7-Day Red Sea Yacht Charter Itinerary: Hurghada to Sharm el Sheikh

Board in Hurghada or El Gouna, meet the crew and run through the safety and dive briefings. The Giftun islands lie just offshore, so the first afternoon is spent in the water rather than in transit.

Divers can do an easy check-out dive on the reefs around Giftun Kebir. Everyone else can swim straight off the back of the yacht over shallow coral.

Not diving? Take the tender to the white-sand beach at Mahmya on Giftun Kebir, or snorkel the shallow reef off the stern.

Head north to the reefs and sand islands around Gubal and Tawila, at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez. The water over the sand flats turns bright turquoise, and the reefs around Gubal have some of the best coral in the north.

This is a good day to settle into the rhythm of the week: a morning dive, a long lunch at anchor and a second swim before sunset.

Not diving? The shallow lagoons around the sand islands are made for snorkeling, paddleboarding and a walk along the beach.

The reef at Abu Nuhas, near Shadwan island, has sunk more ships than almost anywhere else in the Red Sea. Four wrecks lie along its northern side: the Carnatic, a Victorian steamship from 1869, and the Giannis D, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M.

The Carnatic and the Giannis D are the favorites, and both suit confident open-water divers in good conditions. The yacht anchors on the sheltered southern side of the reef for lunch and the night.

Not diving? The southern side of the reef is shallow and protected, with good snorkeling while the divers are on the wrecks.

The SS Thistlegorm was a British cargo ship sunk by German bombers in 1941, loaded with supplies for the North African campaign. Her holds still carry trucks, motorbikes, rifles and boots, and two railway locomotives lie on the seabed beside her.

She lies at around 30 meters at Sha'ab Ali, often in current, so this is a dive for experienced divers with a guide. The advantage of a private yacht is timing: anchor nearby the night before and dive at first light, before the day boats arrive.

Not diving? There is little to see from the surface over the wreck itself, so the yacht moves to a sheltered reef at Sha'ab Ali for a late-morning swim.

Cross the Strait of Gubal to Ras Mohammed, the national park at the southern tip of the Sinai. The crossing can be lively when the north wind blows, so the captain picks the time of day.

Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are the headline dives: a coral wall that drops into deep blue, and the scattered cargo of the Yolanda, a freighter that sank here in 1980. Big schools of fish gather off the point in summer.

Not diving? The park's sheltered bays have shallow reefs for snorkeling, with the Sinai mountains behind.

Run north to the Straits of Tiran, where four reefs sit in a line between the Sinai and Tiran island: Gordon, Thomas, Woodhouse and Jackson. The currents bring in pelagic fish and keep the coral in excellent condition.

These are drift dives, timed with the tide and guided. In the afternoon the yacht drops back south to a quiet anchorage for the evening.

Not diving? Snorkel the sheltered side of Gordon Reef on a calm morning, or stay aboard while the divers drift.

Spend the last day on the reefs along the Sharm el Sheikh coast, such as Ras Um Sid and Temple, with an easy dive or swim in the morning and a slow afternoon.

Have a last dinner aboard and spend the night in Sharm el Sheikh. On your final morning you disembark, a short drive from Sharm el Sheikh's international airport.

Not diving? This is a good day for a beach club or a trip into the Sinai mountains, arranged through the crew.