Almonda — a purpose-built Red Sea diving yacht with a calm, practical layout

Almonda is chosen for access to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea rather than for a resort-style holiday at sea. The routes reach Seven Sisters, Five Corals, Umlajj and Farasan Banks, areas known for isolated reefs, coral walls and pelagic encounters. The boat is set up around repeated diving: tanks stay in the dive area, personal equipment has its own storage, and three tenders can move groups away from the main hull when the site calls for it. Nitrox is included for certified nitrox divers, which matters on a trip built around several days of diving. Between dives, the boat gives you shaded outdoor space, an indoor lounge and a Jacuzzi. Almonda suits divers who want a modern platform, uncomplicated logistics and access to reefs that see fewer boats and divers than the better-known Egyptian routes.

Boarding begins in the harbour, where the first practical task is to take off shoes and keep them stored for the stay. Dive equipment is placed in the assigned dive box, while empty suitcases are kept by the crew until departure. Almonda is a modern yacht, built in 2017, and the first impression is functional rather than decorative: a large working platform for diving, open areas for moving between the water and the salon, and enough room to separate wet equipment from living spaces. The indoor salon is air-conditioned, with a dining area arranged around two large tables. Once aboard, the responsible dive guide briefs everyone on the boat, safety and diving procedures. The harbour night also gives the crew time to finish loading and preparing the yacht before it leaves the following morning.

Almonda’s atmosphere is shaped by a crew that stays close to the practical work of the trip. The crew speaks English, German, French, Russian and Italian, and passengers particularly value how available the staff are during the day. That shows up in the small transitions: moving from the tender back to the platform, getting equipment into storage, finding a towel or sorting out the next meal. The boat carries both local and international crew, so the social mix is broad without making communication difficult. Evenings are likely to gather people in the salon or on deck after the last dive, with the television, films and audio system available when conversation fades. The strong food and crew feedback points to Almonda’s real advantage: the people on board carry much of the experience, while the yacht provides a solid base for the diving.

The Seven Sisters and Five Corals itineraries are the reason to choose Almonda. Seven Sisters lies west of Yanbu and includes Marker 32, Marker 34, Abu Galawa and Marker 39, with broad plateaus, coral-covered walls and open-water encounters. Marker 42 is Mansi Reef, a solitary coral column with gorgonian-covered sides; it is known as “the forgotten” reef and may attract hammerheads along its southern slope. Farther south, Sha’ab Suflani offers an atoll setting and walls that drop into deep water. The Five Corals area adds reefs such as Joey Reef and Maria South Reef. Joey’s wall carries gorgonians and soft corals, while Maria differs from the surrounding reefs through its plateau. Recorded departures include Five Corals and Seven Sisters between KAEC and Yanbu over five days and four nights or eight days and seven nights, plus Seven Sisters and Umlajj voyages from Yanbu over eight days and seven nights.

The dive guides give an evening briefing covering the boat, safety and diving before the first departure from the harbour. The crew speaks English, German, French, Russian and Italian, which helps when a group includes several nationalities. The guides are described as available and able to adapt the experience to different skill levels, but no fixed guide-to-diver ratio, minimum logged-dive count or instructor qualification is published. The same applies to courses: a nitrox certification is available as an optional extra, while the boat also lists scuba certifications and private guiding among its options. Emergency oxygen, first-aid kits, life jackets, liferafts, fire alarms and extinguishers are carried on board, alongside radio, satellite and navigation equipment. A defibrillator and a diver-recall system are not specified.

The dive deck is built for repeated entries rather than show. Standard tanks are 12-litre cylinders, with five 15-litre cylinders available as an optional rental; DIN adaptors are provided. Two compressors supply air, including a 350-litre-per-minute unit and a 600-litre-per-minute unit. Nitrox is included, with EAN32 and EAN36 available for certified nitrox divers. The setup also supports technical and sidemount diving, subject to the needs of the trip, and includes rinse tanks, personal gear storage, a shaded dive area and three 6.5-metre, 45-horsepower tenders. Divers use the tenders when the site requires a drop away from the yacht, then return to the main platform after the dive. Camera tables and charging stations keep underwater equipment in its own working area. Rental equipment is available, but no brands are specified.

Between dives, the most useful spaces are the two partly shaded terraces and the sun deck. They give divers somewhere to sit out of direct sun without retreating indoors, while the air-conditioned salon offers a cooler place to edit photographs, watch a film or simply get out of the heat. A Jacuzzi is available on deck, and the boat carries stand-up paddleboards for time away from the tanks. The camera tables matter more than a decorative lounge on a diving route: equipment can be handled and prepared between dives instead of being spread across dining tables. Sailing time is therefore divided between drying gear, checking images, eating and finding a quiet corner. Almonda gives the surface interval a choice of shade, air conditioning or open deck.

The day follows the order familiar to a serious liveaboard diver: wake before the first briefing, prepare equipment, enter from the tender or dive platform, then return for food and a surface interval. Breakfast, lunch and dinner punctuate the diving, with snacks available whenever the gap between water and table feels too long. The boat moves between reefs when the itinerary requires it, and the tenders take divers to the chosen entry point rather than making every group jump from the same place. After the later dive, the deck and salon become places to rinse equipment, check photographs and eat before the evening briefing or night dive. Night dives are included on the boat’s schedule, where site and conditions allow them. The next cycle begins with the compressor and the first briefing.

Food is served as a buffet three times a day, with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available throughout the day. The cooking combines local and Western dishes, and vegetarian and vegan options are available. That format fits a diving boat better than a formal meal service: divers can eat when they are ready, take enough after a long surface interval and return for more without turning the day into a timetable. The two large dining tables keep meals communal without requiring everyone to sit at exactly the same moment. Tea, coffee, drinking water and soft drinks are included, while the buffet gives the galley room to accommodate different diets without making the whole group eat the same plate.

The 12 cabins are divided between lower-deck twin and double cabins and main-deck master suites. Each has individual air conditioning, a private bathroom, storage, a sea-view window and a television. The difference between the categories is mainly the bed and position: two single beds or a queen bed below, with the master suites on the main deck. Almonda is not a boat where the cabin is the centre of the trip; it is the place to dry off, put equipment away and sleep between dives. Air conditioning is switched off while tanks are being filled, so the compressor becomes part of the boat’s soundscape at those moments. Wet dive gear stays out of the salon and cabins, which keeps the sleeping areas more comfortable over a full week.

Departures and returns use the ports named for each itinerary: KAEC and Yanbu for Five Corals and Seven Sisters routes, and Yanbu for Seven Sisters and Umlajj departures. Airport transfer is included, with an Ocean Breeze representative meeting arriving passengers and taking them by air-conditioned bus to the boat. Local transfers and hotel transfers are optional services. Check-in is from 6:00 pm, the first night is spent in the harbour, and the boat leaves the next morning, so arriving the night before is the sensible choice.