Golden Dolphin IV — A modern Red Sea dive platform for ambitious routes

Golden Dolphin IV suits divers who want the reach of a full Red Sea safari without giving up the practical details that make a week of diving work. Its routes run from the Brothers and Daedalus to Rocky Island, Zabargad, Elphinstone and the Strait of Tiran, so the choice is not between reefs and big-animal sites: the itinerary can bring both into the same trip. The boat was built around the needs of a sizeable dive group, with a proper platform, two tenders and space to prepare in the shade. That matters when the boat is making three or four dives a day and the water, not the salon, is the reason for being aboard. The crew and food score higher than the boat itself in passenger feedback. That is a fair way to read Golden Dolphin IV: the hull is a working base rather than a boutique yacht, while the people running it are a strong part of what divers take home.

Golden Dolphin IV makes the first impression of a purpose-built safari boat rather than a converted hotel. The useful spaces are easy to understand as soon as the boat is open: diving happens from a broad platform, meals are served on the lower deck, and the main and upper decks hold air-conditioned salons for the hours when the Red Sea sun is too hard. Two sun decks give the group somewhere to spread out, while the Jacuzzi and bars make the upper levels social after a dive. Movement is straightforward, with cabins across the lower, main and upper decks and the dive deck kept separate from the living areas. The boat entered service in 2021, so its character is modern and functional rather than nostalgic. It is designed to get a large group through a demanding diving week without turning every return from the water into a queue.

The atmosphere is shaped less by luxury than by the number of people sharing the boat and by the crew’s ability to keep the day moving. Up to 28 guests live together, but two salons and two sun decks prevent the whole group from being forced into one room between dives. The crew speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian, which helps briefings and small practical questions stay clear across an international group. Passenger feedback consistently puts the crew above the boat itself, and the food receives the same strong response. That suggests where Golden Dolphin IV earns its place: the vessel provides a straightforward platform, while the people aboard turn it into a comfortable working safari. Evenings can move between the bars, the salons and the sun deck, with the sound system and video setup available when the group wants company. Divers who value smooth organisation over polished yacht styling will understand the appeal quickly.

The route choice is the reason to book Golden Dolphin IV. Eight-day/seven-night trips include North and Strait of Tiran itineraries or a Port Ghalib–Hurghada crossing through Tiran and the Brothers; ten-day/nine-night trips include North–Safaga–Brother Islands; longer records include an 11-day/10-night Daedalus–Rocky Island–Zabargad–St. Johns–Elphinstone circuit. At Elphinstone, walls drop to a maximum of -60m and the blue water can bring oceanic whitetip, hammerhead, grey and silky sharks, with whale sharks also recorded there. Rocky Island is a current-swept offshore reef for sharks, barracuda and manta rays. Abu Kafan combines a swift current with tall walls and pelagic potential. The Straits of Gubal turn wrecks into artificial reefs, with reef fish, lionfish, groupers and barracuda around them, to a maximum of -50m. Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar reaches -40m, where an oval reef leads to pinnacles and the remains of at least three wrecks. Fanadir North offers a wall to -30m, while Gotha Abu Nugar North stays shallow at a maximum of -9m. Zabargad adds strong currents, remote coral, pelagic life and nesting turtles; Shaab Claude reaches -22m through Porites formations and passages; El Fanadir reaches -40m with a cleaning station; Shaab Sabina reaches -14m in a broad coral garden; and the Strait of Tiran reaches -40m across four current-fed offshore reefs.

Strait of Tiran →

Max. depth · 40 m

Daedalus →

Max. depth · 40 m

Rocky Island →

Elphinstone →

Max. depth · 60 m

Abu Kafan →

Straits of Gubal →

Max. depth · 50 m

Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar →

Max. depth · 40 m

Fanadir North →

Max. depth · 30 m

Gotha Abu Nugar North →

Max. depth · 9 m

Shaab Claude →

Max. depth · 22 m

El Fanadir →

Max. depth · 40 m

Shaab Sabina →

Max. depth · 14 m

Coral Garden →

Max. depth · 20 m

The recurring cast is classic Red Sea life: turtles and morays are recorded across seven sites, barracuda across six, soft corals across six, and anthias across five. Reef sharks, grey reef sharks, groupers, jacks, snappers, surgeonfish, scorpionfish and fusiliers fill the closer reef scenes, while dolphins, manta rays, hammerheads and tuna appear on several offshore sites where current and open water bring larger animals through. The single-site records are the useful part of the map. Zabargad Island is the place associated with dugongs, alongside dolphins, manta rays, sharks, sailfish and turtles. Shaab Ruhr Umm Gamar is the only listed site for giant grouper. Shaab Claude is the only one linked with whitetip reef sharks and anemones. Elphinstone is the route’s only listed site for blacktip sharks, whale sharks, gorgonians, fusiliers and wrasses. El Fanadir has the only recorded gaterins, while Shaab Sabina has the only recorded damselfish. None of these encounters is guaranteed; the site, current and conditions decide what comes close.

