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Hurghada submarine trips: the semi-submarine, prices and safety

The only Hurghada submarine trip running today is a semi-submarine: a boat with a windowed cabin about 3 m below the surface that never dives. The real submarine, Sindbad, sank in a fatal accident and has not returned.

Where on the coast

Hurghada Marina

What it is
A semi-submarine: boat on the surface, viewing cabin about 3 m down
Trip length
2 hours (15 min sail, ~45 min viewing, 30 min snorkel stop)
Departures
about 09:00, 11:00 and 15:00 (Royal Seascope)
Price
$15 direct without transfer; from $18 on GetYourGuide
Best for
Non-swimmers, toddlers, grandparents, the seasick
Bring
Passport or ID, towel, swimwear for the snorkel stop
Real submarine
None running: Sindbad sank on 27 March 2025

Updated 20 October 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Semi-submarines: what you can book

12 options · Prices checked on 20 October 2026

Boat

Length

Platform

See all trips on GetYourGuide →Also on Headout →Also on Tiqets →

A Hurghada submarine trip today means a semi-submarine. The hull stays on the surface; you walk down into a cabin in the keel with big windows, sit about 3 m below the waterline and watch the reef slide past. It never dives. That makes it the gentlest way to see coral around Hurghada: no swimming, no mask, and one of the shortest crossings of any reef trip. It is not a dive and not a true submarine, and anyone who sells it as one is overselling.

Semi-submarine Hurghada: what you actually see

The best-known semi-submarines in Hurghada are the yellow Royal Seascope boats of Egypt Sun Marine, a fleet group headquartered in Sharm El Sheikh with a base in Hurghada (see our Egypt Sun Marine review). Their listing titles say "submarine", but the boat is a semi-submarine.

The format is fixed and short. The boat leaves the marina, sails about 15 minutes to a reef, and spends around 45 minutes cruising slowly over it while you watch from the air-conditioned cabin about 3 m below the surface. Then it stops for 30 minutes so that anyone who wants to can snorkel with a guide; soft drinks, a lifejacket and snorkel gear are included. There is a toilet on board and no lunch. Boats carry 40–77 guests.

What you see from 3 m down is the top of the reef, fish at eye level and divers or snorkelers from the boat. Visitors praise it as an easy family outing and complain about two things: the view is limited compared with snorkeling (you are looking through glass at one level of the reef), and the photographer on board pushes the photo package hard. Both are fair. Go knowing it is a gentle look at the reef, not a dive.

Royal Seascope Hurghada: departures and how a trip runs

Royal Seascope runs three departures a day, at about 09:00, 11:00 and 15:00, each lasting 2 hours. Its own Hurghada page lists the three slots; ignore any line that promises four trips. The boats board at Hurghada Marina (Sakkala) — resellers mention a numbered platform, so check your voucher for the pontoon. Royal Seascope also runs from Makadi Bay and from El Gouna.

Royal Seascope, morning departure

  1. Boat leaves the marinaBring passport or ID: the operator lists it

  2. At the reef, viewing from the cabinAfter about 15 minutes of sailing; about 45 minutes, roughly 3 m below the surface

  3. Snorkel stop30 minutes with a guide; gear and lifejacket included

  4. Back at the marinaThen the drive back to the hotel

The 15:00 departure is a useful afternoon option after a morning by the pool. On platform bookings with transfer, the pick-up time is usually confirmed the day before. If you want a longer, slower afternoon on the water instead, see half-day and sunset trips.

Hurghada Marina1Makadi Bay2Abu Tig Marina3
  1. 1Hurghada MarinaMarinaMap ↗
  2. 2Makadi BayResort · 40 min by roadMap ↗
  3. 3Abu Tig MarinaMarinaMap ↗
Circles: islands and beaches; diamonds: reefs; squares: marinas; round squares: towns and resorts. Coral pink: reefs. · © OpenStreetMap contributors

Semi-submarine Hurghada price: direct vs platforms

Egypt Sun Marine's own price for the Hurghada Royal Seascope starts at $15, without hotel transfer. Dolphin World (the captive dolphinarium in Makadi Bay, part of the same sales network) resells the same semi-submarine on its site and lists $20 adult and $10 for children 4–12 with a round-trip transfer. On the platforms the Hurghada departure is from about $21–22 with pick-up in most options. The difference is essentially the taxi: if you are staying near the marina, booking direct and walking there is the cheapest way; from a hotel further out, the platform price with transfer is fair value.

