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Many tourists come to the city of Hurghada for the specific reason of trying out its numerous dive sites. Scuba Diving in Hurghada is always on the top of the lists of most avid divers, fueling the establishment of several dive centers along the city’s long stretch of beaches. These dive centers offer a range of services for both the uninitiated and experienced diving enthusiasts. However, before novices plunge in for unforgettable underwater forays, it would be good to know some basic facts and tips.

First, be sure to check out the credentials of the dive center of your choice and the certifications of its Divemasters and Instructors.

Know that there are also several options for those who haven’t tried this recreation before. Some dive centers offer introduction diving, a whole day trip underwater with a certified Divemaster or an Instructor. This program is designed for tourists staying only a day or two. Dives of this kind goes down no further than 10 meters and is just a step up to snorkeling. Given the presence of a good number of shallow areas in this part of the Red Sea, divers will still get to experience being among the abundant marine organisms found here.

Another option for the uninitiated would be to take the PADI Open Water Diver Course, which lasts for 4-5 days. This course entails diving in confined waters and in open sea, and provides certification to those who complete it. Younger individuals, aging from 10 to 14, have the option of taking the Junior Open Water Course offered by PADI.

The basic equipments needed for Scuba Diving include a mask, a pair of fins, a snorkel, a suit, regulator, buoyancy compensator (BC) vest, and a dive watch. There are also several important things to keep in mind when selecting equipments to use. First time divers should select a mask that fits their face well, and forms a seal around the eyes and nose. There are also prescription masks for those needing it. It would also do the diver good to choose fins with proper size, a pair that is appropriate to the overall size of the wearer. Trying out several fins will enable the wearer to select the right pair. It is also important to select wet suit or dry suit that fits the body well. Consulting dive instructors are essential when individuals decide to purchase their own BC vest and regulators.

More importantly, it would do any interested individuals to evaluate their own capabilities when deciding to try Scuba Diving in Hurghada. Basic swimming skills are mandatory, as well as overall physical fitness. Mental and emotional stability are also required, as one needs a clear head and avoid the onset of panic attacks when underwater.

Lastly, it would be good to know several Arabic terms used in connection to the numerous dive sites available in the area:

Sha’ab and Sha’abrour both denote a reef, but the latter always means down current from a nearby main reef.

Marsa means an open gulf or bay, while a Sharm denotes a smaller bay enclosed by land.

Habili is the word that means a submerged reef.

Gota is usually used as a prefix to a name of a reef chain and denotes a piece of that reef.

Erg is a word used in reference to a singular pinnacle, while the term El Aruk is its plural form.

Umm means mother, while Abu means father.

Hurghada is een ideale vakantiebestemming om tot rust te komen en te genieten van zon en zee. Voor watersporters is Hurghada een waar paradijs. Naast de prachtige onderwaterwereld van de Rode Zee met haar koraalriffen en prachtig gekleurde vissen is Hurghada, door de constante wind die hier zowel ’s zomers als ’s winters waait, ook prima geschikt voor surfers. Hurghada wordt als vakantiebestemming steeds populairder, mede door haar aangename klimaat het gehele jaar door. In het centrum vindt u restaurantjes, bars en souvenirwinkeltjes. Buiten de toeristische gebieden kunt u nog het kalme levensritme van Egypte vinden. Wat zeker een bezoekje waard is, zijn de bazaars van Hurghada. Hier vindt u nog de echte Egyptische sfeer!
Een verhaal uit Hurghada:

‘…..Met een vissersbootje varen we naar een van de mooiste koraalriffen om daar te zwemmen en te snorkelen in het glasheldere warme water. Koralen in allerlei vormen en kleuren zijn het leefgebied van talloze vissen, zee-egels, zeesterren, zeekomkommers, zeeslakken en zeeslangen. Reusachtige oesterschelpen, dreigende morenen, sierlijke roggen en inkt spuitende octopussen….. alsof je in een natuurfilm zit. Terugvarend naar Hurghada wordt het bootje vaak vergezeld van vliegende vissen en buitelende dolfijnen. Een fantastisch gezicht…..’

