First Trip to Egypt (Sharm & Cairo). Suggestions?

I've been reading all of the numerous posts in this forum (the information is fantastic and plentiful!).

Just looking for some recommendations from the fellow divers & dive operators.

My wife and I will be staying in Cairo for a few days and then we will be staying at the Renaissance in Sharm El Sheikh (we are finally using some of my accumulated Marriott points). I know that the on-site Dive shop is "Dive-In", however I have read some great reviews of TGI, Camel, Oonas and Sinai, etc.

Since we are staying at the hotel each night, would any of you have a preference for one dive outfit vs. another? We would definitely love a more "personalized" dive tour (fewer people, less crowded dive sites), however we have to see some of these AMAZING dive sites no matter what (Ras Mohammad looks great!).

We are both certified OW and I am finishing my AOW certification (who knows, maybe I can complete it in Sharm?).

We're staying in Sharm from May 16 - May 23 for our anniversary and look forward to many great dives!

Hopefully we'll see some SB'ers there.

Thanks everyone!

Regarding the dive sites, if it's crowded, it's crowded. No dive op can turn around that, except by beginning the day earlier than usual. This would give you an opportunity for at least one not-so-crowded dive. However, it needs a lot of arrangement.

Here's a report I posted on a different forum:

Just returned from Sharm el Sheikh and all I can say is AMAZING!!! 2 weeks diving the Red Sea was by far, the very best diving I've ever had. My wife and I have dove all over the Caribbean and there is no comparison. I don't know exactly where RECDiver's friend was diving but, like anything else, it's all about perspective and what one is looking for in a dive. We had 23 dives in 9 days and I can honestly say, there was only one "local" dive that was not exceptional and we expected that going in. The viz, reef health and variety/abundance of marine life was better than anything I've ever seen in the Caribbean. We dove almost every major site in the Strait of Tiran and Ras Mohammed National Park.

The "liveaboards" tied together were probably the large dive boats (20 to 35 divers) who were doing their surface interval. It's a common practice to head to nearby lagoons, bays, etc to grab lunch and chill before afternoon dives. Since there are strictly enforced laws governing dive ops, this is the most practical and least disruptive method of doing your SI.

We stayed and dove with Oonas Dive Club (Red Sea Diving Holiday Hotel, Oonas Dive Club, Sharm El Sheikh.) located on the north end of Naama Bay. If you’re serious about diving, it’s all divers, all about diving, all the time!! Oonas is owned by a group out of Cairo but run and staffed mainly by Brits, Aussies and South Africans. It is a first class operation with professional, world class dive guides who allow you to dive without being hassled. A side benefit is they have 15 liter (equivalent to 120s) steel tanks if you're looking for a little extra bottom time! The dive day usually started at 08:00 and we were back at the hotel by 5:00 PM.

After diving, we'd get squared away and then head out to eat at one of the several excellent restaurants surrounding Naama Bay. In addition to the restaurants, there are also several excellent saloons (with and without entertainment) around the bay. Even though we were there during the last 2 weeks of Ramadan, the Egyptians were the most gracious, hospitable folks we've ever run into. We were out every night and, without exception, everyone we met made us feel welcomed and were genuinely glad we were there. It was like Disneyland on steroids except the people were sincere. Unlike many Caribbean destinations, we were never concerned with safety and walked everywhere at anytime without any fear.

We stopped in Cairo on the way back and that was equally excellent. We lined up a private guide (200 euro for 2 days 2 people) through Oonas Tours which was exceptional. Spent 2 days seeing everything in and around Cairo in a brand new air conditioned van with a driver and a guide who had degrees in Egyptology and archeology. We went where we wanted to go and spent as long as we wanted.

The ONLY bad part of our entire trip were the Russians EVERYWHERE. Our dive guide told us that after a couple of rare car bombs (aimed at a group of Egyptians) in 2003, the Egyptian government made a deal with the Russian government to subsidize tourists traveling from Russia. Don't know if this is true but it sounded reasonable!! Consequently, you get a lower class of rude, arrogant Russians who act like they own the place.

I could go on and on but, suffice to say, we had exceptional time. My wife and I have traveled all over the world but Egypt and especially Sharm el Sheikh, ranks at the top of the list for all of the above reasons.

Here’s a link to a few pics
TexasDiver53 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Thanks Texas,

I did read your review the other day and looked at some of the photos on your photobucket page (nice pics!). Oonas looks like a great outfit as well.

I guess we're really looking for a personalized dive group/tour, but we're going to take WHATEVER we can get (it seems as though there are enough SB recommended dive shops that we can't go wrong).

Oddly enough, my wife is ECSTATIC about seeing the toilet bowls (she's gonna freak when she realizes all the lids are up ).

Any additional recommendations are more than welcome. Looks like we're going to have an awesome anniversary!

