Red Sea - Dive Holiday December 2010 / January 2011
Over 400 varieties of coral and 1500 species of fish, turtle and shark living in an area of spectacular beauty featuring thousands of miles of pristine coastline and all in great visibility and warm temperatures. Our destination is in the south of Egypt providing access to many outstanding reefs from these still relatively remote locations. Marsa Alam is situated about 250 km south of Hurghada, and is a relatively new resort, with its own international airport and charter flights direct from the UK. It is only a 5 hour flight from the UK, so ideal for a week of sunshine and guaranteed good diving. Egypt enjoys 360 days of sunshine and hence a year-round season with thousands of divers visiting, often bringing non-diving family members to enjoy clean sandy beaches, 4* and 5* hotels and loads of resort activities on offer for all ages. These include camel rides, Eastern Desert excursions with visits to Al Shelatan camel market, or mountain trips to Pharaonic, Ptolemaic and Roman ruins or gold and emerald mines. Star gazing - astrology on a crystal clear night sky or bird watching trips (the exquisite Goliath Heron, Sea Eagle and other species), visiting bedouin camps, quad-biking, snorkelling and the possibility to swim with Dolphins too, kitesurfing, windsurfing or just relaxing in the sun,
Divers wishing to do a qualification level course can choose to complete their theory and pool training in Baltimore and then finish their open water dives in the Red Sea, as your instructors will be travelling with you. This is known as a "referral course". See PADI courses for further details. If you're booking to do both with Aquaventures, then there's no equipment rental cost in Egypt AND you'll get plenty of further diving during your week's trip to enjoy and build your experience level. You could even do your Advanced Open Water Diver course too.
Aquaventures organises two trips in 2010, each for 1 week (back to back, so you can stay on for both if you wish) with the first week in a resort and the second week on a live-aboard. Provisional dates, subject to availability and minimum numbers booked are as follows:
Land-based - Wed 29th December 2010 to Wed 5th January 2011
flights from London Gatwick out Tue 28th December 2010 and back Thu 6th January 2011
Live-aboard - Wed 5th January 2011 to Wed 12th January 2011
flights from London Gatwick out Tue 6th January 2011 and back Thu 13th January 2011
Combined land-based and Live-aboard - Wed 29th December 2010 to Wed 12th January 2011
flights from London Gatwick out Tue 28th December 2010 and back Thu 13th January 2011
Land-based Holiday guide price €750 - €875
Unlimited shore diving - Marsa Shagra benefits from fantastic house reefs with hard and soft corals of offshore quality, excellent for pleasure diving, photography, dive training, snorkelling and night diving. As a guest you are completely free to dive at leisure and relax in one of the most peaceful of environments on the planet.
Suitable for qualified divers from Open Water Diver upwards or students undergoing their training (Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Specialty courses), and those wishing to do snorkelling on house reefs just a couple of metres away from your accommodation.
Accommodation - there's a choice of
* Tents – no single supplement. Spacious twin bedded tents have electricity and modern toilet and shower facilities. A great choice for those who enjoy an expeditionary feel and briefly wish to leave the western world behind.
* Royal Tents -
Royal tents are almost twice the size of a normal tent and include the choice of either a master bed or a double, fan, mini-fridge, wardrobe, bean bag, table and chairs. They are the ideal choice for couples.
* Mandarah Lodge - Traditional domed, vaulted desert architecture and thick stone walls keep the rooms cool. Each Mandarah has its own terrace, two beds, wardrobe and electricity with separate toilet and shower facilities.
* Madyafa Guest House - Built in the same attractive Arabic style as the Mandarahs, they are more spacious with en-suite facilities. Enter by the hallway to the large and airy bedroom opening onto your own sun terrace. Enjoy the sea and desert mountain views.
* Madyafa Guest House with Air-con - Ideal for those Summer months. Also two with an inter-connecting door, great for young families.
The Eastern desert is supposed to flood every 10 years, however, in ten years of operating, this area has experienced 2 floods. The last one was in November 1996 and they were well prepared, so none of the tents or equipment was lost. In a flood situation the staff will make every effort to maintain village life but the guests have to be prepared to compromise. Dive sites may become unsuitable and tents may be damp. The positive side is that they will be one of the few people from the western world to witness the wadies flooding and the spectacular phenomena as they burst into bloom!
What's included
Airport transfer from Marsa Alam (30 minutes).
Bed linen (bring your own towel(s).
Your free rental of tank (12 ltr aluminium) and weights plus airfills for 5 days of unlimited shore diving.
As well as diving the house reefs of Shagra, the trucks leave twice daily at 8am and 2pm to dive the sharms, marsas and reef walls along the egyptian Red Sea, they cover approximately 100 kilometers of coastal fringing reef sites from 8m coral gardens to deep drop offs, pitted caves, elaborate tunnels and a diversity of marine life to match, where easy access makes this area ideal for shore based diving. The truck dives are organized so that divers have an opportunity not to repeat the same locations during their week long stay.