Whale Shark →

Rhincodon typus

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Lionfish →

Pterois volitans

Dugong →

Dugong dugon

Sailfish →

Istiophorus platypterus

Golden Dolphin IV carries dive guides and instructors from a multilingual local and international crew, with English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian spoken aboard. The operation supports guided recreational diving as well as technical, sidemount and rebreather diving, but the briefings and group structure depend on the route, sea conditions and the divers’ skills. No fixed guide-to-diver ratio or minimum logged-dive number is published for the boat, so divers should not assume that a demanding offshore site will be run like a beginner resort dive. Advanced Open Water, Nitrox and various specialty courses can be arranged during the safari when requested at least a week in advance. Safety equipment includes emergency oxygen, first-aid kits, a defibrillator, life rafts, life jackets, fire systems and smoke detectors; ENOS is available on request. The crew’s role is practical: explain the site, assess the conditions, organise the groups and keep the return to the platform or tender controlled.

The dive deck is built for repeated use, with a shaded preparation area, a platform, rinse tanks, DIN adapters and two tenders equipped with ladders. The boat carries 12-litre aluminium tanks with DIN/INT fittings; 15-litre tanks are available on request. Two Bauer K15.1 compressors handle air, with a separate Nitrox system, and nitrox up to 32% is free for Nitrox-certified divers. Higher mixes are available as a paid extra. Sidemount, technical diving and rebreathers are supported, while a camera area gives photographers a place to work between dives. Divers enter from the platform or use the tenders for sites where the boat cannot sit directly over the reef; the tenders then collect divers from the surface. Hot showers, outdoor showers and shaded working space matter more than decoration after a current-running dive. There is no complete rental stock kept on board, so rental equipment or individual items must be arranged in advance, with sizes supplied at least a week before departure.

Between dives, Golden Dolphin IV gives the group several different temperatures and levels of noise. The lower-deck dining area is the place for meals, while the air-conditioned salons on the main and upper decks offer a cooler retreat when the sun is pressing on the water. The sun decks are where divers stretch out, dry off and look for a breeze; the Jacuzzi adds another place to sit when tired legs need a break. TV, DVD and a sound system fill the social hours without making them compulsory. There is also an outdoor dining option and a dedicated photo area for handling cameras away from the working parts of the dive deck. When the boat is underway, the upper decks make the movement of the sea part of the day. When it is moored for a surface interval, the choice is simple: shade, sun, a quiet salon or the next dive.

A diving day starts with the first briefing, then the first descent, with the boat’s working spaces already arranged for the group. Breakfast follows the opening dive, and the day builds around three or four dives when the route and sea conditions allow: another dive before or around midday, a later afternoon dive, and a night dive when the plan includes it. Meals and snacks mark the surface intervals, while the air-conditioned salons, shaded dive area and sun decks absorb the hours between cylinders. The boat may get underway between sites, or remain positioned while divers move out by tender. On the final diving day, the programme is reduced to a maximum of two dives before the return to the marina. That difference is felt: the main part of the safari is a repeated cycle of briefing, gearing up, descent, recovery and refuelling, while the last run back to port makes room for packing and the final evening aboard.

Full board covers the main meals, with buffet service, Western and local cooking, and vegetarian and vegan choices. Snacks are available throughout the day, which is not decoration on a safari with three or four dives: the gap after a dive is often when a diver realises how much energy has gone into the water. The dining area sits on the lower deck, separate from the two air-conditioned salons, so meals have a proper place rather than being fitted around the dive deck. Outdoor dining is available when the weather allows. Beer, wine and cocktails are available, while non-alcoholic drinks, drinking water, tea, coffee and welcome cocktails are included. The strongest passenger scores belong to the food and crew. That combination matters more here than a fashionable menu: a good plate arriving without delay helps keep the next briefing, dive and surface interval on track.

The 14 cabins are available as twin or double cabins across the lower, main and upper decks. Each is air-conditioned and has a private bathroom with a separate shower, a minibar and a standard window; the upper-deck cabins are twin cabins. That gives the boat a useful choice for partners, friends and divers travelling alone, but the cabin deck level still matters: the boat is spread through several decks, not arranged as one quiet accommodation block. The more valuable feature after four dives is the air conditioning, followed by having a bathroom inside the cabin instead of sharing one in the corridor. Outside, the two sun decks provide the space the cabins cannot. Golden Dolphin IV is a 28-guest boat, so these are practical private rooms for sleeping and changing, not oversized suites. The trade is simple: less cabin space than a luxury yacht, more room to handle the dive operation properly.

Golden Dolphin IV operates from Hurghada and Port Ghalib, and the arrival and departure port can vary with the scheduled route. Airport transfers are included: Hurghada airport to the Hurghada marina takes about 10–15 minutes, Hurghada airport to Port Ghalib about three hours, and Marsa Alam airport to Port Ghalib about 15 minutes. A representative meets arriving guests in the airport arrival hall before passport control and arranges the transfer; exact pickup details are provided for the individual booking. Arriving the night before is the sensible choice, especially for a Port Ghalib departure or any itinerary with a long transfer.