Haifa diving

[VeryBigFish]

Congrats, I've heard the excavations were great this year. Planned to spend a week there but couldn't make it.

I've only recently got to do some diving in Eilat after about 50 dives in the med. It was rather interesting to dive there.

How much time have you got for diving? If it's a few days go to Eilat, if you've got more (like a week) go for Sinai.

Yup... just finished 4 days in the red sea. The border controls were a headache but otherwise the diving was reasonably ok. I felt the the diving is similar to thailand in similans (at least in the northern red sea). Disappointed that I did not see the hammerheads at Tiran but oh well such is diving.

Can't wait to do the southern par of the redsea. the brothers, st johns...etc any recommendation on the time to go? I got conflicting information. The DMs were telling me the summer months June-August is good, calmer seas, but the really sea the big stuff november is the best. choppy waters but chances of seeing some big fish action is good. I am tired of reefs and fishes that are smaller than me. So november? Will it be too cold? I was diving with just a rashguard last week (24 C) and felt fine.

[VeryBigFish]

Been to Haifa but never had the time to dive there

Make sure you check out the Baiha'i gardens while you're there - amazing!

There are also some great views from the top of Mt Carmel, near the university

Oh and there's a very good israeli/arabic restaurant near the top of the cable car, I forget the name

haha.. I am living just 2 mins away from the Bahai... It is truely an impressive sight. I jog past there once in a while. Waiting for the flowers to bloom in winter in mount carmel nature reserve, heard it rivals the swiss alps in variety of wild flowers...

[BobSch]

Hay VbFish
Now is the time for diving!!!!!! Water temp 25C waves 50/70cm. Lets go dude! If you get this message tonight 6/11 I will be diving tomorrow morning at Putsker. So don't wait too long. The weather will most likely change next week some time. So lets do it!!!!!1
Rauven

[surfingkite]

Nice! bookmarked it! i will check it later. Thanks very much for sharing

[Cyber_Ghost]

Just came back from a few dives in Haifa, and the sites are getting better every year.
Dived the large barge, not much interesting wildlife to report there, but the site is great, lots of sections to penetrate, though I go only into those with at least 2 large exits.
A few of the more experienced techies decided to penetrate... was quite a laugh, 4-5 guys bunching up on the same opening, not much to see after they finished there...

Second site was the sunken Turkish cement ship. Spotted a whole nest of puffer fish and quite a few Filefish, rather large. I knew about the puffers in the med (a few ppl get poisoned every year from eating them) but the filefish were new to me, so very nice dive all in all.
Visibility around 10m, water temp 18-19c.

[jmendels]

Hello all!

Hope this thread isn't completely dead yet. Will be staying with my brother in Pardes Hanna in late December but will be in Israel alone for a few days between the 21 and 24th. I will have my drysuit and basic equipment with me, but need to track down a cylinder and weights for the week.

However, the main thing I would love is to find a dive buddy to explore anywhere from Netanya and north. Any divers out there who are familiar with the area that might be willing to show me around? All beers would be on me!

-Yosef Mendelsohn

[BobSch]

Hi Yossef,
Welcome aboard! It's hard to make definite plans for a date 2 months away but if the weather and sea conditions are right you may have a date. I really don't think a dry suit is nesscary here in the Med area. A 5.5mm wetsuit should be enough unless you really suffer from the cold. The sea temp. is at the coldest time of the winter 17degrees Centigrate. Keep in touch toward December and we'll see.
Rauven Schneider
rauvens@yahoo.com