Diving in Sharm El Sheikh
Red Sea, Egypt
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Diving in Sharm El Sheikh, Red Sea, Egypt - Visit Report
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Sharm El Sheikh is a old fishermans village situated on the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt. Sharm El Sheikh is renowned for
its magnificent diving. The actual tourist area is called Naama Bay (but often also referrred to as 'Sharm
El Sheikh') and is situated some 8 kilometres from the old village. 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 tourist attraction 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 |
| Naama Bay |
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The Naama Bay area is the exciting touristical center and offers a wide variety of food, drinks, activities and
leisure. The beach front is marvellous but may sometimes be a bit crowded (especially in the high
season). Except in the tourist resorts spread over miles along the coast, not much is to be seen and done outside of
the Naama Bay area.
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| Hilton Fayrouz Resort |
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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.
Find more tourist information on the homepage of this hotel.
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| Layalina Hotel |
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The Layalina Hotel is the seaside hotel as part of the Cataract Resort Layalina. 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.
Find out more on the homepage of the Hotel Cataract Resort Layalina.
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| 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 the rooftop terras of the Sanafir Hotel. |
| 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' out in the nearby Sinai desert 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).
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| 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). |
| Weather |
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Clouds are very rare, rain even rarer. Basically, every single day is sunny, dry and warm.
Usually, there is a light cooling breeze (unlike the stronger winds you usually find in Hurghada).
Thus, Sharm El Sheikh is the perfect holiday destination all year around. |
| 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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