Hi Chewie,

I will be going to the same hotel; Renaissance in September, any comments, etc, would be greatly appreciated

Just looking for some recommendations from the fellow divers & dive operators like you

Any pictures, even better.

Thanks

Hi,
I am a dive instructor in Kuwait and frequently take groups to Sharm. I have tried different groups, but for having all their operation tight and right, go with Ocean College Divers. You can book your dives on line ahead of time and it is really cheaper. They have boats that run from Sharm, Hurgada, Ras Mohammed, All over. They are well run and reliable.
And another note. Alexandria has opened the sunken cities to diving!!! Alexandria diving has the contracts, and it is amazing! If you can, whil around Cairo, give it a go.
Okay, and one last big note. NEVER Ever eat at McDonalds in Sharm El Sheikh. Ask anyone who goes regularly... Nononono. Okay, let me know if you have any more questions I can help with. It will be a fantsatic time!
DeeDee

Hi ZenDiver,

Thank you for your feed back. I will look into the Ocean College Divers.

Since I am going end of september/beginning of October, will a full 3mm be enought ? Should I go 5mm, 7mm ?

Again thx for all

ZenDiver.3D:

Hi,
I am a dive instructor in Kuwait and frequently take groups to Sharm. I have tried different groups, but for having all their operation tight and right, go with Ocean College Divers. You can book your dives on line ahead of time and it is really cheaper. They have boats that run from Sharm, Hurgada, Ras Mohammed, All over. They are well run and reliable.
And another note. Alexandria has opened the sunken cities to diving!!! Alexandria diving has the contracts, and it is amazing! If you can, whil around Cairo, give it a go.
Okay, and one last big note. NEVER Ever eat at McDonalds in Sharm El Sheikh. Ask anyone who goes regularly... Nononono. Okay, let me know if you have any more questions I can help with. It will be a fantsatic time!
DeeDee

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I eat atMcDonalds regularly and there is no problem. Better however are the Burgerking offerings and cheap too.

I can recommend Camel Dive Club - really professional and friendly instructors.

The water temp at the moment is 25deg C and as an instructor I have been using a full 5mm wet suit but my students are in a 5mm shorty.

Ras Mo is really picking up with large schools of snapper, trevally and baracuda. Shark will be there soon

Do you live and work in Sharm? Maybe you have that iron stomach. And it's taste is not that great. But, we don't go to Sharm for Mickey-Dee's anyway. Little Buddha is a great place for Salmon. Have you been there?

But to the other posts, I would say take your lightweight shorty. But, know this. It is 26 celcius water temp here at home and I don't use a wetsuit at all. For me, 25 or warmer is just dive shorts and a rash guard. So, I may not be the one to go to. Very hot natured, I am.... By October, though, in the Red Sea, it is still really warm. Usually still over 30 celcius( what do you live-there folks say?). I wouldn't use more than a reash guard or diveskin.
onon
Dee

Well... We just got back.

It was absolutely amazing! The Renaissance is a wonderful hotel, however, the service at the hotel was not the best (although, from other people we met staying at the hotel, you will get quite mized reviews, some had GREAT service, ours was just really slow and somewhat non-existent). The rooms were very large and had everything we needed for the week. If you get down to the beach at the hotel around sunset, we saw hundreds of dolphins swimming in the water almost every day.

We actually just used the hotels Dive Center (DiveIn) and we thought their center was great, extremely attentive and a LOT of fun (all the instructors were very knowledgeable and a blast to dive with and hang out with on the boat)! They have two main charter boats, the Miramar and the Flying Angel. We used the Miramar the entire week and thought is was a very, VERY nice and extremely clean boat. We did look into Oonas, Camel, Red Sea College as well, but the hotels dive shop was fantastic and we really enjoyed our dives!

We dove in Ras Mohammad, Tiran, the Renaissance "house reef" and we dove the SS Thistelgorm. All were wonderful and amazing sites (you MUST do the Thistlegorm!).

My wife and I used 3mm shortys the entire week (2 - 3 dives daily) and were not even remotely cold (with a surface temp of 35 - 38 degrees C and water temp of 22 - 26) during any of the dives. I did wear a full 3mm for the Thistlegorm, but my wife dove with her shorty twice and was very comfortable.

My wife plans on putting the photos on Snapfish or Kodak site, so I'll send the link once she does so (we bought some disposable underwater cameras and the photos came out surprisingly well, although somewhat color muted).

Here's a few restaurants we liked:

1. El Fanar (Italian, right on the water, next to the renaissance, to the right if your facing the water)
2. Abou El Sid (Egyptian, above the Hard Rock in Naama Bay)
3. Zahle (Lebanese, in the hilton waterfall resort, right next to the hilton, you should go there just to check out the funicular they use)

Finally, just make sure you get the pool(s) early at the hotel. You should grab some towels from the attendant before breakfast and just lay them over a chair you'd like to use during the day. Guests would get up early put the towels on a chair to claim the chair and disappear throughout the day.