DevonDiver
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Dahab Diving; How do they get your money?
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Yeah, I used to dive like this all over the Sinai coast from Ras Mohammed all the way to Aqaba. Get tanks, hire pick up for the day (or the week or sometimes the month
) and dive dive dive. We also used to pitch tent and sleep wherever we liked, Nabeq being the favorite spot.
BUT, it was "a few years" too- in the late 80's early 90's. Nowadays it just ain't the same...
Whenever we get to Dahab we usually pay for the guide (or "transportation") and go diving at our own leisure, as we probably know the area better than most guides (not boasting, just that after more than 20 yeas one gets to know the place...) but we still get some smartass asking why we're diving without the guide (and that it is against the law and all that BS)- the general feeling is just bad.
Other than Dahab, we almost completely stopped shore diving from Sharm so liveaboards it is, and we are left to dive at own leisure there too, but when meeting other groups of divers we get the bad looks too...
In Aqaba we pay for "transportation fees", the guide waits on shore for us with hot tea and coffee and if we go there on winter then many times we are the only couple of divers to be seen in several km so nobody hassles or bothers us with the "where's your guide" bla bla.
And as I said, in Eilat you just team with buddy and go diving. Reefs are by far inferior, but you're free to dive at own leisure, and there's plenty of life if you're not looking for big game.
The diving is great, the local culture is too, and yes you need a guide. There are many operators to choose from and we can recommend some first hand.
I just returned from two weeks there, and there is a lot of info regarding the diving, the operators, and life in Egypt in general in my trip report. Plus links to quite a few recommended operators. Enjoy!
I just returned from two weeks there, and there is a lot of info regarding the diving, the operators, and life in Egypt in general in my trip report. Plus links to quite a few recommended operators. Enjoy!
2 weeks!?? You got all that done in two weeks?? Amazing. Great trip report.
And we find out who Crowley actually works for hahaha!
Yes indeed, an awesome trip, and ooops..sorry I "outed" Crowley!
The only reason you have to pay for a guide in Egypt is because you have to pay for a guide...
No - that was too cynical! My dive centre does allow people to dive independently but we do require a check dive of some sort (this might just be a fun dive with a buoyancy check), then preferably a day's diving with a guide and then - for the experienced diver, they can dive independently at certain locations. For the diver with extensive local experience, they can pretty much do what they like. Yes, of course, this process is about covering one's legal posterior, but then I could wander into any shop in the world and say "I have money, give me this", and the shopkeeper will say "show me the money"
Hmmm maybe using money as a metaphor was misguided but if I'm going to let you dive independently with my shop's gear, I'd like to check that you can actually do this, sorry!
Don't be put off by Dahab as a destination because you might have to go through this process, but for sure once you show you can do it, there are centres which will allow you dive without a guide - but then you also kinda need them to ferry you to the dive sites. You can of course, walk - or take a camel - to the Blue Hole, carrying all your equipment but hmmmm ... there is no "road" as such, and you technically need police permission to enter.
In America, you have to tip the bell boy 10 bucks for doing nothing. In Egypt you have to tip the police (and generate an inordinate amount of paperwork whilst doing so) to go to certain places.
Welcome to Egypt, have a nice day!
C.
Edit - PS - I got outed - malesh - please understand that I am here for me, not for them, and what I say does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organisation I work for. Except the good things, of course!
My arse is sufficiently covered, thanks for listening, although I feel I am losing my air as an international man of mystery...
No - that was too cynical! My dive centre does allow people to dive independently but we do require a check dive of some sort (this might just be a fun dive with a buoyancy check), then preferably a day's diving with a guide and then - for the experienced diver, they can dive independently at certain locations. For the diver with extensive local experience, they can pretty much do what they like. Yes, of course, this process is about covering one's legal posterior, but then I could wander into any shop in the world and say "I have money, give me this", and the shopkeeper will say "show me the money"
Hmmm maybe using money as a metaphor was misguided but if I'm going to let you dive independently with my shop's gear, I'd like to check that you can actually do this, sorry!
Don't be put off by Dahab as a destination because you might have to go through this process, but for sure once you show you can do it, there are centres which will allow you dive without a guide - but then you also kinda need them to ferry you to the dive sites. You can of course, walk - or take a camel - to the Blue Hole, carrying all your equipment but hmmmm ... there is no "road" as such, and you technically need police permission to enter.
In America, you have to tip the bell boy 10 bucks for doing nothing. In Egypt you have to tip the police (and generate an inordinate amount of paperwork whilst doing so) to go to certain places.
Welcome to Egypt, have a nice day!
C.
Edit - PS - I got outed - malesh - please understand that I am here for me, not for them, and what I say does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organisation I work for. Except the good things, of course!
My arse is sufficiently covered, thanks for listening, although I feel I am losing my air as an international man of mystery...
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C.
Edit - PS - I got outed - malesh - please understand that I am here for me, not for them, and what I say does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organisation I work for. Except the good things, of course!
My arse is sufficiently covered, thanks for listening, although I feel I am losing my air as an international man of mystery...
You're fine here man. Although if you worked for Camel Dive, that would be a different matter
Vassilis Vlachopoulos
Contributor
Although I enjoy Dahab better than Sharm (sorry Crowley), I have a couple of comments regarding costs in Dahab.
1. I would expect prices for shore diving (the norm in Dahab) to be substantially cheaper that boat diving (the norm in Sharm). However, this is not the case. In addition, to my experience, guided shore dives (in Dahab) are usually "shorter" than boat dives (in Sharm). When boat diving (in Sharm), we made dives close to 60min and those with good SAC rates were given the chance to spend some extra 10-15 minutes under the boat (or even drifting). This was never the case when shore diving in Dahab and I was often surfacing with 80-100 bars in my tank. Dear guides/DMs please understand that for us - customers, such bonuses really count !
2. I was really upset two weeks ago, when a restaurant near the Lighthouse charged me 170 LE for a kofta/kebab plate (which was not in the menu, so it was considered as a "special dish"). Note : the most expensive dish in the menu was 90 LE. When (after having paid the bill + tip) I expressed my feelings about this, the guy was rude to me.
1. I would expect prices for shore diving (the norm in Dahab) to be substantially cheaper that boat diving (the norm in Sharm). However, this is not the case. In addition, to my experience, guided shore dives (in Dahab) are usually "shorter" than boat dives (in Sharm). When boat diving (in Sharm), we made dives close to 60min and those with good SAC rates were given the chance to spend some extra 10-15 minutes under the boat (or even drifting). This was never the case when shore diving in Dahab and I was often surfacing with 80-100 bars in my tank. Dear guides/DMs please understand that for us - customers, such bonuses really count !
2. I was really upset two weeks ago, when a restaurant near the Lighthouse charged me 170 LE for a kofta/kebab plate (which was not in the menu, so it was considered as a "special dish"). Note : the most expensive dish in the menu was 90 LE. When (after having paid the bill + tip) I expressed my feelings about this, the guy was rude to me.
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The cost (what the dive operator incurs) of shore diving is not necessarily less than that of boat diving. Unlike the boat, which can transport some 20 guests, every 3 or so divers need a separate truck.
The duration of the dive depends largely on the dive operator you use. It's not the norm that Dahab dives are shorter than Sharm's. However, one point to be taken into consideration is that the water is colder in Dahab. Also navigating your way back to the boat in Sharm is usually less "troublesome" than navigation in Dahab, simply because, depending on the dive site, if you miss the proper exit on a shore dive, you might face real problems.
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