Whirlwind — a wooden Red Sea liveaboard built around diving

Whirlwind suits divers who want a proper working dive boat without giving up the pleasures of a wooden vessel. The reason to choose her is the relationship between the hull and the dive deck: teak underfoot, room to prepare complex equipment, and enough space for photographers to work without turning every movement into a negotiation. The boat carries groups comfortably, but the twin-cabin layout also works for solo divers who are happy to share. Above the diving spaces, the jacuzzi and shaded sun deck give the week somewhere to go when the kit is rinsed and the next briefing has not yet started. She is not the newest boat in the fleet. That is part of her character. Whirlwind has the established layout of a vessel built around repeated dive days, rather than a hotel that happens to carry tanks.

Whirlwind makes a deliberate first impression: a wooden hull, teak decking and several outdoor levels rather than one crowded terrace. The layout separates the working end of the boat from the places used for meals and rest, so wet equipment does not take over the saloon. The main deck holds the restaurant; above it, the salon provides a cooler indoor space for briefings, video and conversation. Outside, the upper deck opens into shaded and sunny areas, with loungers and a jacuzzi higher up. The boat was built in 2006, and its appeal is less about newness than about a layout already shaped by years of Red Sea diving. Movement is straightforward: cabin, salon, dive deck, Zodiac, water, then back to the same station.

Whirlwind has the social shape of a boat made for groups: twin cabins, shared tables and a salon where the day’s footage can be shown while divers compare what they saw. The crew’s role is practical rather than theatrical. They keep the dive operation moving, handle the routine details and work to place guests on the best dives that conditions allow. That flexibility is important in the Red Sea, where a site can change character with wind, current and surface conditions. Solo divers are not an afterthought, since shared-cabin arrangements are available. By evening, the group usually gathers around the screen or in the open-air areas, still talking about the last dive rather than being pushed into a formal programme.

Arabic and English are spoken on board. Dive briefings use the large screen in the salon, while the crew organises the practical movement from station to Zodiac and back again. The boat is suitable for technical diving, including twinsets, rebreathers, trimix and high-oxygen blends, but the available information does not set out guide numbers, group ratios, instructor qualifications or a minimum certification level for this vessel. Safety equipment includes life jackets, life rafts, fire alarms and firefighting equipment, a DAN oxygen kit, O2 J tanks and a stocked first-aid kit. Divers should expect the final dive plan to follow the route, conditions and the briefing given on board.

The dive deck is the boat’s strongest argument. It is spacious, with personal storage, tanks filled on board and enough working room for twinsets, rebreathers and photographers. Two K14 Plus compressors handle air, while a membrane system produces nitrox and a Haskel pump supports trimix and high-oxygen blends. Nitrox and equipment rental are available as paid extras. Divers get a camera table, charging stations, dedicated camera storage and separate rinse tanks for underwater cameras, alongside general rinse tanks and a warm freshwater shower. DIN adaptors are carried. Entry and exit are handled by two 5.5-metre Zodiacs, which ferry divers between the stern and the site rather than asking everyone to make a giant-stride entry from the liveaboard. The setup is built for divers who bring more than a single recreational cylinder and camera.

Between dives, Whirlwind gives guests several different temperatures and levels of noise. The air-conditioned salon is the practical refuge after a long dive, with a large screen used for briefings and for showing footage and images. Outside, the teak decks lead to shaded seating, sun loungers and the jacuzzi. The upper levels are for reading, drying off, watching the horizon or finding a quieter corner while the deck crew turns the boat around for the next entry. The open-air saloon keeps people close to the group without forcing everyone to sit in the same place. If the boat is under way, the movement of the sea becomes part of the pause; if it is holding position, the dive deck remains close enough to check equipment before the next call.

A day on Whirlwind is organised around diving rather than sightseeing. The sequence is simple: prepare at the dive station, attend the briefing in the salon, go out by Zodiac, return to the same equipment space and eat when the buffet is ready. Between entries, the boat offers air conditioning inside and shaded or sunny deck space outside, so recovery does not require leaving the working area behind. The screen in the salon gives the group a place to review footage and discuss the site before the next dive. The exact rhythm depends on the route and sea conditions, but the boat is designed to make repeated dive cycles easy: tanks are filled on board, equipment stays organised, and the route can be adjusted when conditions make another site the better choice.

Meals are served buffet style, with both Western and local food. Dietary restrictions can be catered for, and snacks are available through the day alongside hot and cold soft drinks; alcoholic drinks and spirits are also served on board. The restaurant is on the main deck, where the tables suit a group that arrives at different times after diving. That matters more than formal dining when the day is built around repeated entries into the water. A diver can eat, compare notes, refill a bottle and be ready for the next briefing without turning lunch into an event. The food is there to keep the diving moving, with enough choice for different appetites rather than a fixed menu imposed on everyone.

The ten cabins are twin cabins with en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning controlled from the beds, wardrobes, shelves and safety deposit boxes. Each has two separate beds rather than a shared double, which makes the arrangement practical for solo divers and buddies travelling together. Storage is useful on a week when most of the equipment stays at the dive station, but this remains a boat cabin, not a hotel room. The wood and teak elsewhere give the interior a warmer feel than a bare steel working platform. After the last dive, the air conditioning and bedside controls matter more than decoration: they let a diver shut the cabin down, dry out and sleep without having to manage the whole boat around them.