Hi fellow divers.
Here is a trip report of my diving trip to Safaga (Egypt) from July 4th to 10th.
Following recommendations from another (French) forum, I contacted Hamada, owner of United Divers dive shop at Safaga. After a friendly first contact, I booked, without any deposit, their awesome package: airport transfer from Hurghada + 6 nights with half-board room (breakfast and dinner) + 5 diving days / 2 dives per day. Total 410€ ($460)
After 3 working days at Cairo (hotel just in front of the pyramids, great view), I flew with Egyptair to Hurghada on Thursday evening. A short hour flight.
Someone was waiting for me at the exit and drove me by van to my hotel at Safaga (a 45 minute ride, without paying attention to the speed limits...)
El Jawhara Lodge was the hotel included in the package (good rating on Booking.com) The room was simple but nice: 2 single beds, a TV, a small fridge, a coffee table and its pouffe, and a big closet. Everything seemed refurbished not long ago, so in pretty good condition.
The bathroom was quite small and less maintained. Without being dirty, it could use some renovations.
The hotel got a private beach and a bar/restaurant.
There was a buffet for breakfast with few kinds of salads, dishes, breads, cereals, fruit juices, milk, tea and instan coffee. A guy was also cooking some omelets and pancakes on request. It was simple but good.
Dinner was either served as buffet or by plate depending on the number of customers in the hotel. Similar to what you get in the morning, but with usually more options (soup, several main courses, fruits...)
The hotel was just a short 5 minute walk to the marina. I dove on the Compass, a middle-sized boat with all the confort to spend a nice diving day out.
There was a dry lounge with benches to rest between 2 dives, where you can let your personal stuff and drink a tea or coffee. There were 2 restrooms, another relaxation area in the upper deck, and finally, the wet space at the back where was stored all the diving gears. A cool box was also available with free water bottles, Coke and Sprite.
A small Zodiac was towed to the boat and was used to drop us on the reef wherever we needed, or to pick us up if we could not find our way back to the boat (don't laugh, it happened to me when I was guiding...)
On the first day, Momo (for Mohammed), my Divemaster, gave me a box to store my diving gear during the whole stay. Free Nitrox was offered for all certified divers (usually 30 to 32%), but not on the first day (check dive)
The Egyptian staff was so kind and helpful. They helped me to gear up and take off my rig. We were laughing all day long, listening to Egyptian music, sharing experience... and there was always somebody to give you a hand if needed.
The boat was also shared with Ulli's Diving who provided some Tek courses, especially on rEvo and Horizon rebreathers. Ulli is a very kind and enthusiastic person who is always keen on sharing her knowledge and passion for rebreathers.
During my stay, there was a French lady getting her certification on rEvo rebreather, so I took advantage of it to listen to them and to learn a lot of stuff about this universe that I didn't know at all.
A diving day was scheduled as follow:
Meeting at 8am on the boat. Everybody prepared their gear and we checked that everything was OK. The captain chose the dive sites for the day and we sailed for 30 to 75 minutes depending on the location.
First dive for around 1h (sometimes less due to another customer who used more air)
Then, a hot meal was served in the lounge (one main dish with different sides, salads, fruits... Lunch was always yummy) followed by a nap, or at least some resting time. Surface interval was usually around 2h30 to 3h.
After, second dive for an hour (or so) Finally, a snack was served sailing back to the marina (fruits, chocolate bars, homemade cake...)
We were always back around 4pm.
About the quality of diving. I have to admit that I was surprised by the differences with the diving in Asia (I live in Vietnam and always dive in surrounding countries: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia...)
First, the water salinity: for my lead, I got to use 2 more kilograms than usual to have a proper buoyancy. Incredible!
Underwater, corals were mostly sublime, abundant and very healthy. However, except at some dive sites such as Abu Kefan, I found there was much less fish that I usually meet in Asia. Of course, it was still mesmerising to dive there, but the fish activity was definitely less impressive than in the Philippines or Indonesia.
The most remarkable dive sites were:
> The Salem Express ship wreck, with a decent visibility and almost no current. Huge wreck and a very peculiar atmosphere when we know that undreds of people died in this accident.
> Abu Kefan, a very healthy reef, with many fish schools of different species, and even a Manta ray passing by, but I could not manage to film it with my camera...
> Sha'ab Shear, for its extraordinary topography, with pristine corals forming an underwater forest. Several swim-throughs and two barracuda whirlpools made this dive even better!
At the end, I enjoyed 10 fun dives on 5 consecutive days, and I have spent a great time with all the staff of United Divers that I highly recommend.
To finish with, here is the video editing I made with the different shots I got during my diving trip. Hope you will like it!
If you have any questions or comments, you are very welcome to contribute to this thread.
