A yacht charter on the Saudi side of the Red Sea now has two named places to start from. On 1 October 2026 the Saudi Red Sea Authority issued operating licences to AMAALA Marina and Shura Marina, both run by Red Sea Global. Together they hold 278 berths and take yachts up to 120 m (394 ft).
What this means for your charter
Until now the honest answer to “can we charter on the Saudi coast” was yes, in principle. The licences turn that into a plan: a yacht can be based at, or delivered to, a marina that is legally open to visiting yachts, with fuel, provisioning and customs handled on site.
- Shura Marina, 159 berths, on Shura Island at the heart of The Red Sea destination, the largest tourist marina on an island in Saudi Arabia. Shura is the hub island with the resorts, the golf course and the airport link.
- AMAALA Marina, 119 berths, part of the AMAALA Yacht Club further north, with a clubhouse of about 7,900 square metres and berths set aside for visiting superyachts.
The reefs the two marinas open up, the Al Wajh lagoon and the islands off Umluj, are the ones that have had almost no boats on them. That is the point of going.
What do you need to charter on the Saudi side?
Three things, and we arrange all of them with the yacht’s operator:
- a yacht licensed to charter in Saudi waters; the Saudi Red Sea Authority issues the charter licence, and in practice it is held by yachts of 24 m and up
- a Saudi visa for every guest; most European, North American and Gulf passports can apply for the eVisa online before travel
- a route that respects the protected zones; the Red Sea project is a nature reserve and the operators enforce no-anchor areas over coral
Alcohol is not served on board in Saudi waters. Clients who want the Saudi reefs and a bar usually split the week: Egypt or the open sea for part of it, Saudi for the rest.
Our take
The Saudi Red Sea is the one new cruising ground in the world where the water is this clear, the reefs this untouched and the season this long, November to April. It has been hard to recommend because nothing was open. Two licensed marinas with 278 berths is the first fixed fact. We expect the first charter seasons to be sold through the handful of yachts already based there rather than through boats repositioning from the Mediterranean, and we will list them here as they confirm.
What to do next
- Read what a Red Sea yacht charter costs, including the Saudi licence note
- See the largest yachts in the Red Sea and the catamarans
- Tell us your dates and whether Saudi, Egypt or both; we will say which yachts can do it
Last updated: October 2026
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