I'm going to new shores: My first liveaboard in Egypt is coming up. It goes on a north tour through the Red Sea with the liveaboard Seawolf Felo. I'm really excited: The world-famous wreck of the Thistlegorm is on the program. And the highlight of this trip: Sidemount diving is done on board and participants willing to learn can take a sidemount course. What is there to discover? And how is a diving safari in Egypt with Seawolf? In this post I am sharing my Egypt liveaboard experience with you.

Advertising / press trip.

In Hurghada we gather at the marina and check in on the Seawolf Felo, my first diving safari Egypt is pending. I'm pretty excited because, for one thing, we're going to spend a whole week exclusively on the liveaboard. The highlight of this Egypt liveaboard in the Red Sea: I will learn sidemount diving. I start the course together with my colleagues Jan Bigge from Oldenburg and Dariusz Rosa from Poland.

We become friends immediately and are docile students because we don't learn side tank diving from just anyone, but from the well-known diving instructor Axel Früh. At the end of the week we will be certified SSI Recreational Sidemount Divers with a little skill. My side bottle mentor Axel Früh was involved in the conception of this beginners course.

Diving safari in Egypt with certain advantages – Learn on the Seawolf Felo Sidemount

But first the theory, then the pleasure. For two evenings during the liveaboard, Axel explains the most important sidemount information to us. He clearly shows us the equipment, the advantages, tricks and safety instructions for this type of diving. Of course we do with the normal one diving equipment already our first dives at shallow and relaxed dive sites. Side-bottle diving is not a new invention, but it is currently very much in vogue, especially with younger divers.

“The focus is clearly on the safety aspect of sidemount diving! The diver has full control over his system at all times, ”explains the 40-year-old sidemount guru and former dive shop owner. You can easily get to the cylinder valves and act yourself if necessary. To me, the difference between classic and sidemount diving seems a bit like between skiing and snowboarding - the latter simply has the cooler image.

Advanced users describe the advantages of sidemount diving, especially during a diving safari in Egypt or elsewhere in the world: “You have Diving a better location on the water and a completely new feeling of freedom,” reports Jan Bigge. The 25-year-old is already an experienced sidemount diver who has already logged 70 dives with the special jacket and the two 12 liter tanks. Nevertheless, he takes the course because the Oldenburger does not yet have a certification. I, on the other hand, am still a complete beginner, but that will change very quickly.

What you should know about Egypt

My travel reports & blog posts about the land of the pharaohs

Blog| Travelogue | points of interest & sights | Most beautiful regions | Hotels | the quseir | Makadi Bay | Marsa Alam | Safaga | Sharm El Sheikh | Soma Bay | Jog | Diving | snorkeling | animals | turtles | Hedge | Dolphins | manatees

Video – Liveaboard with the Seawolf Dominator

By downloading the video you accept the privacy policy of YouTube.
Read more

Load video

Always unlock YouTube

Book your well-deserved vacation now!

Book your dream vacation now at favorable conditions on the renowned booking portal HolidayCheck – top rated by Stiftung Warentest (01/2024). Click and browse now!

Related Articles

Exercises on board the Seawolf Felo – Egypt diving safari with a learning effect

We kneel with the right leg on the large diving platform at the stern of the Seawolf Felo, the left leg remains bent. The friendly Egyptian Nazra from the staff hands me a 12-liter aluminum bottle and cleverly clips it into my minimalist sidemount harness, which basically only consists of a couple of straps and a bladder for taring. I get up a little awkwardly while the left bottle dangles by my side. Nazra hands me the second bottle. I grab it and jump into the water with the compressed air tank in hand, because there it is easier to hang the bottle into the system. We let the air out of the jacket - or rather the bladder - and slide down. I am thrilled from the first moment, because the water situation is not only much more pleasant, you also have the feeling of being in full control of your diving equipment from the first moment - taring is child's play!

Our first dive during the liveaboard takes us sidemount beginners to the wreck of the Ulysses off Little Gubal Island. The freighter, which sank in 1887, is not only an adventure playground that is easy to dive and beautifully overgrown with corals, but thanks to ideal conditions with a maximum depth of 25 meters it is also the ideal place to do the exercises for the course. Situations in which you take a breath from your buddy or give him air. And changing the regulator must also be tried out, because you breathe out of both bottles alternately in order to maintain balance. Putting on and taking off the bottles in the water is also practiced. The exercises are easy and fun for a reasonably experienced diver.

So after just a few minutes we can explore the wreck and fully enjoy the advantages of the technology. The first dive with the side tank configuration is a blessing as we easily stay underwater for over an hour, diving through the rusty, beautifully overgrown steel skeleton of the ship so that no detail is lost.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• TikTok

Follow me too Xing, TripAdvisor and Threads!

Follow me on Instagram now

stick with Travel Blog Just-Wanderlust.com and @strandkind_co always up to date and just follow me on Instagram!

