Yachtiano — a new Red Sea liveaboard built around diving and space

Yachtiano is for divers who want Red Sea mileage without accepting a basic safari boat at the end of the day. The routes reach wrecks, walls, coral gardens and current-swept reefs, while the boat gives non-divers and surface intervals their own reasons to stay on board. That combination matters on a week that may include four dives, a night dive and long crossings between the northern reefs and Tiran. The diving remains the reason to come, but the boat is designed so the hours between entries do not feel like time spent waiting. A large jacuzzi, shaded outdoor space, a pool, spa treatments and watersports make it workable for mixed groups and families. Divers get free nitrox, technical-diving support and a dedicated dive space. The choice is clear: Yachtiano suits someone looking for serious Red Sea variety with more privacy and comfort than a compact, dive-only liveaboard usually provides.

From the dock, Yachtiano presents itself as a new yacht rather than a converted working vessel. Its 2024 build and modern layout show in the way the spaces are divided: cabins are spread across several levels, the main deck holds the restaurant and jacuzzi, and the dive platform connects with the dedicated diving room below. Movement between living space and dive space is part of the design, not an afterthought. The boat carries both diving groups and guests who may spend the day swimming, kiting or resting, so the week does not depend on everyone following one routine. Two MAN engines provide the power for long Red Sea crossings, while the interior is arranged as a private resort at sea rather than a narrow corridor of bunks. Boarding should feel more like entering a small floating hotel than joining an old safari boat. That is the point of this boat.

Yachtiano is built for a social week, but it leaves enough private space for guests who do not want to be together every minute. The crew speaks English, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian, which helps the briefings and the ordinary business of a liveaboard run across a mixed international group. The crew’s role is most visible in the transitions: equipment setup, safety briefing, getting divers to the site and keeping meals and cabins moving around the dive schedule. Passenger feedback describes the rooms as comfortable, the food as very good and the service as professional and friendly. In the evening, the boat can shift from quiet drinks and snacks to darts, air hockey, karaoke or dancing. That makes Yachtiano livelier than a stripped-back dive platform. The boat will suit divers travelling with partners or family particularly well, because not everyone has to spend the evening talking about the last dive.

The North route is a Hurghada round trip lasting 8 days and 7 nights, with wrecks and northern reefs before the boat works back through Ras Mohamed, Gubal and Hurghada. The North & Tiran route keeps the same length and adds repeated dives around Tiran, alongside Ras Mohamed, Gubal, Abu Nuhas, Small Giftun and Abu Ramada. The signature wreck is the SS Thistlegorm, lying at 18-35m in the route write-up: military cargo, locomotives and wartime history make it a dive to return to rather than a quick pass over the deck. Giannis D at Abu Nuhas reaches 4-28m, with an intact bow and stern divided by collapsed steel and wood. Carless Reef drops from a 12m saddle towards a wall beyond 40m, with large morays, gorgonians and the possibility of white-tip sharks. Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar reaches -40m, moving from an oval reef and fish-filled plateau to pinnacles and the remains of at least three wrecks. Fanadir North reaches -30m along a vegetated wall; Shaab Sabina reaches -14m in a maze-like coral garden; El Fanous West stays at -15m in a protected lagoon; and Shaab El Erg is a classic Red Sea reef where dolphins may be part of the encounter. Further south, Strait of Tiran reaches -40m across four offshore reefs, Ulysses reaches -27m, and Rosalie Moller lies between 30 and 50 metres. Rocky Island is for strong current and big-water encounters, while El Fanadir reaches -40m with a cleaning station on a shallow coral pinnacle.

Abu Nuhas →

Giannis D →

Max. depth · 27 m

Carless Reef →

Max. depth · 40 m

Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar →

Max. depth · 40 m

Fanadir North →

Max. depth · 30 m

Shaab Sabina →

Max. depth · 14 m

Coral Garden →

Max. depth · 20 m

El Fanous →

Max. depth · 27 m

Shaab El Erg →

Strait of Tiran →

Max. depth · 40 m

Ulysses →

Max. depth · 27 m

Rosalie Moller →

Max. depth · 50 m

Rocky Island →

El Fanadir →

Max. depth · 40 m

Across this route, the regular cast is Red Sea reef life: morays in holes and sometimes out in the blue, groupers, anthias, parrotfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, scorpionfish and lionfish among hard and soft corals. Turtles, barracuda, dolphins, reef sharks, tuna and jacks recur across several sites, but none is guaranteed. The reason to study the itinerary is what appears in one particular place. Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar is the site for giant grouper and Napoleon, alongside the reef plateau, pinnacles and wreck remains. Rocky Island is the standout for manta rays, with current bringing the larger spectacle into the dive. Carless Reef is where giant morays may swim free and where white-tip and oceanic sharks are recorded, together with gorgonians and angelfish. Strait of Tiran carries the possibility of tiger shark and green turtle sightings, while hammerheads are recorded there and at two other sites. Rosalie Moller adds big-eye trevally around the wreck. At El Fanadir, the cleaning station gives the diver a reason to slow down; at Shaab Sabina, damselfish fill the coral garden. Shaab El Erg and the El Fanous reefs are the places to look for dolphins, with conditions deciding whether they stay.

