LOB in Egypt dont have enough guides?

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

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Just coming back from HRG, I can confirm that they do not really care what type of vaccination you havem it just has to state "fully vaccinated" somewhere. They do not scan anything, they just look at either the printout or the screen of your smartphone :wink:. Walkthrough temperature check at the airport, one temperature check when entering the hotel and one upon boarding our LoB
 
I heard back about needing a covid test to board Aggressor LOB in Egypt. Those fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to boarding don't need additional testing once in Egypt. If not fully vaccinated then you need a negative covid test within 48 hours before boarding.
 
I've been on a liveaboard 4 times in the Red Sea in both the north and south though with one company - Blue Planet liveaboards. Almost all dives are guided. The rare exception is when there is a night dive or a calm reef boat-to-boat dive; those are straight forward. However, they offer a guide if you want but most do those ones alone or in their own groups. The rest of the dives are usually guided, especially the ones in BDE or in the marine parks and/or where there are strong currents and they are zodiacs involved.

The ratio of guides to divers depends on which company you go with. BP liveaboards does about 8-10 divers per guide. (I've been on Blue Storm, Blue Seas, Blue Pearl.) I know that there is another company out there that only provides 1 for every 12 or even 15 divers...No thanks.

I just got back from a multi-week trip last week so it's all fresh in my head.
 
As for the vaccination questions:

To enter Egypt, you either need to have 1 of the following: full round of vaccinations at least 2 weeks prior to entry and the certificate/proof of vaccination must have a QR code. If not, it needs to be approved by the Egyptian consulate in your country. For the US, I previously confirmed they will not certify the CDC cards because of ease of forgery. If you do not come from a state or place that issues QR codes for proof of vaccination, you will need to get a RT-PCR test with QR code OR an original copy with a lab stamp/chop from a CLIA certified lab. If flying from the United States, the sample needs to be taken within 96 hours of your last direct departure flight for Egypt. e.g. if you flew to Germany and then to Egypt, it would be 96 hours prior to the departure time of your flight from Germany to Egypt. The time starts ticking at sample collection, not results.

You will have your docs checked at check-in and before you board each flight to ensure you have the right documents and are able to enter Egypt. I saw people getting turned away...so double check if things change right before your flight.

Upon arrival in Egypt, you show them your proof before you get to immigration. They don't scan QR codes but just check to see that you have everything in order. If your QR code is to a McDonald's menu, they wouldn't know.

Upon return, the liveaboard or resort will help you coordinate a test to get home. I was in Sharm doing land-based the last portion of my trip. I went to Sharm International Hospital and got a RT-PCR with QR code for $31 and it had about a 24 hour turnaround time. It was super easy. My buddy departed earlier and the liveaboard had someone come swab him at the boat but it was more $ but not as much as it would cost to get it done in the states.
 
This thread has been super helpful! My roommate and I are headed to the Red Sea Aggressor II end of November. We are both vaccinated and will have a PCR test to enter Egypt coming from the US. We will be in Egypt for 4 days before getting on the boat. Will we need another PCR test for that? Also, what is the best way to get a test for our return to the US?
The LOB co's rely on the airport verification. No extra test needed
 
According to the US Embassy for Egypt here the vaccination card needs to meet certain requirements such as a QR code, which most don't have, including the CDC one. Mine isn't the standard CDC card, it is from the county I got it done in. It does have a QR code, but it doesn't go anywhere when I scan it. Says the link was disabled when I try to follow it. I would prefer to have the test to be safe.

Planning this dive trip is what has gotten me through this fire season, so I will do pretty much anything extra needed to make sure it happens!


We aren't leaving directly after the boat. We are going to Luxor for a few days before heading out, so it wouldn't be valid for the return trip to the US.

Thanks for all the info, everybody!
we did the same. you can get PCR or Antigen tests from Egypt Tourism Authority (near Hurghada airprort)
Took 30 min and to go pick it up the next day and PCR was 30$ USD (make sure to be able to pick it up 24h later (next day). No same day test/results for PCR
 
Pretty much going through the same thing. Have been vaccinated but a mix of Pfizer and Moderna. Have a certificate with a QR code but no idea if it will be accepted in Egypt. Email to the Egyptian Embassey asking if that certificate would be acceptable was never answered. So… backup plans. Test before leaving, take the certificate and if all else fails have a day in Egypt to get a PCR test on arrival - which works in Marsa Alam, and a couple of other Red Sea destinations. Leaving from Luxor and research leads me to believe getting tested is simple and very available.
it should, they dont look at vaccine info at all besides seeing any vaccine name they recognize and that the date is valid for the dose(s)
They take 3-5 sec per person to verify and they dont scan in Hurghada
 
the guide ratio ended up totally fine on the LOB.
Out of 24 divers, only 4-8 of us would use guides (so the 2 guides were always plenty
Hope you had a great trip and saw a lot of sea life. It looks like tourism is picking up. Many LOBs are full, though some dive shops in Hurghada are closed.
 
the guide ratio ended up totally fine on the LOB.
Out of 24 divers, only 4-8 of us would use guides (so the 2 guides were always plenty) The rest did self guided and a group of ~8-10 were a club

Glad to hear you had a good trip. Inme it works out great as long as you do some home work before booking (as you did). Blue O2 has super crews inme and a big chunk of their clientel are Brits — often clubs, doing their own thing, which eases up the work load on guides. What boat did you end up on?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom