annlaur
Contributor
I went to Dahab for a week (Feb 23 till March 2) for the first time.
I stayed at Inmo Divers Home, a dive op and hotel run by a German-Egyptian couple (Ingrid and Mohammed, hence the name). Main reason for this choice was the good reviews they get on Tripadvisor.
The hotel :
Located right on the boardwalk, but a few meters away from where the "action" begins, so it's both very convenient and quiet. Like most hotels on that area, it has two entrances, one on the sea side, the other on the main back street, where you find shops, banks, drugstores...
The hotel itself is built around a small swimming pool and sitting area. Great place to have breakfast, socialize, read a book or just wait for the dive trip to begin.
Its Arabic architecture is a mix of white domed two story buildings and wooden terrasses.
Among the facilities : a reception area with lockers, a "library section" and a "travel agency" (trips to the desert, Petra, Saint-Catherine...), the dive shop, three rinse pools for the equipment, a shaded place to hang the gear, a kids playground and paddle pool, Internet access, restaurant, 24 hour security, childcare, sundeck... Basically everything you'd find in a big resort, but "human sized". The whole place has a very homey feeling, and even a small mosque.
The hotel and dive op staff are Egyptian, many of them have been working with Inmo for years, and I found everyone there very nice and kind.
I treated myself with a Terrass room, it was like a junior suite. It had a king size bed under a dome ceiling, another single bed facing the Red sea, a small desk, a lockable cupboard, a bathroom and of course a small terrasse with two chairs, a coffee table, a thing to hang clothes to dry and a precious view over the boardwalk, the water and Saudi Arabia.
The furniture was basic but it was convenient, clean (housekeeping everyday) and great value (booking directly thru the hotel, I paid 33 euros a night with breakfast single occupancy at this time of the year).
The place offers half-board, but you can also eat at the restaurant "à la carte" or enjoy their dinner buffet for 60 Egyptian pounds (9 euros).
No alcohol is served on the premises and I wouldn't recommand bringing your own : it's a family place in a muslim country, not a party resort. You can go out and have a beer at Funny Mummy's or many other bedouin style bars and restaurants on the boardwalk or try Egyptian wine at Nesima (the red Grand Marquis, a fruity Cabernet Sauvignon, is pretty good). But if you're into heavy partying, you'll be happier staying at a big all inclusive resort in Sharm el Sheikh like the Russians do.
At Inmo's, the guests were mainly German and Swiss, but the staff speaks good English.
The dive center :
Very well organized by Mustafa and Rudiger. Mustafa sorted me out with the equipment upon the day of my arrival (7,5 euros a dive for everything, tanks and weights are free).
I was assigned a locker where to keep mask, fins, reg, weight belt at night so all I had to do in the morning was carry my box from the locker to the truck (a 30 yard walk at the most), stuff my suit and BCD which had been drying in the hanging area on top of it, and finish my cup of tea by the pool while the drivers were loading the truck. There was always someone willing to give you a hand, so no problem at all for people who have trouble carrying their equipment.
The trucks left at 9 am sharp, so we were often the first divers on the sites. We usually stayed at the same place for both dives , but it was always possible to have the driver bring you back to the hotel after the first dive. Depending on available space in the trucks, they also let non-divers join the trip. Great for families and snorkelers.
All the trips are shore dives and guided. Guests can also dive the house reef with a buddy but they have to check with Mustafa in advance regarding the tides. The security man will watch out for you. They also offer courses, Nitrox and dive safaris.
My diving there :
After a bad diving experience on a cattle boat 4 years ago, I had lost all my confidence underwater and even after taking a pool class in Paris and several trips to the Mediterranean, I always felt a bit nervous. Also, I'm a vacation diver and had only 37 open water dives when I arrived in Dahab and hadn't practiced for almost two years.
So I asked to do two scuba review dives and to hire a private guide for the rest of my stay. I also told the dive op I wanted to do very easy, shallow, slow paced dives with someone patient and relaxed.
