Dreaming of a Sharm trip, looking for pointers

[Kimela]

I've wanted to dive Sharm for as long as we've been diving (since 2010). Our style of diving and interests have changed over the years and I'm curious if there are dive ops and resorts/lodging that will easily do what we need? So here's what we're trying to match up:

• No liveaboard
• Smaller resort - we don't like the bustle and activity of a large resort - doesn't need to be fancy. We take air mattresses to Cozumel so we can stay at lower cost places comfortably. We're not high maintenance.
• All inclusive is not necessary, but reasonable restaurants either on property or within a safe walking distance is good ('reasonable' meaning decent food that's not terribly expensive). Again, not high maintenance in the food category. If I can get cream rather than milk for my morning coffee I'm pretty darned happy for the day - and that rarely happens and I still do fine.
• Trustworthy dive op - I guess that's a 'given'
• Access to shallower diving because we love macro and aren't interested in deep dives. If there's a cool wreck that's a 'must', we'll grudgingly go! We'd rather be in 50' or less, to be honest.
• A dive op that allows extended bottom times would be nice - again, for the macro
• Safe area

I know I'm asking a lot - this is a 'wish' list - sort of like having a list of preferred options for a new house and settling for 80%. Thanks!

 

[mcohen1021]

No liveaboard

I know I know, no means no but. I just want to provide opinion on red sea diving.
I was not impressed with anything I saw on sites accessible by day boat. If we'd traveled all that way and got a weeks worth of the final day of diving, I would tell you to stay closer to home in the Caribbean.

 

[BoltSnap]

Red Sea Diving Safari - Marsa Alam - Home

Red Sea Diving Safari is the Red Sea’s leading diving destination, consisting of 3 villages on the southern Red Sea coastline; Wadi Lahami, Marsa Nakari and Marsa Shagra.

www.redsea-divingsafari.com

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

If instead of Sharm it may also be Dahab, i will throw in the Lagona Divers at the Tropitel Dahab Oasis.
The hotel is good with no unusual extra, friendly staff, good food, shuttle to and from Dahab.
The dive centre is on premises. We had 30 m from our room to our dive suits and bottles and 50 m to the entry of the house reef.
Samy (manager and DM) will arrange everything you want and need (Blue Hole and Co, Lighthouse, Dahab Downtown, including boat trips with the other Lagona Divers centre south of Dahab) or just leave you alone diving the house reef as long as you like. When we were there (in october) we were the only guest and it was like private service all the time.

 

[diverLux]

" no live aboard , smaller resort , " well that's Dahab 1 hour drive from Sharm el Sheikh,
I have ben diving with Lagona Divers South at the Happy Life Village also free shuttle to downtown and again you can dive the house reef on your own with your buddy,

and there is more in downtown along the promenade plenty of small hotels, restaurants, cafés, shops and plenty of dive centres,

Dahab is safe, this is Bedouin country, they know how to look after their camels, horses, and guests,

as a note of interest if you are flying into Sharm el Sheik airport from outside Egypt and you stay in the area you'll get the free " Sinaï Only " visa stamp on arrival ( not valid if diving Ras Mohammed from Sharm el Sheikh )

due to high salinity the temp of the Red sea doesn't drop below 72° and no layers

 

[Christian]

Just a guess, that the OP wants to go to Sharm because she wants to visit the Ras Mohamed National Park, the wreck of Thistlegorm and perhaps the Tiran Strait reefs? So Dahab is not a very good alternative as you can't reach any of them from there.
Sharm El Sheikh (Naama Bay) is a lot quiter today compared to ten years ago. A lot. Tourism has slowly found its way back since a cluster of disaster, peaking with the downing of a Russian tourist airliner. Five years ago it was a ghost town.
I haven't dived land based there in this century, so I can't really reccomend operators or hotels, but Sinai Divers (German outfit) and Emperor (British) has been around since it all began, so they are doing a thing or two right. Don't know if Oonas (British base) are still running, but they used to be good as well as Camel Dive Club and Red Sea Diving College.
And I'll let you in on a secret: don't be afraid to go in summer. It is hot yes, but it is a dry desert heat. Not the sticky, humid tropical variant. Water reaches tropical temperatures. Wind normally a little less and reefs comes alive.
But with that said, a liveaboard is better for most (not if you get seasick). You get lots of more diving in and you also miss the schlepping. Diving with dayboats from Sharm do involve some logistics.

 

[BoltSnap]

Just a guess, that the OP want's to go to Sharm because she wants to visit the Ras Mohamed National Park, the wreck of Thistlegorm and perhaps the Tiran Strait reefs? So Dahab is not a very good alternative as you can't reach any of them from there.
Sharm El Sheikh (Naama Bay) is a lot quiter today compared to ten years ago. A lot. Tourism has slowly found its way back since a cluster of disaster, peaking with the downing of a Russian tourist airliner. Five years ago it was a ghost town.
I haven't dived land based there in this century, so I can't really reccomend operators or hotels, but Sinai Divers (German outfit) and Emperor (British) has been around since it all began, so they are doing a thing or two right. Don't know if Oonas (British base) are still running, but they used to be good as well as Camel Dive Club and Red Sea Diving College.
And I'll let you in on a secret: don't be afraid to go in summer. It is hot yes, but it is a dry desert heat. Not the sticky, humid tropical variant. Water reaches tropical temperatures. Wind normally a little less and reefs comes alive.
But with that said, a liveaboard is better for most (not if you get seasick). You get lots of more diving in and you also miss the schlepping. Diving with dayboats from Sharm do involve some logistics.

Wasn't there also Ghazala Divers?

 

[LFMarm]

Highly recommend Emperor divers - they can pick you up from any hotel in the Sharm area. When I go I also look for places with nice house reef so that I can have a no-boat diving day but most of my diving ends up being from day boats so this doens't make a huge difference. My favorite places to dive are Tiran, Ras Mohammed and Thistlegorm/Dunraven.

 

[Searcaigh]

Just a guess, that the OP want's to go to Sharm because she wants to visit the Ras Mohamed National Park, the wreck of Thistlegorm and perhaps the Tiran Strait reefs? So Dahab is not a very good alternative as you can't reach any of them from there.

Well you can do it from Dahab, but it means getting up at stupid o'clock and driving to Sharm, I don't recommend it having done it last year.

I would suggest staying at both Dahab and Sharm to enjoy the shore diving at Dahab and some day trips from Sharm by boat.

I used Oonas Divers back in 1995 and 2005. They had small apartments / rooms above the dive centre, no idea what it's like now.

 

[tursiops]

due to high salinity the temp of the Red sea doesn't drop below 72°

How does that work?