Hurghada has a great many companies selling boat days, and most booking pages never tell you which one runs your boat. This directory reviews the names that matter: the boat operators behind the most-booked listings, the attractions sold alongside them, the dive centres that take snorkelers, the local agencies and the hotel desks. Each review says what the company really is now, what it sells, how to book it and what to book instead if it no longer trades.
We do not accept payment for reviews, and the scores are our own. Where a company sells nothing on the booking platforms, the review says so and points to a comparable trip.
How Hurghada boat trips are sold
A Hurghada snorkel day usually passes through several hands before it reaches you:
- The boat owner or operator. A company with licensed boats, crew and snorkel guides. Some, such as Zanetta, also sell under their own brand; others, such as Royal Cruise Hurghada, are brands whose trips a partner company runs.
- The agency. A local office or website that sells seats on other companies' boats. Egypt Excursions Online, for example, resells the Go Shalabi 6-islands speedboat; its pick-up bus carries the GoShalabi logo.
- The platform or the hotel desk. GetYourGuide, Headout and Tiqets list the trip online; tour operators such as TUI sell it through the rep or the hotel desk.
The same boat can be on sale through all of them at different prices. Most platform listings do not name the boat company, and we only link a listing to an operator where the evidence is clear. The booking platforms guide explains the contracts, the cancellation rules and who refunds you when the port closes.
Boat operators
The five companies behind many of the most-booked Hurghada island days.
- Royal Cruise Hurghada sells a "luxury" Orange Bay day with one massage per guest and 75 minutes on the beach; its trips are run by a partner aqua centre. Cheaper on its own site than on GetYourGuide.
- Go Shalabi is an excursion company with an office on the old Sheraton Road, known for the 6-islands speedboat. "6 islands" means beaches, sandbanks and reef stops; lunch and a reserve fee are extra.
- Zanetta Tours, a German-market company, runs the budget Orange Bay day with about two hours ashore, at the same price direct and on GetYourGuide.
- Egypt Sun Marine runs the yellow Royal Seascope semi-submarines, plus themed and VIP boats. Its head office is in Sharm El Sheikh.
- Paradise Island Hurghada is a seller name for Hula Hula trips, not the Paradise beach on Giftun, and has no working website.
Attractions
Venues sold with boat days, and the one "submarine" you can no longer book.
- Sindbad Submarine was a real passenger submarine. It sank off Hurghada on 27 March 2025 and has not run since. Nothing replaces it; the semi-submarines are a different, shallower experience.
- Dolphin World is a captive dolphinarium in Makadi Bay, not the wild Dolphin House reef. The review covers the welfare criticism and the wild alternatives.
- Hurghada Grand Aquarium on Villages Road is a big aquarium with a mini zoo: a good plan for a windy day with children.
Dive centres that take snorkelers
Dive centres sell snorkel places on their day boats: smaller, calmer groups, with the timetable built around the divers. Their prices are direct, in euros, plus a daily reef or permit tax of €5–7.
- Colona Divers moved from El Gouna to Zahabia Beach in Hurghada; snorkel day €28 with lunch.
- Blue Paradise on the Corniche sells a snorkel day without lunch; lunch and tax are extra.
- James & Mac at the Giftun Azur Resort is a German-speaking centre; non-divers pay €25 plus a permit.
- Emperor Divers no longer has a day centre in Hurghada or El Gouna; from this area it runs liveaboards only.
- Divers' Lodge: website dead, still listed by CDWS at the Hilton Hurghada Resort. Contact the hotel before you go.
- Easy Divers is effectively closed; its old domain now belongs to an unrelated site.
Local agencies
Online and local agents who sell seats on other companies' boats.
- Hurghada Excursions reviews hurghada-excursions.com, run by GTT Travel & Tourism. The name is shared by unrelated sites, so check which one you are on.
- Hurghada Lovers is a pay-on-the-day agency: cash to the guide, free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It is not the black-listed Sea Lovers.
- Egypt Excursions Online is an online agent whose prices run above same-titled platform listings, with strict refund rules.
Hotel excursion desks
The hotel desks review compares the TUI excursions sold in Hurghada hotels (supplied by Travco Group for Tourism, with published prices, insurance and a 24-hour refund rule) with Anex, which publishes no prices online.
