First time going to Sharm

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pclark2

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Location
Wilmette, IL
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My wife and I are planning a trip to the region at the end of September start of October. We have a wedding to go to in Israel and then are going down to Eilat and crossing the Taba border to head down to Sharm El-Sheikh. We would have 5 full days for me to go diving before we head on to Cairo. So my questions are these:

  1. If you only had 5 days in Sharm, and sadly probably would never have a chance to get back to the Red Sea, what dive sites would you want to go to?
  2. Any particular dive shops you would recommend for those sites?
  3. Any better resorts for Americans? I would be diving and my wife would stay on shore (she does snorkel though), so a nice beach and view is important. Decent snorkeling from the shore would be amazing, but if not possible then that not too far away. We also prefer quieter and less crowded hotels if possible. We won't be going out enjoying the night life, so no need to worry about that.
  4. Anyone do the drive from Taba to Sharm? What company did you use?

Thank you all so much for your help!
 
Why Sharm rather than Dahab? I crossed over at Taba and just took a taxi to Dahab. After diving there, I took a bus to Cairo. I skipped Sharm, which I perceived, rightly or wrongly, as tourist hell. Well, I did some touring in Sinai, too, but that was years ago, before the present heightened security situation. I'm sure Sharm is a lot quieter these days--ghost town? The one site close to Sharm I would like to dive someday is the Thistlegorm, but I will surely do it from a liveaboard rather than a day boat.
 
Why Sharm rather than Dahab? I crossed over at Taba and just took a taxi to Dahab. After diving there, I took a bus to Cairo. I skipped Sharm, which I perceived, rightly or wrongly, as tourist hell. Well, I did some touring in Sinai, too, but that was years ago, before the present heightened security situation. I'm sure Sharm is a lot quieter these days--ghost town? The one site close to Sharm I would like to dive someday is the Thistlegorm, but I will surely do it from a liveaboard rather than a day boat.

I had thought I heard Sharm had the best diving, but if that is not the case then I would certainly consider Dahab. I would afterwards want to fly out of Sharm to go to Cairo, but that is easy enough. I had feared Sharm being crazy busy, but was also hoping it was closer to the ghost town side now. I'll add Dahab to my list of places to research.

So you took a regular taxi to Dahab? So in theory one could just go through the border crossing and tack a normal cab all the way down? Impressive. I would have expected reservations being needed for that far.

Thank you!
 
After further research your idea of Dahab is really really tempting. Mainly since I see the boats in Sharm get back really late (I'm used to places where boats get back 12-1, not 5-6) and Dahab looks to be closer to what I'm used to. Since my wife will be staying on land, that earlier return time seems like a huge plus. And the fact it is quieter is really nice.

I'm the type to take my camera with me and then look up species I haven't seen before when I get back to the room. In fact my Red Sea fish ID book just arrived today. I would assume I would see the same things in Dahab, just maybe not all in the same numbers and such? And maybe less coral, but still a ton? I mix my hobbies of scuba, photography/videography, and aquarium keeping (well back in college, but getting back into that soon) so the biggest thing I'm excited by with the Red Sea is seeing new species of fish, inverts, and corals (yes technically inverts) I can't see anywhere else.
 
Diving in Dahab is way better than Sharm , we loved it , and the town is cute in its own way.
 
I would disagree and say that Sharm has the better diving. There’s nothin in Dahab that can rival Thistlegorm — Ras Mohamed — Strait of Tiran. Get to Sharm before it gets busy again. Have only been there on liveaboards and revisited last year after a long time — so I can’t advice on hotels or dining. It was in October and we were the only boat diving mentioned sites. No bubble parties of yesteryears. With that said, the prime season for the area is now — summer.
 
I’ve not stayed in Sharm but we really enjoyed Dahab. Nice little town, very laid back.
Mostly shore diving, including the wonderful El Bells to Blue Hole. Gabr el Bint is a boat trip but is a must if you can arrange it, and a fun day out for non-divers too. There’s very good snorkelling from the the shore in parts of Dahab. In fact, the drop off in front of our hotel (Coral Coast) was amazing :)
You can also do a day trip for the Thistlegorm/Ras Mohammed from Dahab, but it is a very very loooong day! (but so worth it!!!).
 
I think you should do both Dahab and Sharm El Sheikh if you can, especially since you have no plans for returning to the Red Sea in the future. You'll pass by Dahab on your way to Sharm anyway and it's only a 45 minute drive away :)

I love Dahab itself a lot more than Sharm + it's much more laid back and the diving there is cheaper. It won't be as good as Sharm in terms of marine life/corals but still has a lot of great dive sites. Would recommend diving with Scuba Seekers or Dahab Divers (although I haven't tried the latter myself)

For Sharm El Sheikh I usually stay in Concord El Salam resort in the Sharks Bay area. There are a couple of other hotels there including a Hilton I think and the area is much less crowded than Naama bay and the like. The house reef there is great as well for both diving and snorkeling. Must-see sites if possible are the SS Thistlegorm (considered by many as the best wreck dive in the world), Ras Mohammed national park and the Straits of Tiran. Ras Umm Sid is nice as well and is a shore dive.

As Lorenzoid mentioned you can take a Taxi from Taba once you get there, but I know a guy you can hire to take you from Taba to Sharm/Dahab or from Dahab to Sharm. Just message me and I'll send you his number. Also any dive centre or resort should be able to arrange transportation for you

Happy diving!
 
So here is a question. If one stays in Dahab, how realistic would it be to drive down to Sharm for a single day's diving? I'm sure it would be an early morning cab ride, but would be better than moving hotels.
 
It’s technically possible but it would be a very long and tiring day. You’re better off staying in Sharm and doing one day of Dahab diving; it’s shore diving so you won’t be spending time on the boat trip or be bound by their schedule
 
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