What do you think about diving the Egyptian red sea ? Are there enough srcs of info ?

[nomro]

Hello All ,

I'm doing a survey about diving the Egyptian red sea (Taba - Dahab - Sharm - Hurghada - Marsa Alam - Brothers Island -Deep south (Zabagrad, etc....) )

Please take few minutes to answer the below simple questions , feel free to add any comments of yours.

1- Did you dive in Egypt before ?
2- If yes , how did you know about diving the Egyptian red sea.
3- Which dive sites did you like most and why ?
4- Where did you stay and what do you think about it ?
5- If No , are you interested to do it the near future ? And what holds you from doing it ?
6- Which dive sites are you interested in diving in the red sea , why and how did you know about them ?
7- Do you think there is a reliable source of online information about diving tourism in Egypt including reviews and articles about dive sites , accommodation , food , other activities , equipment retailers and service centers ,weather and wind forecast, general scuba tips and news about Egypt ?
8- If yes , what's your online source ? and how regular do you visit it?
9- If no , Do you think it would be interesting for you to have such source (like online magazine or website)?
10- Would you be a regular user of such source ? and how many times per month do you think you would be visiting it ?
11- Please advise where do you live (country and city/state) ?
12- Gender (male/female)

Thanks
Nomro

 

[Agility]

1- Did you dive in Egypt before ?
​

yes

2- If yes , how did you know about diving the Egyptian red sea.
​

youtube, taucher.net (german web-site dedicated to diving), facebook

3- Which dive sites did you like most and why ?​

All I was taken to, the variety of marine life is just breathtaking​

4- Where did you stay and what do you think about it ?

Riff-Villa Samak Willkommen in der Riff Villa Samak, Marsa Alam, Ägypten
I can highly recommend it.
Perfectly run base with extremly friendly and competent staff.

5- If No , are you interested to do it the near future ?
Yes

And what holds you from doing it ?
my bank account needs filling up ​

6- Which dive sites are you interested in diving in the red sea , why and how did you know about them ?
​

Any.

7- Do you think there is a reliable source of online information about diving tourism in Egypt including reviews and articles about dive sites , accommodation , food , other activities , equipment retailers and service centers ,weather and wind forecast, general scuba tips and news about Egypt ?

I could not tell

8- If yes , what's your online source ?
wetter.com

and how regular do you visit it?
​

before any trip

9- If no , Do you think it would be interesting for you to have such source (like online magazine or website)?
​

No, I rely on information from people I know in Egypt.

10- Would you be a regular user of such source ?
​

No

11- Please advise where do you live (country and city/state) ?
​

Austria

12- Gender (male/female)
does it matter?



​

 

[Doc]

There are any number of surveys that you can populate with questions and drop the link here. This method won't offer you a lot of data.

If you are directing this question at the North American crowd....

...And I think you are, because your Red Sea's traditional, long standing, tourist trade has been from the UK, with a smattering of Northern Europeans who are easily distracted to the Maldives... leaving you with wealthy Russians.... say~ all of your previous political associates are hanging around! Money is tight, so like everybody else, you're looking to expand your client base.

Okay, so it's all about attracting the North American Dollar, right?

Putting it literally in a global perspective, peering at the Red Sea from those two major tourism sources- they look it it like we North Americans look at the Caribbean:

• It's roughly in the same time zone,
• the air routes are relatively cheap,
• the connections are pretty easy.
• long history or social/military/political association

Unfortunately, when we North Americans ponder Red Sea as a dive destination, it is much the same way you would look at Galapagos.... the other side of the Moon. You have heard of people going there, but it likely involved an epic tale of travel. The only thing more remote for us is Maldives or Seychelles. We can get to most of the Pacific Rim (and do) with less hassle and uncertainty.

Overnighting in London for us is very problematic. I'm sure there are other options, maybe even Dubai, but none of this is cheap. The easiest and cheapest way to do this for us is to get on to one of the shuttle flights that runs from London, seems like they are hourly.

And then, most North Americans are going to want to go and sit on a Camel in front of one of those pointy rock things you have in the desert. I settled for sitting outside the Camel Bar in Sharm- I came to dive and I was very impressed by the wrecks, certainly the Thistlegorm was worth the entire trip.