I got exactly what I asked for, and even more.
The first day we went to Moray Garden (aka Glassfish) in the South of Dahab.
A 20 minute drive to a secluded area with a few Bedouin restaurants right on the beach. A great place to spend the day, even for non divers.
Ali, my instructor, went thru all the skills we were going to do underwater while we were sipping a cup of tea. He made sure all my questions were answered before we even set up the equipment and had a very reassuring manner of talking.
Right away I felt I was in good hands. As I had told him my main concern was the mask clear, we did that skill last, when I was fully relaxed, and besides the salt water stinging my eyes, I did the skill with no problem or nervousness at all for the first time in ages.
Then we did a short leisurely dive, a safety stop and got out to chill over the cushions of the restaurant and eat.
Since the skills had gone so well, we did a fun dive in the afternoon and after a few more cups of tea on the beach, we were back at the hotel by 4.
I had another guide on the second day of diving, as Ali was unavailable for personal reasons.
Omar, a very friendly instructor who has worked at Inmo's for over a decade, chose to take me to Moray Garden again.
He did a lot more than just guiding me thru the dives : he optimized my weighting by showing me how to submerge in very shallow water (I was able to drop 2 kilos - 4 pounds of weight), gave me tips on setting my equipment and putting on my fins, and really babysat me the whole time.
The first dive with him was probably the equivalent of a Peak Buoyancy course. We dove three days together and he taught me a lot. I also liked his diving style, very very slow, and he was very good at showing me the critters too.
Moray Garden's dive sites were nice, but more suitable for beginners like me and scuba reviews. Lots of dead coral, although some is growing back. The diving on the left side of the entry point was the best. Besides the common inhabitants of the Red sea (flute fish, napoleon, scorpionfish...), I saw a beautiful nudibranch, sea needle fish, giant worm...
On day 3, we headed to Canyon and Omar brought his newlywed wife along, which was a great opportunity for me to meet an Egyptian woman and for her to practice her English and beat the crap out of me at backgammon
.
We stayed at a restaurant between the Canyon and Coral Garden entries. The food there was great (fresh grilled fish fillet), and the diving amazing.
We did a shallow dive at Canyon, the highlight of which was looking at all the diver bubbles escaping that huge crack in the ocean floor. Must be impressive swimming through it !
But my favorite was Coral Garden, with beautiful coral formations, torpedo rays, many schools of fish, a "cleaning station" and lots of colors.
The weather was windy on my 4th day of diving, so we headed to Three Pools, just South of Moray Garden.
As the name states, it consists of three shallow pools. Easy dives but good buoyancy is needed in order to swim over the coral in 2 feet of water without surfacing or destroying the reef.
The morning dive was great because of all the colours of the coral and fish, and the second dive truly wonderful.
We had spent a lot of time chatting with Omar and his wife so got back in the water a little before the sun started setting behind the mountains. I guess the wildlife was already starting to wake up. Several octopusses, 3 torpedo rays, one blue-spotted ray, some huge puffer fish, a fantastic Arabian Picasso triggerfish, and even a black and white striped sea snake.
I'm sorry I can't be more specific about the species of coral and other life forms I saw during those 4 days, I can't identify them yet and my "Red Sea Memofish" is in French.
The people :
Can't say enough good things about the staff at Inmo's. Ali and Omar, my two guides, were great, and I heard very nice comments from other guests about the other DMs and instructors, including Ahmed, Reda, Id... All very kind and safety oriented professionnals. The drivers were great too, they took care of carrying the tanks and always gave a hand to put on the equipment if needed. Like everyone else at Inmo's, they were both fun and respectful.
I was amazed at the generosity of the Egyptian people I met. On my first day at Moray Garden, I had bought a couple bracelets from two young girls. The next day, they were back, offering to braid my hear as a gift and giving me more bracelets as souvenirs. In exchange, I gave them some cream and perfume samples. I really enjoyed their company (if you go there, say hello to Samira for me). At Canyons, a Bedouin gave us some medicinal herb to help prevent turista.
