Dec 2010 dive trip from Europe..any suggestions

[ogopogo007]

My wife is attending a med conf in Amsterdam early Dec 2010, we're looking at doing a dive trip for a week or so then.

Any advice would be appreciated

Websites of European package deals (assume similar winter sun spot get-aways like from CDN cities)
Places to dive (not Caribbean as we can access that from Toronto) that are warm & mostly dry in Dec

thanks in advance

 

[DandyDon]

You probly need to ask in the Europe forum.

 

[samaka]

When in Rome...

Most Europeans sneak away to Egypt for dive holidays so why not follow their example. You can get good diving and some culture at the same time. It's only a 4hrs flight away and then you're on a different continent with lots of stuff to do. Email me or send a PM if you want more info.

.......a.......

 

[explorer08]

Samaka´s recommendation is a good one. In December everywhere in Europe is off season for diving. Most dive centres are closed and only some local hardcore divers are diving in their dry suits. Even the red sea should be quite cold at that time.

 

[Rhone Man]

You can probably dive in Malta and Cyprus in December, but if you are going to go that far, you may as well fly the extra hour to Egypt.

 

[DandyDon]

For an American to travel to Egypt would require a number of new considerations we don't normally think of for Caribbean travel, i.e. how safe is the water & food at hotels, traveling in a Muslim country, yoke valves for our regs, and so forth.

 

[Venus]

:shocked2:

Are you for real?
Have you never travelled outside of North America + the Caribbean?
You should worry more about going to the Netherlands!

Egypt is living in the same century as you ...

they have bottled water, very good food, yoke is more popular than DIN valves [I have to always ask for a DIN cylinder]
Egypt survives because of tourism

Andres - do you know how much of Egypts income is generated from tourism?

Just because it is a Muslim country, don't let that stop you from going
I have travelled to Egypt nine times as a single female travelling on my own
I've got more issues with travelling to Egypt than you have, because of where I come from and my heritage

If you want any help with the best place to go in Egypt in Dec, let me know
I always have an opinion/ suggestion on someone travelling to Egypt

If you really think Egypt is a problem, go further to Thailand/ Malaysia

Djibouti has whale sharks at the end of the year?

For an American to travel to Egypt would require a number of new considerations we don't normally think of for Caribbean travel, i.e. how safe is the water & food at hotels, traveling in a Muslim country, yoke valves for our regs, and so forth.

 

[samaka]

For an American to travel to Egypt would require a number of new considerations we don't normally think of for Caribbean travel, i.e. how safe is the water & food at hotels, traveling in a Muslim country, yoke valves for our regs, and so forth.

Hey Daddy Don.

Thanks for bringing that up because this is a very common misconception. Egypt is very safe to travel in and neither the food, nor the water is a problem. Being a Muslim country makes it even more safe in my opinion. I have lived here for 11 years and never felt safer anywhere else, and I've been living in 12 countries, including Caribbean countries as Grand Cayman and Bonaire. There are a lot of myths surrounding Egypt as a travel destination and most of them are wrong (like you always get sick), some of them are true (like it's a beautiful place with lots and lots of culture and excellent diving.

Of course, for chickens, there is the option to go on a liveaboard and stay on the boat all week and get all the diving and not spend more than a few hours in the marina on the way in and out... )

When it comes to dive equipment you can expect everything you are used to back home possibly even better with the good operators. Obviously there are good and bad operators here as well as everywhere else. However, if you choose a reputable Operator and not navigate towards the cheapest you'll be safe.

I have some useful info about all these issues on my website WELCOME TO AZIAB where you can look at "Medical Problems" to get an idea about how it works.

I'm not sure how big the part of the Egyptian income is from tourism but I'll check it out.

Hope to see you here soon. We'll take good care of you.
.....a.....

again, thanks Daddy Don for bringing up the subjects

 

[DandyDon]

No, I've never been to Egypt. I would love to dive and tour both, but I think the original poster was hoping he could dive someplace different around The Netherlands since he is going there anyway - but it just not a diving destination really. It is a lovely country with great people, and I would love to get back there sometime, but back to Egypt...

I have not read much about traveling there. I did remember once thread about a fellow planning to go, a lot of warnings he received here on SB, and how he got ill anyway - but dang if I could find it now. I do not remember what part he visited. Here is the CDC page which seems similar to general advisories for Central American travel.

Visiting a Muslim country is probly not a problem but it's something to consider in some instances. Here is the State Department page with some information that would help ensure a safe trip I think.

 

[ogopogo007]

Thanks for the info

I was thinking more of Maldives (believe BA flies there) or Saychelles

Believe the Red Sea is not so warm in Dec?

Not so keen to visit a place that requires us to walk around with a marrige lisence