Sharm el Sheikh for beginners?

[DutchDown]

Wish the Red Sea were as "accessible" to us divers from the States as it is for our dive friends overseas (won't indulge in any political comments here). I've been wanting to go there for years bit still feel a bit iffy about it.

Know from my European and Asian dive friends that it is a fantastic experience.

Doc

Doc,

Don't let the scare-monger slow you down. I'm American and went to Sharm in January. Now I am as hooked on the Red Sea as Mania. A few people were a little surprised to see a Yank there, but I was made welcome and treated the same as anyone else. The Egyptians were warm and friendly and the diving was fantastic. Go see for yourself!

All the best,

Phil

 

[Washy]

Be prepared though! You would have been spoilt in Coz - I loved it there and Sharm is totally different. The boats are pretty much all cattle boats, so get prepared to dive with 30 other souls and then meet another 30 underwater certainly on the high-profile sights.

Sharm wasn't in the same league as Coz as far as I'm concerned, but you can have some good dives there. It's a pain in the arse that you have to spend all day on a boat for 2 (or maybe 3 if you beg) dives, whereas in Coz, you can get 4 dives a day in and still be back for sunset beers.

Very few of the operators differentiate themselves (I thought it was pretty much of a muchness). The SB users keep coming up with the same ol' names Camel, Emperor. They are certainly more impressive looking, but when everyone goes to the same dive sites with packed boats does it really matter?

 

[Conce]

Be prepared though! You would have been spoilt in Coz - I loved it there and Sharm is totally different. The boats are pretty much all cattle boats, so get prepared to dive with 30 other souls and then meet another 30 underwater certainly on the high-profile sights.

... It's a pain in the arse that you have to spend all day on a boat for 2 (or maybe 3 if you beg) dives, whereas in Coz, you can get 4 dives a day in and still be back for sunset beers.

That´s why doing a liveaboard in Sharm is the best way to travel. You arrive earlier in the dive sites and can do up to 4 or maybe 5 dives a day

 

[mania]

The boats are pretty much all cattle boats, so get prepared to dive with 30 other souls and then meet another 30 underwater certainly on the high-profile sightsQUOTE]

It's true nad it's not. First of all it depends on the diving center you are using. The biggest ones are sometimes like factories - I call it like this. But some smaller diving centers are not like this - they have smaller boats and the atmophere there is different. But generally there is a lot of divers and you can see how the port in Sharm looks in the morning here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/7551/sort/1/cat/500/page/1
As "jaccuzi dive" - I call it like this when there is too many divers uw - it also depends which diving sites you take. If you go to Jackson reef from it's standart site - yeah it's 100% jaccuzi dive. But you can dive this reef from the other site - and almost nobody there. This rule applies to most of the sites.
I've never been to Coz so I can't compare but most of the times in Sharm i was lucky to have beautiful dives.
Mania

 

[Phil]

Hi, Courtney.
We recently got back from our second trip to Sharm (we did our OW there with Red Sea Diving College--superb instruction)...it's an amazing place, and you shouldn't have a problem with the skill levels. We are very inexperienced but managed to do 18 dives in 6 days with Camel Dive Club. They are a superb outfit, and we will definitely go back to them on our next trip out there. We went there with 13 dives (including AOW qual) and managed to get further afield than the local sites, but I second what Ed says about the local sites. Ras Mohammed is amazing, and I never tire of going to Shark & Yolanda! I'm very envious, by the way, that I missed the Manta and sharks...hope you get to see some. Happy diving! www.cameldive.com
By the way, we're considering going to Cozumel...can you recommend a good dive centre there?

Boo.....Try "Dive with Alison" ..... excelent op in Coz.

 

[laika]

I went to Sharm on August and I had just taken my first star CMAS licence - my log book had just one dive at the moment. After two check dives to local waters I was taken to Ras Mohamet. It was amazing! I even saw a grey reef shark at my first dive there. The dive was not a difficult one, the only thing that was a little bit diifficult was that you have to jump off the boat and go back on the boat when the boat is moving.
I went with Aquarious Dive center - they are based at Sheraton Hotel. Before I go there I had sent several e mails to different operators, but no one answered. I just went there and I booked the trip. Competition is high so they are not overbooked.
If you have your own gear or if you can borrow trustworthy gear take it with you. They charge seperately for every piece of equipment : 3 euros for the fins, 3 euros for the mask, 10 - 15 euros for the regulators etc. Normally, it is something like 20 euros gor the dive + 25 euros for the gear package.
Neverheless, it is an amazing experience. My diving school is going there in October, and I feel so jealous!

 

[phrixus]

Hello -
I will be traveling to Sharm in November. I'm recently open-water certified with all of my dives completed in Cozumel, Mexico. I would like to dive Sharm, but how are the diving conditions for someone of my skill level? Are there any dive operators you would recommend? I was initially looking at Divers Network simply because they operate out of the hotel I am staying at, but they have yet to respond to my email.

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

Sharm is an excellent place to dive - I go out there a couple of times a year if I can. I would recommend doing your Advanced OW whilst you're out there so that you can go to some of the prettier sites. My favourite sites are Dunraven (wreck at 29m on a really pretty reef), Shark & Yolanda (can be dived at any depth but current can be strong between the two reef plates) & Jackson (very pretty, lots & lots of fish & if you're lucky the hammerheads will still be about). Would also recommend diving with Emporer as the staff there are all lovely & helpful

 

[Belushi]

Wish the Red Sea were as "accessible" to us divers from the States as it is for our dive friends overseas (won't indulge in any political comments here). I've been wanting to go there for years bit still feel a bit iffy about it.Doc

The Egyptians love North Americans. As there happen to be about 1000 of them in the Sinai right now and have been for 30 years and most of them frequent the Camel Bar on a Saturday night. You guys make the place rock!!!

Dont let the perceived "troubles" keep you from a beautiful place. The people are warm and friendly to the point of annoyance and the diving is awesome.

Come on over Dr Bill ... you would love it

 

[liquidiver]

Thanks for the info! I'll be contacting Emperor.

Do you happen to have a website or email for Blue Sea Diving Centre? I did a google search on them and couldn't find any contact info.

Hey Courtney,

no worries about being an open water diver in sharm, it's a great place to add to your experience as a scuba diver, and it will definitely be a trip you won't forget for a long time to come...

i would definitely suggest diving with BlueSeaDiving though...nice close atmosphere, personal attention and service, and a dive staff that actually likes to dive!!

don't let the fact that i've worked for blue sea for the past 5 years throw you it really is a great center to dive with. why do you think i still work there?! we've got lead that sinks, and boats that float, what more could you ask for?

hope to 'sea' you soon courtney,

mania?? and all this time i've been calling you maria!! oops :11: