Red Sea Dec/Jan

[Mel.B]

Hi,

My sister has just got a job in London and I am planning a trip over to visit her at Christmas. Well my mind started racing then, when I realised I wasn't that far from the Red Sea (well, compared with Australia anyway!). So I'm looking at planning a trip either before or after Christmas.

I have a couple of questions -
- What is the weather & water temp like at that time of year?
- What liveaboards do people recommend? I'd love to hear personal recommendations - have done a search, but would like to hear who people would/wouldn't recommend.
- I love reefs, wrecks and big fish, so that doesn't really help narrow down my choices. Not a fan of strong current though...I like to cruise around and take photos. Any suggestions on itineray? I'd like to get off the beaten track if possible to some spectacular diving.

Thanks!
Mel

 

[gehadoski]

Hi,

My sister has just got a job in London and I am planning a trip over to visit her at Christmas. Well my mind started racing then, when I realised I wasn't that far from the Red Sea (well, compared with Australia anyway!). So I'm looking at planning a trip either before or after Christmas.

I have a couple of questions -
- What is the weather & water temp like at that time of year?
- What liveaboards do people recommend? I'd love to hear personal recommendations - have done a search, but would like to hear who people would/wouldn't recommend.
- I love reefs, wrecks and big fish, so that doesn't really help narrow down my choices. Not a fan of strong current though...I like to cruise around and take photos. Any suggestions on itineray? I'd like to get off the beaten track if possible to some spectacular diving.

Thanks!
Mel

Red Sea is very huge and there are some many places to go. I will talk form my experience. first of all I recommend you go to Sharm El Sheikh. Its heaven in Egypt. the weather there is beyond imagination. It is sunny, the water temp is around 20c. I am sure you will love diving there. There are many species of colored marine life such as coral reefs and colored fish (angels and butterflies) In Sharm El Shiekh I reommend the following:

For Diving Centers (Camel Dive Club, Red Sea College, Sinai Divers).
For Liveaboards (Lady-M, Ghazala vouyager).
For Divesites (Ras Mohamed, Tiran, Thistlgorm, Abou Nuhas) - there are many spots in Each one of these sites except Thistlgorm.

If you need any futhur information please don't hezitate

 

[mania]

OK maybe some more precise answers. December and January - Sharm el Sheikh - during the day it's around 23 Centigrades qhile in the night it drops down to even 10 Centigrades. Water temp at the surface is around 20 Centigrades
More or less the same goes for Hurghada. At this time of a year it's really windy so you get cold after dives. I use wetsuit 5+7 and a hood. This year I'm definitly bringing my dry suit for traditional (for me) December diving in Red Sea (fourth time in a raw)
If you don't like currents then I think you should skip liveaboard. Most of them go south (Brother Islands) and there currents are sometimes strong and almost for sure they are strong at this time of a year.
In sharm almost all dives are anyway boat dives - so you spend all day on the boat. In Hurghada majority of dives are boat ones. Dahab and Marsa Alam - mainly shore dives.
I like Sharm more because the reef there is less detroyed than Hurghada. And there are some really spectacular divesites. But this is a very touristic city - so if you are rather a backpacker type you may not like it. Then my advise would be Dahab or Marsa Alam.
As for the diving centres and livaaborads - most of names used by these SB members that love Red Sea you find here - please do a bit of search.
If you have any other questions - feel free to ask.
Mania