Thompson will sell you extra baggage allowance on the day but
it is cheaper if you buy it before hand.
Personally I don't put important things like regs in hand
luggage for somebody else, stowing their duty frees to drop
on my head. They get wrapped in my 7mm suit.

I'm always over weight on kit so it annoys me when I'm paying
the excess but the guy in the queue ahead of me is obviously
carrying 30Kgs of body fat I don't have.
<sigh>
but I pay.

nigelH

OK food at the Hotel, decent buffet style meals on their boats. You
will definitely need Egyptian Pounds (LE) for the boat each day, the
meals at the hotel can be paid for on a card at the end of the stay if
you prefer. Bars and restaurants in town expect LE. I recommend the
Sinai Star in Old Sharm and the Camel Club Bar in Naama Bay.

I've always found the boats to be well run, clean and tidy. They do
seem to have a little side line in selling people Nitrox courses,
often to people who're going to get no benefit at all from the devil
gas -  plump Americans capable of sucking a 15l tank dry in 20
minutes, so unless you're routinely finding your dives limited by deco
stops, resist.

If you've got the depth qualification then do try and get to dive
Thistlegorm and Dunraven. Both are longer than normal trips and
there's a supplement you'll pay for that, but the dives are excellent.

-------------------------------------
York BSAC Web Page:
http://www.york-diving.co.uk

Had half a dozen trip there. Ocean BAY better than CLUB and worth the few
extra pounds difference. CLUB is  miles out (I know, they do a free transfer
but . . . .) while the BAY is a couple of hundred yards from the resort
centre.

The diving is great, the boats are very comfortable as day boats. You need
only carry your equip TWICE - to and from the dive centre when you check in
and out. Crews helpful, pay for food and drink on the boat 40LE per day. LEs
preferred all over town, DO NOT exchange in the UK. Here you get around 2 -
3 LEs fewer per GBP than you do there, and there are planty of banks in the
circular shopping centre for you to exchange at.

The food aboard is generally of a very good standard esp. considering how
little you pay for it. It can get a bit repetitive, with little variety from
day to day - but hey, 5 or 6 days. Many dive guides pack sandwiches, I
suppose six months' of it is a wee bit much!

Personally have always managed to get all my kit, clothing and toiletries
within 25kg. My regs have always gone in the hold. My wetsuit wraps around
the BCD within which is everything remotely fragile. I have a plastic
biscuit box with slots cut in the sides. The 1st stage sits outside the box.
Hoses wrap around the box, and the 2nd stages go inside the box through
these slots. Plenty of room left inside the box for batteries and chargers
for my camera. Aruond this bundle go my towel, sandals, T shirts, socks etc.
The hold is pressurised, I've never had anything go missing or break, though
this is no guarantee that you won't or indeed that I won't next time!

Happy diving, hope to be there soon myself.

Ken