Red Sea/Nile River Dive Trip
December 18th to January 7th, 2021/2022
December 18th to January 7th, 2021/2022
A group of friends and I planned to do a 2-week dive trip to the Philippines during these dates. Unfortunately, they are still not allowing in foreigners unless accompanied by a lengthy quarantine period. So, when it was clear that we needed to choose something else, I received an e-mail from the Aggressor fleet offering deep discounts on the Red Sea itineraries over the same time frame. The cost was so discounted ($1250 per person), that we decided to do two back-to-back weeks, with two different itineraries, but on the same yacht. There were some additional expenses as there always seems to be on a liveaboard:
$45 per week for port fees
$105 per week for Marine Park Pass
Optional: $100 per week for Nitrox and $75 per week for a 15L or 100cf tank and of course tips.
Week 1 would have us board the boat at 3pm on Saturday, December 18th from the Port Ghalib marina, where we unpacked, had a leisurely dinner and then a detailed boat and itinerary briefing and introductions to our fellow passengers and the crew. We spent the night at the marina before departing the morning of the 19th for our adventure south to dive Daedalus, Fury Shoal and St. John’s Reef, before the return back north to Port Ghalib on the afternoon of the 24th. Week 2 would take us north to dive The Brothers and Elphinstone region from December 25th to January 1st and then back south to Port Ghalib. We then decided to add a 3rd week of sightseeing on the Aggressor Nile Queen that sails down the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan and takes in many historic sights. The Nile Queen was $999 for the 6 days plus a ground transport fee of $195 per person paid to Aggressor for travel from Port Ghalib to the Nile Queen in Luxor and then back to Port Ghalib from Aswan at the end of the cruise. Knowing what we know now, we could have found our own ground transport for considerably less, but in the moment, it was prudent and easy and seamless. There was also an $80 port fee for the Nile Queen.
GETTING THERE
Some of us were coming from Los Angeles and some from Portland, OR. The week before departure, we were notified that the last leg of our journey from Frankfurt to Marsa Alam had been canceled by Lufthansa Airlines. So, a scramble ensued to find alternative flights that would get us where we needed to be at the right time. Long story short, we routed through Zurich, Switzerland and after using United Airlines to that point, we transferred to a Swiss Air flight operated by Edelweiss Airlines. It was a long and tiring journey. We landed in Marsa Alam a full 2 days before we were scheduled to board the Red Sea Aggressor 3. Even that did not turn out to be enough time for those who had flown from Los Angeles. Upon arrival in Marsa Alam, their bags were nowhere to be seen. Their layover in Zurich was tight and although they made it onto the flight, their bags didn’t.
I won’t boor you with the drama, but 2 of the bags eventually made it before embarking on the boat and 4 did not. Fortunately, the Aggressor has super nice Aqua Lung gear that is made available for free in the event of this happening, so all was not lost. LESSON LEARNED: In the future, don’t fly into Marsa Alam. There are so few flights coming in each week that any lost or delayed luggage can have a difficult time getting there by the time you need it. After discussions with other passengers, should we come back, and I anticipate that we will, the better options will be to fly into Hurghada and arrange for a 3-hour ground transfer. Hurghada has many more flights from multiple destinations and air carriers throughout Europe. I should also say that the staff who handles lost luggage at the Marsa Alam airport could not have been more helpful or gone out of their way more to do anything possible to retrieve the luggage.
Also, if you do fly into Marsa Alam, be sure to have pre-arranged transportation to wherever you are going to spend the night, if you come in a day or two early. We just assumed there would be an abundance of taxis or ground transportation available. If there was, it was gone by the time we got through with all of the paperwork related to the lost luggage and there was literally no transportation to be found. We called our hotel/residence and they were able to send a vehicle and driver and get us to the Port Ghalib Marina Residence. That turned out to be a Godsend, as our driver spoke good English, had a wonderful personality and we ended up contracting him for a day of sightseeing in Al Quseir.
Another reason to fly into Hurghada instead of Marsa Alam is that there is absolutely nothing to do in Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib. It is very much a city built for tourism and is a ghost town until mid-afternoon. Cell reception is spotty and WIFI connection is basically non-existent, with the exception of a restaurant called Hakuna Matata. There are 4 restaurants along the marina serving overpriced American/European food. There is one very legit and authentic Egyptian restaurant called Ray Ga that had excellent food and prices. Everyone took US dollars or Euros as payment.