I also found Egyptians to be both excellent negociators (easy for them, I'm lousy at bargaining) and very honest people. Everywhere we went, we could leave our stuff (cameras, purses...) hanging around in the restaurant while diving. I would never consider leaving my purse out of my sight at a Parisian terrasse, so that was refreshing !
Travelling as a single woman :
I never once had a problem with men in Dahab. Being blonde and alone, I did get a few catcalls while walking down the street, but I just ignored them and that was it. I also had a few men (waiters, sellers...) ask me if I was married less than one minute after we had started talking (not sure if it's a cultural thing or a pick-up line), I didn't even bother inventing myself a boyfriend, managed to change the topic to something else and had some interesting conversations.
I did dress up conservately (one-piece bathing suit under my wetsuit, full length sleeveless dress on the beach, with a long sleeved top if going in town), as I don't like to offend local people wherever I go, but I saw many tourists sunbathing in two piece suits on the beach or wearing camisoles and bermuda pants in town and they didn't seem to have a problem. Just be aware that the locals might make fun of you behind your back if you go in the water in a skimpy suit (with the increase of Russian tourism, spottings of bikini fish and whale fish are becoming quite common...).
The night life :
It was still low season so very quiet which was perfect for me. Many beach front bedouin style restaurants on the boardwalk. I enjoyed smoking the shisha at Funny Mummy, one of the local institutions. And had wonderful meals at Three Fishes / Paola and Ramez / Lakhbatita (it's just one restaurant but has three names). They serve great Italian food and you absolutely have to try their Hot and Cold dessert.
Like mentionned above, you can ask for beer or even wine in many places, but please bear in mind that you are in a muslim country. If you're looking for a party place, Sharm and Hurghada both have good diving and freeflowing booze.
Dahab is not (yet) that kind of place and I personally hope it stays that way.
'Coz yes, I do plan on going back ASAP.
I stayed at Inmo Divers Home, a dive op and hotel run by a German-Egyptian couple (Ingrid and Mohammed, hence the name). Main reason for this choice was the good reviews they get on Tripadvisor.
The hotel :
Located right on the boardwalk, but a few meters away from where the "action" begins, so it's both very convenient and quiet. Like most hotels on that area, it has two entrances, one on the sea side, the other on the main back street, where you find shops, banks, drugstores...
The hotel itself is built around a small swimming pool and sitting area. Great place to have breakfast, socialize, read a book or just wait for the dive trip to begin.
Its Arabic architecture is a mix of white domed two story buildings and wooden terrasses.
Among the facilities : a reception area with lockers, a "library section" and a "travel agency" (trips to the desert, Petra, Saint-Catherine...), the dive shop, three rinse pools for the equipment, a shaded place to hang the gear, a kids playground and paddle pool, Internet access, restaurant, 24 hour security, childcare, sundeck... Basically everything you'd find in a big resort, but "human sized". The whole place has a very homey feeling, and even a small mosque.
The hotel and dive op staff are Egyptian, many of them have been working with Inmo for years, and I found everyone there very nice and kind.
I treated myself with a Terrass room, it was like a junior suite. It had a king size bed under a dome ceiling, another single bed facing the Red sea, a small desk, a lockable cupboard, a bathroom and of course a small terrasse with two chairs, a coffee table, a thing to hang clothes to dry and a precious view over the boardwalk, the water and Saudi Arabia.
The furniture was basic but it was convenient, clean (housekeeping everyday) and great value (booking directly thru the hotel, I paid 33 euros a night with breakfast single occupancy at this time of the year).
The place offers half-board, but you can also eat at the restaurant "à la carte" or enjoy their dinner buffet for 60 Egyptian pounds (9 euros).