The main marketing attraction is/should be the shipwrecks (for Sharm). The bulk of your experience with prior visitors has been with those still all agog with Sharks. I would posit that by the time a North American has made the decision to go to the Red Sea, they have likely seen enough Sharks. This means that the liveaboard captain had better be smart and aggressive in regards to positioning his boat- when and where to the best advantage for the divers- not his crew.

I have a sense of adventure- but the food selections on-board are usually decidedly Continental.

Understand also that the North American has been completely and absolutely brainwashed to accept as gospel: The only way to dive is by liveaboard. This is a huge area that the Red Sea marketing fails miserably. Other than the know McDonalds Franchised Liveaboards, the rest of the selection is poorly known and comes and goes pretty often. No real consistency in the ships, and piss-poor marketing as for land based.

Want proof? Look at the "back pages" of the dive magazines- North American versus European. In the European mags, they even advertise land based in the Galapagos- something 99% of North Americans are absolutely unaware of. Euro mags are loaded with adverts for small dive ops in the red Sea- all we hear or see is the huge dollar liveaboards only marketed to "rich" Americans.

Southern Red Sea Liveaboard options? We generally view them as politically iffy and leaning toward the dangerous. Sporadic convulsions and changes in who-gets-to-go-where mandates puts us off from making long term plans.

In the case of the Red Sea, I would have to come down on the side of the liveaboard types- it really is the best way to see it in the most expeditious use of time.

Produce a turn-key package from the US and you might actually get some folks interested. So far, anything that I have seen have stated: air connections available. That sounds too murky for us to plan our vacation time. We readily buy into trips to the Southern Pacific, as the travel schedules and air flights are perfectly clear (and equally miserable)... but we have this information well in advance- just as we first ponder going to the SoPac. I've looked at a lot of Red Sea material pointed at the NA market- everything but the air arrangements.

All that, and why would a North American want to go to the Red Sea when the easily reached SoPac offers so much more vibrant and visible sea life?

Again, I put the Thistlegorm Wreck (Northern Red Sea) in the "bucket list" of dives, even more inviting (and certainly more accessable) than the "Coolidge" of Vanuatu.

A lot of your problem is perceptual.

 

[TSandM]

1- Did you dive in Egypt before ? Yes.
2- If yes , how did you know about diving the Egyptian red sea. The owner of the liveaboard we used came onto a forum I frequent with photos and videos of his boat and the fun people were having on it.
3- Which dive sites did you like most and why ? The Thistlegorm is the best wreck dive I've done anywhere. On the last trip, I loved the submerged reefs (can't remember what they are called) on the way to Elphinstone and Daedalus.
4- Where did you stay and what do you think about it ? Stayed at the Marriott in Hurghada, which was very nice, and then on the boat.
5- If No , are you interested to do it the near future ? And what holds you from doing it ? Not in the near future. Costs to get to Egypt and back are high.
6- Which dive sites are you interested in diving in the red sea , why and how did you know about them ? The only dive site I had heard about before going was the Thistlegorm.
7- Do you think there is a reliable source of online information about diving tourism in Egypt including reviews and articles about dive sites , accommodation , food , other activities , equipment retailers and service centers ,weather and wind forecast, general scuba tips and news about Egypt ? I don't know.
8- If yes , what's your online source ? and how regular do you visit it?
9- If no , Do you think it would be interesting for you to have such source (like online magazine or website)? No, I depended on the liveaboard operator for information.
10- Would you be a regular user of such source ? and how many times per month do you think you would be visiting it ?
11- Please advise where do you live (country and city/state) ? USA, Washington State, near Seattle.
12- Gender (male/female) F.

I think Roatan Man nailed it on attracting US customers. It's a LONG way to Egypt and there is very good warm water diving to be had much closer to home. Trips to Egypt would be much more attractive if they were packages that included some land tourism (everybody in the US knows about Ancient Egypt) -- and at some kind of affordable price. We did a land tour on our first trip, but it was ghastly expensive, and we opted out of a side trip to Luxor on the second trip, when hotel costs were quoted around $400 a night.

