Spanish,American couple and a German couple. The language of communication was clearly English without any incidents.
An exceptional encounter with a funny dolphin was the highlight of our trip. Slightly short of sharks (3x) but all in all still a fascinating experience with beautiful colors and reefs. One small point of criticism was for the crew, towels should be changed after three days given the humidity on board. This comment was quickly remedied but not everyone got that treatment. A personal bathrobe(hood) would work better like our previous dive safari. All in all a great experience after 3 diving safaris in the red sea. Hop on to the next one in...Maldives?

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Great diving week from Hurghada to Brother Islands,Daedalus,Elphinstone,Salem express,Panorama reef to Hurghada.

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Overall, we were very satisfied. The crew was always friendly and eager to help where they could. There were 4 meals per day. The food was tasty, except for some dry poultry parts, and varied. However, there was fish only once and as coffee there was only Nescafé.
Also the dive guides, in our case Khaled, Mustafa and Mahmoud, were top. The briefings were very detailed and they always paid attention to safety (turn around at 110 bar, safety stop at 70 bar, lookout if someone drifts off and has to be picked up with the Zodiac). The TGs usually lasted between 45 min and 60 min. A total of 18 TGs were conducted, including 4 wreck TGs and 3 night TGs.
The wake up was daily at 5.45 am, except on the first and last day. After the night dive we had dinner. This was then over around 22.00 o'clock. Between the TG and meals there are of course recovery times, since filling all the tanks and thus the surface interval takes several hours.
The condition of the boat is very good, although you can still see the age in some cabin corners and our TV was broken. Life jackets and flashing smoke detectors were present and the escape routes were explained several times. The router on board is from Etisalat. Connection was on our route only in the city of Hurghada (not Giftun Island), at Tiran and sporadically times at Safaga. It also happened in the harbor that my cell phone had a WLAN connection to the router, but still the Internet did not work. At the Brother Islands there was no network at all, not even from other providers. So if you want to be permanently reachable, you should rent a satellite phone.
A disadvantage is that the boat is moored in the Old Sheraton Marina. This is basically just a stone pier, at the end of which many boats jostle and some of them even lie in multiple packs. Some boats even have no berth at all and it is tendered with Zodiacs. This marina in particular has no shore power. Therefore at least the diesel generators of the boats run permanently. Accordingly, the air and noise pollution. Those who value an appealing harbor ambience should therefore look for a boat that is moored in the pretty New Marina. This marina also has shore power.
Now some practical hints: I recommend to get eVisa at https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/ before entering the country. These cost $25 p.p. This worked without any problems.
On the boat it is only allowed to walk barefoot.
Everyone should have their own light and buoy. AOWD is strongly recommended. Many TG go deeper than 18 m and the OWD had to drop out occasionally. Although Nitrox is not free with 15 liter tanks, but costs another 30 € extra (see https://discovery-divers.com/us-2/), I would recommend not to save on it. At 2 deeper reef TG, the air divers had to stay a few meters above to avoid getting into the deco. On easy TG there was the option to go unguided, but only as a body team.
After the last TG, the equipment was allowed to be laid out on the fly deck to dry. This worked out great. In the afternoon you can walk to the New Marina (4 km) or take a cab (5 €).
On the last day, the cabin must be vacated by 9:00 am and the boat must be left by 10:00 am. The transfer to the airport takes place about 2,5 h before the departure time. The luggage may remain on board until then. The time can be spent at one of the two private beaches, which are directly north of the marina. Both cost 150 LE (about 5 EUR) entrance fee. I recommend the second one, Mamma Mia Beach & Lounge. There, a bath towel is included in the price. There is also a restaurant and bar and you can pay by credit card.

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The boat came probably quite fresh from the dry dock. For this, the newly painted cabins were quite dirty in the corners. The refrigerators available in the cabins were quite verranzt! That we lost the left screw after 2 days is mentioned in passing. At least this was repaired within 18 hours and Deadalus could still be approached! The dive deck was exceptionally narrow.
The food was ok but not very varied. The chicken was mostly dry and not very appealing. Mostly there was a main dish (mostly meat in sauce) fries or rice, steamed vegetables, salad (cucumbers cut with peel). Only once a fish dish!
For breakfast egg dishes only on request!
Water and soft drinks were served in disposable cups! So several hundred paper cups went through during the week. What a garbage mountain! Others can do that much better!
The dive guides were mixed except for Salah. Kareem as the "first guide" was already noticeable at the check in, that he set diving depths according to brevet or optionally wanted to sell a corresponding brevet. Advanced for 300 € and Nitrox for 250 €. Otherwise, a maximum of 18 meters should be allowed for Open Water without Deep Brevet. A joke for 3 rescue divers of the Wasserwacht Bayern with more than 600 dives and only CMAS 1 star. And that compared to a "newbie" with 25 TG but Advanced and Deep Dive! Ask me who brevetiert something like that!? Ali stood out partly with short dives around 35 minutes. Our guide Salah left our group alone after the first day and let us do it.
After the 3rd day the diving depths were suddenly generally obsolete, the courses were sold (6 pieces!) and it was, as usual on all safaris, limits around 30 meters given!
The boat was not in the Mariana at the start and at the end but offside at an old jetty (next to the old round Sheraton Hotel). Thus evening trips in the Marinagastro were not possible. Too bad! Considering the marine fees, I think it was a low budget tour at a comparably high price. Furthermore, we got loud disagreements in the crew when it came to the distribution of tips, which the chef made. On average, everyone gave €30 to the guide and €50-70 to the crew. However, it seems that not everything was distributed to the crew! Very unfortunate, as the guys were very friendly and attentive!
Unpleasant was the cleaning at sea on Thursday. Since the dive deck was flooded with slippery soapy water which was not harmless.
In addition, it was noticeable that on the trip AB different costs for the visa or the visa service were given. In our documents was 30 €, in others 35 €. We have paid after a short discussion only 30 € p.P.. This is also maximum reasonable, because the visa can still be bought at the airport for 25 US. Possibly you should point out this possibility of purchase. Some fellow travelers did not know this. 10 € for the acquisition and sticking in the passport I find very exaggerated! 5€ I would still put up with. In the future, I stand in line and buy it myself! The transfer was flawless. However, we learned that everyone with later flights had to leave the boat at 10:00 and get a place to stay. And that outside the marina! This did not affect us and others were so wise to book a dayroom in a hotel beforehand. This worked better last year with the Sea Serpent Fleet! There you could stay on board until pickup even in the afternoon! I do not recommend the boat without reservation and book in any case rather another boat.
Best regards