Duikschool Deep Divers

Dit nieuwe vijf sterren Padi Instructor Development Center bied je alles wat je maar kan wensen. Geopend door Waleed en Ingrid in 2007, is dit duikcentrum nog erg jong. In 2008 zijn Roger en Andrea het team komen versterken en samen heeft dit team veel duikervaring in Hurghada. Het gaat ze er niet om het grootste duikcentrum te worden, maar het BESTE. En ze zijn hard op weg om dit te bereiken! Je kunt hier met een gerust hart fijne duiken maken. Van beginner tot gevorderde, ze helpen je graag met het uitbreiden van je duikervaring. De enthousiaste instructeurs spreken meerdere talen waaronder Nederlands. Er zijn 3 klaslokalen voor cursussen, waarvan 1 met airco en meer dan 40 huur uitrustingen. De basis heeft op het moment 2 locaties in Hurghada, eentje in het Triton Empire Beach Resort en een in het Sunny Days El Palacio Resort. Voor onze duikers ideaal daar wij het Triton Empire Hotel en het Triton Empire Inn (beide liggen naast Triton Empire Beach Resort) aanbieden. Je hebt hier ook een heel mooi huisrif gelijk voor je deur liggen (10m van het strand), waar je gegarandeerd zeepaardjes zult zien! Ook worden hier vaak dolfijnen, schildpadden en roggen gezien. Dit huisrif is natuurlijk ook zeer prettig voor nachtduiken. Verblijf je in een ander hotel, dan word je natuurlijk gewoon opgehaald voor je duikdag. Ze hechten veel waarde aan VEILIGHEID, KWALITEIT en SERVICE. Daarom hebben ze geinvesteerd in de beste en modernste uitrustingen. De huuruitrustingen zijn van de beste merken en niet ouder dan 1 jaar. Ook worden deze uitrustingen regelmatig onderhouden en gechecked.

De duikboot Hassan El Halaly waar de dagtrips mee gemaakt worden, is voorzien van elk comfort. Elke duik wordt voorafgegaan door een uitgebreide briefing en wordt begeleid door een divemaster of instructeur.

Sky Tours Nederlands

Anyone possessing the necessary requirements and are 12 years old or more can avail themselves of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. Those who have procured their open water certification elsewhere should need to bring and produce necessary documents to verify they are fit and suitable to take this advanced course. All dive centers in Hurghada have certified diving instructors who posses expertise in ensuring the safety and enjoyment of each student.

Fees for the PADI Advanced Course in Hurghada vary slightly from one dive center to another, though most of these courses are Five Dives over a maximum of three days and are inclusive of all the equipments during the whole course. Students of this course get to try several diving specialties, like Underwater Navigation and Deep Diving are compulsory. Deep dives are done up to a depth of 30 meters, where students get to try navigating with and without a compass. Different techniques are also taught on how to measure the time spent underwater. Students of the PADI Advanced course can also get to experience night diving. This activity is quite exciting and particularly unforgettable for first timers. It is during night dives that they will get to see several marine organisms providing peculiar lights of their own. Some dive centers even accommodate preferences of students to go night diving in special sites like ship wrecks. During this dive, students also get to know how to properly handle night lights.

Apart from the above-mentioned compulsory dives, students have the option of having three more dives, depending on what’s offered by the dive center they selected. Most dive centers offer boat dives, drift dives, dry suit dive, peak performance buoyancy, underwater videography, using a diver propulsion vehicle, search and recovery dive, underwater photography, fish identification, and, of course, wreck dive.

When diving further offshore, most students of this course also get to try and experience the different techniques of getting off and getting back on the boat with their diving gear on.

When students get their certification for the PADI Advance Open Water Diver course, they not only achieve advancement in their level of diving expertise, they also gain further confidence in going scuba diving with only a buddy and not rely on an instructor.

Apart from the usual advance courses in Hurghada, there is also the advance open water diving plus course offered by PADI, in which a Medic First Aid course is incorporated into the lesson. This is particularly useful to those planning on advancing to Rescue Diver course.

Those who have no prior diving experience and can only spend no more than three days in Hurghada have the option of taking the PADI Scuba Diver course. This is one course designed for those who wished to experience a trip underwater without having to go through rigorous and time-consuming training. Diving at this level requires the constant supervision of a certified divemaster or instructor. For those below 14 years of age, there is the PADI Junior Scuba Diver course, specifically designed for the age group 10-14.

For those wishing to go further, they have the option of taking the PADI Open Water Diver Course. This course usually last for 4-5 days and students get certified after completing it satisfactorily. This course comprises of classroom sessions, diving in confined waters, and several dive trips out in the sea. For those younger than 15 but are still interested in getting certified, there’s the PADI Junior Open Water course.

After completing the PADI Open Water Diver Course, interested individuals can proceed to PADI Adventure Dive’ ro the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. These courses do not entail lengthy classroom discussions and go right to the fun part, actual diving. This course is designed to further enhance and hone the diving skills of participants. For two days, students of this course get to choose three specialties to try (in addition to the compulsory Underwater Navigation and Deep dives), depending on the ones offered by the selected dive center. And with numerous dive sites available in Hurghada and nearby areas, there is no shortage of destinations to visit.

