Diving Marsa Alam, Egypt

[Mod63]

Yeah, I did a similar trip a number of years ago, and overland travel on Egyptian buses is hard and doesn't get any easier as you get older. The OP is a senior. They should do themselves a favor and connect through Cairo. Air all the way.

Second that. Traveling from South of Marsa Alam to Taba at the Egypt/Israel border is 10hours plus pure travel time, not counting any buffers that you need to catch the ferry. No fun at all.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Are you committed to doing land based? If not, I actually suggest a liveraboard for the best diving there. You can get them out of Marsa Alam (Port Ghalib) if you want to go down that way.

 

[dyandiver]

Thanks everyone for some good info. We are committed to land based because my husband gets seasick easily and doesn't want to chance it. I think I might have found an operation that will guide me thru the transfers from town to town, which seems to be a constant problem traveling this area of the world. Trip.me. It'll cost but will give me what I want. Thank you.

 

[Protondecay123]

Thanks everyone for some good info. We are committed to land based because my husband gets seasick easily and doesn't want to chance it. I think I might have found an operation that will guide me thru the transfers from town to town, which seems to be a constant problem traveling this area of the world. Trip.me. It'll cost but will give me what I want. Thank you.

Glad you found something that works for you. If you get a chance post a review of your trip. I have a non-diving significant other and we are thinking of doing something similar in the next few years. God willing and the creek don't rise.

 

[Sunn]

As said by Divecon, I should recommend The Three Corners Hotels & Resorts, they have several hotels in the surroundings.

There are many dive centers. Any of them will pick you up at the airport and arrange the daily hotel / dive center transportation.

From Marsa Alam, going to Israel is a non-sense for me : road to Safaga + ferry to Sharm el Sheik + road to Taba border will take you at least one full day...and you are only arrived at the border Taba/Eilat. Or else from Marsa Alam airport you'll have to travel at least 14h to reach Israel, and with stops in Europe or Russia....

 

[ReefHound]

Last June our dive club did a land-based week at Brayka Bay, just north of Marsa Alam. Brayka is an AI with decent food, clean and safe rooms, well-groomed grounds, and everything worked well. Coroya Divers is the on-site dive shop and they were awesome. Nice set up with individual lockers, next to rinse tanks. We did 3-tank day trips both out of Marsa Alam and Port Ghalid. The bay has pretty decent shore diving.

 

[ontdiver]

I have also stayed at Marina Lodge and dove with Emperor Divers. Accommodation and meals were generally good, but the diving, crew, boat & hot lunch were great!

 

[drbill]

I enjoyed diving with Roots Camp/Pharaoh Dive Shop near el Qusier (Welcome to Roots). We did trips out of Hurghada and Marsa Alam with them.

 

[Adr1an]

Post #2 is wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start with.

First of all if you're doing Israel&Egypt AND are interested in diving the easiest and most rational thing to do is to cross on land between Eilat and Taba. If you get the Egyptian e-visa in advance the process is trouble free and can take as little as 30 minutes including filling the immigration form on the Egyptian side. From Taba you can take a taxi to Dahab for as little as 50$ (price per car but be prepare to haggle hard) or you can take the 3PM local bus for peanut money.
Keep also in mind that from Dahab you can easily do a day trip to Mount Sinai & St Catherine's monastery so that's another reason to go there. Dahab has a lot of good shore diving sports and the Blue Hole is a major attraction in itself.

The best part of this approach is that Mount Sinai & St Catherine's monastery are right on the main road going from Dahab to Cairo so you can stay there one night, do the Mt Sinai climb and then proceed by taxi or by bus to Cairo.

 

[Mod63]

Well, the OP asked about Marsa Alam, and getting from Eilat to Marsa Alam is not the easieast and fastest. That there is no issue if you stay on the Sinai is another topic.