Sharm el Sheikh Vs Hurgada

[mrdee]

Hi
I'm planning an 11 day break to Egypt this summer with 3 days in Cairo to visit Giza followed by an internal flight to the Red Sea coast for 8 days, then flight home.
We are a family of 4 all recently open water certified, and would like to do some diving in the Red Sea for 2 or 3 days.

I'm having a hard time deciding between Hurgada and Sharm El Sheikh . Flight and hotel prices are fairly similar for both sites travelling via Cairo.

My teenage children are looking forward to nice beaches with evening activities, which seems to sway things towards Sharm. I'm tending toward Hurgada, as it is nearer Luxor, so may be able to squeeze in a trip to the Valley of the Kings if Cairo hasn't put the children off.

Diving wise, we would like something without challenging currents but with plenty of sea life, and we are obviously limited to a depth of 18m

Any advice on which site has better sites for open water divers.
Thanks

 

[Tippytoes12]

We have done both pre and post pandemic. IMVHO the driving is a lot better in Sharm, the national parks in Sharm have outstanding diving. There are also outstanding historic wrecks like the Thistlegorm and the Dunraven. OW divers should really be fine there. But Hurgada is also great.

 

[BoltSnap]

I just came back, two hours ago, from a 3 week diving trip in Hurghada. I have done Sharm two years ago. I'd say that Sharm is "probably" better with much less crowded dive sites and more friendly marine life. You can also do fantastic dives from shore in Sharm. Hurghada has some dive sites that are simply outstanding such as the "Coral Gardens." It isn't an easy choice. Another point is that Sharm is a "classier" town than Hurghada but you can get a much cheaper nice apartment in Hurghada than in Sharm.

What I will do in the future is to go down towards Marsa Alam, places like Marsa Shagra, that have awesome dives sites right from shore and ability to dive your brains out without needing a guide or a boat.

 

[mrdee]

We have done both pre and post pandemic. IMVHO the driving is a lot better in Sharm, the national parks in Sharm have outstanding diving. There are also outstanding historic wrecks like the Thistlegorm and the Dunraven. OW divers should really be fine there. But Hurgada is also great.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds Like Sharm would be the best bet. I suppose it means we'll have to return and try Hurgada + Valley of the Kings on another trip

 

[mrdee]

I just came back, two hours ago, from a 3 week diving trip in Hurghada. I have done Sharm two years ago. I'd say that Sharm is "probably" better with much less crowded dive sites and more friendly marine life. You can also do fantastic dives from shore in Sharm. Hurghada has some dive sites that are simply outstanding such as the "Coral Gardens." It isn't an easy choice. Another point is that Sharm is a "classier" town than Hurghada but you can get a much cheaper nice apartment in Hurghada than in Sharm.

What I will do in the future is to go down towards Marsa Alam, places like Marsa Shagra, that have awesome dives sites right from shore and ability to dive your brains out without needing a guide or a boat.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like We'll go with Sharm on this trip and try Hurgada next time.

 

[diverLux]

I learned to dive (OWD) in El Quseir, 1 hr drive from Marsa Alam International Airport, have a look at Roots/Pharaoh Club (British run) great diving from the shore.

 

[RedSeaDiver2]

I learned to dive (OWD) in El Quseir, 1 hr drive from Marsa Alam International Airport, have a look at Roots/Pharaoh Club (British run) great diving from the shore.

For OW divers yes a stay at Roots/Pharaoh Dive Club would be a great choice. If you are going to fly internally the I would suggest flying to Hurghada though and take the slightly longer drive to Roots as there are a lot more internal flights to Hurghada than to Marsa Alam. My personal preference though is to use the GoBus from Cairo to Hurghada - if you stay in Cairo at the Ramses Hilton then the GoBus Tahrir station is right next door to the hotel, catch the 8.15am "Business Class DD" service and you will arrive in Hurghada about 1pm (even though it says it arrives at 3.15pm) and arrange with Roots for them to pick you up at the GoBus station. By the time you faff around getting from a Cairo hotel to the airport, go through all of the security screening and check-in, board the flight, fly to Hurghada, and then wait for your bags etc - it takes about as long as the bus trip and you get to see some of everyday Egypt. The bus is 400 Egyptian pounds each way which is about 7 pounds Sterling which will be a lot cheaper than a flight ticket. Select an upper deck seat at the front if you can.

https://go-bus.com/?lang=en

 

[ColinT3]

Or you can also go down to Makadi Bay (25 mins south of Hurghada Airport), great hotels in a gated complex, very nice (and easy) diving. Daily boat trips, or shore diving from the jetty (once you've done your check dive you can go unguided).