Taba – comprehensive dive review

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scoufr

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Location
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As promised, please find enclosed a commentary on diving in Taba.

1) Taba or Taba Heights: Firstly, there are “two Tabas”: there is “Taba” which is where the Moevenpick and Hilton hotels are located, just on the Israeli border, and there is “Taba heights” located approximately 20km south and the home of Hyatt, Marriot, etc. Boats from all dive centres in the area access the same sites, but a few divers said that the shore dives from Taba was better, in particular outside Hilton (Canyons, Zac’s tables, Black corals etc).

2) Moevenpick hotel: new resort located next to the Hilton hotel, with large spacious rooms, big outdoor pool and unlike some of the other local hotels offering good food on the all-inclusive package. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...npick_Resort_Taba-Taba_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html)

3) The diving: We didn’t have any previous experience from the Red Sea, but have dived in Asia, Europe, Caribbean and the Middle East – and it is easy to understand why the red sea has the reputation it has. Beautiful corals, fascinating sea life (octopus, turtles, blue spotted rays, large (!) triggerfish) and very good visibility normally (25m+). Won’t dwell on this since there is an abundance of reports about the RS diving in general. Favourite sites in the area: Canyons, Zac’s tables, Sallah’din’s island. From what other divers told us, Taba is very suitable for less experienced divers since most dives are easy and currents are minimal. If you’re into more challenging dives or want to do more technical diving, it seems better to go to Sharm.

4) Dive centres: We used Aqua Sport (http://www.aqua-sport.com) at the Hilton hotel (AS also has a centre in Eilat across the border). Very good team of guides and DMs and top quality dive boats. Boat dives go out every day with two dives included in the price (€70/85) and a 3rd optional dive available at €20. Price included food (real nice) prepared on board. The centre’s manager, Hugh from Wales, was a really friendly chap as was local staff. Only minor drawback was the fact that rental equipment was “cheapest available”. BCDs without vents, and my girlfriend was given fins which would have been just about sufficient for snorkelling, and definitely not suitable for diving where there were some current. Suspect this will improve as the area develops and competition increases with new dive centres.

5) Eilat (and the dolphin reef): From Taba it’s easy to walk over to Israel – literally walk… the border is 5min walk away from the Hilton, and once one gets the hang of the procedures and paperwork the crossing can be made in 20min. Just smile and answer all questions politely. Just on the other side of the border is the Israeli town of Eilat, with a very different feel to it. While the heat is the same, Eilat town resembles your normal Mediterranean sea town: there are big air-conditioned shopping malls with all products you find in Europe or the US, and an additional benefit is that Eilat is in a tax-free zone, so shopping is cheap! More interesting though is the “Dolphin Reef”: (http://www.dolphinreef.co.il) a small nature reserve where 9 semi-wild dolphins have made home within a large under-water-fenced area and qualified divers can go on a guided dive (35-40min) on the local reef with them for ~$50 incl equipment rental. Very relaxed and nice environment with restaurant, small private beach, dive centre, and extraordinarily nice and helpful staff (especially Estelle in the dive centre who helped organise our diving on very short notice and the instructor Drol). Bit crowded in July – Sept, and always advisable to dive as early in the day as possible for better visibility.

If you have any more questions, feel free!

Rikard & Belen
 
Taba Heights: this is a complex with four international hotels : Hyatt, sofitel, Marriott’s, Inter Continental. A marina with a dive center called Red Sea Water World is included in the complex.
http://www.tabahaights.com

Red Sea Water World : it’s a PADI 5 star diving resort where you can enjoy diving and also doing water sports for non divers as parasailing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, snorkeling trips…
The instructor’s team is international and very professional.
Three boats, Aasma, Red Sea Water World 1 & 2, go out every day.
You can choose between the full day boat (2 dives – 50€ + a third additional one, (20€) up to you), the morning boat (2 dives – 60€), the afternoon boat (one dive – 35€). The dive center propose two packages: 3 days diving, 6 dives at 165€ and 5 days diving, 10 dives at 250€.
On the full day boat, you should add 40 egyptian pound (5€) for a really nice meal cooked on board and unlimited drinks.
The Egyptian staff on board is really helpful and friendly. Divemasters are Egyptian and Europeans and the group of divers is never more than 6 divers.
The boats are comfortable, new, and the safety is respected. Each instructor has his personal first aid kit and oxygen is checked every day when the divemaster arrive on the boat in the morning.
Ean’x tank are available on demand as well as 15 liters tank.
Full equipment rental costs you 30€ (Scubapro MK2 regulator and Scubapro BCD in good condition)
http://www.redseawaterworld.com

The diving: As Scoufr said above, dives sites are suitable for beginner’s divers. Minimal currents, maximum depth 25 meters (you can make some deep dive to 35 meters but the average depth is 20 meters).
No pelagic life, but a wonderful place for the small things : Sea horse, sea moth, baby yellow and black spotted box fish, gobies, nudibranches, grey moray, garden eels, freckled frogfish, stonefish, anthias, hatchetfish, glassfish, pipefish, blenny… Paradise for macro lovers!
There are 10 dive sites deserved. My favorites are Angels net (lots of acropora Tables and pinnacles where you can spend hours around spotting huge marine life), Fjord (a hole with thermocline, funny experience), Muqabilla (for the scenery of tall porite’s coral tower) and Maxwells (for the school of batfishes and barracudas)

Conclusion: Taba Heights is a very nice place to enjoy holidays if you’re searching for a quiet environment away from the noisy city as Hurghada or Sharm.
It’s a good alternative for family, as there is a lot of water activities for kids (bubblemaker, pools in hotels, banana boats, crazy donuts, parasailing…)
For experienced divers who are looking for wreck, drifts dives, deeps dives, pelagic life this is not a place for you. Better go to Sharm, Ras Mohamed, Brothers Islands, Elphinstone, Tiran Detroit…
 
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