Rob... There arent that huge differences between the shops.... dont exhaust your self trying to find the "best of the best", live & learn.. book a day, if your not happy, try another one... Dahab is a small place..
personally I dive with Big Blue, then again the sites are fairly easy so basicly all Egyptian guides/Instructors (and some foreigners, but I dont know that many, obviously the foregneirs responding to you at this site has a lot of experience..) have worked there for many years and know the sites.
Gabr el bint is OK, but not "a must do dive" for a first visit... you'll have 10 good dives anyway... if business is slow (and many times it is ha ha) you might not get there by boat if you are only staying for a week. You might ask around if any of the dive centres have a planned and confirmed trip while your there though...
I would rather try to get to Abu Talha, Abu Helal ( if the tide allows it) because most often you have these sites for yourself and it always offers new things, caves, drop offs and untouched corals.
And a camel trip to Abu Galum. That might be easier to arrange since they dont need to fill up a boat..
enjoy your stay! You will return anyway, so you dont have to do all the sites at this trip
personally I dive with Big Blue, then again the sites are fairly easy so basicly all Egyptian guides/Instructors (and some foreigners, but I dont know that many, obviously the foregneirs responding to you at this site has a lot of experience..) have worked there for many years and know the sites.
Gabr el bint is OK, but not "a must do dive" for a first visit... you'll have 10 good dives anyway... if business is slow (and many times it is ha ha) you might not get there by boat if you are only staying for a week. You might ask around if any of the dive centres have a planned and confirmed trip while your there though...
I would rather try to get to Abu Talha, Abu Helal ( if the tide allows it) because most often you have these sites for yourself and it always offers new things, caves, drop offs and untouched corals.
And a camel trip to Abu Galum. That might be easier to arrange since they dont need to fill up a boat..
enjoy your stay! You will return anyway, so you dont have to do all the sites at this trip