Red Sea diving NOT a liveaboard

[srbsep]

Hello...
I have already read alot of the info on here about the Red Sea, but most of that seemed to deal with liveaboards...I want to take a Divemaster/Internship for about a month so I will have to be land based. As far as I can tell, the general consensus is that the further south you go, the better, but is this also true for land based diving?
More specifically, do the day boats out of Marsa Alam make it out to Brothers, Elphinstone etc, and are there any cheap..I mean inexpensive accomodation options in Marsa Alam (no way I am staying in a hotel for one month!!)
Thanks for all the posts!


srb

 

[DesertEagle]

Stay at the Marsa Shagra camp in Blondie Beach. I stayed at the Kahramana hotel next door. The tents looked comfortable. I used their facilities as that's where the day boat and inflatables leave from. There are daily boats to Elphinstone. The reef is unbelievable. You won't need to go anywhere else.

 

[srbsep]

Thanks alot for the info DesertEagle....do you have any other info e.g who did you dive with, did you like their service, establishments to stay away from etc etc.

srb

 

[DesertEagle]

When I was there (5 years ago) there was only one operation, Red Sea Diving Safari. They were pretty good. Now I'm told that Emperor also has a centre. I've used Emperor in Sharm and recommend them.

Most of the diving is done in front of the camp. Expect mostly hard corals and good fish life. I remember seeing a resident school of barracuda. You can also use the rigid inflatables to get to distant parts of the reef. It is the same inflatables that would take you to the day boat (trips to Elphinstone or Dolphin House). In my opinion diving at Elphinstone is tops. It is loaded with soft corals and tons of fish.

One thing you should not expect is a night life. This is a quiet area. You can go out to eat at the Kahramana hotel next door and I think there's a second hotel now also. Probably you would stock up on water/food at a store somehwere in the area.

 

[DutchDown]

I'll second DS's recommendation of red Sea Diving Safari. I stayed at the Marsa Shagra camp in January and loved it. Going back as soon as possible!

Phil

 

[hapadiver]

I'm flying to Hurghada in August for two weeks. I plan to head straight for Marsa Alam to do some serious diving for at least a week. Was curious how long one should spend in this area. I understand there's no nightlife ... But what amount of time is a good amount to spend diving there? Are there other activities, such as kayaking, to keep one occupied? Is the diving good enough to stay more than 5 to 7 days?

Also, how's the water temperature? I was diving in Dahab a few years back and used a 5 mm shortie and was cold. I'm guessing it's about the same but wanted to make sure.

Any other advice would be most welcome.

THANKS!
Hapadiver

 

[phrixus]

I'm flying to Hurghada in August for two weeks. I plan to head straight for Marsa Alam to do some serious diving for at least a week. Was curious how long one should spend in this area. I understand there's no nightlife ... But what amount of time is a good amount to spend diving there? Are there other activities, such as kayaking, to keep one occupied? Is the diving good enough to stay more than 5 to 7 days?

Also, how's the water temperature? I was diving in Dahab a few years back and used a 5 mm shortie and was cold. I'm guessing it's about the same but wanted to make sure.

Any other advice would be most welcome.

THANKS!
Hapadiver

I went to Marsa in November & it has next to no night life apart from the 'entertainment' at the hotel which was aimed at the Italians (on account if the hotel being full of them). Diving was good & for the week I was out there I dived 6 days & didn't do the same reef twice so there's plenty of variety for the week. Not sure about the other activities that are there but I'm guessing it's the usual array of beach stuff. While I was out there Iwas in a 5mm wetsuit which should be fine for when you go out although it'll depend on how easily you get cold.

 

[phrixus]

Hello...
I have already read alot of the info on here about the Red Sea, but most of that seemed to deal with liveaboards...I want to take a Divemaster/Internship for about a month so I will have to be land based. As far as I can tell, the general consensus is that the further south you go, the better, but is this also true for land based diving?
More specifically, do the day boats out of Marsa Alam make it out to Brothers, Elphinstone etc, and are there any cheap..I mean inexpensive accomodation options in Marsa Alam (no way I am staying in a hotel for one month!!)
Thanks for all the posts!


srb

I did my DM/internship with Emperor divers in Sharm so would recommend diving with them. They are based at the Sol Y Mar hotel & all the staff at the dive centre live in a block over the road that's owned by the hotel as there's not a great deal of other accomodation in the area. Might be worth contacting them directly & see what they recommend about accomodation (http://www.emperordivers.com/)
Good luck

 

[Mark Goodchild]

Hi there!

Check out this report from Zerovisibility's trip to Marsa Alam last year.

http://www.zerovisibility.co.uk/Reports/MarsaAlamTripReportSept04.htm

Hope it helps.

 

[doronhall]

I think there is no better place for land based diving and internships.