Tauchen in Sharm El Sheikh
Rotes Meer, Ägypten
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Tauchen in Sharm El Sheikh, Rotes Meer, Ägypten
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(englisch)
Sharm El Sheikh is a beatiful village on the Red Sea in Egypt. Sharm El Sheikh is renowned
for its magnificent diving. The actual tourist area is called Naama Bay and is situated
some 8 kilometres from the village of Sharm El Sheikh. There are many hotels in Naama
Bay, from fairly simple to 5 star accomodation. Along the coast of the Red Sea, to the
north as well as to the south, there are also numerous hotel resorts. Since these resorts
are not in walking distance of Naama Bay, many tourists stay in these resorts with an
occasional visit to Naama Bay e.g. by taxi.
Naama Bay itself is an exciting place with obviously a
magnificent beach, but also with a wide range of restaurants,
bars, discos and souvenir shops. One week is certainly not
enough to see it all. The great climate (almost always a
clear blue sky), the friendly people and the exotic restaurants
and bars is everything you need for a great and relaxing
holiday. Learn a couple of words in Arabic and you will
easily make friends with the locals. Ofcourse, you are expected
to bargain for some nice souvenirs for your friends and
family back home.
Diving in Sharm El Sheikh (or from Naama Bay) is absolutely
great. You will probably not see many big fish, but the
great variety of corals, fish and colours is absolutely
overwhelming. Diving usually is off a boat allowing two
or three dives per day. Lunch usually is on the boat. There
is plenty of time to relax and enjoy the sunshine or exchange
some dive stories with other divers on the boat. For us,
Sharm El Sheikh is one of the best dive areas we have seen!
Our personal rating (May 2000)
| Topic |
Rating |
Comments |
| Village |
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The Naama Bay area is exciting and offers a wide variety
of food, drinks, activities and leisure. The beach is
marvellous but may sometimes be a bit crowded (especially
in the high season). |
| Hilton Fayrouz Hotel |
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The Hilton Fayrouz Hotel offers everything you ever
dreamed of. The rooms are spaceous and very luxuries,
there are several pools, an excellent Italian restaurant
and a perfect private beach which takes up a large section
of the Naama Bay coastline. |
| Layalina Hotel |
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The rooms are simple but who wants to stay inside?
Food and drinks in the hotel are great. There is also
a pool service. The hotel is centrally located and you
can access the private beach directly from the hotel. |
| Eating and drinking |
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Naama Bay has many good restaurants, from italian
to greek and libanese. The exotic dishes are our favorites.
There sometimes is live music and after dinner we occasionally
enjoyed a traditional waterpipe on a rooftop terras. |
| Activities |
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There are numerous activities offered in Naama Bay
such as trips with a glass-bottom boat and ofcourse
diving and snorkeling. A desert trip to the 'white canyon'
is also a thrilling experience! |
| Under water |
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The huge amounts of fish (although small), the incredible
colours, the amazing corals and gorgonias! See it for
yourself! Water temperature: 24°C (5mm shorty over
a 5mm long john is recommended). |
| House reef |
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There is no house reef. However, the nearest dive
site is just north of Naama Bay. This sort of serves
as a house reef. |
| Dive sites |
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There are many fascinating dive sites in this area.
The most famous are probably Ras Mohammed (declared
a national park) and the wreck of the Thistlegorm (some
3 hours by boat). Usually you will spend most of the
day on the boat, doing one dive in the morning, lunching
on the boat and then another dive in the afternoon.
Return at the hotel usually at 4pm. |
| Dive centres |
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There are many dive centres, big and small, to choose
from. The boats are usually quite big and luxurious
and the equipment generally is in good condition (bring
your own dive computer). Our tip: go to the Divers
International dive centre in the Sofitel Hotel (at
the northern tip of Naama Bay): very friendly, a shuttle
bus service and a jetty directly in front of the hotel
(ask for Nasser who was the dive master there). |
| Prices |
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Everything is not very expensive. However, after a
week of eating, drinking, diving and souvenir shopping,
you have probably spend not a small amount. Diving:
20$-25$ per dive (incl. boat, air and weights but using
own equipment). |
| Conclusion |
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Sharm El Sheikh and especially Naama Bay is our absolute
favorite. There are so many exciting things to do, tastes
to try out, dives to make and things to see (both on
land and under water), that we are looking to come back
any time. |
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to
let us know!
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