Snefro Target — a refitted Red Sea wreck-and-reef liveaboard

Snefro Target is for divers who want the northern Red Sea in one continuous trip: Tiran's current-swept walls, Ras Mohamed's reef life, and the wrecks of Abu Nuhas and the Straits of Gubal. The route is the reason to choose it. A week can include the Thistlegorm, Rosalie Moller, Ulysses, deep walls, drift dives, and sheltered coral sites without turning the trip into a series of day-boat transfers. The boat was renovated in 2023, and the practical offer is clear: private bathrooms, air conditioning, shaded diving space, free nitrox, and two Zodiacs. It suits divers who want a full dive programme with enough comfort between entries, rather than a small yacht built around lounging.

From the dock, Snefro Target presents as a purpose-built dive boat rather than a converted passenger vessel. The 2023 renovation matters because a liveaboard takes a beating: salt, tanks, wet kit, compressors, and constant movement through the same working spaces. Once aboard, the layout keeps the diving operation at the centre, with the cabins on the main deck and living areas on the main and upper decks. The salon is air-conditioned, and the boat has a terrace and three sun decks, including partly shaded areas. There is room to move from the dive operation to the saloon without making every wet return a passage through the sleeping areas. It is a working Red Sea platform, large enough for 20 guests but still organised around the day underwater.

The strongest part of the Snefro Target experience is the way the crew keeps the week moving. Passengers describe a clean boat, helpful staff, polite service, good food, and instructors who pay attention rather than treating the group as cargo. That matters on a busy Red Sea itinerary, where tanks, tenders, entries, exits, meals, and surface intervals have to connect without confusion. By the middle of the trip, the crew's role is visible in small things: kit gets handled, divers are helped back aboard, and the boat is ready for the next group. The atmosphere is sociable without needing entertainment laid on. Divers meet in the saloon, compare the wreck they have just seen, and go back to the deck when the next dive calls.

The Sinai Classic leaves from Sharm El Sheikh and returns there after 8 days and 7 nights, with 20 or more dives. Its strength is range. Tiran brings Thomas Reef, with deep walls, soft corals and gorgonian growth to -90m, plus Woodhouse Reef's straightforward drift and Gordon Reef's Loullia wreck and southern plateau, down to -30m. Ras Nasrani reaches -60m and combines shallow reef with gorgonian fans, mushroom corals and current-borne pelagics; Ras Bob stays gentler, between 5 and 15m. Tower follows a fossil-coral wall and a deep drop, while Far Garden moves from a sandy slope into a wall beyond -25m. The wreck sequence is the trip's historical core: Ulysses reaches -27m, Thistlegorm -32m, Rosalie Moller between 30 and 50m, and the Straits of Gubal -50m. Abu Nuhas concentrates four wrecks close together. At Rocky Island, strong currents bring the possibility of sharks, barracudas and manta rays.

Thomas Reef →

Max. depth · 90 m

Woodhouse Reef →

Gordon Reef →

Max. depth · 30 m

Ras Nasrani →

Max. depth · 60 m

Ras Bob →

Max. depth · 15 m

Tower →

Far Garden →

Max. depth · 25 m

Ulysses →

Max. depth · 27 m

Rosalie Moller →

Max. depth · 50 m

Straits of Gubal →

Max. depth · 50 m

Abu Nuhas →

Rocky Island →

Across the route, the regular cast is broad: reef sharks, groupers, barracudas, manta rays, sea turtles, Napoleon wrasse, morays, jacks, scorpionfish, lionfish, soft corals and clouds of glassfish. Current-swept capes and walls are where the larger animals have a reason to pass, while wrecks shelter dense fish life. The one-site sightings give the itinerary its sharper edges. Thistlegorm is the place associated with dolphins, batfish, rays and hawksbill turtles among the preserved wartime cargo. Ras Nasrani is the only listed site for an oceanic whitetip shark, as well as gorgonians. Woodhouse Reef is the specific site for a green turtle. Gordon Reef is where garden eels, a stonefish and a trumpetfish are recorded. Rosalie Moller adds bigeye trevally to its barracudas, tuna, jacks and glassfish. None of these animals is guaranteed; the attraction is that the route puts divers in the right habitats, from blue-water reef edges to wreck holds and sandy plateaus.

