Berenice - A report

[draco]

Hi all!
Just came back yesterday from Berenice, in the southern part of Egypt.
We spent 7 days at the Lahami bay resort, one of the few of the area (I think there are only other two..)
Nice things first: DOLPHINS!!! Lots of them.
two days ago I swimmed in a group of 30+ and it was amazing!! :07:
The reef is really nice, not deep and you can easily do nice dives from the beach.
the Hotel is good, although while we were there there were some building sites that disturbed a little...
few people and quite relaxing...
for the BAD things...
THE DIVING!!
Guys I never seen a group of people more disorganized, or better, a group of people so well organized to do the less as possible to make you enjoy your vacation. OCEAN Pro is the name.
I normally dive around three times a day, but there, in a week, I dived only 7 times!
the first impression is ok...
they present you with the program and the prices
(not the cheapest... 210€ for 7 dives), about the possibility to do beach entry, no guide, 22€ for the tank, goodbye... the early morning dive at 5.30.. the night dive etc
the diving office is open from 7.30 to 5.30(!)pm
two boats per day: 8.30 and 13.30.
distance from the port to the dives sites: less than a mile.
time to get there 1 HOUR! to come back 1.30 HOURS!!
for some reason they only have huge boats and that takes so much time away, mostly when they have to get back to the port (half an hour from the entrance to the time you touch ground).
that means that you have enough time to eat an apple and then run on the other boat for the second dive. go out at 9.00, come back at 12.30. go out at 1.30 to be back at 5...
if you do a beach entry, in this nice horse shoe shaped beach, you can only enter from the beach (700 meters away from the diving, and it's not nice at 40+ C° to walk under the sun with full equipment). there are no little boats that can take some far out so that you can come back diving
there is no buddy search list and they don't care. it took me three days to get a buddy.
as for the early morning, they needed 10 people. fair enough. put a list and before the office closes, decide if you gonna do it or not.
No list, no one would sign in, no early morning dive.
Conclusions...
AVOID THEM!!!

 

[alijtaylor]

Thanks for the warning, hope your next trip (there is always a next trip) is better.
Alison

 

[alan j]

Hi, just come back from an amazing trip to the Fury Shoals, and stayed at the Lahami Bay, with Barakuda diving, with 25 divers all was very good dive guides and boats. I would recommended the operation.

It is a long bus ride from the Airport but well worth it.

Alan

euphoriadiving.com

 

[DomaNitrogen]

Sad to hear you had a bad time But dont get that impression. there is a lot of professional and organazied dive centers in Egypt; Use the Scubaboard next time they will help

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Glad that you had good time here Alan.

 

[alan j]

Thanks, the bus trip down was the only slight draw back, but very goo once your there. They have three House Reef Boats going out at different times, and 6 full day boats, with a House reef you can dive at any time, just sign in and out. Some of out group dived the HOuse reef and found it as good as some of the dives alot further out.

So its organising another trip next October. On another Note is Sudan good in March.

Alan
euphoriadiving.com

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Yeah. As far as I know, Sudan is great in spring.
If you want to do Sudan out of Egypt, drop me a line