Red Sea diving - Hurghada

Does anyone have any experience diving off Hurghada? I see a lot of chat about Sharm el sheik. Is that where the best diving is? I am planning a trip to Egypt in February and want to get in a couple days of diving. Any advice would be appreciated.

I haven't been yet, but I'm hoping to go to Hurghada this winter to dive. I may try Sharm el Sheik too. I have instructor friends in both locations, and there appears to be a ferry between them.

Between the two, I would recommend Sharm as having better diving. There are a number of world-class sites within easy boat range: The wreck of the Thistlegorm, the reefs in the Straits of Tiran, etc.

best regards,
Phil

Hurghada is almost as good as Sharm. And it is great. One advantage that Hurgahda has on Sharm is that the dive sites are less crowdy with divers. To get even less boats on dive sites, I would recommend Safaga, a bit south of Hurghada where the diving is also excellent, with for example Panorama Reef, which is IMO one of the best dive of the Red Sea. I have been there several times, and it always takes my breath away !

I prefer Marsa Alam. It is south of Safaga. It has an international air port, and diving there is great. The dive sites there are almost virgin, amazing, colorful. Honestly I have never been there, but I am planing to go there in the near future

Well, I have dived in all those locations. Each dive site has its own unique charms, and though it's true that on the whole the diving gets better the further south you go, there are no guarantees. I've seen huge Napoleon wrasses, eagle rays, leopard shark and such north of Sharm, and waited for hours in the blue off Elphinstone reef in the south for oceanic whitetips to appear. No such luck, though it's a well known shark hotspot. Same for the manatee at Abu Dabab. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Given the choice I would go to Sharm for both its nightlife and dive sites. Hurghada is a dump and its nearby dive sites are mostly degraded. It is however easier to get to as it is on the mainland. The ferry to Sharm Dr. Bill mentioned is a pain and the crossing takes forever. I would take a plane or bus from Cairo.
About the south: The stretch of coast we call Marsa Alam is being developed so there are plenty of resorts to choose from. You would however be limited to the on-site dive op. If hard core non-stop diving is your thing you could try a dive camp like Marsa Shagra (Red Sea Diving Safari). I've been there a few times and loved every minute.

Enjoy,

Art

Thanks for the responses. I have received some more tips on diving the Red Sea and they agree Sharm El Sheikh is a far superior dive location than Hurghada. Shark reef in particular was mentioned as an outstanding dive. Camel dive center was also recommended as an operator although they seem a little expensive at 60 euros/day (2 tanks). Do you have any suggestions for operators? As for getting to Sharm. Air Egypt offers very affordable flights from Hurghada $40 one way. It only operates twice a week though. There is a new high speed boat that only takes 90 mins but again the service is not very frequent.
Safaga & Marsa Alam sound promising for the next trip.

Hurghada is not to be compared to Sharm. The majority of Hurghada sites is very shallow (6 to 14 meters) and the reef is worn.

If you want an excellent less expensive alternative, try Dahab.

I can recommend you Hurghada , i dive here allready five years and did over 2000 dives in this area. The good thing here is the amount off divesites withe a a lot of variety.
And you find here nearly everything relaxed shallow divesites 10-15 meters , dropp offs and verry little or no currents. Iff you do a one week off diving you will see ten different divesites and you still have not seen all of them. Fore sure you have seen Dolphins and maybee even dive with them , Turtles and a lot off rare specys off fish.
Just be carefull with choosing a diveoperator , iff they offer you a day bootdiving for only 25 $
There will be something wrong , the everage price fore one day diving is 45 €.
And at last , Hurghada is becoming a real modern city were you find everything you need , Good Restuarants , nice terraces were you still can drink a Half liter off local beer for not more than 8LE. All fastfood you can emagine Macc donalds , CFK , Burger King , Pizzahut.
There is loads off Banks , and cash points.
I wish You great fun IN Hurghada