ACT: Aug/Spe 09 - you missed the tigers by 4-5 weeks.... 
(we missed them by 2)
This was more of an excursion-holiday trip for people working in Dahab and som DMTs just finished their course... I would of course not recommend any "tourists" travelling to Dahab taking the trip to Marsa from Dahab... but we wanted to get away and see some new sites... nice to see something new for a change... you do get tired of the sites in Dahab eventually.. and its nice to drive around the coast and see the different places..
We only had time for two early morning dives at elphinstone, and only saw one shark /(then again; how often do you see a shark in Dahab????), some of the other sites was also quite dissaponting, like Abu Dabbab, there were no turtles, guitar sharks, or dugongs there... we spent 70 minutes zigzagging shallow and searched the place systematically, saw nothing but seagrass... actually the house reef at Shargra was one of the best sites... but the reefs are more healthy and the density of life is higher in Marsa, to my opinion. Also, the sites are to some degree at least visited by more experienced divers so one is more "free" to do what one want..
If you go to Hurghada (and have dived a majority of the sites there before), and you have the time (4 days extra, what ever) my opinion is that you should definately take the trip to Marsa if you have not been there before... it is the best diving in the red sea in my opinion.. but then again its "all about diving" down there as far as I could tell, no hed kandi, no marina, no buddha bar, no pacha, no restaurants, live bands, traffic and "city life"... only diving, eating, sleeping at well organized resorts..
I loved the current at Elphinstone.. but then again I like the currents in the Phillipines too..
(we missed them by 2)
This was more of an excursion-holiday trip for people working in Dahab and som DMTs just finished their course... I would of course not recommend any "tourists" travelling to Dahab taking the trip to Marsa from Dahab... but we wanted to get away and see some new sites... nice to see something new for a change... you do get tired of the sites in Dahab eventually.. and its nice to drive around the coast and see the different places..
We only had time for two early morning dives at elphinstone, and only saw one shark /(then again; how often do you see a shark in Dahab????), some of the other sites was also quite dissaponting, like Abu Dabbab, there were no turtles, guitar sharks, or dugongs there... we spent 70 minutes zigzagging shallow and searched the place systematically, saw nothing but seagrass... actually the house reef at Shargra was one of the best sites... but the reefs are more healthy and the density of life is higher in Marsa, to my opinion. Also, the sites are to some degree at least visited by more experienced divers so one is more "free" to do what one want..
If you go to Hurghada (and have dived a majority of the sites there before), and you have the time (4 days extra, what ever) my opinion is that you should definately take the trip to Marsa if you have not been there before... it is the best diving in the red sea in my opinion.. but then again its "all about diving" down there as far as I could tell, no hed kandi, no marina, no buddha bar, no pacha, no restaurants, live bands, traffic and "city life"... only diving, eating, sleeping at well organized resorts..
I loved the current at Elphinstone.. but then again I like the currents in the Phillipines too..