Here is a trip report of my diving trip to Safaga (Egypt) from July 4th to 10th.
Following recommendations from another (French) forum, I contacted Hamada, owner of United Divers dive shop at Safaga. After a friendly first contact, I booked, without any deposit, their awesome package: airport transfer from Hurghada + 6 nights with half-board room (breakfast and dinner) + 5 diving days / 2 dives per day. Total 410€ ($460)
After 3 working days at Cairo (hotel just in front of the pyramids, great view), I flew with Egyptair to Hurghada on Thursday evening. A short hour flight.
Someone was waiting for me at the exit and drove me by van to my hotel at Safaga (a 45 minute ride, without paying attention to the speed limits...)
El Jawhara Lodge was the hotel included in the package (good rating on Booking.com) The room was simple but nice: 2 single beds, a TV, a small fridge, a coffee table and its pouffe, and a big closet. Everything seemed refurbished not long ago, so in pretty good condition.
The bathroom was quite small and less maintained. Without being dirty, it could use some renovations.
The hotel got a private beach and a bar/restaurant.
There was a buffet for breakfast with few kinds of salads, dishes, breads, cereals, fruit juices, milk, tea and instan coffee. A guy was also cooking some omelets and pancakes on request. It was simple but good.
Dinner was either served as buffet or by plate depending on the number of customers in the hotel. Similar to what you get in the morning, but with usually more options (soup, several main courses, fruits...)
The hotel was just a short 5 minute walk to the marina. I dove on the Compass, a middle-sized boat with all the confort to spend a nice diving day out.
There was a dry lounge with benches to rest between 2 dives, where you can let your personal stuff and drink a tea or coffee. There were 2 restrooms, another relaxation area in the upper deck, and finally, the wet space at the back where was stored all the diving gears. A cool box was also available with free water bottles, Coke and Sprite.
A small Zodiac was towed to the boat and was used to drop us on the reef wherever we needed, or to pick us up if we could not find our way back to the boat (don't laugh, it happened to me when I was guiding...)
On the first day, Momo (for Mohammed), my Divemaster, gave me a box to store my diving gear during the whole stay. Free Nitrox was offered for all certified divers (usually 30 to 32%), but not on the first day (check dive)
The Egyptian staff was so kind and helpful. They helped me to gear up and take off my rig. We were laughing all day long, listening to Egyptian music, sharing experience... and there was always somebody to give you a hand if needed.
The boat was also shared with Ulli's Diving who provided some Tek courses, especially on rEvo and Horizon rebreathers. Ulli is a very kind and enthusiastic person who is always keen on sharing her knowledge and passion for rebreathers.
During my stay, there was a French lady getting her certification on rEvo rebreather, so I took advantage of it to listen to them and to learn a lot of stuff about this universe that I didn't know at all.
A diving day was scheduled as follow:
Meeting at 8am on the boat. Everybody prepared their gear and we checked that everything was OK. The captain chose the dive sites for the day and we sailed for 30 to 75 minutes depending on the location.
First dive for around 1h (sometimes less due to another customer who used more air)
Then, a hot meal was served in the lounge (one main dish with different sides, salads, fruits... Lunch was always yummy) followed by a nap, or at least some resting time. Surface interval was usually around 2h30 to 3h.
After, second dive for an hour (or so) Finally, a snack was served sailing back to the marina (fruits, chocolate bars, homemade cake...)
We were always back around 4pm.
About the quality of diving. I have to admit that I was surprised by the differences with the diving in Asia (I live in Vietnam and always dive in surrounding countries: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia...)
First, the water salinity: for my lead, I got to use 2 more kilograms than usual to have a proper buoyancy. Incredible!
Underwater, corals were mostly sublime, abundant and very healthy. However, except at some dive sites such as Abu Kefan, I found there was much less fish that I usually meet in Asia. Of course, it was still mesmerising to dive there, but the fish activity was definitely less impressive than in the Philippines or Indonesia.
The most remarkable dive sites were:
> The Salem Express ship wreck, with a decent visibility and almost no current. Huge wreck and a very peculiar atmosphere when we know that undreds of people died in this accident.
> Abu Kefan, a very healthy reef, with many fish schools of different species, and even a Manta ray passing by, but I could not manage to film it with my camera...
> Sha'ab Shear, for its extraordinary topography, with pristine corals forming an underwater forest. Several swim-throughs and two barracuda whirlpools made this dive even better!
At the end, I enjoyed 10 fun dives on 5 consecutive days, and I have spent a great time with all the staff of United Divers that I highly recommend.
To finish with, here is the video editing I made with the different shots I got during my diving trip. Hope you will like it!
If you have any questions or comments, you are very welcome to contribute to this thread.
