first trip to sharm... ever!!

[sammie]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here but like what I've been reading and so thought I'd ask your (experienced) advice...

I'm off to Sharm in two weeks and have booked the flights/hotel but not booked the diving yet. Am an OW diver and will prob go for advanced during the week that I'm there but have not decided for sure. Haven't dived for 15 mths so will need check dive and then... don't want to waste the rest of my precious time.

Will be staying in the Rosetta hotel - have any of you been there? Any views?

Would like to have any recommendations of Dive Companies out there that aren't too commercialised and offer an enjoyable dive experience with a good team of people. Have heard that Red Sa College is pretty good... any others?

Also, hope to just get out there and book my diving on the day that we arrive in Sharm. Is that unwise (as all websites predictably say pre-book the diving). It'll be busy as its the week before Easter but I'd feel more reassured to dive with a Company based on personal recommendation and once I'd been to their centre and had a look.

Sorry - many, many questions but just want it to all go smoothly.... as am so excited to finally be going!!





Thanks in advance,

Sammie :martian:

 

[Jonathan]

I stayed in the Rosetta on my first Red Sea trip - right next door to Emperor Divers, there are even some rooms literally on it's door step which is where we stayed - cheap and chearful but I would go for rooms in the hotel proper.

My club in the UK always go for Red Sea College - I have heard some stories about other dive schools there from my intructors who say they would go no where else but Red Sea college but I found Emperor pretty good and some friends did advanced with them whilst there.

Subsequent trips have been live aboard - definitely the way to do the Red Sea....

Enjoy and let us know how you get on
Jonathan

 

[neilc]

I've no problem in recommending the Camel Dive School. I did my Adv course with my wife with an instructor for the two of us. No additional cost.

Their bar is pretty cool too.

We booked the Adv course when we were there - we weren't planning on taking it when we originally booked.

Heading back there in a few months, it'll be Camel again.

Neil.

 

[neilstewart]

I dived with Emperor out of Hurghada and had a marvelous week. I can tell you that the people who pre-booked diving via the tour operator Regal got a better deal than those paying on site by about 1 full days diving, not sure whether that would be the same for courses.

both sites are www.emperor-dive.com and www.regaldive.co.uk to check

Neil

 

[alexeames]

Hi Sammie

I did my AOW through these guys (Sinai Dive Club based at the Hilton Fayrouz, but accessible to all).

For AOW options I did wreck dive on the Dunraven, drift dive on Shark/Yolanda reef and photo dive in far garden. You really should do a day or two in Ras Mohammed. The Dunraven, and Shark/Yolanda reef makes a nice day trip. I'd like to go back and do the Thistlegorm - heard it's great, but it's a 2 hour boat ride from Sharm and it can get a bit rough

My instructor was Nophert Elias, who was caring and thorough and much much better than my open water instructor. Highly recommended.

I found them a really nice bunch of people. Rental equipment was a reasonably good standard. Safety-conscious.

I went two weeks after September 11th and it was nice and quiet

Things could be slightly busier now, but I read recently that hotel occupancy is still 20% below usual.

Snorkelling in Na'ama bay is pretty good too, once you get 20-30m from the beach.

Check out this Picasso fish photo I took while snorkelling in Na'ama bay

 

[wschul]

Hi,

I just returned from Sharm and dived with Camel Divers. They are indeed very good and reliable but if you are planning on renting your divesuit there I would recommend against it. The suits are really old and have holes in them and are quite thin. They should have replaced them this year. A dive organisation with such a good name should not have bad equipment like this. We ended up renting our suits somewhere else.
By the way, the trip to the Thistlegorm wreck is absolutely worth the money and getting up early for. The wreck is absolutely amazing but you have to be OK with currents and overhead situations (mail me if you want more details).

Wouter

wschul@fr**ler.nl (replace * with e)

 

[sammie]

Thanks for all your words of wisdom peeps ... am now trying not to worry bout it too much and just get there on Monday and pick a dive club and enjoy.

If you have any last minute tips on what to do in Sharm apres-dive then let me know - plan to eat and sleep well though!!

Will definately go for AOW and check out the wrecks - but concerned about currents, as Wouter said it's quite stroung down there.

Happy Wednesday

Sammie xxs

 

[alexeames]

The dive guides in Sharm are generally very good and if you stick close to the guide, I'm sure you'll be fine

 

[scubalover]

I highly recommend the Camnel Dive Club. They have a good dive school and decent boats. And as someone else pointed out, there is a great bar upstairs. I really liked their set-up. I can't wait to go back to Sharm! Diane