LOB for family?

[rcaqua]

Dear all,

There are 4 of us: myself, 67, Rescue, 160 dives, my son, 43, AOW, 60 dives, my grandson 14, OW, 10 dives and granddaughter 10, did a bubble maker last year was very comfortable under water and wants to do her OW in French.

Trip dates re 30 June to 6 July 2024

We've been to Sham and Dahab many times, also Marsa Alam (and Far East), so our first idea was land-based in Sharm (Camel hotel, or Ghazala and Sinai Divers, or Oonas, all in Na'ama Bay).

We may be naive, but we thought there may also be liveaboards along the Sinai coast which cater to families, and diving beginners (and would provide a French speaking instructor).

Does anyone have any information ad/or advice on this idea?

Many thanks for any insights!

Best,

Rene

 

[stepfen]

To begin with, sorry but I have no idea about your request.

That said, the general consensus about classes and LoBs is that it is far better to do the class (especially the OW and even more especially since we are talking about a child) BEFORE the LoB. There are a lot of good reasons for this.
To mention a few:
- First and most important, OW can be (and usually is) quite difficult for all divers by itself. Add to this the student's age, the strange environment (nausea etc), traveling/sleeping away from home, all the things going on on a LoB and the poor child will get overwhelmed probably before even the class starts.
- The instructor will have to be dedicated to this only student, so he/she can't be from the usual dive guides of the LoB (the guides are very busy doing their job i.e. guiding groups of divers). Hence you will probably have to cover the expenses of an extra instructor on the LoB (on top of the class fees and on top of the usual LoB fees). Sounds too much money.
- LoBs are tailored for (experienced) divers. Dive, eat, sleep, repeat. All these frequently in remote challenging areas (deep, currents etc). This schedule and conditions don't match well with OW classes.
- Finally, it is much better to have the certifications (and as much experience as possible) before the LoB so that the diver can enjoy the exotic dives. Spending all these money and trouble to go to a nice reef to spend your dive time doing mask and regulator removal drills etc is a pity. Don't you think?

The land based option makes so much more sense. Your grand daughter does her OW in the comfort of the resort/dive school, while the rest of you enjoy your dives to nearby reefs and once she gets certified you can have some more fun underwater all together...

Just my 2c as always.
All the best

 

[rcaqua]

To begin with, sorry but I have no idea about your request.

That said, the general consensus about classes and LoBs is that it is far better to do the class (especially the OW and even more especially since we are talking about a child) BEFORE the LoB. There are a lot of good reasons for this.
To mention a few:
- First and most important, OW can be (and usually is) quite difficult for all divers by itself. Add to this the student's age, the strange environment (nausea etc), traveling/sleeping away from home, all the things going on on a LoB and the poor child will get overwhelmed probably before even the class starts.
- The instructor will have to be dedicated to this only student, so he/she can't be from the usual dive guides of the LoB (the guides are very busy doing their job i.e. guiding groups of divers). Hence you will probably have to cover the expenses of an extra instructor on the LoB (on top of the class fees and on top of the usual LoB fees). Sounds too much money.
- LoBs are tailored for (experienced) divers. Dive, eat, sleep, repeat. All these frequently in remote challenging areas (deep, currents etc). This schedule and conditions don't match well with OW classes.
- Finally, it is much better to have the certifications (and as much experience as possible) before the LoB so that the diver can enjoy the exotic dives. Spending all these money and trouble to go to a nice reef to spend your dive time

doing mask and regulator removal drills etc is a pity. Don't you think?

The land based option makes so much more sense. Your grand daughter does her OW in the comfort of the resort/dive school, while the rest of you enjoy your dives to nearby reefs and once she gets certified you can have some more fun underwater all together...

Just my 2c as always.
All the best

Dear Stephen,

Many thanks for your quick reply, which makes eminent sense. LOB will have to wait until both youngsters have more experience (and hair on their chest!). Now looking at land-based in Sharm or Extreme South (Wadi Lahami). Grateful for any input from members on what should guide my choice.

best,

Rene

 

[scubaozy]

A 10 year old child (Junior open water diver) is only allowed to dive to max 12 meters until the age of 12 and ages 12-14 are limited to maximum depth of 18m even they complete jaowd course. I think it will not be easy to find a LoB to fulfill your requirements.
Have a look at Dune diving, they are specialized in French speaking crowd, I am sure they would be able to help -> Plongée Mer Rouge : Egypte, Soudan & Djibouti | DUNE Red Sea. Their dive centre is located in Safaga.

 

[rcaqua]

Dear Scubaozy,

Thanks for the useful info. I realize our trip destination is largely driven by the need for French-speaking instructors. But will Safaga be worthwhile for the accompanying experienced divers?

Betty,

RA

 

[scubaozy]

Dear Scubaozy,

Thanks for the useful info. I realize our trip destination is largely driven by the need for French-speaking instructors. But will Safaga be worthwhile for the accompanying experienced divers?

Betty,

RA

Yes, you can easily enjoy 7-10 days of diving without getting bored. There are some well known wall diving sites such as Abu Kafan and Panorama, as well as famous wreck Salem Express.

 

[rcaqua]

Dear Scubaozy,

Excellent, many thanks!

 

[scubajasonr]

I have done two liveaboards with my children, I wrote trip reports for them both:

Trip Report - Family Liveaboard on MY Thunderbird (and Breakers)

A bit of a long read, but I hope a few people find it interesting! I have split this into four parts for it to fit onto the forum. First a bit of background. My wife and myself have been diving for about 20 years, in that time we have been on a few Red Sea liveaboards. Our kids are now 16 and...

scubaboard.com

Trip Report - Family Liveaboard - Firebird

After a successful family liveaboard holiday in 2022 : Trip Report - Family Liveaboard on MY Thunderbird (and Breakers) I planned a similar but different family trip for 2023. Again going with Deep Blue Cruises, but this time on their boat Firebird on a Wrecks & Reef route from Hurghada. My...

scubaboard.com

Deepblue Cruises have a few family trips running next year, while the children don't need to be qualified to go on their trips I would say it is best that they both have JOWD to get the most from the experience. They mainly cater to German guests, but were fine with English, I am not sure if they have French speaking guides.

We found the family liveaboard a great experience. As a family we enjoyed it more than shorebased, the kids adapted to life at sea very quickly.

The only other company I found who offer liveaboards for kids are Hamata Mangroves, but have never used them.

 

[rcaqua]

Dear Scubajasonr,

Many thanks for your reply and the extremely informative trip reports!

Looks like this good be a great option for a trip further down the road, when both youngsters are certified and have a few more dives under their belts. I am now looking for land-based options, basically from Sharm to Hamada, hoping to find a place reasonably easy to reach, and French-speaking instructors for the children...

Thanks again!

RA

 

[Sunn]

I think it should be better to go first a week in Safaga to gain experience (and to pass AOW and OW for the children)....

There are some spectacular spots for experienced divers (try the north point of Abu Kifan, you'll see....).