Diving in the Red Sea
- Thread starter gehadoski
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
2DiveCrew
Registered
I've dived there several times over the course of several years. Of course it is beautiful but each time there are more boats, more divers. It THE most commercialized place in the world that I've ever dived and I find it that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find quality dive shops that provide professional service. Many dive boats abuse the rules about the number of boats per mooring etc...
I have talked to other divers from Europe that have also been there many time and many of them share these experiences. In the end though, for a quick (one week), warm break from Europe it's the best and closest place.
I have talked to other divers from Europe that have also been there many time and many of them share these experiences. In the end though, for a quick (one week), warm break from Europe it's the best and closest place.
There's a lot of confusion on this subject. First, are we talking about Sharm, Hurghada, Eilat and a few other destinations in the northern part of the northern Red Sea, or are we talking about the Red Sea? Many people make judgments on very questionable basis. Imagine if I would visit a few of the worst, most overdived and touristy destinations in the Carribean and then say that all Carribean diving is no good! It's the same thing.
The Red Sea is larrge and have several dive areas. Going to Sharm or Hurghada might be an easy quick dip for the european diver. But going to e.g. the South Suakin Archipelago in the Sudaense Red Sea means making an expedition in largely unexplored waters. The same goes for the northernmost reefs in Sudan and the southernmost reefs in Egypt bordering to Sudan. Then you have the Farasan Arhipelago in Saudi and the Dahlak Islands in Eritrea. The Hanish Islands of Yemen, 7 Brothers in Djibouti ... There are many, many worldclass dive areas in the Red Sea.
For me, the Sudanese Red Sea still stands out as one of the most complete and untouched underwater environments comparing not only to the other Red Sea locations, but also to world class spots in the Indo Pacific. In fact if I could only go to dive one place for the rest of my life, it would be the Sudanese Red Sea.
christian
The Red Sea is larrge and have several dive areas. Going to Sharm or Hurghada might be an easy quick dip for the european diver. But going to e.g. the South Suakin Archipelago in the Sudaense Red Sea means making an expedition in largely unexplored waters. The same goes for the northernmost reefs in Sudan and the southernmost reefs in Egypt bordering to Sudan. Then you have the Farasan Arhipelago in Saudi and the Dahlak Islands in Eritrea. The Hanish Islands of Yemen, 7 Brothers in Djibouti ... There are many, many worldclass dive areas in the Red Sea.
For me, the Sudanese Red Sea still stands out as one of the most complete and untouched underwater environments comparing not only to the other Red Sea locations, but also to world class spots in the Indo Pacific. In fact if I could only go to dive one place for the rest of my life, it would be the Sudanese Red Sea.
christian
rcain1
Contributor
It would be a really long surface swim to come from the Gulf of Mexico. Joke!
Green Mountain
Guest
I'm doing my research for my next winter dive already. I did a lot of dives in the Carribean so I was thinking the Great Barrier Reef or the Red Sea. (I've been really good this year.)
Has any of you rich and fameous folks dived both of these places? If you could only dive one which one would it be? To qualify your answer let me add that I like wreck diving the best.
Also, has anyone stayed on the liveaboard, Lady M, on the Red Sea?
Has any of you rich and fameous folks dived both of these places? If you could only dive one which one would it be? To qualify your answer let me add that I like wreck diving the best.
Also, has anyone stayed on the liveaboard, Lady M, on the Red Sea?
Winton
Guest
I like the Red Sea. I have never done the south near Sudan but think I would enjoy that. The swim throughs and wrecks near Sharm El Shiekh and Dahab are faboulous, especially if you can time them to avoid the crowds, which is possible.
There are some Red Sea divers on the forum at this web page.
http://www.cameldive.com/
There are some Red Sea divers on the forum at this web page.
http://www.cameldive.com/
Wreck
Guest
2DiveCrew:
I was totally shocked at this myself. I saw one shop that had most of its regulator hoses all cracked up. On one I could even see the middle cross-threaded layer showing (just inviting a bubble burst). Another dive shop didn't have any depth guages in their consoles! A lot of dodgey figures have opened dive shops in the booming economy seeking to cash in on the crop. I'm just glad I brought my own regs/computer
2DiveCrew:
We went to one site north of Hurghada and there were 8 boats tied to 3 moorings. We were one of a threesome tied to one mooring. 1.5m waves and we had a few resounding bumps with our neighbors that made everyone look stop what they were doing at the time in surprise.
