Mistral

Mistral is a 36-metre steel liveaboard built for photographers and tech divers. Eleven cabins sleep 22 guests. Its signature is a dedicated camera room on the dive deck, alongside a Haskel pump for gas blending and a nitrox membrane. On rotation the boat leans offshore and south. It runs the offshore Brothers-and-Daedalus circuit, the Deep South loop through Rocky Island, Zabargad and the St John's caves, and a Fury Shoal and St John's week. The dive deck takes twinsets and rebreathers, with tanks filled in place. Who does it suit? These are experienced-diver routes. The offshore and southern weeks want an Advanced card and around 50 logged dives, with comfort in drift and blue water. Individually controlled cabins and a large, well-organised deck round out the practical draw. Government park and port fees are collected by the crew rather than added at the marina. As across the fleet, expect a capable, well-equipped boat rather than a five-star finish.

Mistral sits at the photo and tech end of the fleet. A dedicated camera room on the dive deck and a Haskel gas-blending set-up mark it out for divers who bring rigs and mixed gas. The route set leans offshore and south, so the recurring frame is an experienced-diver boat that rewards drift and blue-water comfort. The camera room, individually controlled cabins and a large, well-organised deck come up as the practical selling points. Expect capable and well-equipped rather than five-star finish, the same note that runs across Tornado's hulls.