Eilat diving in June 2015

[tridacna]

I have to be in Eilat for a wedding in June 2015. I'd like to get in two days of diving. Anyone have any recommendations? Prefer to avoid cattle-boats. Nitrox preferred.

 

[Roman_66]

In Eilat you don't need to dive recreational from boat at all. About 20 meters from the beach already 60 ft and going deeper very fast.
7-10 minutes from beach you will reach 100 ft . A lot of nice corals and fishes.
For recreational I may suggest Marina Divers. They have a big cover place (very important in June in Eilat !), free water, tea and coffee with sugar and milk. If you will come early morning enough, you can catch a locker.
Standard AL80 rent about 25 NIS with air and 30-35 NIS with Nitrox (32% or 36%). You must to show Nitrox card to take Nitrox.
$1 = 3.9 NIS (today).
Tanks are available in Yoke and DIN. They also have few bigger tanks for the same price, but better to call day before to order on your name.
Also they have all other equipment for rent. Re-filling usually takes 40-60 minutes, and this is exactly time that you need between dives.
If you rent regular AL80, 99% it is available immediately.
If you looking more GUE or tech oriented club, I will suggest Deep Siam.
Less cover place. All others benefits, described above, are exactly the same.
In Deep Siam you can rent doubles and stages. (you need to show corresponded card).
General:
It is VERY hot in June in Eilat (air 35-38 C), but water temperature about 25 C on 100 ft.
Parking in Eilat cost 20 NIS for full day, if you will buy daily card in Marina Divers for example (you don't need to dive here to buy a card) and put it on visible place in car. Ask cashier to help you to set up daily card. It is not simple for unfamiliar person.
White - red or white - black marker on side of the road : no parking at all, white - blue : pay parking.
No green left arrows, you don't need to yield on your green, opposite way traffic will have red on this time.
No turn right on red at all. You should keep right side when driving. General - most people driving fast and don't like to wait even second (will be very strange for USA driver). Pretty a lot of police and you always can ask police for help if needed.
Taxi rate about 20-40 NIS to any place in Eilat. I think it will be more from non-Hebrew speaking person .
Gas about 7.5 - 8.5 NIS for liter (not gallon !).
Most interesting diving places are reachable from beach. There are two wreck boats, especially equipped for recreational divers (no entree inside). One on 60 ft and other on 100 ft.
Mostly never currents in Eilat, and if it is, not so serious.
People are very friendly, especial divers and always will explain you where better to go.
But it doesn't mean that you can leave anywhere expensive dive computer unattended.
You MUST be with certified buddy to rent tank. Solo is not allowed in Israel by low, regardless of you level and certification.
If you don't have buddy, you can ask people on desk to help you to find or pay for private DM.
To be able to rent tank with your buddy, you and buddy MUST have at least open water certification with at least 12 documented stamped dives.
If you don't have 12 documented dives, they will ask you each time to join to some group lead by dive shop DM and pay for it.
Also your last documented dive should be not more than 6 months ago (to show computer may be not enough).
Some certification levels are exception from 6 months rule : Master Diver, Dive Master, Instructor, may be some more.
If you are not in exception and your last documented dive was more than 6 months ago, you will need to take (and pay) first dive in the group with DM - some kind of refresh dive. During this dive DM may ask you to show simple excesses (regulator exchange, mask clean and e.t.c.).
Dive insurance is MUST by low. You will not be able to rent tank or equipment without PRINTED dive insurance card.
You may have any dive insurance, DAN is very welcome.
You can do simple dive insurance in the shop itself before dive - about 200-250 NIS
There is hospital in Eilat with pressure chamber.
You are not allow to dive with knife and gloves in Eilat. This is only to protect corals, some people ignore it.
Theoretical exists dive police (never see it, but some friends does) and diver may receive ticket for touching corals or fishes also for diving alone.

Sorry for a lot of wording .... hope it will help.
PM me, if you like more info. I like diving in Israel

 

[charlier]

Only a year late to this thread.

Hi all, I am a professional divemaster/scientist living in SE Asia. I have a business related trip to Israel (travel via Turkey) from 7-9 (Tel Aviv). If I had a choice, I'd rather go to the southern Red Sea, but my schedule is the most important factor. I will bring my own equipment. If I decide to visit Eilat, what are my choices?

 

[Roman_66]

what are my choices

Do you mean how to get to Eilat from Tel-Aviv ?
1. Local flight
2. Bus
3. Rent car

 

[charlier]

I can easily find my way to Eilat. How easy would it be to travel from Israel (perhaps not directly) to the better dive sites in the Red Sea or southern Red Sea? And, is worth visiting Eilat for a few days of diving?

 

[Roman_66]

I personally prefer Israel sites, than other Red Sea destinations for different reasons, mostly related to security (dive itself and staying between dives), but there is definitely nice diving in South Red See. Which dive sites do you mean ? You can use direct access to both Israel land neighbors in Red Sea: Jordan and Egypt.
For Aqaba, you will need to cross Israel to Jordan boarder.
If you are looking for Southern Red Sea sites you will need to use Eilat to Dahab way.

 

[charlier]

I generally agree with you on security issues. It seems that the best (safest?) way to get to fly to Hurghada would be via Istanbul or Jordan. I am interested in the Brothers, Daedalus, and or even far south to St. Johns Reef. If this is not possible, perhaps a visit to Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada for day dive trips perhaps 4 days or so, not including travel. If we give up on the southern Red Sea option, could we entertain ourselves in Eliat or Aqaba for a week of diving or would we get bored? Is it difficult to travel between Jordan-Aqaba and Israel?

FYI, my flights from Singapore to Tel Aviv transit through Istanbul. So in either end of our trip, we would have to get back to Istanbul.

 

[Roman_66]

I do week in Eilat mostly every year, but for me activity also includes meet with friends, so maybe 4-5 full days in Eilat will be enough for you if we speak about 3 shore recreational dives per day. Please remember: to dive in Eilat you should have buddy or pay for local dive master to dive with you. By the way, in your case it maybe good choice as you will not need to manage navigation and transfers from dive shop to different dive sites. Last time when I crossed Israel to Jordan boarder it takes 1/2 hour and was no issues to both ways, but it was MANY years ago. This is why in previous post I gave you link. People, who did it few months ago. describing it. I know that South Red See dive sites are nice, but they are not available for me :-(
One tip : In your flight back is Tel-Aviv -- Istanbul -- Singapore and you will not appear on Tel-Aviv -- Istanbul flight without previous notices/agreement with company, your full ticket will be cancelled.

 

[tridacna]

I crossed the border last year. It took about an hour WITH Israeli/Jordanian guides. Getting back in was about the same. It's an eerie walk between the two posts reminiscent of the cold war. Huge fences with floodlights and barbed wire. all said, both sides were pretty friendly and mostly hassle-free.

 

[charlier]

I have to pull the trigger and arrange something. My plan is while in Israel, I might drive to Elait with friends and my wife and dive locally in Israel and Jordan for a few days. Since my wife wants to spend time in Turkey, we will visit the southern coast for four + days. It seems that most LOBs depart from Hurghada while I am working in Israel, so perhaps I might fly to a land-based resort as far south in Egypt as we can find, so we might experience decent diving from a day boat. Alternatively, it might be easier to just go to Sharm El Sheikh at a land-based resort. As someone that works on LOB's that is my preference for diving, but good land-based resorts can be fun as well.