Tempest — an intimate wooden Red Sea liveaboard

Tempest is for divers who prefer a smaller boat and a familiar group over the scale of a large liveaboard. Its wooden hull and 12-guest capacity give the trip an intimate, personal feel: the same people appear at breakfast, on the dive deck and around the evening table. The reason to choose it is simple. The boat keeps the focus on diving without giving up an air-conditioned salon, shaded outdoor seating and private bathrooms. It suits buddy pairs, families and solo divers comfortable with twin-cabin accommodation.

Tempest presents itself as a compact wooden vessel rather than a floating resort. The smaller scale is the first thing that changes the trip: twelve guests share the boat, so the dive deck and salon feel like working spaces for a limited group rather than public areas on a large ship. The layout keeps the practical parts of the journey close at hand, from the gear stations to the indoor lounge and the open-air seating above. Tornado Marine describes its crew and engineers as permanent members of the fleet, which brings continuity to the way the boat is run. By the second day, the boat's size has done its job: faces are familiar and moving between meals, briefings and dives is straightforward.

Tempest is built around a small-group atmosphere rather than the anonymity of a large vessel. With space for twelve guests, the group becomes visible quickly: the same divers share meals, prepare equipment and compare notes after a dive. The permanent Tornado Marine crew brings continuity to the boat's operation, and Arabic and English are spoken on board. The salon gives the evening a natural centre, while the shaded deck keeps conversation outside when the weather allows. The boat also welcomes non-divers and snorkelers, so a mixed group can share the trip without every guest following the same routine.

Tempest explores Egypt's Northern Red Sea, with routes reaching SS Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas and Tiran Reef. SS Thistlegorm is the named wreck destination; Abu Nuhas is another recognised route area, while Tiran Reef brings the itinerary towards the reef system at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba. These names define the appeal of the boat more clearly than a generic Red Sea description: the route is chosen for established wreck and reef diving rather than for a resort shoreline. No verified site write-ups, site depths or trip lengths are available here, so those details are best checked against the specific departure itinerary.

Abu Nuhas →

Arabic and English are spoken by the crew. Tempest is operated by permanent Tornado Marine crew members and engineers, giving the boat a consistent team familiar with its equipment and routines. The boat carries life jackets, an emergency raft, firefighting equipment and a first-aid kit, with the fleet's safety procedures behind the operation. Details such as guide numbers, group ratios, instructor qualifications, course programmes, logged-dive requirements, oxygen equipment and recall procedures are not given, so the page does not promise a level of supervision that is not documented.

The dive deck is the strongest reason to choose Tempest as a working dive boat. Individual gear boxes keep equipment assigned and stored between dives, while two K14-plus compressors fill tanks on board. A Nitrox membrane system is available for certified Enriched Air Nitrox divers at extra cost. DIN adapters are carried, and warm-water showers are available after the dive. A 4.8-metre Zodiac serves as the diving tender, taking divers to and from the sites. Gear rental is not offered, so divers should bring or arrange their own equipment. The boat supports rebreathers, but it is not presented as a technical-diving boat. Rinse facilities and tender operations are part of the setup; a camera table, tank size and tank material are not stated.

Between dives, Tempest gives guests two different places to settle. The indoor salon is air-conditioned and works as a lounge and dining area, with audio and video entertainment for the quietest part of the afternoon. Above it, the sun deck combines loungers with shaded seating, giving non-divers and resting divers a place to stay outside without sitting in full sun. The boat also has an open-air salon and a bar. The choice is practical: cool down indoors after a dive, or keep the sea breeze and the view while surface intervals pass.

Meals are served buffet-style, with both Western and local food. Hot and cold soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and spirits are available, while snacks remain available throughout the day. That format suits a diving boat better than a long formal meal: guests can eat properly after a dive, take what they need before the next one and return to the table when hunger catches up. The food is part of the recovery cycle here, with the indoor salon serving as both dining room and lounge.

The six lower-deck cabins are twin-berth rooms with air conditioning and private en-suite bathrooms. Each has storage through a wardrobe, shelf unit, bedside cupboard and drawer space beneath a bed, so dive luggage does not have to remain in the walkway. The rooms are designed for resting between dives rather than for spending the day indoors: the practical gain is a private bathroom and a place to put equipment and clothes away. Solo divers can book a private cabin or share with another guest, subject to the booking arrangement. There is no Wi-Fi on board, which makes the cabin a place to sleep, cool down and reset before the next briefing.