TEMPERATURE
IN EGYPT
DIVING
SUITS
The
water temperature in winter is about 21°C - 23 °C,
depending on your personal sensitivity we recommend a wetsuit
or semi-drysuit of 5 mm to 7 mm, or you are used on
drysuit. Diving three dives with a 3 or 5 mm wetsuit might
get chilly.
An additional neoprene shirt would help. Due to strong winds
we recommend a neoprene hood to prevent ear infections. During
summer, from May to October, a long john,
a 3 mm wetsuit or even a shorty should do the job.
GETTING
THERE
Depending
on the season, charter flights to Egypt cost around
300,– to 400,– Euro,
there are direct flights from European airports to Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada
and lately as well to Marsa Alam. Scheduled flights to Cairo start at 300,– Euro
from Europe with either connection flights or bus connection with the Super
Jet or El Gouna Buses from Cairo for about 10,– Euro (about 5-6 hours
transfer time) to Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada. See also our --> News
& Links site for flight tickets.
VISA
& PASSPORT
You
can get your visa from the Egyptian Embassy (you find all addresses of
Egyptian embassies on -->
www.mfa.gov.eg) by at least 2 weeks before your trip starts
or you can purchase it directly on the airport on which you arrive (about
20 Euro cash). When arriving
in Sharm el Sheikh you must ask for a tourist visa
valid for all Egypt because the Ras Mohammed National park is officially not included in the
Sinai Visa. For Dahab only you can get the Sinai
Visa which is free of
charge.
Your Passport must be valid for at least 3 month after your arrival to
Egypt.
INSUREANCE
INFORMATION
The --> Red
Sea Association rules (PDF) now
says that all divers in the Red Sea must complete a --> Medical
Statement Form (PDF) & a --> Liability
Release (PDF) before
diving. You can download the PDFs, print & fill it out and
take with you on your trip with us. All our safari guests
must bring the form and if needed the doctors certificate with
them.
We
highly recommend you to contract a travel or diving
insurance. On diving safaris to the South
Red Sea (Marsa
Alam) it is required by Egyptian Law. DAN (Divers
Alert Network) offers you a number of different diving related
insurances as the worlds largest and most professional diving insurance
company, that might make you sleep a little bit better on your trips
and it is for your own comfort.
Visit the DAN website --> www.daneurope.org or
simply contact your trusted insurance company to inform you better about their
offers.
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LANGUAGE
The
official language is Arabic. However, most locals who are active in
tourism speak English, French and some German as well.
TIME
GMT
+ 2 (+ 2 hours from UK, + 1 hour from GER/A/CH).
MONEY
The
national currency is the Egyptian Pound (LE or
EGP). Currently 1 EURO
is 7,3 Egyptian
Pound (feb 2009). You can withdraw from any cash machines (ATM)
with your bank or credit card that supports Maestro or
Cirrus nearly
everywhere in Egypt except Marsa Alam which so far is not sorted with
that kind of tourism infrastructure.
ELECTRICITY
The
voltage is 220 V with 50 Hz, plugs in Egypt has two pins and you
should be prepared to failures of the electrical supply, which still
does occur
sometimes.
WHAT
TO BRING ON A DIVING TRIP
Personal clothes & toilettries
Seasickness tablets, eardrops and prescription medicines
Diving equipment, main spare parts are useful (mask & fin straps, second
mask)
Logbook, certification card, travel & diving insurance details
Holiday details from your travel agency
Money to pay for extras (like alcoholic drinks, Marine Park Fees...). We accept
Euros, US dollars, Egyptian pound and Sterling pound.
Nice
extras to bring on a liveaboard safari:
CDs, DVDs, books (Music & DVD Player onboard)
Laptop, Camera, CD / MP3 player
GPS tracker and binoculars
HEALTH
No
vaccinations are required but it is recommended to be vaccinated against
Hepatitis A + B, Typhoid, Diphtheria, Polio and
Tetanus. Your medical
box should include diarrhea & seasickness tablets
and eardrops. Due
to the high temperatures in the summertime and the resulting dehydration
it is highly recommended to drink at least 4-5 liters of water a day
and to take additional dehydration medication (especially when diving
a lot).
DECOMPRESSION
CHAMBER
In
the Decompression Chamber in Sharm el Sheikh there are excellent doctors
available, two hospitals and a modern decompression chamber with a 24-hour
call-out service for diving emergencies. New chambers have recently been
opened in Dahab and Marsa Alam as well.
The chamber doctors speak several languages and have special training
in hyperbaric medicine to treat decompression accident patients, lung
embolisms or any other diving accident related injuries.
For diving accidents and serious injuries that need fast response the
Red Sea offers a facility called --> SAR
www.redseasar.org (Search
and Rescue).
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please be aware that being on a liveaboard safari
always means being several hours away from any serious medical supply and help.
We strongly recommend to stay in your own and common
scuba diving limits and to calculate dives rather conservative to avoid any troubles!.
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GOOD
TO KNOW
Egyptian
law extended the recreational scuba dive
depth limit to 40 mtrs.
As
well please note that some places in the Red Sea are Marine
(or National) Parks by Egyptian Law and have their own --> fees and
restrictions:
In the South Red Sea Marine Parks (like the
Brothers, Daedalus, Rocky Island & Zabargad)
a minimum of 50 logged dives is requested (the
Advanced Open Water and experience in drift diving strongly recommended)
and no night
dives permitted by Egyptian Law. These can be challenging dives
with strong currents. Generally a minimum of 30
logged dives are required for any liveaboard safari in the Red Sea, Advanced
Open Water Diver certification or equivalent is required, but can be
done as course
along the Liveaboard safari on request, ask us for it!
Here
you can download the
Red Sea Association rules --> Red
Sea Association rules (PDF) for your own information.
In
some of the liveaboard safaris long
overnight travel is required to cover the whole itinerary on
our route, which means the boat will have to run the engines during
the night.
DOs
AND DON'Ts
The
good old diving rules spiced up with rules by Egyptian Law you have to
be aware when diving the Red Sea:
Do not touch or leave anything underneath! (please
don't touch the underwater flora and don't touch, scare or feed the underwater
fauna)
Do not carry a knive! (forbidden
by Egyptian law in the National & Marine Parks, as there is no
big fishing industry in the Red Sea you won't get tangled in fishing
lines or nets)
Do not wear gloves! (it is never that
cold... health reason excepted)
Follow the instructions, profile and route
of the guide while diving!
Stay in the group's, your own and your buddie's
diving limits! (don't be shy when you feel a dive is too
challenging for you - talk to us!)
Respect the sea and the life in it, yourself and
other divers!
No solos and no deco dives! |
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