The operator's Hurghada page lists the $5 national-park fee among its inclusions. On a platform listing, check whether the fee is included; Headout's Hurghada Royal Seascope listing says entry and national-park fees are included.

Price check The Royal Seascope semi-submarine with a snorkel stop on more than one platform Difference: $1
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Headout From Hurghada: Royal Seascope Submarine Cruise with Snorkeling & Optional Hotel Transfers · 2 h 4.6 (124) $21 Lowest See on Headout
GetYourGuide Hurghada: Royal Seascope Submarine Cruise with Snorkel Stop · 2 h 4.4 (5,599) $22 See on GetYourGuide

Lowest price per person in US dollars, checked on 20 October 2026. Boat, island, lunch, pick-up area and what is included differ between listings: open each one before you pay.

Today the two platforms are within a dollar of each other for the Hurghada departure; check which pick-up area each option covers before you choose. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead is GetYourGuide's default rule, and the Headout listing also offers it, but read the terms on the option you pick.

Fees and tickets
WhatPriceNotes
Royal Seascope semi-submarine — direct, HurghadaUSD 15Operator's own "from" price, transfer not included; USD 20 (child 4–12 USD 10) with round-trip transfer via Dolphin World's site. egyptsunmarine.com ↗

Checked on 20 October 2026. Many boat trips include the island or park fee, many don't: read the listing.

Panorama submarine Hurghada and the other semi-submarines

Not every semi-submarine in Hurghada is a Royal Seascope. Several listings use names like "Panorama" or "Panoramic" for the same type of boat from other fleets; they are semi-submarines too, and the listings do not name the boat company.

  • Panoramic Semi-Submarine Cruise with Snorkeling (Hurghada, 3 hours with hotel pick-up) is a semi-submarine with a snorkel stop, rated 4.5 from over 1,300 reviews.
  • Safaga/Makadi Bay: Panorama Submarine runs in Makadi Bay and collects guests from Safaga and Sahl Hasheesh, which saves the drive to Hurghada Marina. Rated 4.5.
  • From Safaga: Royal Seascope also snorkels in Makadi Bay, not off Safaga — it is the Makadi boat with a Safaga pick-up.
  • From El Gouna: Royal Seascope is the local departure for guests in El Gouna.
  • Luxury Catamaran Semi Submarine & Sunset is a different product: it starts at 11:00 and runs 7–8 hours with a catamaran, a semi-submarine section, an island stop and the sunset at sea.

If you are staying in Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh or Safaga, book the Makadi departure: Headout sells the Makadi Royal Seascope from $16, and you avoid a drive of 30–50 minutes each way to Hurghada Marina.

Which semi-submarine to book

1

Guests in Hurghada town

The original Royal Seascope from Hurghada Marina, 2 hours with a snorkel stop. Rated 4.4 from more than 5,500 reviews, the most of any semi-submarine here.

2

Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh and Safaga guests

The same Royal Seascope format from Makadi Bay, with optional hotel transfer, from $16.

3

El Gouna guests

Royal Seascope's El Gouna departure, so you skip the drive to Hurghada.

4

Families who want a longer outing

A 3-hour semi-submarine trip with hotel pick-up and snorkeling; the listing does not name the boat company.

Who the semi-submarine suits, and who should skip it

The semi-submarine is the right choice for non-swimmers, small children and anyone nervous of deep water: you stay dry, the boat is big, and the operator describes it as suitable for all ages. It is also the best option for the seasick. The sail to the reef is only about 15 minutes, compared with 45 minutes or more to the Giftun islands on a yacht, and the boat cruises slowly while you watch.

