Emperor Divers

Being on the Emperor Asmaa was honestly like a dream. We had booked the Asmaa for the attractive price for the Wrecks and Reefs itinerary. Having never been on a liveaboard we had no expectations going into it and really just had some anxiety around the whole thing.

Our fears were misplaced and we feel nothing but happiness for the experience and sadness that it is over! It was the liveaboard of a lifetime.

The paperwork: all of it extremely straightforward, easy to understand and easy to complete. The read before you go document in particular covered all questions we had prior to disembarkation.

The crew: everyone on board made the experience super wonderful. The captain and his first mate were extremely professional, and competent making good decisions regarding the weather, low wind areas, and limiting swell wherever possible. All of the deck crew were amazing assisting with your gear, donning and doffing, and preparing you for the dives as best as they could/as much as you required.

Of particular note were the guides, Achmed-Ali and Wael. Both were so kind, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable no matter the conditions. They both made expert assessments regarding conditions, gave excellent briefings, and were very pleasant to be around. Also the salon crew Saad(?) and Zeyd; we felt as if the dining room was one of the fanciest establishments we had been to.

The food: absolutely amazing, plentiful, healthful and especially delicious. It is not hard to see why food can make or break an experience on board. Everyone shared our sentiment that it was all super yummy. The freshly prepared desserts prepared by the pastry chef were also unbelievable. There was always a great amount of salads and fresh vegetables to take with every meal.

The cabins: we stayed in the lower cabins (#4) and found the accommodation clean, fresh and comfortable. It had its own head and shower, hot water if you like, and the entire cabin was air conditioned. There was also a fan in the room. The bed and towels were made up routinely, and it even seemed that every time you left for a dive some part or all of your cabin was refreshed. They always always cleaned the head as well which was a super nice touch.

Equipment: we had rented and found the equipment in good shape. What we supplied though was our own torches and masks since we had those, and considering the torch rental was 48 Euro/week/person it makes sense to pick one up in Hurghada prior to sailing.

The boat: in its entirety it was comfortable, well kept, and spacious for us all. We were blessed to have a really good group where everyone mingled amongst each other and all got along really well. The Asmaa is a boat that can support 20 divers and we were only running with 14 so that may have made a difference in the comfort level. The briefings/drill regarding maritime safety were thorough enough without being cumbersome, and it made it clear that Emperor Divers takes safety very, very seriously. At no point did we ever feel as though something may have been an unsafe situation for the boat, crew, or her passengers.

The only downside? Having to disembark. I feel melancholic already for the memories created that for sure will last a lifetime.