Liveaboard makes it possible – long dives on the Egypt diving safari

Once started, there is no stopping for us Sidemounter! Many of the other guests only occasionally dive with the pressure tanks on the side or just use the monoflask. That's why Dariusz, Jan and I are lovingly called "the sidemount crew" by the others. We are the first to go into the water during the entire dive safari and often come out last. When we reach the world famous "Thistlegorm" with the "Seawolf Felo", we are for a while the only ones on the otherwise highly frequented wreck - and the conditions are so good that we can spend a whopping 24 hours at this sensational dive site ,

We are slowly approaching the historic cargo ship that was sunk by two German fighter bombers in October 1941. On our first dive, we respectfully approach the wreck from the outside by getting within 35 meters of the propeller and the rudder, behind which lives a huge spotted grouper. Then the right shoulder goes back over the upper deck – and that alone is quite something! Not only that on the left there are countless trevally and tuna hunting in the blue water. The superstructure of the freighter that loaded war goods is also impressive:

On deck, the train carriages are still in the position in which they were once parked. The visibility is good, so we have a panoramic view of the entire steamer, including the bomb impact crater amidships. You can get a bird's eye view of the interior of the "Thistlegorm" from the wide loading hatches and get an idea of ​​what adventures lurk in the holds and deeper decks. The “Blue Thistle”, as the “Thistlegorm” is translated in German, stimulates the imagination!

Diving safari in Egypt in the north - two days on the wreck of the famous Thistlegorm

A lot has already been written about this legendary wreck, but you simply have to see it with your own eyes: There are trucks in the holds loaded with motorcycles, jeeps and armored cars, and everything is full of rubber boots. In the wreck we can exploit the advantages of sidemount diving perfectly: Thanks to the double cylinder, we feel safe and can also dive into the narrower spaces up to a depth of 38 meters, past English military equipment from the Second World War, which is now in the depths and Darkness seems almost spooky.

If we can't fit through a hole in the wall, we take the bottles off and can make ourselves so thin that we can still get through. You feel safe in the sidemount configuration. If something happens now, you'll still have the second bottle - you'll be more daring than with a mono bottle. After 24 hours on the wreck, we have completed five dives - including an exhilarating night dive - lasting an average of 70 minutes, and now know every square inch of the world-famous scrap metal. During the five days at sea, Dariusz, Jan and I spend more time under water in one go than ever before. The only limits are the diving computer and our personal feeling of cold.

Special Sidemount Tour – This liveaboard in the Red Sea is unique

This tour came about because Monika Hofbauer 2014 has taken a workshop at Axel: "Since I am still an avid and curious diver, I have made 2014 a sidemount course at Axel. During the course, we came up with the idea for this sidemount safari, "says the owner of Omneia Tauchreisen. And the route is not coincidental either: "We chose the northern route because there are quiet places to try it out and great wrecks where you can experience the advantages of sidemount diving up close," said the native of Munich.

A lot has already been written about this legendary wreck, but you simply have to see it with your own eyes: There are trucks in the holds loaded with motorcycles, jeeps and armored cars, and everything is full of rubber boots. In the wreck we can exploit the advantages of sidemount diving perfectly: Thanks to the double cylinder, we feel safe and can also dive into the narrower spaces up to a depth of 38 meters, past English military equipment from the Second World War, which is now in the depths and Darkness seems almost spooky. If we can't fit through a hole in the wall, we take the bottles off and can make ourselves so thin that we can still get through.

You feel safe in the sidemount configuration. If something happens now, you'll still have the second bottle - you'll be more daring than with a mono bottle. After 24 hours on the wreck, we have done five dives - including an exciting night dive - lasting an average of 70 minutes, and now know every square centimeter of the world-famous scrap metal. In the five days at sea, Dariusz, Jan and I spend so much time underwater at once , like never before. The only limits are the diving computer and our personal feeling of cold.

This tour came about because Monika Hofbauer 2014 has taken a workshop at Axel: "Since I am still an avid and curious diver, I have made 2014 a sidemount course at Axel. During the course, we came up with the idea for this sidemount safari, "says the owner of Omneia Tauchreisen. And the route is not coincidental either: "We chose the northern route because there are quiet places to try it out and great wrecks where you can experience the advantages of sidemount diving up close," said the native of Munich.

“I came from Poland specifically to learn sidemount diving,” reports former pilot Dariusz. “After the first few attempts with the new configuration, I really became addicted!” reports the 54-year-old Pole. I can only agree: My sidemount career started on this northern tour in the Red Sea and will definitely continue. Because no matter where we dive, we can lie in the water with the side tanks deeply relaxed and have a practically unlimited supply of air - this way we can enjoy the fantastic classic spots twice or three times over!

Data and facts – diving safari ship Seawolf Felo

Seawolf Felo	DATA & FACTS
Year	March 2010 - annual general overhaul
Longer and wider	39 meters and 8,6 meters
Equipment	There are 12 liter aluminum and steel bottles on board; Compressors: 2 x Bauer 320 l Nitrox compressor Bauer 500 l / min; Nitrox up to 32% in the 12L bottle
Staterooms	Eight double cabins on the lower deck, each with their own bathroom, individually adjustable air conditioning and minibar. On the upper deck there are two suites with king-size beds, also with their own bathrooms, individually adjustable air conditioning and a minibar. A royal suite with a king-size bed is located on the main deck with its own bathroom, individually adjustable air conditioning and a minibar.
Meals	Buffet (also vegetarian), fruits, coffee machine (cappuccino and espresso for a surcharge), beer and wine (for a surcharge)
Dinghies	Two Zodiacs with 40 hp outboards each are available.

Have you ever been on a liveaboard safari in Egypt with Seawolf? And are you planning your first Egypt liveaboard? Share your experiences in the comments.