Names that get confused
Hurghada's company names overlap in ways that cost people money. The ones we see most:
- Royal Seascope vs Sindbad. Royal Seascope is a semi-submarine: the hull stays at the surface and you look out from about 3 m down. Sindbad was a real submarine; it is not running. Any site still selling a "Sindbad Submarine" trip is out of date.
- Royal Seascope vs Royal Cruise Hurghada. Unrelated brands that happen to share a word.
- Paradise Island (the beach) vs Paradise Island Hurghada (the seller). The beach is on the south tip of Giftun Kebir; the seller sells Hula Hula days.
- Dolphin House vs Dolphin World. Dolphin House is a wild reef at sea; Dolphin World is a pool show in Makadi.
- Hurghada Lovers vs Sea Lovers. Sea Lovers' website is on the CDWS black list.
- Easy Divers vs Easy Day. Easy Divers is closed. We could not find a business trading as Easy Day Hurghada; check any seller in the CDWS directory.
What to check before you pay
Safety standards on Red Sea boats vary. The UK government's Egypt travel advice recommends booking through your resort or approved agents and asking for a proper safety briefing. Incidents do happen: a dive-safari boat sank in the region in November 2024, and on 17 July 2026 a day boat caught fire near Little Giftun, with all 30 passengers evacuated by nearby boats. A known operator and insurance that covers sea rescue both matter.
Checking a Hurghada boat company
- Find the company or its hotel base in the CDWS member directory for snorkel providers or the diving-centre directory.
- Make sure the name and website are not on the CDWS black list, which includes Facebook pages, TikTok and Instagram sellers and private-boat sites.
- Ask how many snorkel guides will be in the water: the rule is one guide per 12 snorkelers.
- Read what is not included and ask what each cash charge is for.
- Get a receipt or a written booking with the company name, date, price and inclusions.
- Check that your travel insurance covers water sports and air or sea rescue.
GetYourGuideFull day
Hurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ Lunch
4.7 (9,195)
from $45Check dates
GetYourGuideFull day
Hurghada: 6 Islands Speedboat, Dolphin watching & Snorkeling
4.8 (2,710)
from $45Check dates
GetYourGuide4 h
Hurghada: Speedboat, Dolphins, Snorkeling & 2 Islands
4.6 (4,362)
from $45Check dates
GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay
Hurghada: Snorkeling 6 x 1 to Orange Bay w Diving & Massage
4.9 (1,398)
from $69Check dates
Prices checked on 20 October 2026
How we review Hurghada boat trip companies
Every review is built from the company's own website, its platform listings, the CDWS directory and black list, official sources and the Egyptian and international press. We check each company's current status: whether it still trades, where it is based now and what it sells. We never print phone numbers or licence numbers, and we only report what travellers say where a theme is clear across reviews. Prices on the booking platforms change daily; the cards show the live price.
The editorial score (1 to 5) is our judgement of the boats, the day as run, value, transparency about extras, ease of booking and safety information. It is not an average of customer ratings. Companies cannot pay for a review or a better score. See about us for how the site is funded.
Which are the best Hurghada boat trip companies?
It depends on the day you want. Zanetta gives about two hours on the beach for a budget price, Royal Cruise Hurghada a "luxury" day with extras such as a massage, Go Shalabi lively speedboat days and Egypt Sun Marine the semi-submarine. Read the reviews above for the trade-offs.
How do I know a Hurghada boat company is licensed?
Snorkel providers must be members of the CDWS (Chamber of Diving and Water Sports). Search the company or its hotel in the CDWS member directory and make sure it is not on the CDWS black list.
Is it safe to book a boat trip from a seller on the beach?
It can be, but you carry the checks and the risk yourself. Ask for the company name, look it up in the CDWS directory, get a receipt and know that if the trip is cancelled you have to chase the refund directly.
Who runs the boat on a GetYourGuide listing?
The local boat company; the platform acts as its agent. Most listings do not name the company. Our reviews link a listing to an operator only where the evidence is clear, such as identical trips on the operator's own website.
Can I still book the Sindbad submarine in Hurghada?
No. The Sindbad submarine sank off Hurghada and there is no announcement that trips will restart. The semi-submarines, such as Royal Seascope, still run, but they stay at the surface.