Can a Red Sea liveaboard really work as a family holiday, particularly if not everyone in the family dives?
With Emperor’s new Southern Red Sea Family Adventure, the answer is yes.
Launching aboard Emperor Asmaa in August 2027, this seven-night itinerary has been created specifically for families who want to experience a Red Sea liveaboard together.
It is not simply a traditional diving itinerary that allows children onboard. The route, daily schedule and activities have been designed around family time, giving experienced divers, young divers, beginners and snorkellers the opportunity to share the same Red Sea adventure.
A family liveaboard with a different pace
Traditional Red Sea liveaboards are understandably focused on diving, often involving early starts, up to four dives a day and longer sailings between sites.
The Southern Red Sea Family Adventure takes a different approach.
Later starts, shorter sailings and mainly coastal dive sites create a more relaxed daily schedule. Typically, families can expect three dives rather than four, alongside snorkelling, free time and activities onboard.
That doesn’t mean compromising on the diving. Certified divers can still expect typically 16+ dives during the seven-night trip, weather permitting. It simply means that the number of dives isn’t the only measure of a great day.
Dolphins, turtles and the marine life of the Southern Red Sea
For younger guests in particular, some of the week’s biggest highlights may happen with a mask and snorkel rather than a scuba tank.
The itinerary provides opportunities to snorkel responsibly with wild spinner dolphins and encounter green turtles, alongside colourful coral reefs and the huge variety of fish and smaller marine life found in the Southern Red Sea. Divers can also enjoy swim-throughs, macro life and small wrecks along the route.
Importantly for families where not everyone dives, approximately 85% of the sites visited also offer snorkelling opportunities. That means snorkellers can experience many of the same locations as the divers rather than spending much of the holiday apart.
What age can children join a Red Sea liveaboard?
Children can join the Southern Red Sea Family Adventure from eight years old.
The itinerary caters for different levels of underwater experience. Certified and young divers can dive within the limits of their qualifications, while Bubblemaker and Discover Scuba Diving experiences provide opportunities for those taking their first steps into scuba diving.
Entry-level courses such as PADI Open Water are not available onboard, although continuing education and PADI AWARE specialties are available.
And, of course, nobody has to dive. Snorkelling is an important part of the itinerary in its own right.
Turning the Red Sea into an underwater classroom
One of the defining features of the Family Adventure is that discovering the Red Sea doesn’t stop when everyone gets out of the water.
Marine life presentations and practical activities help younger guests – and their parents – learn more about what they have seen during the day.
Families can also work together on a marine life sightings challenge, identifying species encountered throughout the week and encouraging everyone to look a little more closely at what is happening beneath the surface.
It’s another way of making the liveaboard experience something the family shares, rather than dividing the holiday into activities for divers and activities for everyone else.
A small-group family adventure aboard Emperor Asmaa
The Southern Red Sea Family Adventure takes place aboard Emperor Asmaa, one of Emperor’s Red Sea liveaboards.
With only 18 berths, the boat provides an intimate setting for the week. A typical departure is expected to accommodate around four families, creating a small-group atmosphere both onboard and in the water.
The first Family Adventure departs on 21 August 2027.
No Hidden Extras for your family liveaboard
Planning the cost of a family holiday is much easier when you know what is included from the beginning.
Like all Emperor liveaboard itineraries, the Southern Red Sea Family Adventure is covered by our No Hidden Extras promise.
That means the advertised trip price already includes mandatory charges for:
- Marine park fees
- Port and harbour fees
- Nitrox
- Fuel charges
and there are no additional compulsory charges for these items added to the trip price later.
Is a Red Sea liveaboard right for your family?
If you have previously dismissed a liveaboard because your children are too young for a traditional dive-focused itinerary, not everyone in your family dives, or you simply want to spend more of your holiday together, the Southern Red Sea Family Adventure offers a different option.
It’s still a Red Sea liveaboard, with excellent diving and snorkelling at its heart. The difference is that the itinerary has been designed around the needs of the whole family, rather than expecting the family to fit around the diving.
You book your place on this fantastic trip through our website or via [email protected]. You can also find out more by emailing us or contacting our team via the live webchat.