My friends and I chose one of the more expensive outfits (Emperor Divers - at the Hilton) and they were very professional. The boat crew on the other hand, was a bit more casual.
We enjoy diving the Red Sea.
We stay in Dahab and avoid the crowds in Sharm. The Bells/Blue hole is a busy dive site but we have always gone first thing in the morning and have been the only divers...same with the Canyon.
We do the sites in Sharm (Thistlegorm,Tiran) but always book the daily dive boats from Dahab...seems you get a better price booking in Dahab than if you were in Sharm.
You just can't beat the prices in Dahab!
We are going on a liveaboard next week to dive the southern Red Sea - Elphinstone and surrounding area...We've heard great things about the diving in this area. Hope it lives up to the reputation of having "BIG FISH". It's also one step closer to making it to Sudan!
We stay in Dahab and avoid the crowds in Sharm. The Bells/Blue hole is a busy dive site but we have always gone first thing in the morning and have been the only divers...same with the Canyon.
We do the sites in Sharm (Thistlegorm,Tiran) but always book the daily dive boats from Dahab...seems you get a better price booking in Dahab than if you were in Sharm.
You just can't beat the prices in Dahab!
We are going on a liveaboard next week to dive the southern Red Sea - Elphinstone and surrounding area...We've heard great things about the diving in this area. Hope it lives up to the reputation of having "BIG FISH". It's also one step closer to making it to Sudan!
BENNCOOL,
If you are mainly interested in wrecks, the northern Red Sea is the best with Hurghada as your starting point. There are several one week "wreck"-safaris. If you are prepard to travel as far as Australia you might want to consider Truk lagoon in Micronesia, wich is where a WWII battle took place between japaneese and american fleet forces. Not a wreckie myself, but I confess that I know several people who are, and they rank Truk as really good. Also Scapa Flow in Scotland and Narvik in Norway has very good wreck diving without all the girlish corals and pretty fishes ... Haven't stayed on the Lady M, but I gave been onboard her and know several people who have used here. It is a medium to high quality boat.
TEERLKAY, Elphinestone can be the greatest dive in the world, but you will need the right conditions. The north point is my favourite dive here, where I have seen schooling hammerheads several times, silvertips on a few occations and grey reef sharks on almost every dive. I have also seen an oceanic whitetip on Elphinestone once, but not on the north point. If you are an experienced diver, comfortable with deep diving, you can also ask your dive guide about doing the Arch under the south plateau - a dive which is really not reccomendable due to the risks - but it's there and it has a fascinating story attached to it. It is said to hold an ancient sarkofag of an old egyptian pharaon. Not very believeable, but anyway ...
good luck
If you are mainly interested in wrecks, the northern Red Sea is the best with Hurghada as your starting point. There are several one week "wreck"-safaris. If you are prepard to travel as far as Australia you might want to consider Truk lagoon in Micronesia, wich is where a WWII battle took place between japaneese and american fleet forces. Not a wreckie myself, but I confess that I know several people who are, and they rank Truk as really good. Also Scapa Flow in Scotland and Narvik in Norway has very good wreck diving without all the girlish corals and pretty fishes ... Haven't stayed on the Lady M, but I gave been onboard her and know several people who have used here. It is a medium to high quality boat.
TEERLKAY, Elphinestone can be the greatest dive in the world, but you will need the right conditions. The north point is my favourite dive here, where I have seen schooling hammerheads several times, silvertips on a few occations and grey reef sharks on almost every dive. I have also seen an oceanic whitetip on Elphinestone once, but not on the north point. If you are an experienced diver, comfortable with deep diving, you can also ask your dive guide about doing the Arch under the south plateau - a dive which is really not reccomendable due to the risks - but it's there and it has a fascinating story attached to it. It is said to hold an ancient sarkofag of an old egyptian pharaon. Not very believeable, but anyway ...
good luck
Similar threads