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To the ratings:
Cabins- There was a lot of drainage smell in both bathrooms in our room. However, if we left the portholes open, it was not a problem.

Food- The food was okay. However, I have experienced better quality and selection.

Guedes- The guides were polite and always trying. What I did not like was the active 18m depth limit and the associated attempt to sell AOWD courses on board. We have never experienced such a thing on a boat.

In addition, we did not like the dive deck for two reasons:
The tanks are placed so close together that you have problems handling them around the jacket. So you always had to take turns when you wanted to get to your stuff while "docking". Sitting next to each other and waiting was also not possible due to the narrowness.

Furthermore, the place where the diving suits are hung up is clumsily chosen. They are located in the middle of the passage to the back seat. So you always have to pass between the wet suits if you want to get to the equipment or the platform.

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Unfortunately, our tour was changed due to weather conditions. However, since it was a typical weather situation in the winter and the probability is higher that the route can not be driven, it is not okay from the shipping company to offer it this way.

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A very nice diving trip
Perfectly organized by diving world
And performed by Discovery II and its perfect crew and 2 great dive guides


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The boat came from the dry dock the day before. There were a few small things missing (closet door did not close and made noise at night, water tap broken, clothes hooks were remounted). We would have liked more TGe in Tiran and Ras Mohammed.
The crew was very great. However, in our opinion, guides were lacking. The groups of 10+ per guide are way too big, especially when one of the guides is still training with two divers on the TGen. What we have seen and heard about the quality of this training seems to be subterranean. Divers should be advised against this. The very professional guides can of course not be held responsible for the company's policy.
Our special thanks to the excellent Ismael (support at the food and cabins) - he and the chef were top!

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Super well organized. Very friendly staff I am very satisfied

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The mats on the upper deck are very dirty and worn. They could be replaced!

WLAN has unfortunately not worked well! Too little data volume.

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Instead of the advertised 19 TG, only 16 were carried out and planned that way from the beginning. That is eyewash! How can you make a price-performance comparison? This should definitely be addressed with the management. The crew only follows instructions. They were extremely helpful and friendly.

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This was my third tour with Discovery Divers. This time the north tour. A very dedicated, helpful and friendly team. Very experienced dive guides. Always a comprehensive briefing. With appropriate buddy composition and conditions autonomous diving was almost always possible. Individual wishes were always taken into account. Safety was always the top priority. The food was always extensive and very good. The ship and the cabins were cleaned daily. The cabins are in some places in the years and would have to be revised again. Therefore, only five stars. Who can overlook this small flaw, to which diving is more important than luxury, is in very good hands on the Samira.

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1. start/departure from the port only on the 2nd day (Sunday) at noon, all guests were on board Saturday early afternoon.
Arrival already the day before (Friday) in the morning at 11:00 and then we waited in port until Saturday 10:00

2nd tour could go at least one day longer!
So also more than the only 15 offered dives could be done.

3. the ship is small: occupancy with 15 divers was ok, the max. capacity of 22 would be too much....
Little space on deck, there are exactly 2 sunbeds...

4. food excellent

5. additional prices
the 30€ surcharge for 15 liter tank is ok and was known, but that then also extra 35€ for Nitrox are calculated is not ok (12 liter Nitrox is included)
40 € for lamp for a single night dive is also too much

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Everything is fine, thank you very much!

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We had a perfect week on the Samira.
The boat is a bit older but that didn't detract from the week.

Everything was clean, the food could not have been better.
The guides were great and always made sure we didn't go in the water with 10 boats at once.
The entire crew was very helpful!

We didn't want for anything!
I would go with the Samira again anytime.



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15 l bottle 35€
nitrox for free but 15 l 30 € on top
for pcr must leave boat loose 1 or 2 dives and stay last night at hotel (microbubble) other spend last night in bar???
antigen test 60 € on the way to airport 1/2 hour earlier departure with local taxidriver support. 20 USD fee at tourist agency
extra formular for boat differs from formular for agency.Why???
but last but not least nice trip with educated divegides nice seamen pretty good food, and fantastic dives

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