 

[MrsBBC]

There is a wealth of information online about tourism and diving in Egypt, including a very well written dive magazine called The Equaliser. If people are struggling to find enough information online then they aren't trying very hard.

I will probably answer your questionniare at a later date when I have a bit more time.
But I'm curious what it's for and what you plan to do with your ... variables... wordy answers...

Nic

 

[nomro]

But there is no single Egyptian website that consolidates most of the required info. and that's a shame ! I will appreciate it if you answer the questions too

 

[large_diver]

1- Did you dive in Egypt before ?
YES

2- If yes , how did you know about diving the Egyptian red sea.
Lived in Europe for 5 years....it was the easiest and cheapest option for tropical diving

3- Which dive sites did you like most and why ?
- Deep South liveaboard - St. John's area
- Dahab - outside wall of the Blue Hole
- Marsa Alam - Dolphin House reef


4- Where did you stay and what do you think about it ?
- Marsa Alam = Red Sea dive Safari-Nakari. Loved it....very rustic, quiet and relaxed. Great diving. Ability to shore (including night) and boat dive. Very flexible diving with RIBs on demand. Fantastic staff.
- Dahab - Meridien hotel. Luxury hotel with on-site dive operation (Poseidon Divers). Fewer serious divers at this hotel.
- Liveaboard - Deep South itinerary on Blue O Two. great staff and dive operation.

5- If No , are you interested to do it the near future ? And what holds you from doing it ?
N/A

6- Which dive sites are you interested in diving in the red sea , why and how did you know about them ?
Simply the Best itinerary - Daedelus and the Brothers. I was scheduled to travel on a liveaboard in 2011 with this itinerary, but had to cancel

7- Do you think there is a reliable source of online information about diving tourism in Egypt including reviews and articles about dive sites , accommodation , food , other activities , equipment retailers and service centers ,weather and wind forecast, general scuba tips and news about Egypt ?
Yes, but harder to find on large American-centric web sites.

8- If yes , what's your online source ? and how regular do you visit it?
scubaboard or yorkshire divers

9- If no , Do you think it would be interesting for you to have such source (like online magazine or website)?

10- Would you be a regular user of such source ? and how many times per month do you think you would be visiting it ?
Most of usage would depend on whether I was trying to schedule a trip - sporadic

11- Please advise where do you live (country and city/state) ?
United States - Boston

12- Gender (male/female)
Male

 

[nomro]

Thanks large diver for ur feedback , that's very much appreciated .

 

[FMEVS]

Hello,

As I am planning yet another trip to the Red Sea, I bumped into your survey.
The Red Sea is also a good family destination. This time again we're taking our kids and the oldest(8) is going for a first certificate.

1- Did you dive in Egypt before ?
YES

2- If yes , how did you know about diving the Egyptian red sea.
Tour operators

3- Which dive sites did you like most and why ?
Marsa Alam area because it is less crowded

4- Where did you stay and what do you think about it ?
Marsa Alam x 3 - Great each time
Hurghada x 1 - Crowded and busy. No real beaches
Taba x 1 - OK

5- If No , are you interested to do it the near future ? And what holds you from doing it ?
N/A

6- Which dive sites are you interested in diving in the red sea , why and how did you know about them ?
After seeing several land-based operators, I'd love to do a liveaboard. Elphinstone/BDE/St John and Deep South

7- Do you think there is a reliable source of online information about diving tourism in Egypt including reviews and articles about dive sites , accommodation , food , other activities , equipment retailers and service centers ,weather and wind forecast, general scuba tips and news about Egypt ?
Yes

8- If yes , what's your online source ? and how regular do you visit it?
Internet forums that I visit often.

9- If no , Do you think it would be interesting for you to have such source (like online magazine or website)?
Another one, why not. The difficulty is to build up a user base.

10- Would you be a regular user of such source ? and how many times per month do you think you would be visiting it ?
Depends on the quality.

11- Please advise where do you live (country and city/state) ?
Paris, France

12- Gender (male/female)
Male

 

[nomro]

FMEVS .

Thanks a lot for filling in the survey