QatarDiver
Contributor
Background, British, 54, recreational diver on and off for years.
12 of us went to Sharm for the first time for a few days over Eid el Fatir, dived with Emporer, some of us enjoyed it, some of us less so!
Emporer, and maybe many other operators insist on the first dive as a try dive, so take you to the local reef, 18m max, then apply the 'dont dive deeper on the second dive rule', you you get 2 more reef dives, which I rudely refer to as underwater bird watching!.
Day two, the big dive day? Oh no! 3 of the group opted to do their Advanced course (good money for Emporer), which meant we coudnt go to Ras Mohammed natinal park as the local rules forbid training there. So, guess what? 3 more boring reef dives! Even though I was more than happy to change boat there was little chance, all dive gear was left on board, so changing boat is a hassle, and the boats that did go to the Thistlegorm had already left. No night dives were available either, some thing about the locals not taking the boats out becuase of the eid.
Day 3, off to Dahab, 90 minute coach ride and finally, on the last day, 2 decent dives, the canyon and the blue hole, and I even hit 30m! Only 2 dives as Emporer insist on 24 hours before you fly as well as a longer surface interval as there is a hill the bus has to go up on the way home....
Then my spare reg set was either stolen off the beach or put on another operators truck! 250 quid gone!
We stayed in the Naama bay area, hotel (Bayview) was OK, Naama itself is like Benidorm mixed with Backpool, frightful! (Yes, I am a home counties snob!)
Would I got back? No.
Would I book with Emporer again, No.
Next time I use an diver operator I will ask for their; group size, planned itinerary, mandatory try dives, the 2nd dive deeper rule and the 24 hour fly rule. Maybe all operators are the same, but I think you should be able to bear your own risk on these issues. I did the last 2 dives on EAN32 and even my ultra conservative Suunto only suggested 17 hours before you fly.
So, the score, 2 out of 8 for Emporer, and probaby the same for Sharm!
12 of us went to Sharm for the first time for a few days over Eid el Fatir, dived with Emporer, some of us enjoyed it, some of us less so!
Emporer, and maybe many other operators insist on the first dive as a try dive, so take you to the local reef, 18m max, then apply the 'dont dive deeper on the second dive rule', you you get 2 more reef dives, which I rudely refer to as underwater bird watching!.
Day two, the big dive day? Oh no! 3 of the group opted to do their Advanced course (good money for Emporer), which meant we coudnt go to Ras Mohammed natinal park as the local rules forbid training there. So, guess what? 3 more boring reef dives! Even though I was more than happy to change boat there was little chance, all dive gear was left on board, so changing boat is a hassle, and the boats that did go to the Thistlegorm had already left. No night dives were available either, some thing about the locals not taking the boats out becuase of the eid.
Day 3, off to Dahab, 90 minute coach ride and finally, on the last day, 2 decent dives, the canyon and the blue hole, and I even hit 30m! Only 2 dives as Emporer insist on 24 hours before you fly as well as a longer surface interval as there is a hill the bus has to go up on the way home....
Then my spare reg set was either stolen off the beach or put on another operators truck! 250 quid gone!
We stayed in the Naama bay area, hotel (Bayview) was OK, Naama itself is like Benidorm mixed with Backpool, frightful! (Yes, I am a home counties snob!)
Would I got back? No.
Would I book with Emporer again, No.
Next time I use an diver operator I will ask for their; group size, planned itinerary, mandatory try dives, the 2nd dive deeper rule and the 24 hour fly rule. Maybe all operators are the same, but I think you should be able to bear your own risk on these issues. I did the last 2 dives on EAN32 and even my ultra conservative Suunto only suggested 17 hours before you fly.
So, the score, 2 out of 8 for Emporer, and probaby the same for Sharm!
