4/20/2006 - New Years Diving in Dahab, Egypt
Down the chimney at El Bellz
Over New Years I spent 9 days in Dahab, diving with two dive companies and three guides.
There are good and bad service providers in Dahab. I dived with both. Dahab itself is a wonderfully odd place. Excess and poverty, new buildings and dilapidated ones. I will only talk of what I actually experienced, not any hearsay… and lord knows there is a lot of that.
El Bellz to Blue Hole
Club Red:
I did my first dive with Club Red, because they were the company that had been risk assessed and therefore recommended by my tour company (Imaginative Traveler – was on a 2.5 week tour from Syria to Cairo – though I got off at St Catherine’s (climbed Mt Sinai for New Years) and made my own way back to Dahab). I was thoroughly unimpressed by Club Red and wrote a full report to Im Trav expressing my concerns for their safety standards.
The Canyon - Carston photographer
Our (girl on tour and myself) guide at Club Red didn’t get a brass razoo what we said we wanted to do on the dive - a slow relaxed heavy photo taking dive. He ignored her obvious lack of recent diving even though he did a skill check dive at the beginning with her – she was popping really badly and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. We tried to get his attention after I had to go up and pull her back down, but he was so far ahead that we just turned around and came back - he didn’t notice for a few minutes. I have since learnt that this was a replacement guide for the break - perhaps this is why he was not at the standard that I have been assured is associated with Club Red.
Looking out over the rim at Blue Hole
While I understand they work hard to ensure a good and safe dive, I wouldn’t recommend Club Red based solely on my own experience.
Clown Fish - Note the extra stripe
Sphinx Divers:
I stayed in Sphinx House and it was fantastic! Right on the water, wonderfully clean, safe as houses and didn’t flood when the town went under.
The view from my hotel patio at New Sphinx at Dawn.
I was booked in for a week of diving at Sphinx Divers – the company associated with another tour company – Geckos. While they attempted to satisfy my diving desires, they are structured more for instructing, intro dives and open water divers. I found the dives I did with the guide from Sphinx overly rushed (not in the water, but out of it). I will say though that the guide really looked after me while I was throwing up under and above the water on my second dive. After the first day, I was outsourced to a fantastic local freelancer – whom I cannot speak highly enough - and spent the rest of the week diving with Medhat and a lovely German couple who were exceptionally skilled divers. Medhat's webpage is www.pospadan.com and he ROCKED.
Medhat getting his teeth cleaned by a widdle fishie – Carston photographer
Medhat ensured that our dives were free from other divers and made a point of matching our preferences and skill levels to the dives also making sure we did what we were hoping to do. He would even split us up and dive with us separately if that was better for our skill levels. Our dives were not time dictated as can be the case at Sharm - we came up when we had 50bar. He was not sleazy, his English was excellent, he only deals with small numbers and he was 100% professional. Nothing was too much trouble. Often he would meet us early, bring breakfast that he had made at home, so we could beat the rush at more popular sites. He drove us in his own car if we needed some assistance at night, arranged taxis for us (FOC) if we needed, and joined us for dinner on multiple occasions. The most wonderful night was when he invited myself and the couple diving with me to his house for dinner. We cooked and he cooked and it was fantastic to spend the evening in a real Egyptian home.
Lion Fish Were Everywhere
I dived:
· El Bellz to Blue Hole (My favourite dive – sit around the mid 20’s or lower)
· Blue Hole
· Coral Canyon
· The Canyon – awesome but get there before the crowd
· Golden Blocks
· Umm Sidd
· Moray Gardens
· Three Pools
· Mashraba – over dived
· Lighthouse – get there early or lose the vis
Peekaboo
Personally, I think Dahab spoiled me. The pristine coral at depth. The relaxed dive style (napping and drinking tea/coffee in the Bedouin cafes). The deco beers and wonderful food of Dolphin Café.
Sunset over a Deco Beer at The Dolphin Cafe
Thinking about diving the Red Sea? Speak to Medhat (tell him Tae sent you) and go to Dahab – he can assist in transfers from Sharm Airport, accommodation and will bend over backwards to make sure you have the best diving holiday of your life. He also offers New Years underwater – though I personally didn’t like Dahab the day before or after New Years (I was gone for the actual event) as the influx of backpackers and party animals was crazy. Thankfully they all nicked off just as quickly as they arrived.
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