CU — a Red Sea liveaboard built around serious diving and good food

CU suits divers who want a Red Sea itinerary with room to move between reef systems rather than a short, single-area programme. Depending on the departure, the boat heads north from Hurghada, reaches Fury Shoals, or runs offshore to Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone. That gives the trip a clear purpose: walls, current, coral gardens and pelagic possibilities in the same week. The boat is also a sensible choice when food matters as much as the dive count. Its strongest scores are for food and crew, while the vessel itself scores more modestly; the trade is straightforward. CU is not presented as the newest boat in the fleet, but the people running it and the meals served aboard are central to what passengers gain in return. Families, snorkellers and non-divers can join too, without turning the boat into a resort detached from the diving.

CU makes the impression of a working dive vessel rather than a yacht built only for display. The 2018 renovation matters here: it gives an older hull a more recent interior and helps explain why the boat can combine a large passenger capacity with dedicated diving spaces, an interior lounge and an observation deck. From the dock, the useful details are the two tenders, the broad deck arrangement and the separate areas for cameras and rinsing equipment. Once aboard, the layout is organised around repeated movement between cabin, saloon, sun deck and dive platform. The boat is designed specifically for diving, so wet gear and camera equipment have somewhere to go instead of taking over the living areas. Its 28-passenger limit also means this is a proper group liveaboard, not an intimate charter. That suits divers who value route choice and facilities over the feel of a small private vessel.

The strongest part of CU's character is the people running it. The crew score is 9.2, far above the boat score of 7.2, and that difference tells a useful story: the vessel has aged, but the service around it is a major reason to choose it. The crew is local and speaks English, with a ratio close to one crew member for each passenger. That matters on a boat carrying up to 28 people, where help with meals, cabins, tenders and dive preparation affects every transition. Evenings can stay simple: dinner, the bar, the lounge, a film or time on deck after the day's diving. The food score of 9.6 reinforces the same picture. CU's appeal is less about polished novelty than about a crew and galley that make a demanding week easier to live through. The group forms around the dive schedule, then spreads across the saloon, terrace and observation deck.

The route is the main reason to board CU. North and North Dahab departures run Hurghada to Hurghada for 8 days and 7 nights; other 8-day/7-night trips combine Daedalus with Fury Shoals or Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone. Elphinstone reaches walls down to max -60m, where pelagic sharks and gorgonians are possible. The Brothers bring isolated oceanic walls, current and two iconic wrecks; Big Brother reaches max -40m and combines the wrecks with pelagic encounters. Daedalus is a remote pinnacle with dramatic walls and max -40m. Fury Shoals is different again: hard-coral formations form canyons and shelter a busy reef ecosystem. Closer reef dives fill out the itinerary. Fanadir North has a wall to max -30m; Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar moves from an oval reef to a plateau with small pinnacles and at least three wreck remains, down to max -40m. Marsa Egla reaches max -30m in a bay with seagrass where dugongs and green turtles may appear. Shallow sites such as Shaab Sabina, El Fanous West and East, Gotha Abu Nugar North and Shaab El Erg add coral gardens, lagoons, dolphins and reef life.

Daedalus →

Max. depth · 40 m

Fury Shoals →

Elphinstone →

Max. depth · 60 m

Big Brother →

Max. depth · 40 m

Fanadir North →

Max. depth · 30 m

Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar →

Max. depth · 40 m

Marsa Egla →

Max. depth · 30 m

Shaab Sabina →

Max. depth · 14 m

El Fanous →

Max. depth · 27 m

Gotha Abu Nugar North →

Max. depth · 9 m

Shaab El Erg →

Coral Garden →

Max. depth · 20 m

Across this route, the recurring cast is substantial: sea turtles, dolphins, morays, Napoleon wrasse, manta rays, grey reef sharks, hammerheads, barracuda, tuna, jacks, anthias, scorpionfish, parrotfish and soft corals are recorded at several sites. The distinctive sightings are tied to particular dives. Marsa Egla is the place to look for dugongs and green turtles over seagrass. Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar is the route's site for groupers and giant groupers, among pinnacles and wreck remains. Elphinstone can bring blacktip reef sharks and tiger sharks alongside its walls, while Brothers is noted for anemones and offshore shark encounters. Fury Shoals is the site associated with triggerfish. Daedalus may produce bigeye trevally on its remote pinnacle. El Fanadir has gaterins around its wall and cleaning-station habitat. At Shaab Sabina, damselfish fill the shallow coral garden. Dolphins are a possibility at Shaab El Erg and the El Fanous reefs, where lagoons, ergs and sandy bottoms create a different kind of encounter. Nothing here is guaranteed; the route earns its reputation through variety and the chance to meet animals in the places that suit them.

