10 days in Egypt in August

[igneous]

Im kind of between Sharm and Marsa Alam. It seems like I can't really go wrong with either, might go with Ocean college if I go to Sharm, and red sea diving safari if I do Marsa.
would one or the other be any better for seeing things like Sharks? Both places seem great for diving, but if I have a better chance at seeing sharks or other significant creatures it would probably push me in one direction or the other.

 

[Altamira]

We just came back from a trip which included eleven days in Egypt: 5 in Hurghada, one in Safaga, two in Luxor, and three in Cairo. Diving was great in Hurghada and Safaga, without long boat rides to dive sites; snorkeling excellent as well. Don't miss Luxor, but do not recommend trying to do it all in one day, especially in August. If you stay in Luxor, you can break up your tour days, and cool down/re-hydrate with rest times at your hotel. Skip the sound & light show at the Temple of Karnak--a waste of time and money. See it during the day. Same with Cairo as far as don't try to cram too much into each day. There is a lot to see in/around Cairo, but if you try to do too much in one day, your body will likely pay a hefty price. It was relatively cool when we were there in late April, and still felt drained by the end of the day, so I can only imagine what it is like in August.

 

[Sunn]

Im kind of between Sharm and Marsa Alam. It seems like I can't really go wrong with either, might go with Ocean college if I go to Sharm, and red sea diving safari if I do Marsa.
would one or the other be any better for seeing things like Sharks? Both places seem great for diving, but if I have a better chance at seeing sharks or other significant creatures it would probably push me in one direction or the other.

perhaps, with luck, will you see a shark...

Elphinstone is the only place you can reach in daily diving boats where there are very often sharks.

 

[Gavin Ramsey]

We just came back from a trip which included eleven days in Egypt: 5 in Hurghada, one in Safaga, two in Luxor, and three in Cairo. Diving was great in Hurghada and Safaga, without long boat rides to dive sites; snorkeling excellent as well. Don't miss Luxor, but do not recommend trying to do it all in one day, especially in August. If you stay in Luxor, you can break up your tour days, and cool down/re-hydrate with rest times at your hotel. Skip the sound & light show at the Temple of Karnak--a waste of time and money. See it during the day. Same with Cairo as far as don't try to cram too much into each day. There is a lot to see in/around Cairo, but if you try to do too much in one day, your body will likely pay a hefty price. It was relatively cool when we were there in late April, and still felt drained by the end of the day, so I can only imagine what it is like in August.

Can you please advise as to which dive shop you used and what dive sites were best?

 

[KathyV]

.. Skip the sound & light show at the Temple of Karnak--a waste of time and money. See it during the day...

We never got to Karnak, I am sorry to say, but we had the same experience in Cairo regarding the night sound & light show at the Great Sphinx/Pyramids; it's a boring, cheesy waste of money. It may look cool in a James Bond movie, but it's not that way in real life; visit during the day.

 

[Altamira]

+1 for what KathyV said about the sound and light show at the Great Sphinx/Pyramids. We saw the light show every night because of the location of our hotel being right there, but I would not pay money to see the light show. Unimpressive to say the least.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @igneous

If you make it to Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib, I can recommend Emperor Divers Emperor Divers and Marina Lodge Hotel April 2016 They offer a day trip to Elphinstone and have a shore dive trip to Abu Dabab