Next in line when it comes to PADI courses Hurghada is the Advanced Open Water course. This particular course emphasizes on developing skills related to underwater navigation, night diving, and deep diving. Additional specialty options are also offered, like underwater photography and wreck diving. There is also the Advanced Open Water Plus course, which incorporates Medic First Aid course. In this particular course, divers are taught important emergency measures like cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Younger diving enthusiasts who successfully attained the prerequisite courses may also avail of the PADI Junior Advanced Open Water course.

A lengthier period is required to complete the PADI Rescue Diver course, about 7 to 10 days. This specialized course offers training in recognizing potentially dangerous situations and teaches ways of preventing them. This course also provides knowledge on search and recovery techniques when underwater and on how to provide emergency care. There is also the PADI Junior Rescue Diver course.

The next level up would be the PADI Divemaster course, and is designed for those seriously thinking of turning this particular recreation into a career. Comprising of three modules, this course usually takes 20 days to complete. Upon completion, a Divemaster can undertake training and supervise diving trips and expeditions. To be a certified Divemaster, students need to experience at least 20 open water dives before starting on the course, and need to complete 40 more by the end of the training.

A little bit high up in the hierarchy is being a PADI Master Scuba Diver, which entails a little more diving experience than a Divemaster.

Whatever diving specialty or experience a tourist may have, he or she can have the opportunity to further it with a variety of available PADI courses in Hurghada.

Nearest to the coast line is the El Mina wreck dive site. This site is also known as the ‘Harbour Wreck,’ in connection to its location within the harbour of Hurghada. This particular wreck is made up of an Egyptian minesweeper sunk by an Israeli bomber in 1969. With a depth of 30 meters, most of the dives organized in this site are done by more experienced divers. The area also experiences decreased visibility and strong currents in some days, making it dangerous for novices. The wreck itself can be penetrated, though this is not recommended due to tight spaces within. However, it is possible to peer through several holes to have a glimpse of its interiors. The ship’s structure is relatively small, and divers can swim from stern to bow several times in a single dive. The wreck is home to a number of sea urchins and moray eels. It is interesting to note that a sister ship is anchored in the harbor, providing some sort of comparison for divers interested in attempting a dive to this site.

Another interesting wreck dive site is located at the Sha’abrur Umm Gamar, the final resting place of Colona IV, a charter boat that sunk in 1995. The wreck is said to be 66 meters down the sea floor, and is visited only by experienced divers. Because this wreck is relatively new, only a few corals are anchored to it. Because the boat is quite small, precise information are needed before organizing a dive to it. Most dive centers in Hurghada are capable of taking interested divers to this site, with slightly varying fees.

Most dive centers can also organize dives to the wreck known as the Suzanna. The original name of the vessel is Excalibur, a sailboat that got burned and sunk in the 1990s for unknown reasons. Resting 22 meters down on the sea floor, this site is quite accessible to all types of divers, even those taking open water courses. Current is minimal and visibility ranges from excellent to medium. The wreck still stands upright, and the damage sustained in the fire can still be discerned. Fishes that made this wreck home include the glassfish, barracuda, and lionfish. This dive site is accessible either by boat or through beach entry.

Still yet another interesting diving destination is the wreck of the Salem Express, a ferry that sunk in 1991, along with hundreds of its passengers. Interested individuals should know beforehand that traces of its passengers can still be discerned, like suitcases, stereos, and remnants of clothing. Diving in this site is not for everyone, as the vessel’s tragedy looms very large in the mind of every diver circling it.

Located further away from the city and taking several hours to reach are the wreck sites of Carnatic, a steam vessel, and the cargo vessel named Ghiannis D.

The most recent addition to this list of wreck sites Hurghada is the resting place of MY Balena, a safari boat that sunk in 2001. Located just 9 meters down on the sea floor, the site is also just a few minutes away from the shores of Hurghada. This makes it quite an ideal site for novices, with the proliferation of soft corals on the vessel’s surface and abundance of barracudas darting in and out of its body providing added visual delights.

Along with different look now we have a photo gallery (please send us any photos you would like to include in the gallery!), online price lists with very special offers for advanced bookings…and more… anyway enough of the . . . take a look for yourselves Deep Divers Hurghada for Diving, Duiken, Tauchen

During this last week Divesport enjoyed 5 Days of blissful diving ( along with a little wind ), making their way around some great Hurghada dive spot’s also taking in a night dive and an easy day in Abu Nuhas to visit the famous Ghiannis D among other wreck’s.

We hope to see you all again and please let us know if you publish any trip report’s so we can add it here also

That’s what happens when you employ an idiot for a webmaster! Hold on I’m the webmaster ;( Roger