| For many Europeans, traveling to the Red Sea for | | | | European diving, the scuba community here in Egypt |
| scuba diving is like many North Americans going to | | | | uses the metric system so weights will be in kilos |
| the Caribbean. For a scuba diver based in North | | | | while air pressure will be in bars. Most dive computers |
| America or anywhere else outside of Europe or | | | | should be able to display both metric and imperial |
| Africa, a journey to the Red Sea is considered one | | | | systems. |
| of the more exotic scuba diving trips. Like other | | | | Many scuba operators in Sharm El Sheikh use a very |
| overseas travel, getting to the final destination is the | | | | interesting system for scuba tanks. Rather than using |
| hardest thing. The Red Sea can be dived from ports | | | | their own tanks, their dive boats go to a common |
| in both Egypt and Israel but most international scuba | | | | central barge anchored in the harbor. This is where all |
| divers do so from the Egyptian side. There are two | | | | the scuba tanks are supplied from and the dive boats |
| major scuba diving areas in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh | | | | collect the number of tanks they need for day's dive |
| and Hurghada. Sharm El Sheikh at the northern part | | | | trips. At the end of the trips, used tanks are dropped |
| of the Red Sea is the more established center having | | | | off at the same barge before heading back to port. |
| been a popular vacation resort area as both | | | | The majority of the dives in the Red Sea are semi |
| Egyptians and Europeans have been vacationing here | | | | drift dives where the dive boats drop off divers at |
| for many years. The local scuba dive industry grew | | | | the dive sites and then pick them up afterwards. One |
| along with the overall steady growth of classy | | | | very different aspect of the Red Sea compared to |
| resorts, shops and other tourist services in Sharm El | | | | other dive destinations in the world is that the coral |
| Sheikh. Hurghada, once just a sleepy fishing village | | | | reefs here can extend up to very shallow depths. As |
| along the west side of the Red Sea, is starting to | | | | a result, the standard safety stops at 15 feet are |
| grow as scuba divers discover this alternative to | | | | done drifting among many of these sloping reefs |
| Sharm El Sheikh. | | | | along with the accompanying marine life. Therefore, |
| More than likely, travelers going to either Sharm El | | | | these are some of the most scenic safety stops |
| Sheikh or Hurghada will have to fly to Cairo before | | | | scuba divers will ever do. This is certainly different |
| connecting with Egypt Air or taking a bus to their | | | | from the usual bland safety stop in the Caribbean. |
| final destination. Many scuba divers turn their Red Sea | | | | One thing to note is that the maximum allowable |
| diving trip into a major extended holiday in order to | | | | depth for recreational scuba divers in Egypt is 30 |
| both dive and see the many wonderful ancient | | | | meters which is about 90 feet. |
| Egyptian sites such as the pyramids. There are many | | | | As expected, the marine life in the Red Sea is |
| things to see and do in Egypt in addition to the | | | | spectacular. There are many species of fish, |
| ancient ruins including museums, markets and Nile | | | | crustaceans and marine plant life here that are not |
| river cruises. So it is highly recommended to do some | | | | found in the Caribbean. In fact, many of them are |
| research and plan accordingly for any trip to Egypt as | | | | indigenous to the Red Sea only. While lionfish can be |
| one would not want to run into the situation where | | | | extremely rare sightings elsewhere, they are quite |
| not enough time was allocated to see everything one | | | | abundant in the Red Sea which is a real treat for |
| wants to see there in addition to scuba diving. | | | | scuba divers. It is also not unusual to jump in the |
| Many of the scuba operators in Sharm El Sheikh are | | | | water to be among a large school of tuna or other |
| affiliated or close by to a hotel resort. Most of the | | | | fish. Many night divers will see coral reefs here to be |
| dive shops are actually owned and staffed by | | | | more spectacular than in the Caribbean. |
| Europeans working in Egypt. This is similar to the | | | | For many scuba divers, the Red Sea is one of those |
| situation in the Caribbean where many of the scuba | | | | 'must dive at least once in a lifetime' destinations. It is |
| operators there are American owned. The Red Sea | | | | a very unique place to dive especially with the desert |
| has a higher salt content than Caribbean waters so it | | | | background visible from the dive boats. The excellent |
| is recommended to add 4 to 5 more pounds to the | | | | diving with the many awesome sights of Egypt make |
| amount of weight divers usually use. Like most | | | | the Red Sea a dream dive trip for any scuba diver. |