Red Sea

[nick kay]

Help please...

Daughter off to University Sept/Oct 2003
That leaves myself, (non diving) wife, son (will be at least SD by Easter 2004)

Looking for a 1 week (Easter 2004) holiday to the Red Sea to suit...
1. Me (AD/ERD/OWI) & son diving as a buddy pair - limited by his experience/quals. Lets say that by Easter 2004 he'll be SD with 50+ dives
2. None of us have ever been to the Red Sea
3. Wife wants good (4*) hotel with good amenities, pool, etc
4. Son & I want good diving

First thought was Marsa Alam???

Any suggestions???

[pat farrell]

Help please...

Daughter off to University Sept/Oct 2003
That leaves myself, (non diving) wife, son (will be at least SD by Easter 2004)

Looking for a 1 week (Easter 2004) holiday to the Red Sea to suit...
1. Me (AD/ERD/OWI) & son diving as a buddy pair - limited by his experience/quals. Lets say that by Easter 2004 he'll be SD with 50+ dives
2. None of us have ever been to the Red Sea
3. Wife wants good (4*) hotel with good amenities, pool, etc
4. Son & I want good diving

First thought was Marsa Alam???

Any suggestions???
try the movenpick at el gouna
hotel 5* very good quality dont buy the 1/2 board its a bit tedious & food at bars & other hotels is cheap.
Diving with dive tribe great based at the hotel The sites are still in good nick for a tourist resort.

[darren woodward]

The Karamana hotel at Marsa Alam is great. The rooms are very nice, there are a couple of nice pools, and three resturants, one buffet, one mainly seafood, one italian. During the day its nice and quiet around the pool to relax, occasional italian holiday reps asking for people to join in the arobics, beach vollyball etc. Stuff to do if you want. The Hotel is quite remote (or was in summer 2000) so there is nowhere to go other than the hotel grounds which are very nice but could be a bit restrictive.

Diving wise. Dive school at the hotel is well run and shares its facilities with the near by Marsa Shagra eco camp (Oonasdivers). The diving is mainly shore. You go off by truck with all your gear in the trailer at about 09:00 and again at 14:00. Dive sites are up to a max of 1 hr drive from hotel, most are closer. Kit up on beach and wade in. Mostly easy diving but can be some currents, diving howerer can be very good with plenty of life. There are two boat dives offered. Shab Samadia (Dolphin house) horseshoe shaped reef with a dive taking place at either end. Currents can be strong but well worth the effort. Never seen such a large school of fish. The lunch is spent near the lagoon in the centre of the reef where there is a resident pod of dolphins and you can snorkel during the surface interval. The other is Elphinstone Reef. Again the currents can be very strong here but you are rewarded with lots of shark action. For Elphinstone the dive school requires a min of 50 logged dives to go.

Hope that helps.

Darren

[John Young]

Help please...

Daughter off to University Sept/Oct 2003
That leaves myself, (non diving) wife, son (will be at least SD by Easter 2004)

Looking for a 1 week (Easter 2004) holiday to the Red Sea to suit...
1. Me (AD/ERD/OWI) & son diving as a buddy pair - limited by his experience/quals. Lets say that by Easter 2004 he'll be SD with 50+ dives
2. None of us have ever been to the Red Sea
3. Wife wants good (4*) hotel with good amenities, pool, etc
4. Son & I want good diving

First thought was Marsa Alam???

Any suggestions???

Hi Nick!
Didn't know you were thinking of going to the Red Sea.
Try the Menaville Hotel at Safaga. Self contained, with nice pool etc. for the non-divers. Dive Scool on site, all day boat diving and you can do shore dives on the house reef in the evenings if you wish.
Good school who will look after you. Diving around Safaga is generally very good as it has not yet been overdived.
If you want any further opinions, talk to the 'clan'.
We're going back there in October - again.