Trip Report Trip report - Sharm El-Sheikh, June 2019

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Boglefish

Registered
Messages
30
Reaction score
25
Location
Dhahran
# of dives
25 - 49
I did 6 day trip around the first week of June. I choose Camel Dive Club mainly due to excellent reviews and also for their competitive stay & dive packages. I booked through PADI travel.

Getting there: I am currently based in Saudi so getting there was a short hop. You don’t need a visa if your diving is limited to the Sharm sites and if you fly directly into Sharm. For Cairo connections, you need a visa. If you want to do the Thistlegorm wreck dive then you definitely need a visa which is available at the airport for $25. Airport processing is quite slow so be prepared for long queues. I had arranged transportation with my package from the airport to dive resort. The driver came all the way in before immigration looking for me which was nice as a first timer.

The resort: The location is not by the water, but about 10 walking minutes to the marina. Rooms were more than adequate with comfortable bed. There was a pool, an onsite restaurant with very good breakfast buffet and dinners ( I did the half board). They have their own bar next door with divers night every Friday with free food. It’s located on the main Sharm boulevard with many shops and restaurants (good for an evening stroll).

Dive Center: The dive center is run very well with helpful staff. It was crazy busy during my stay but never had any issues. Everyone gathers at the courtyard at 8 every morning and walks to their respective boats. First dive is always at a local site close by. The boats are large, roomy and very comfortable. The crew was really friendly and overall awesome. You can choose to have lunch on the boat for 10 euros and it’s quite decent (cooked fresh onboard). You do two morning dives and then have lunch. A third dive is offered for 30 euros or so after lunch. Nitrox is not extra unless you want the 15L tank for 6 euros more.

Dive sites: I was pleasantly surprised by the diving. They have a good variety for beginners and experienced divers. The coral and fish were amazing. I particularly enjoyed Yolanda reef which in the Ras Mohammed national park and Ras Umm Sid. Great for underwater photography. I did 8 dives and am definitely going back! It was a solo trip for me but met some great people from all over the world.

If you have questions, will gladly answer.
 
Shark & Yolanda reef is my favorite dive site in Sinai.

Got back 4 weeks ago, hoping to go again in 2.
 
You should check out breakers in soma bay hurghadha as well, was there in November, going back in feb. it was top drawer.
 
I'm thinking to go to Sharm solo too, can you please elaborate on the social life on the liveaboard/dive resort.
 
i love reading exotic dive reports...thanks for sharing yours....
 
I'm thinking to go to Sharm solo too, can you please elaborate on the social life on the liveaboard/dive resort.

Hi.

I've done two "solo" trips to Sharm and both times I've stayed at Camel Dive. The first time I visited there was with my son some years ago, that's really what encouraged me to go back there. Staying there by yourself is fine. They're a friendly crowd and both times I've been there by myself there's been other divers in the same situation. The bar and restaurants in the hotel are good but there's plenty of alternative night life around Naama bay.

The only caution I would give is that the buddying up can be a bit random and a couple of times I've ended up with scarily incompetent buddies and on one occasion had to decline the invite to buddy with one guy who I saw as a liability and I'm not qualified or payed to be his Divemaster.

But saying that, I'm off back there next month.
 
Getting there: I am currently based in Saudi so getting there was a short hop
Who did you fly with?

Currently there's no direct flight from UAE to Sharm, although in the past there used to be.
 
It's worth mentioning that the Sinai free Stamp allows you to go as North as Taba (Dahab, Nuweiba) and West up to St Catherine's Monastery (Mount Sinai). All this is called the "Gulf of Aqaba economic zone" and the free stamp (as opposed to the classic $25 single entry full tourist visa) is a government incentive to the local tourism. Which also means that if you go diving outside the Gulf of Aqaba you need the full visa as mentioned by Boglefish in the OP)
But the free Sinai stamp (valid 14 days) works very well if you want to go from Sharm to do a few dives in Dahab or Nuweiba (careful with Nuweiba because of the road elevation along the way).
 

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