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Water
Activities - Diving |
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Egypt’s coral reefs and marine life offer an
unparalleled scuba diving and snorkeling experience. The
Red Sea cities of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh offer
some of the world’s rarest and most brilliant varieties
of corals and fish. No dive would be complete without
exploring the depth of the Blue Hole in Dahab, or
visiting Ras Mohammed on the tip of the Sinai Penninsula.
Ras Mohammed - a declared national park- is renowned for
being one of the world’s best diving spots featuring the
most exquisite coral reefs and exotic marine life.
For a trace of history, diving expeditions are
organized off the shores of Alexandria, where the ruins
of Cleopatra’s Temple can be found and viewed at the
bottom of the sea.
There is an abundance of hotels and camping
grounds which serve the best dive sites and centers.
Diving courses are available and are relatively
inexpensive. The shore dives offer a safe learning
ground for open water diving. All the diving centers
offer PADI, BSAC or CMAS certifications; which entitle
you to dive anywhere in the world.
How to choose a dive center
There are many certified diving centers located
throughout the major hotels and resorts. These centers
are staffed with highly trained professional instructors
which offer courses and trips for scuba diving and
snorkeling.
The golden rules
Marine life, and coral reefs in particular, are highly
fragile and easily damaged. In order to protect the
sanctity of the diving areas it is critical that divers
respect the diving rules set forth by the Egyptian
authorities. Any destruction of the coral reefs by
removing or polluting the waters or removal of rare fish
from the waters is prohibited. Feeding any marine life
is strictly forbidden and violations are subject to
fines.
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Mediterranean |
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Most of the diving in the Red Sea area is done with a
shore-based, day boat dive operation or a live aboard
dive boat. The currents in these areas vary from no
current to very strong, so it is strongly advised to
dive or snorkel with guides or with experienced divers
who have been diving in the area before and are familiar
with the conditions.
In the following pages, you will find descriptions as to
the expertise required for the various dive sites. The
following definitions of the diving skill levels should
help you evaluate the required skill for each dive site. |
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Novice diver - a person who is in good physical
condition and recently completed a basic
certification diving course, or someone who has
been certified before but has not been diving in a
while or has no experience in similar conditions.
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Advanced diver - a person who has logged
many dives under similar or rougher conditions and
is in good physical condition.
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Dive master or instructor - a person who
has advanced training as a dive master or an
instructor who has logged over 100 dives in
similar conditions and is in excellent physical
condition.
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The clear blue waters between Sharm El Sheikh and
Hurghada hide some of the Red Sea's biggest
surprises - stunning reefs and mysterious
shipwrecks, the legacy of the maritime trade that
has flowed through the region for millennia.
Strewn across the Straits of Gubal, gateway to the
Suez Canal, the reefs of this region are as rich
in history as they are in natural beauty.
This guide encompasses dive sites in Shaab Mahmud
and Shaab Ali, the Straits of Gubal and Hurghada,
spread across 74km of open sea between the tip of
Ras Muhammad and the Egyptian mainland at Hurghada.
The sites can be reached from either Sharm El
Sheikh or Hurghada |
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Diving Conditions:
Seasonal temperature variation is quite similar to
that found in southern Sinai. As autumn progresses
to winter, the prevailing northerly winds in the
area change. Long swells pushed by the south wind
have the entire length of the Red Sea to build up,
and by the time they reach the Straits of Gubal,
they can be pretty powerful.
Water Temp |
Summer |
28 °C |
Winter |
19 °C |
Currents |
Moderate-strong |
Wreck
dives |
Y |
Shore
dives |
Y |
Boat
dives |
Y |
Live-aboard |
Y |
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