Red Sea Aggressor Itineraries - Help!?
- Thread starter Dogbowl
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No, no NO!!! Don't do it!!
The air temp with be too hot for your northern skin. When I went (in the late July) it was around 40C. We felt it was okay because Dubai was around 50C at the time. The evenings are very humid too. Mid 30C lows at night
Also the Sea temp is warm. Nice to dive in, but the big fish go deep, at 40m we were looking down on sharks. We just for the most part had juvenile fish on the reefs.
I'd never go to Egypt in the Summer again - even if it is "cooler" than Dubai
In2017, we took advantage of Aggressors' deal. Our trip was end of November into first week of December. We too fretted over water temperature. I'd brought a 5mm and a 3mm. I was able to dive my 3mm with a chillguard and a hood. I was only cold on the surface, not that it was genuinely cold. It was their winter wind when we were wet that made it seem cold. To my recollection, the water temp was around 80, perhaps even 81.
The air temps and time of year made our land exploration a true pleasure as crowds were so thin, we could walk right in the tombs we visited.
We also flew domestically from Cairo to Hurghada and took the van from there. We were very strongly counseled NOT to try to fly into Marsa Alam as flights are often cancelled, and often at the last minute. The van ride was quite pleasant for our group.
Unfortunately, I became I'll shortly into the dive portion of our trip and didn't do the majority of the dives. Be that as it may, my friends were comfortable with the water temp the whole week. I always flipped on my Chammyz as quickly as I could after the dive and that took care of being a bit cool on the surface due to windchill when wet.
I'd not hesitate to go again at that time of year.
The air temps and time of year made our land exploration a true pleasure as crowds were so thin, we could walk right in the tombs we visited.
We also flew domestically from Cairo to Hurghada and took the van from there. We were very strongly counseled NOT to try to fly into Marsa Alam as flights are often cancelled, and often at the last minute. The van ride was quite pleasant for our group.
Unfortunately, I became I'll shortly into the dive portion of our trip and didn't do the majority of the dives. Be that as it may, my friends were comfortable with the water temp the whole week. I always flipped on my Chammyz as quickly as I could after the dive and that took care of being a bit cool on the surface due to windchill when wet.
I'd not hesitate to go again at that time of year.
September till first 2 weeks in Nov would be my call.
Google UK school holidays to make sure you miss the end of Summer holiday and the Oct half term when the prices jump significantly. Also check for religious holidays on the Islamic calendar and try to avoid those. For next year and this you only have Mouloud which is one day but things will shut (this year its' Nov 19th - and Islamic holidays move backwards by approx 2 weeks per year
Regarding water temps. It's kinda hard. You have the surface layer to around 20-25m, but you can get smacked by cold thermoclines from rising water out of the deep. Here. its not unusual to be diving in 30C water and then get a 22C thermocline
Also because air temps are warm, make sure you can get in and out of your wetsuits quickly. I'm a big fan of a Sharkskin top under my wetsuit, and a hooded vest. I tend to take a variety and mix and match as conditions dictate, rather than one thick suit that might be too warm.
When you see a dive guide don a hooded vest you know it's time to worry!
Google UK school holidays to make sure you miss the end of Summer holiday and the Oct half term when the prices jump significantly. Also check for religious holidays on the Islamic calendar and try to avoid those. For next year and this you only have Mouloud which is one day but things will shut (this year its' Nov 19th - and Islamic holidays move backwards by approx 2 weeks per year
Regarding water temps. It's kinda hard. You have the surface layer to around 20-25m, but you can get smacked by cold thermoclines from rising water out of the deep. Here. its not unusual to be diving in 30C water and then get a 22C thermocline
Also because air temps are warm, make sure you can get in and out of your wetsuits quickly. I'm a big fan of a Sharkskin top under my wetsuit, and a hooded vest. I tend to take a variety and mix and match as conditions dictate, rather than one thick suit that might be too warm.
When you see a dive guide don a hooded vest you know it's time to worry!
With hood or w/o.Lol so you’re recommending I go when? Fall?
I might be from the Great White North but I dive a 5mm in 80F/27C water.
If w/o then Nov. in the Red Sea (25 ... 24 deg.) might be quite fine in a 5mm with hood.
If with hood already at 27 deg. then do 5mm plus hooded vest work for you at 25 ... 24 deg? 7mm certainly should work...
The summer air temps may have been somewhat hot on land, but did not bother me that much on the boat, although I did like the AC in the saloon mid day / early afternoon and made sure I stayed in the shade outside.... and a few times sitting on the dinghy, pre getting wet got a bit toasty... even in a 3mm shorty. An English fellow who brought a 5mm full suit (only one on board) looked a bit like he was working on a heat stroke and dove in rashguards the next day...
This was the last June week 2016... I think not quite at the temperature maximum yet (water or air).
With a 3mm beanie and 5mm boots.
I remember being chilled in the water and on the dive deck in Belize in 80F water but that was because it was cold/windy and overcast on the surface. And after 3 days of 2-tank diving in the Mexican cenotes (25C/77F), my lips were turning blue. Again, surface was raining, but it was August!
Too warm? I have almost exlusively gone to Egypt in July and my Scandiavian skin has been just fine. It's a dry heat. Not like sticky SEA. Non issue on a liveaboard. But don't forget to drink (water). Thermoclines aren't a big deal in the Red Sea. Most of the year you have to go below 100 meters to find them. In summer you can sometimes expereince them, normally around 30 meters. It depend a little on where you are in the Rec Sea, it is long.
Generally I find the Egyptian Red Sea to be the best in summer. St Johns in early summer and the the further you venture north it prgressively becomes better later with RasMo peaking in late July/August.
Conventional wisdom say that sharks prefer colder water, but many of the sharks in the Egyptian Red Sea seem to move around w/o worrying about boundaries. I would love to see a tagging program of hammerheads (paging Bojanovsky) and my anecdotal evidence suggests that they move from the depths of the central Red Sea up to Egyptian waters in summer (all the way to the strait of Tiran where sightings have been recorded in July/August).
Personally I would pick a Brothers-Dedalus-Elphinstone itineray in July or Thistleform-RasMo-Brothers if you can find one.
Generally I find the Egyptian Red Sea to be the best in summer. St Johns in early summer and the the further you venture north it prgressively becomes better later with RasMo peaking in late July/August.
Conventional wisdom say that sharks prefer colder water, but many of the sharks in the Egyptian Red Sea seem to move around w/o worrying about boundaries. I would love to see a tagging program of hammerheads (paging Bojanovsky) and my anecdotal evidence suggests that they move from the depths of the central Red Sea up to Egyptian waters in summer (all the way to the strait of Tiran where sightings have been recorded in July/August).
Personally I would pick a Brothers-Dedalus-Elphinstone itineray in July or Thistleform-RasMo-Brothers if you can find one.
5 mm for a liveaboard (3-4 dives/day). July-September perhaps you can do with a 3 mm, but most prefer 5. December-April -- don't be surprised to see semi-dry's and dry suits.
A hoodie/beanie is a good reinforcement, easy to bring.
St John's water is 2-3 C degres warmer compared to Hurghada/Sinai.
A hoodie/beanie is a good reinforcement, easy to bring.
St John's water is 2-3 C degres warmer compared to Hurghada/Sinai.
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