No alcohol is served on the premises and I wouldn't recommand bringing your own : it's a family place in a muslim country, not a party resort. You can go out and have a beer at Funny Mummy's or many other bedouin style bars and restaurants on the boardwalk or try Egyptian wine at Nesima (the red Grand Marquis, a fruity Cabernet Sauvignon, is pretty good). But if you're into heavy partying, you'll be happier staying at a big all inclusive resort in Sharm el Sheikh like the Russians do.
At Inmo's, the guests were mainly German and Swiss, but the staff speaks good English.
The dive center :
Very well organized by Mustafa and Rudiger. Mustafa sorted me out with the equipment upon the day of my arrival (7,5 euros a dive for everything, tanks and weights are free).
I was assigned a locker where to keep mask, fins, reg, weight belt at night so all I had to do in the morning was carry my box from the locker to the truck (a 30 yard walk at the most), stuff my suit and BCD which had been drying in the hanging area on top of it, and finish my cup of tea by the pool while the drivers were loading the truck. There was always someone willing to give you a hand, so no problem at all for people who have trouble carrying their equipment.
The trucks left at 9 am sharp, so we were often the first divers on the sites. We usually stayed at the same place for both dives , but it was always possible to have the driver bring you back to the hotel after the first dive. Depending on available space in the trucks, they also let non-divers join the trip. Great for families and snorkelers.
All the trips are shore dives and guided. Guests can also dive the house reef with a buddy but they have to check with Mustafa in advance regarding the tides. The security man will watch out for you. They also offer courses, Nitrox and dive safaris.
My diving there :
After a bad diving experience on a cattle boat 4 years ago, I had lost all my confidence underwater and even after taking a pool class in Paris and several trips to the Mediterranean, I always felt a bit nervous. Also, I'm a vacation diver and had only 37 open water dives when I arrived in Dahab and hadn't practiced for almost two years.
So I asked to do two scuba review dives and to hire a private guide for the rest of my stay. I also told the dive op I wanted to do very easy, shallow, slow paced dives with someone patient and relaxed.
I got exactly what I asked for, and even more.
The first day we went to Moray Garden (aka Glassfish) in the South of Dahab.
A 20 minute drive to a secluded area with a few Bedouin restaurants right on the beach. A great place to spend the day, even for non divers.
Ali, my instructor, went thru all the skills we were going to do underwater while we were sipping a cup of tea. He made sure all my questions were answered before we even set up the equipment and had a very reassuring manner of talking.
Right away I felt I was in good hands. As I had told him my main concern was the mask clear, we did that skill last, when I was fully relaxed, and besides the salt water stinging my eyes, I did the skill with no problem or nervousness at all for the first time in ages.
Then we did a short leisurely dive, a safety stop and got out to chill over the cushions of the restaurant and eat.
Since the skills had gone so well, we did a fun dive in the afternoon and after a few more cups of tea on the beach, we were back at the hotel by 4.
I had another guide on the second day of diving, as Ali was unavailable for personal reasons.
Omar, a very friendly instructor who has worked at Inmo's for over a decade, chose to take me to Moray Garden again.
He did a lot more than just guiding me thru the dives : he optimized my weighting by showing me how to submerge in very shallow water (I was able to drop 2 kilos - 4 pounds of weight), gave me tips on setting my equipment and putting on my fins, and really babysat me the whole time.
The first dive with him was probably the equivalent of a Peak Buoyancy course. We dove three days together and he taught me a lot. I also liked his diving style, very very slow, and he was very good at showing me the critters too.
Moray Garden's dive sites were nice, but more suitable for beginners like me and scuba reviews. Lots of dead coral, although some is growing back. The diving on the left side of the entry point was the best. Besides the common inhabitants of the Red sea (flute fish, napoleon, scorpionfish...), I saw a beautiful nudibranch, sea needle fish, giant worm...
On day 3, we headed to Canyon and Omar brought his newlywed wife along, which was a great opportunity for me to meet an Egyptian woman and for her to practice her English and beat the crap out of me at backgammon
.We stayed at a restaurant between the Canyon and Coral Garden entries. The food there was great (fresh grilled fish fillet), and the diving amazing.