Three meals a day plus freshly baked cakes in the late afternoon. All soft drinks, mineral water, tea & coffee (bring your own duty-free spirits).
220v re-charging (bring fast re-chargeable's 6 hours max) and adaptor (they use 2-pin European plus/sockets).
What's extra
Hard boat or RIB - diving the outstanding offshore reefs of Elphinstone, Abu Dabbab, Nakari, and Shaab el Gadeer, Marsa Egla Top and Habili Nakari as well as the new sites at Gabal el Rosas, Abu Nawas Garden , South Garden, Sharm Hesham and Ras Samadaiare. Elphinstone, a jewel of the south is directly opposite Shagra, with walls covered in soft coral plunging down into 400m of water. Here the strong currents and multitudes of fish attract up to seven species of shark. Shaab Samadi (Dolphin House), another gem lies just off Nakari, with beautiful soft and hard corals grafted into caves and caverns.
Price per person for 2 dive boat trips €65 for Fury / Wadi Lahami, €50 Dolphin House and €35 Elphinstone (minimum level AOW and 50 logged dives) - these can all be booked and paid for on site.
Tourist Visa (approximately €15 per person).
Nitrox (rental of tank and approx 30% nitrox fill = €2 per cylinder).
15 ltr steel cylinder rental €3 per dive.
Torch hire €10 per night dive.
Full gear hire (incl computer) for 5 days is €180 or 6 days is €200 (per person) and is payable locally.
Dive and medical insurance.
Travel to Gatwick and overnight stay if required.
Egyptian beer & delicious ice cream which can be purchased on site.
Live-aboard Holiday guide price €1300 - €1450
For the best diving opportunities in the Red Sea, when you really want to get away from the more populated shores, head off on a live aboard. You'll typically do 3 dives a day plus a few night dives (no diving on your final day or 24 hours before return flights) so a total of 17 to 20 dives over 6 days (arrive Wednesday evening, diving Thursday to Tuesday morning).
A detailed briefing of the site to be dived precedes all dives. The day starts off with coffee or tea and cookies or cake followed by the first dive and then breakfast. Lunch is served after the second dive. In the early afternoon the third dive takes place followed by afternoon tea or coffee accompanied by cake or cookies. Dinner is served at around 7:30 p.m. If a dusk or night dive is planned then dinnertime is adjusted accordingly.
It's all eat, sleep, relax and dive so bring a few good books. The boat will have a selection of DVDs and cabins, although small, are clean, basic and with air-conditioning. All rooms have en-suite showerrooms/toilets and a bathtowel and bathrobe is provided. The sundecks, shaded areas and dive decks are well laid out with a very attentive crew to assist you and there are 2 rhibs or zodiacs to ferry you back and forth from the boat, which is normally anchored alongside the reefs.
What's included
Airport transfer from Marsa Alam (30 minutes).
Bedlinen and bathtowel/bathrobe (bring your own towel for salt-water use).
Marine Park Fee.
Rental of tank and air (12 ltr aluminium) plus weights (bring your own belt or integrated BCD pockets).
Three meals a day plus freshly baked cakes in the late afternoon. All soft drinks, mineral water, tea & coffee (bring your own duty-free spirits).
220v re-charging (bring fast re-chargeables 6 hours max) and adaptor (they use 2-pin European plus/sockets).
What's extra
Tourist Visa (approximately €15 per person).
Nitrox (rental of tank and approx 30% nitrox fill = €2 per cylinder).
15 ltr steel cylinder rental €3 per dive.
Full gear hire (incl computer) for 5 days is €180 or 6 days is €200 (per person) and is payable locally.
Dive and medical insurance.
Travel to Gatwick and overnight stay if required.
Egyptian beer (there's a corkage fee if you bring your own beer or wine at €20).
Other Information
Medical kit and emergency oxygen are available.
The Hyperbaric Medical Centre/Recompression Chamber, located at Shagra Village, is comprehensively equipped and manned around the clock. An insurance cover for decompression treatment (fee of €6 payable on site) is valid for 21 days. It includes chamber treatment (including HBO sessions if needed), doctor’s fees, diagnosis, as well as equipment and medicines used in treatment. The program does not cover hospitalisation or any means of transport of the injured person.
Bring a little insect repellent to stop the odd sand fly bite and drink plenty of mineral water to avoid dehydration - it's free.
Fresh water rinsing tanks are available for cameras, regulators and computers.
Tipping staff - it is recommended that divemasters are given €25 to €30 per person for the week and general staff €30 to €50 collectively (bearing in mind that the general staff are paid wages of around €5.25 per week!).
Please tell us in advance if you are vegetarian or have special dietary requirements.
See photographs of our 2009 trip - on the "Blue Pearl" live-aboard.
To receive information please email or call us.
