Silly Questions! Sharm El Sheikh and scuba newbie

[lsf572]

Hi after one scuba pool taster session I have booked a course over christmas in Sharm el SHeikh

Part of me is soo excited I can hardly contain myself..the other bit is TERRIFIED ..will I be able to keep calm and not panic?

Do I need drysuit, wetsuit? or shorty or long? what bits of kit am I best buying before I go (fins, mask etc) what do I need? what would you recommend I'm clueless !

Thanks

LSF572

 

[scubajoe]

I think you should take me with to help you remain calm!

Seriously, go and have a great time. if you did well in the pool you should be able to do fine in the OW. Relax, follow instructions and take your time.
Get your own mask, fins and snorkle. That is common here but I'm not sure about Sharm. Check with the operator you will be training with and find out what they require. See if you can get the classroom material now and start learning it. You can ask more effective questions if you have read/learned the material ahead.
Good luck on your adventure!

Joe

 

[brizzolatti]

Hi. I would suggest you just get your own mask, fins and snorkel at this stage. You can rent the rest of the gear. Then after the course, you can get the gear you need for the conditions you will be diving in most. If you want to dive in the UK, you will most likely want to get a dry suit in due course - but you won't need that in Egypt!! The other benefit of waiting till after your course, is that you will have had experience in the sea and will have a better feel for what the equipment is like in real dives and what to look for when you start to buy your own stuff.

I am envious about your forthcoming trip. I'm sure it will be a blast. Enjoy!

PS - there are no silly questions on this board - if you don't ask, you don't learn. And there is so much experience and expertise on this board, it would be a crime not to ask. Remember, there are lots of people reading who might have the same questions but don't want to ask. So keep posting.

 

[the_dumper]

Check with the people that you booked with to find out what you need, OW courses will either include kit hire in the course price or you will be able to hire kit from the school, so you shouldn't need to take any kit with you. Having said that I would definatley recomend that you purchase your own good fitting mask and snorkel.

 

[kavka]

I rented only tank and weights in Sharm. Some friends rented everithing except mask but that gear didn't look safe to me (BC leaking air, regs were never serviced- completly green filter...)
If you have your own gear take it with you.

 

[stefo2]

In Sharm it's quite common not to have any gear prior to your course, it's all included in the price. As to the quality of the rental gear, of course it depends on the quality of the shop - wouldn't want to dive with an outfit that doesn't maintain hire gear properly, even if I had all my own. Doesn't exactly make them seem very safety conscious in my opinion, so they might be cutting corners elsewhere as well.
There's no harm in getting your own well fitting maks, especially if you have an unsually small or big face...
I wouldn't even bother with my own fins yet, they take up a lot of space, and who knows, you may not even like diving all that much.

 

[kageki]

I'll just add to all the above that the termperature in the red sea is quite nice - on par with the carribean - in the area of 78 F. If you get cold easily - you might want a ~3mm shorty, but many people are fine without.


Be that as it may - as a newbie - i wouldn't buy a suit until you know you love diving.

 

[lsf572]

Thanks Guys for all your advice Starting to calm a bit now... I am going with exlorers and will definitely get a mask and snorkle...I have the PADI OW Manual so I'm trying to fit in as much as that as I can...

I'm really glad I found this board:mean:

 

[stefo2]

kagegi, you must be really tough !
The water temperatures rarely go below 21-22°C (which is about 74), but still - even in April I was about the only one diving there in a shorty (5mm, long arms) - most people were wearing 5mm two piece suits, definetely in December. Don't think I have ever seen anyone dive the Red Sea without a wetsuit (maybe in summer). Brrrrrrrr...

 

[wapyaly]

dont forget the check out the Camel bar, where all the divers go!! We qualififed in the Uk in September and were so excited about our trip to the red sea. We were NOT disppointed. We hired all our kit, apart from mask, snorkel and fins, which we bought before we did our OW course.

I have to agree that some of the equipt didnt look brand new or well maintained, but hey, this is egypt we're talking about not some rich country! Plus it is in use pretty much all year round. I'm not saying you should EVER compromise on safety, but the choice is yours.

We went with Divers International at the Sofitel in Sharm. Very reasonable price about 230 pounds for 3 days, 6 dives, including kit hire, tank, weights, air and transport to and from the boat. Lunch was 30 egyptian (3 english pounds) and was GOOD!!

Our guide Salah was fantastic, we did a check dive with Mohammed and that was fantastic, just a shore dive, but the reef there was amazing. If you're feeling nervous, its natural, I did, but once I got in the water, there's so much to look at and be amazed at, that you'll soon forget your nerves. We saw two lionfish on our check dive. WOW!! Good luck, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the diving and have a fantastic time.