Dugong →

Dugong dugon

Napoleon Wrasse →

Cheilinus undulatus

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Tiger Shark →

Galeocerdo cuvier

The crew speaks English and is trained in first aid. Oxygen, first-aid kits, fire alarms and extinguishers, lifeboats, life jackets and marine communications are carried aboard, including VHF/DSC/SSB radio, mobile and satellite telephones, radar, GPS and an emergency position-indicating beacon. That gives the diving operation a clear safety foundation, especially on routes reaching remote offshore reefs. CU supports technical diving, rebreathers and one-cylinder sidemount, so it is not limited to basic recreational profiles. The available information does not give the number of guides, guide-to-diver ratios, required logged dives, guide qualifications, course programme or the exact briefing and recall procedure. Those points should be checked against the specific departure if they determine whether the boat fits the diver's experience. The platform, tenders and oxygen provision are clear; the detailed organisation of dive groups is not.

The dive deck is built for regular Red Sea operations, with a shaded platform, two Yamaha *40 tenders, a diver platform and dedicated rinse tanks. DIN adapters are available. The setup supports standard diving as well as technical diving, rebreathers and sidemount with one cylinder; rental equipment is available. Nitrox is available as an optional extra rather than included by default. Photographers get a separate camera rinse area and camera space, which keeps delicate equipment away from the general gear flow. The tenders are the practical advantage on sites where the boat cannot sit directly over every diver: they take groups out and bring them back to the vessel after the ascent. A hot shower is listed among the onboard facilities, along with outdoor showers for the return from the water. The boat also carries oxygen and first-aid kits. Details such as cylinder material, cylinder volume, compressor type, SMB provision and rental brands are not stated here.

Between dives, CU gives people several ways to get out of the gear routine. The shaded dive area is the natural place to sit after surfacing, while the terrace and observation deck offer sun, air and a wider view when the boat is underway. The air-conditioned interior lounge is there when the heat becomes tiring. A library, audio and video entertainment, internet access and a souvenir shop fill the quieter stretches without forcing everyone into the same activity. Photographers have a camera room and a separate camera rinse area, so equipment can be dealt with away from the main living space. Snorkelling equipment and naturalist-guided itineraries also make the non-diving hours more useful for mixed groups. There is a bar, outdoor dining and a BBQ space, but the important arrangement is the separation between wet working areas and places where people sit, eat and switch off.

A day on CU starts with the first briefing before the first entry, then moves between dives, meals and the practical work of changing cylinders, rinsing equipment and drying off on deck. The order matters more than a fixed clock: divers wake, prepare, dive, eat, rest, and return to the platform for the next briefing. Between entries, the shaded dive area is the working centre, while the air-conditioned lounge, terrace and observation deck give people somewhere else to recover. When the boat is underway, the deck becomes the place to watch the route pass; when there is no dive planned, the library, video area, bar or camera space take over. Full-board meals and snacks keep the gaps supplied without making divers leave the boat. Night dives are included in the dive package, so the day can finish with a second underwater world after the light has gone. Then the kit is rinsed, the last meal is served and the same cycle begins again.

Food is where CU earns its strongest reputation. The galley serves both local and Western cooking, with buffet and à la carte options, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and snacks available through the day. Meals are included as full board, so the table does not become another decision after a long series of dives. Non-alcoholic drinks, tea and coffee are included; beer and other alcoholic drinks are available separately. The onboard BBQ is the detail that gives the week a different rhythm from eating every meal inside the saloon, and a beach BBQ is also part of the offering. Welcome cocktails mark the start, while outdoor dining lets the group eat away from the interior lounge when conditions allow. This is not just about variety. On a liveaboard, good food restores divers between entries, and CU's food score is notably higher than its boat score.

The cabin choice is practical rather than decorative: lower-deck twin cabins, main-deck double cabins and high-deck triple cabins cover couples, friends and families. Each cabin has a private bathroom, air conditioning and a standard window, with some categories offering sea views. The point after a long day of diving is simple—there is a private place to shower, dry off and sleep without sharing the bathroom. The upper living areas provide the change of scene, with an air-conditioned lounge, terrace and observation deck for those who want air and distance from the cabin. Wi-Fi is available, and cabins are non-smoking. Triple and family arrangements make CU easier to share for a group travelling together, while the twin and double categories keep the basic cabin choice clear. The boat offers comfort where it affects a dive week most: cooling, washing, sleeping and getting back out on deck.

CU's recorded departures and returns are from Hurghada, including the North, North Dahab, Daedalus–Fury Shoals and Brothers–Daedalus–Elphinstone routes. Airport transfer is included. Arriving in Hurghada the night before is the sensible way to protect the start of an 8-day/7-night trip from a delayed flight.