Dive Review of
Subex/Moevenpick in
Red Sea/Egypt, Queisir

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Dive Conditions

Check Dive, independent diving only for experienced.  

[None]  

Overall Rating

We had a direct flight from Zurich to Marsa Alam and then a 1 to 1.5 h
transfer to the Hotel. The Moevenpick is operated by Swiss, and consists of
bungalows which are arranged in groups (we were in group 18, which meant a
rather long walk to the diving base of around 1 km). The whole resort is
very clean and all the staff there is very friendly. There are several
restaurants (1 buffet style, 1 “upscale” were you dine a la carte and get a
credit from half-board, and one Italian + several special event, e.g. BBQ
at the beach, fisherman dining etc.) you can use (we had half-board, but
all inclusive is also possible were you can e.g. have as much Moevenpick
ice cream as you want, and I was told this ice cream is great). The food
was good and plentiful, but I thought for the high reputation of Moevenpick
in Switzerland that it could have been better. There is also a nice bar
overlooking the ocean with fantastic sundowns, where you can have some good
drinks (after testing some, I stayed with mojitos) and shishas (hookah).
There are also a lot of things to do (horses, quads, camels, tennis,
squash, etc., we had a quad ride into the desert which was great). Most of
these activities are only ok in this time of the year in the evening, as it
is very hot (up to 40C in the shadow, but all rooms and buildings have AC).
There are 2 pools and a very nice beach with life-guards, but to have a
good spot you need to rise early, as the places are reserved by towels
early (horrible custom). The ocean can only be entered at designated path
to protect the corals. 
The diving is mainly house reef diving with temperatures of 30 C at the
surface and 26 in 30 m of depths (a skin or shortie was enough). The diving
base is run very efficient with around 15 staff members. When you arrive
you get an orientation and leave your C-crad and log-book (+ medical form),
which is followed by an welcome dive (check out dive) which went with a
guide (max. group size of 4), followed by two exercises (out of air and
mask flooding). Afterwards you are rated either as independent or you will
have to go with a guide. You list yourself in the diving list in a certain
time interval to enter (e.g 2-4 pm) either from the base or by inflatable
(with small added price). Then you get a card to check out and to get the
tank (12 or 15l steel or nitrox for free to reserve 1 day before). Then you
go to the base where you get the tank and hand over the tank. After the
dive you check back in at the counter. We had normally dives of 60-75 min
with no restrictions (depth etc.). BTW, the SUBEX bases (there are others
in Egypt) have one specialty, i.e. the normal air is nitrox 28. The diving
was easy, with good visibility (20+ m) and sometime a slight current
(sometime some waves, when the wind picked up). We saw many murays
(including larger ones), blue spotted rays, crocodile fish, grouper, lion
fish, 1 eagle ray, 2 turtles, and a lot of the usual small reef fish, but
the absence of larger fish striking. I went also once with the boat for 2
dives, which where at the same reef as the house reef, just further “left
and right” from the hotel, which were slightly better (also the wave action
was strong and some people became sea sick).
The diving is overall very easy, the organization is almost perfect and
very safety and environmental conscious, and a perfect place to go with a
non-diving partner, or to start diving again (such as me, after 3 knee
surgeries).
Value: I pad around 2000 Swiss Francs with flight and 6 dives.
 

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