The well designed saloon/dining room is fully air-conditioned. This is where you’ll find the fully stocked bar, entertainment system with TV, DVD & video and a selection of books, magazines and DVD/video films. The upper sundeck, with sun beds, chairs and a BBQ grill, has been enlarged providing plenty of space both in and out of the sun.

Accommodation includes two twin cabins on the main deck and a further six on the lower deck. All are ensuite with individually controlled air-conditioning and loads of storage. The dive deck has also been opened up to offer plenty more kitting up space. New membrane compressors have been fitted to provide unlimited Nitrox. O2 can be pumped to 200bar and 15Litre and pony’s cylinders are available for hire. There is a good sized dive platform but most diving is from the RIBs.

Why Royal Emperor? …much loved among British Divers, Royal Emperor offers a comfortable platform to explore the Sudan’s remote reefs.

Sudan Discovery - 11 days

Day 1:- Depart Heathrow on Egypt Air's scheduled service to Cairo.
Day 2:- Arrive Cairo and transfer to Le Meridian Pyramids hotel. Possible excursion to the Pyramids & Cairo museum (offered locally). In the evening transfer to Cairo Airport for Sudan Airways scheduled service to Port Sudan.
Day 3-9:- 7 nights diving the Sudanese Red Sea. Departing from Port Sudan and diving Wingate Reef (Umbria), Sanganeb, Sha'ab Rumi and Sha'ab Su'adi (Blue Belt wreck).
Day 10:- The liveaboard returns to Port Sudan where you have the day to investigate the town and its market before your return flight to Cairo. On arrival transfer to the Sheraton Heliopolis or the Movenpick Hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 11:-Return flight with Egypt Air to London Heathrow.

Sudan Expedition - 18 days

Day 1:- Depart Heathrow on Egypt Air's scheduled service to Cairo.
Day 2:- Arrive Cairo and transfer to Le Meridian Pyramids hotel. Possible excursion to the Pyramids & Cairo museum (offered locally). In the evening transfer to Cairo Airport for Sudan Airways scheduled service to Port Sudan.
Day 3-16:- 14 nights diving the Sudanese Red Sea. Departing from Port Sudan and diving Wingate Reef, Sanganeb, Sha'ab Rumi, Sha'ab Su'adi, angarosh, Abington, Merlo and Ma'Sharriff.
Day 17:- The liveaboard returns to Port Sudan where you have the day to investigate the town and its market before your return flight to Cairo. On arrival transfer to the Sheraton Heliopolis or the Movenpick Hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 18:-Return flight with Egypt Air to London Heathrow.

Dive Sites of the Sudanese Red Sea.

Umbria Wreck - Wingate reef is just 35 minutes out of Port Sudan and is the resting place of the Umbria, arguably the Red Sea’s most photogenic wreck. Scuttled by the Italian crew in 1940, to avoid capture by the British, she was en route to Calcutta, via Eritrea, with a mixed cargo including over 350,000 bombs. She was also carrying tyres, wine and 3 Fiat Lagunas, all of which she took to the bottom with her. This 150m wreck lies at a max 40m over on her port side, her starboard side just breaking the surface. The funnel & mast have long since collapsed and life rafts are scattered on the seabed around her. An initial investigation can be done by snorkel, as there’s little current. The hull and handrails are heavily encrusted and the holds are open and easily entered. The starboard propeller is intact and clear of the bottom so makes for an excellent photo opportunity at 18m. Spanish Dancers, crabs, lobsters and small octopus have made their homes here and sharks are often seen prowling in open water.

Sanganeb Reef - Sanganeb is found about one and a half hours north of the "Umbria". This reef rises from 800m depth to the surface. There is a manned British built lighthouse towering 70m above the reef and divers and non-divers can enjoy a tour to the top to take photos of the glorious reef below. It is only 288 steps to the top!
The South plateau on Sanganeb is a fabulous dive and soft and hard corals with schooling Jack, Barracuda, Tuna and Snapper are abundant. Grey reef sharks cruise close by you with the occasional White Tip reef shark swimming past. There are sometimes Hammerheads, Silky and Oceanic White Tips here as well as occasional Manta rays.
The North plateau is an outstanding dive although potentially quite dangerous. This is a deep dive with a lower plateau at 45m where schooling Hammerheads are common. It is normal to see Grey Reef Sharks, Silvertips and White tips here. Where the boat anchors inside the lagoon there is often a huge pod of dolphins and it is normal to snorkel amongst them.

Sha'ab Rumi - Of any site in the Red Sea this one really captures the imagination. Some 25 miles North East from Port Sudan the reef here has a plateau at 9metres and a steep drop-off. In 1963, Jacques Cousteau ran his Conshelf II Underwater Living experiments here and 5 men spent a month underwater. Forty years later you can still swim amongst the remains of his village. Just a dark shadow from the boat, once underwater you begin to make out an onion-shaped structure standing on three legs. This is the submarine’s steel hangar, still airtight; divers’ bubbles have created an air pocket inside. Other debris includes shark cages and metal remains of the tool shed, all delicately encrusted with corals..

Sha'ab Su'adi & the Blue Belt Wreck - Thought to have been smuggling from Saudi Arabia, the cargo ship Blue Belt missed a passage through the reef and struck Sha’ab Su’adi in December 1977, 50 miles north of Port Sudan. She lies upturned at right angles to the reef her bow is on the sand at 18m and the stern at 70m plus. Loaded with cars, trucks, tractors and spares she’s known locally as the Toyota wreck. Remains of vehicles are scattered on the seabed around the wreck and make for some interesting rummaging.

Angarosh - Three sides are steep current swept walls while the southern side has a gently sloping reef. Sharks and schooling Barracuda may be seen here but the site is most famous for its Manta Ray..

Abington - Marked by a lighthouse this reef only just breaks the surface. Steep drop-offs on three sides while on the southeastern side coral gardens offer some lovely diving with good light. Reef sharks are common there’s also the chance of an occasional manta.

Merlo - A few miles south-west of Angarosh lies a reef called Merlo Reef. This reef is a kind of seamount and the bottom of the sea surrounding this reef is at 450 meter. The walls are sloping down easily.At the northern site of the reef a dive at the plateau is possible. Lovely hard and soft corals can be seen by the diver at coral pillars. At the western and eastern part of the reef holes will offer the smaller reef fish a place to hide.
A wreck of a live aboard dive boat called " the Freedom " can be seen form the surface and went down due to a navigation mistake in 1999. Within a few days all the valuable things were gone.

Ma'Sharriff - North of the small island of Mukawar lies the reef of Ma’Sharriff. This site is renowned for Mantas with a particularly high probability of sightings between March and May.

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