It suits grandparents and people with limited mobility better than most boat trips, but ask about the steps down into the cabin before you book. For a family day that combines a semi-submarine with other things, see Hurghada with children.

Skip it if you can snorkel. Thirty minutes on a good reef with a mask shows you more than 45 minutes behind glass, and a full island day with two reef stops costs from about $26 (see the best snorkeling spots). Skip it too if you want depth: a semi-submarine gives you the reef top, not the wall. For depth, the honest option is an intro dive with an instructor.

Glass-bottom boats and the Nefertari

Glass-bottom boats are a simpler version: a panel in the hull rather than a cabin below the waterline. Around Hurghada they mostly come bundled with island trips. Headout's Utopia listing includes a glass-bottom boat, and a Makadi dive centre sells glass-boat trips at €20 per person or €110 for a private glass boat for up to six.

Egypt Sun Marine also runs the Nefertari, a pharaonic-style boat with an underwater viewing platform, sold "from Makadi Bay" at $85 direct; a Nefertari morning or sunset cruise with pick-up is listed on GetYourGuide. It is a themed half day rather than a reef trip.

Hurghada submarine accident: what happened to Sindbad

Until March 2025 Hurghada had a real passenger submarine. Sindbad, run by Sindbad Submarines, was a Finnish-built submarine that took up to 44 passengers down to about 25 m, on a trip of about three hours door to door.

On 27 March 2025, at about 10:00, the Sindbad tourist submarine sank off Hurghada, close to shore in front of a hotel, while preparing to dive. Six Russian tourists, two of them children, died; 39 tourists were rescued. Fifty people were on board: 45 tourists and 5 crew. A technical committee found that water leaked in while it prepared to dive, through negligence in maintenance and safety procedures. In January 2026 a Hurghada court sentenced the captain to two years in prison and the maintenance manager to six months. Reporting: Al Jazeera and the summary on Wikipedia.

Sindbad is not operating. There is no announcement that trips will restart, and no real submarine trip is bookable in Hurghada. Some reseller sites still show Sindbad with a price: those pages are out of date, so do not pay for one. Our Sindbad Submarine page covers the case in more detail.

The semi-submarines are a different type of vessel: they stay at the surface and never dive. They are the nearest thing to a submarine trip in Hurghada today, but they are comparable, not the same.

Hurghada submarine trips: more listings

See all trips on GetYourGuide →Also on Headout →Also on Tiqets →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

Questions about the Hurghada submarine

Is there a real submarine in Hurghada?

Not at the moment. Sindbad, the only real passenger submarine, sank on 27 March 2025 and has not restarted. Every "submarine" trip you can book in Hurghada now is a semi-submarine, which stays at the surface with a viewing cabin about 3 m down.

How much is the semi-submarine in Hurghada?

Royal Seascope's direct price from Hurghada starts at $15 without transfer; Dolphin World's site lists $20 adult and $10 per child (4–12) with transfer. On GetYourGuide and Headout, the established semi-submarine listings start from about $16–22 depending on the departure.

How long is the Royal Seascope semi-submarine trip?

Two hours: about 15 minutes to the reef, about 45 minutes of viewing from the cabin and a 30-minute snorkel stop. Departures are at about 09:00, 11:00 and 15:00; hotel pick-up adds time either side.

Is the semi-submarine in Hurghada safe?

The semi-submarine does not dive: the hull floats and you sit in a cabin just below the waterline, with lifejackets on board for the snorkel stop. The fatal Hurghada submarine accident involved Sindbad, a true submarine. As on any boat, book a known operator and carry your passport.

Is the semi-submarine good for children and non-swimmers?

Yes. It is the best reef view for toddlers and non-swimmers, the operator says it suits all ages, and the 15-minute sail is one of the shortest of any reef trip. Children can stay in the cabin while the rest of the family snorkels.

What is the Panorama submarine in Hurghada?

"Panorama" and "Panoramic" are names other fleets use for their semi-submarines, including one that runs in Makadi Bay with pick-ups from Safaga and Sahl Hasheesh. They work like Royal Seascope; the listings do not name the boat company.

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