We did a shallow dive at Canyon, the highlight of which was looking at all the diver bubbles escaping that huge crack in the ocean floor. Must be impressive swimming through it !
But my favorite was Coral Garden, with beautiful coral formations, torpedo rays, many schools of fish, a "cleaning station" and lots of colors.
The weather was windy on my 4th day of diving, so we headed to Three Pools, just South of Moray Garden.
As the name states, it consists of three shallow pools. Easy dives but good buoyancy is needed in order to swim over the coral in 2 feet of water without surfacing or destroying the reef.
The morning dive was great because of all the colours of the coral and fish, and the second dive truly wonderful.
We had spent a lot of time chatting with Omar and his wife so got back in the water a little before the sun started setting behind the mountains. I guess the wildlife was already starting to wake up. Several octopusses, 3 torpedo rays, one blue-spotted ray, some huge puffer fish, a fantastic Arabian Picasso triggerfish, and even a black and white striped sea snake
.I'm sorry I can't be more specific about the species of coral and other life forms I saw during those 4 days, I can't identify them yet and my "Red Sea Memofish" is in French.
The people :
Can't say enough good things about the staff at Inmo's. Ali and Omar, my two guides, were great, and I heard very nice comments from other guests about the other DMs and instructors, including Ahmed, Reda, Id... All very kind and safety oriented professionnals. The drivers were great too, they took care of carrying the tanks and always gave a hand to put on the equipment if needed. Like everyone else at Inmo's, they were both fun and respectful.
I was amazed at the generosity of the Egyptian people I met. On my first day at Moray Garden, I had bought a couple bracelets from two young girls. The next day, they were back, offering to braid my hear as a gift and giving me more bracelets as souvenirs. In exchange, I gave them some cream and perfume samples. I really enjoyed their company (if you go there, say hello to Samira for me). At Canyons, a Bedouin gave us some medicinal herb to help prevent turista.
I also found Egyptians to be both excellent negociators (easy for them, I'm lousy at bargaining) and very honest people. Everywhere we went, we could leave our stuff (cameras, purses...) hanging around in the restaurant while diving. I would never consider leaving my purse out of my sight at a Parisian terrasse, so that was refreshing !
Travelling as a single woman :
I never once had a problem with men in Dahab. Being blonde and alone, I did get a few catcalls while walking down the street, but I just ignored them and that was it. I also had a few men (waiters, sellers...) ask me if I was married less than one minute after we had started talking (not sure if it's a cultural thing or a pick-up line), I didn't even bother inventing myself a boyfriend, managed to change the topic to something else and had some interesting conversations.
I did dress up conservately (one-piece bathing suit under my wetsuit, full length sleeveless dress on the beach, with a long sleeved top if going in town), as I don't like to offend local people wherever I go, but I saw many tourists sunbathing in two piece suits on the beach or wearing camisoles and bermuda pants in town and they didn't seem to have a problem. Just be aware that the locals might make fun of you behind your back if you go in the water in a skimpy suit (with the increase of Russian tourism, spottings of bikini fish and whale fish are becoming quite common...
).The night life :
It was still low season so very quiet which was perfect for me. Many beach front bedouin style restaurants on the boardwalk. I enjoyed smoking the shisha at Funny Mummy, one of the local institutions. And had wonderful meals at Three Fishes / Paola and Ramez / Lakhbatita (it's just one restaurant but has three names). They serve great Italian food and you absolutely have to try their Hot and Cold dessert.
Like mentionned above, you can ask for beer or even wine in many places, but please bear in mind that you are in a muslim country. If you're looking for a party place, Sharm and Hurghada both have good diving and freeflowing booze.
Dahab is not (yet) that kind of place and I personally hope it stays that way.
'Coz yes, I do plan on going back ASAP.
