You won't have to try hard to find a dive op - they're everywhere

I don't think you'll have time to organise one between now and Sunday.

If they don't - run away

There is a jetty at Sharks Bay from which a number of operators will work.
See who's working out of your hotel - from a logistics point of view they
will be the easiest to go with. You may be able to pre-book your diving from
here by email, and save yourself a few ££ by doing so. You are very close to
the Tiran Strait so you have some of the best diving in the area on your
doorstep. What suit thickness you need is purely a personal choice, to do
with heat / cold tolerance more than anything else. Water temps at this time
of year there will be mid to high 20s.

Have you ever been to te Red Sea before? The norm in the Sharm area is for
the boats to go out for the whole day, with lunch on board for around 40LE
(that's £4 per day for all food and drink). Some hotels have shore access,
and if yours is one and there's a dive centre at your hotel you may be able
to get some dives on the hotel reef. Inevitably this is rather worn down by
the snorkellers and the dorks who insist on walking on the reef itself - but
the convenience is superb.

Don't change any foreign currency here -do it there, it's cheaper. Also get
yourself a comprehensive Visa on entry at the airport - it's too late if you
miss the opportunity, and your ability to go to some dive sites will be
severy restricted if you don't. Visas are around £12 and valid for a
fortnight.

Ken

If  you feel confident in the water then no.

Highly unlikley - this is Egypt .. as long as you have money, that is all
they care about.

yes ... I was there a month ago in a 2.5mm suit and that was certainly warm
enough ... even for 40m dives.

Dives out to Tiran from Sharks Bay are ideal as you save about an hour on
the boats from Travco .... so you should be there before they arrive ...
although go for some gentle drift dives first before you go for a high speed
fly-by, has superb fast drift dives on Thomas Reef ... great fun.
The wreck of the Kormoran out at Tiran is a great 'intro dive' if you have
not dived a wreck before ... serious big boys playground, the whole ship
burst open and over a huge area, winches, masts, steel plates .... great to
explore, massive table coral formations, the dive is shallow (max 10m) and
about as safe as it gets for a wreck dive.

Don't forget the snorkeling in Sharks bay ... the place is teeming with Lion
fish ... and as they are so shallow, great photo opportunity for you.

Adding to the other contributions as I was there 2 weeks ago:

All the dive outfits I have dived with out there start off with a
check-out dive.

The larger outfits will give you a choice of boats and locations which
you can match to your skill level. Out of 14 days I only dived from the
same boat twice.

I've never been asked for a medical although I get and carry a new one
every year and only a Nitrox card if I wanted Nitrox and a dive card of
some sort.

When you arrive and enter the airport building on the left are some
local bank booths. They sell you a double stamp visa for £10 or 20 US
dollars. If you don't get a visa you are limited to the areas you can
dive, ie local to Sharm, not the Ras Mohamed Park end, or further etc.
You can't go back and get a Visa once you have left the airport.

Lots of places offering diving services. My last two visits I dived with
The Red Sea Dive College in Naama and I can recommend them.

I was diving in a 5mm shorty with sleeves my wife in a full 3mm one
piece. No probs generally with getting cold but at 30+ meters my knees
were getting a bit cold to the end of the dive.

Do not drink the tap water OR clean your teeth in it regardless of what
you have been told. Drink loads and loads of bottled water, 3 of 4
litres a day on top of your beer consumption. 6 litres cost 6 to 7
Egyptian pounds. Some small super markets will try to rip you off. ie
the one next to the big car park in Naama across from the Tourist police
office. The guy there will try every trick there is: Short change, over
charging, if you're new there he'll give you change in pelastas instead
of EL.

Get a small bottle of medical hand wash gel from Boots to take with you,
for use after you have left the loo and before meals. Helps keep the
Sharm Sh*ts away. As does drinking lots of water to keep you hydrated.

If you book a trip ie quad biking in the desert, it with cost you twice
as much through the travel rep than going to the same company direct.

Any thing specific, just ask.

Dazza

I've been to Sharm once, I'm a trainee diver (soon to be SAA Club Diver), I
absolutely loved it. I stayed in Shark's Bay Hilton. I can recommend the
dive club that operates from there, they're called Sinai Dive Club
(www.dive-club.com). The website is a bit naff and it doesn't say much about
Shark's Bay, but the dive guides there are good, and they all speak good
English (some are English, but they're from all over). The "house reef" is
amazing and is a very relaxing dive with loads of wildlife.

As Ken said, prepare to be amazed!

Steve

<snipped>

In my experience of diving around Sharm, the operator will take newly
arrived divers to some of the easier dives on the first  day.  Maybe
15 - 18m dives with a gently sloping bottom.  If the operator suggests
you go up to Shark/Yolande Reef for your first dive, I'd be worried

in a safe way.

They should.

The two operators I've dived with are 1) Emperor (just this side of
Naama Bay from Shark's Bay) They're really good.  Dead organised and
really safety conscious and thorough.  They'll pick you up from your
hotel too if you tell them a couple of days ahead.  2) Ocean College
are the other side of Naama Bay to you in Hardaba.  They're really
good too.  I'd dive with both of them again, no probs.

I've dived with a 5mm suit in July and, in the water, it was fine.
didn't feel wet, never mind cold!  It's a bitch when you're getting
kitted up though as it's way too warm!

_______________________________

Hank

"Ready everyone?  Mambo!!"

Hi Dazza.
I was in Sharm Christmas 2005/06 and Summer 2006 .
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4887705150492009104
Shows us during our first trip doing our first ever OW dives.
We did two shore dives at Sharks Bay to do our Skills for OW Certs.
When we went back in the summer we also had two Boat Trips out to the reefs
from Sharks Bay.
Any of the operators will pick you up and take to Naama Bay for trips out to
the Ras Mohamed Park.
We used Dive Africa diveafrica.com

Have Fun.
Baz

Hi Guys,

Well, I'm back from Sharm and I have to say some of the best diving
I've done, really enjoyed it. Thanks for all your tips.

Especially the anitbac hand wash! Didn't quite save me though, I did
end up with an upset tummy, luckily it didn't need any medication to
clear. Probably because of the rediculous amount of water I was
drinking.

In the end I went with the dive shop on site with the hotel. Mr.
Diver, who have several places around situated in hotels around the
area. Probably a tad more expensive than the others. They all spoke
perfect English, mainly as there where some English guys working
there. The rest of the staff being South African or Italian.

To start out with they required a check dive. I went to Sharks Bay to
do a dive from shore with an instructor. The shore dropped off to
around 30m but we max'd at 20. Just a leisurely dive to check they
where happy with what I was doing. Made sure I could set the kit up,
buddy check, boyancy check, safety stop etc.

For the second lot I went out to Sharks Reef/Yolande. Then the
Dunraven (almost a drift down the outside then swim up through
sections on the way back) then Ras Umm Sid.

Sealife spotted included large schools of Baracuda, a number of large
Humphead Napoloeon Wrass, Lion Fish and one particular site at Ras Umm
Sid with literally hundreds of Glass Fish plus lots of the other usual
culprits.

I commented I was worried my 5mm semidry would be too warm. In fact I
found for me, in 28deg water to be spot on and was thankful for it on
the 3rd dive.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and diving and I think I'll be
looking to go back towards the end of the year.

Thanks again guys.
Dazza.