Lionfish →

Pterois volitans

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Tiger Shark →

Galeocerdo cuvier

Dive groups are organised at about one guide for eight divers, a workable ratio for walls, wrecks and current-dependent reefs where the group may spread out. The crew speaks English, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian, although the specific language of a given guide is not stated. Briefings and group plans are adjusted to weather and experience, which matters on a route that combines shallow coral gardens with sites reaching -50m. Night dives are included, as are the diving package and a naturalist guide. Nitrox certification and diving certifications are optional extras rather than something to assume is included. Oxygen, first-aid kits, a VHF/DSC/SSB radio, GPS, radar, sonar, emergency beacons and lifeboats form part of the boat’s safety equipment. The published information does not give guide qualifications, a minimum logged-dive count, a recall system or a defibrillator, so those should not be treated as part of the promise. The boat is suitable for varied experience levels, but the site and weather briefing remains decisive.

The dive platform leads to a dedicated diving room below, with shaded working space, rinse tanks and a separate rinse area for cameras. Yachtiano supports standard scuba, sidemount with one cylinder, technical diving and rebreathers. DIN adaptors are available, and nitrox is included. Rental equipment is available as an optional extra. The layout is built around repeated entries rather than a single shore-style dive: equipment stays organised at the platform, the tender supports access to the sites, and divers return to a working deck instead of climbing directly into the living areas. The boat also carries oxygen and first-aid kits, with additional safety equipment on board. There is no useful reason to invent tank material, tank size, compressor type or tender count here; those details are not given. What is clear is the diving bias of the design: a separate camera rinse, shaded stations and support for technical configurations make more difference over seven nights than another decorative lounge.

Between dives, the best place is the shaded dive area or one of the outdoor decks, where wet gear can stay close and the rest of the group can spread out. The main deck has a large jacuzzi with a glass front facing the sea, while the pool offers another place to cool down without leaving the boat. A gym, indoor lounge, bar, library and observation deck cover the quieter gaps. Those who want activity can use the water-ski and wakeboard options, go snorkeling or join other water activities. Those who want less noise can book a massage or use the spa space. The layout gives a mixed group room to separate: divers can stay near the platform, while non-divers have a pool, deck and water access of their own. That is useful on crossings and on afternoons when the diving stops before the boat returns to port.

The day starts with the boat already positioned for the first briefing and divers moving from cabin to dive space before the sea becomes busy. A check dive comes first on routes that use Shaab El Erg, then the schedule builds through the main sites: a morning reef or wreck, another dive after the surface interval, and, on the fullest days, a fourth entry later in the day. The published North programme includes four dives on several days and a night dive at Gubal and Small Giftun. North & Tiran uses three dives around Tiran, then four-dive days at Ras Mohamed and the SS Thistlegorm area. Meals land between those blocks, with snacks available through the day. During crossings, the deck, pool or jacuzzi replaces the dive platform as the centre of activity. After a night dive, the boat settles into dinner and sleep near the next site. The following morning begins the same way: briefing, gear, water.

Meals are served as full board, with buffet and à la carte options, Western cooking, snacks through the day and a special dinner. The kitchen also covers vegetarian and vegan diets, along with allergies, restrictions and other dietary requests. Non-alcoholic drinks, tea, coffee and drinking water are included; beer, wine and cocktails are available separately. A beach barbecue is part of the trip, and there is also a barbecue area on board. On a four-dive day, the useful detail is not the promise of fine dining but the steady access to food between dives: a proper meal when the group is back on board, then something small before the next briefing. The table becomes a recovery point, not a formal interruption to the diving. A barbecue away from the boat changes that pattern once during the week.

The cabin categories run from Lower Deck Twin Cabin A through Lower Deck Suite A+, Main Deck Suite B, Upper Deck Suite C and the Sun Deck Penthouse Suite D. The practical difference is space and access to the outside: the lower cabins are the straightforward choice, the B suites add panoramic views, and the C and D categories bring private balconies, with whirlpools in the upper suites. Cabins have private bathrooms, air conditioning, safes and hairdryers. From the A+ category upward, rooms also have a hot-water station and coffee machine. The larger suites give a diver somewhere to sit apart from the main group after a long day, while the lower categories keep the focus on sleeping, showering and getting back to the deck. Yachtiano is not selling the romance of a cramped bunk. It is offering a private room on a boat built for people who want more space after the last dive.

Trips depart from and return to Hurghada, using the New Marina. Airport and hotel transfers in Hurghada are included, with the airport transfer returning guests to Hurghada International Airport after check-out. Arrival and check-in begin from 5:00 PM on the first day, while departure day ends with check-out at 10:00 AM. Arriving in Hurghada the night before is the sensible choice, leaving the transfer and boarding day clear.