Recommended place in Red Sea

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mesje

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I would like to ask you, what is the best location in Egypt for diving, mostly if i want to see sharks. Dahab, Sharm, Hurghada, or Marsa Alam? I wouldn´t prefer very difficult places, because I have dived just few times so I am still a beginner. I have heard that in Elphinstone Reef in Marsa Alam is almost guaranteed to see sharks, but on the other hand that this place is not good for beginners. What is your opinion ?
I am also thinking about a diving safari, but dont know if there are also some safaris for beginners. I dont know also what to do if i get a „pharaoh curse“ on the boat – it could be more difficult to solve this problem somewhere in the sea.
 
Sharks are getting very rare now. You will be lucky to see any at all.

At Elphinstone there are oceanic whitetip sharks at the surface from october to december or so, or you will have to go deep to have even a slight chance to see reef sharks, greys, hammerheads and so forth. Deep diving at Elphinstone is definitely not for beginners.

A liveaboard safari is the best way to explre the Red sea. Not only will you visit more and better dive sites, but being on site before the day boats arrive increases your chances, however slim, of seeing pelagics.

The boats I've been on didn't mind having beginners along as long as it was known beforehand. You'll just have to stay close to the guide.

Any intestinal problems can be overcome by bringing a liberal supply of the local remedy 'Antinal', a broad spectrum antibiotic available from all egyptian pharmacies.
 
My choice for a first visit would be either Dahab or Sharm, but I'm several years out of date. I know Dahab has changed from the sleepy little place I used to know, but by how much I don't know. In any case I would go for land-based rather than liveaboard first time around.

Elphinstone is a good place to dive, but the greatest interest is under the arch and that is somewhere you edfinitely shouldn't be going just yet.

If you want to see sharks then save up and go to the Maldives. You'll see so many on every dive it'll blow your mind!
 
My choice for a first visit would be either Dahab or Sharm, but I'm several years out of date. I know Dahab has changed from the sleepy little place I used to know, but by how much I don't know. In any case I would go for land-based rather than liveaboard first time around.

I agree.

I visited Dahab on saturday. It's growing but still totally laid back compared to Sharm, which is now turning into the Las Vegas of the Red Sea :(
 
Most cases of Pharaohs Revenge is caused by not drinking enough and letting your salts get too low - drink lots, take some Rehydran, avoid ice and too cold drinks and you shouldn't have a problem. If you do then Antinal, available in Egypt, will sort you out.

Just out of interest, lots of whale sharks and Mantas in Sharm at the moment and yetserday my daughter saw an oceanic black tip.
 
Unfortunatelly, as a beginner diver (>50 dives and AOW is the general norm) there are few good locations for shark diving in the Egyptian Red Sea, as they all tend to be fairly advanced, e.g. the marine park islands including Brothers, Deadalus, Elphinstone, Rocky Island, or the reefs in the Strait of Tiran... You can see whitetip reef sharks in many shallower coastal reefs in the Marsa Alam-area, but they are perhaps not as exciting as hammerheads, oceanic whitetips and silkys to most divers.

There are still good chances to see sharks in Egypt, considered you go to the right places in the right time of year with sufficient experience/knowledge, and then some luck off course. But certain reefs seem to have fewer sightings then before, perhaps due to heavier diver/boat traffic or other unknown factors. On my last liveaboard in the Red Sea last year (Brothers, Dedalus, Elphinstone), in a weeks diving I saw perhaps 25 sharks all together in the whole trip - hammerheads, grey reefs sharks and whitetip reef sharks at Brothers and Dedalus and grey reef sharks and a threasher(!) at Elphinstone. This is pretty consistent numbers, with small variations, of similar Red Sea trips I have done during the last 10 years.

One thing I have noticed lately is that a lot of people seem to expect to just jump in and then see 100 sharks immediately (ok, a little exaggerated, bit you get my point). It's not like that and it has never been, not even in the Galapagos Islands. It's true that the shark populations of the world are diminishing rapidly because of finning. However, the Egyptian Red Sea is one of the better preserved areas compared to many other. Go to Indonesia or the Phillipines and you'd understand what I mean. For easy shark viewing, Stuart Coves in the Bahamas is an alternative.

good luck
 
I am only "a slightly experienced diver", at least thats how I feel. I have 110 dives and completed the PADI DM Course. (in only 3 weeks...guest that dosent make me a "real" DM, but I still learned alot from the course and it was hard work)

Anyway, having dived El Gouna, and now lastly Sharm el Sheik, Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed, my advise for a beginners trip to the red sea, from the places I have been to, would be Sharm and the local dive sites there.

I dont think there are any sharks there (allthough a whale shark was spotted in local Sharm about a week ago), but eagle and manta rays are a real opportunity, crocodile fish, file fish, walk man, scorpion fish, big napoleon wrasses, tunas and Jacks are all there....

The best experiences I had local was Ras umm Sid and the Temple. Ras Katy, The gardens and the Tower wasn't any special when I was there...but the Whale Shark was around the Tower the day before we dived it.. :( so you never know..

The diving outside of El Gouna is for more experienced divers, that includes wrecks, drifts, and drop offs into the blue... thats my experience anyway.

By "experienced" I mean minimum AOW and the ability to do a deep dive with a 12L tank for 45 mins + , and keep your bouancy and controll so that your abilities dosent affect the other divers in your group.

Sharm is a very touristy place, but when you dive every day you really dont notice as much.. have a nice trip
 
I've just come back from a liveaboard in Sharm and didn't see any sharks, not that we went for shark diving, more of a wreck excursion.

If you want to see sharks come to South Africa. During August/September it's the sand tiger's breeding season and they're all over Aliwal Shoal. You can really see them up close. If you want a bit more of a rush, book the baited tiger shark dives. The operators put out chum and once about 5 tigers come in you enter the water, sometimes up to 15 can be around at one time. Just stay way from wearing striped fins, they think it's a fish and keep circling behind you, makes one veeeeery nervous. Protea Banks is also an excellent area for shark viewing.

In Mozambique, Ponto de Ouro has a dive called Pinnacles. I've seen bull sharks and hammer heads on many dives there, the hammerheads are very shy though. We take a plastic bottle down with us and I roll it in my hands, the sound of the crackling plastic attracts the bull sharks big time. Not sure why but it works.

Safe diving and enjoy your trip:wink:
 
Sorry Mesje, hijacked your thread alittle.

So, the conclusion about red sea diving generally for sharks chances are we probably get to see, some grey reefs, black and white tips sleeping at the reefs.

Others would be a eagle ray or two. Occassionally manta rays with a plus for whale shark?

Almost rarely we can spot hammers? how deep are the dives generally? Am considering red sea hurghada LOb after some struggle between Sudan and Hurghada. I liked to see perlargics; bigger stuffs.

If as what others have mentioned generally lionfish , a turtle or two. I'd rather make a trip elsewhere. Able to describe more about the diving conditions and expectations I can get if I take the brother , Elphinstone; southern route ?

Thank you
 
Brothers, I've been there, it was in April this year. I made like 6 dives, 3 per day. Every morning dives, like 5 30 am and 10 00 am I saw sharks.

The problem is that Brothers are like 100 km from the land.

Elphistone- just one small reef shark.

I am a fresh diver but my friends say that September and October are perfect months to see sharks in Brothers and Rocky area.
 
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