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Napoleon Wrasse →

Cheilinus undulatus

Lionfish →

Pterois volitans

Hawksbill Turtle →

Eretmochelys imbricata

Oceanic Whitetip Shark →

Carcharhinus longimanus

The crew speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, and Italian, so briefings can be delivered across a genuinely mixed group. The listed recreational entry level is Open Water Diver with 15 logged dives, while several deeper or more demanding sites are marked for Advanced Open Water Divers with 20 logged dives. Thomas Reef, the Bells and the Canyon are among the sites carrying that higher requirement. Currents are part of the route, not a footnote: Thomas Reef can change direction, Jackson Reef can become difficult at the exposed outer edge, and Rocky Island is described as a strong-current dive. The boat carries oxygen, first-aid kits, fire alarms and extinguishers, life rafts, life jackets, radar, sonar, GPS, VHF/DSC/SSB radio, and an emergency position-indicating beacon. No guide-to-diver ratio or course schedule is stated.

The dive deck is set up for repeated entries rather than occasional swimming. Twelve-litre tanks are provided with both DIN and yoke connections, DIN adapters are available, and 15-litre tanks can be rented as an extra. Two Bauer Mariner compressors with membrane nitrox systems support the operation, and nitrox is included. The deck has shaded working space, an entry platform, outdoor showers, and storage for diving equipment; sidemount diving is supported. Two Zodiacs, each with a 25 hp outboard, take divers to the reef and return to collect them after drift dives. That tender system is important at Tiran, Ras Mohamed, and the exposed wreck sites: divers do not need to finish beside the mooring or swim a long distance back to the hull. Rental equipment is available, but no brands are specified.

The gaps between dives are built around shade, air conditioning, and access to the open decks. The dive area is shaded, the salon is air-conditioned, and the terrace and sun decks give a choice between lying out and getting away from the wet gear. A bar, library, audio and video entertainment, and free Wi-Fi fill the longer surface intervals without forcing anyone into a programme. Non-divers and snorkellers are welcome, so a travelling partner can use the boat without joining every descent. On a route with more than 20 dives, the best use of the quiet hours is often simple: eat, rinse, dry, sleep, and return to the deck when the next briefing starts.

A day follows the logic of the diving rather than a hotel timetable. The first briefing comes before the first descent, then the boat and its tenders move the groups through a sequence of reef, wall, drift and wreck dives as conditions allow. Meals and snacks appear between entries, with the surface interval used for water, food, drying kit and a short rest before the next tank. The route's 20-plus dives over seven nights leaves room for several dives across the day, but the exact order depends on current, weather, site access and the demands of wrecks such as Thistlegorm and Rosalie Moller. A return to the salon or shaded deck is part of the routine, not an interruption. The day ends where it began: with equipment ready, the next site discussed, and the boat positioned for another descent.

Meals are served buffet-style, with both Western and local cooking, full-board meals, vegetarian and vegan options, and non-alcoholic drinks included. Snacks are available throughout the day, which matters when the surface interval is short and the next entry is already on the mind. Beer and cocktails are available, while alcoholic drinks are separate from the included non-alcoholic supply. The galley has to feed divers repeatedly without turning every meal into an event, and the high food score reflects what returning passengers found on the table: good food, served in a way that fits a demanding dive itinerary. The buffet also lets a diver choose a light plate before an entry or go back for more after a long wreck dive.

The cabin choice changes where the night is spent. Twin cabins are on the lower deck, double cabins on the upper deck, and the Master Suite on the main deck; each has a private bathroom, air conditioning, and a porthole. That is the useful distinction, especially after several dives when a quiet, cool room matters more than decoration. The boat also provides hot-water showers, daily housekeeping, cabin towels, and non-smoking cabins. Between dives, the air-conditioned salon offers a place to dry out and cool down, while the upper areas give more open air. The cabin is a retreat from the working deck, not the centre of the trip. The centre is still the next dive.

Snefro Target departs from Sharm El Sheikh and returns to Sharm El Sheikh on the Sinai Classic. Airport and hotel transfers are included, with the transfer arrangements communicated for the trip. Arriving in Sharm El Sheikh the night before boarding is the sensible choice, leaving the embarkation day clear of flight delays and long connections.

Snefro Target is a premier member of the Green Fins Egypt network. That places the boat within a recognised marine-conservation programme, but no vessel-specific actions on plastic, wastewater, anchoring, energy use, or crew training are stated here.