Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Red Sea Diving College/Marriott Na'am Bay in
Red Sea/Na'am Bay

Red Sea Diving College/Marriott Na'am Bay, Nov, 2010,

by Bob Penhearow, ON, CA (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 10 reports). Report 5828.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Red Sea Diving College is a professional, efficient diving operation located at Na’am Bay. They currently operate 6-Boats with a average length of 18’- washrooms on board. All tanks and personal equipment is placed in a plastic crate and loaded on and off each dive boat, ready for the next day. The dive guides are very knowledgeable with an impressive amount of experience. Dive briefings are thorough as were the diagrams. Depth, time and air limits are established on each dive with Nitrox usage carefully recorded.

After a compulsory ‘check out dive,’ you chose your dive sites: local, Ras Mohammed or day excursions: Tiran, Dahab and Thistlegorm. Lunch is provided for 50 Egyptian Pounds on the day excursions. You place your name on a whiteboard for your desired dive site, as soon as there is a set minimum of divers the excursion is confirmed. Recommend you do this right away. Use cash (any major currency) for the deeper discounts generally given.

Of the 14-dives in total, I used a 15 Litre steel tank with 32% Nitrox. Some highlights:

Ras Mohamed (4- Dives): Rated as one of the top 10 dive sites globally, enjoyed the dives & coral.
Tiran (2-Dives): Excellent dive sites. The two best are Jackson and Thomas. However, at Jackson beware of strong current NW of the Island – you will be swept away, as were 2-DMs!
Thistlegorm (2-Dives): Definitely worth the 3.5 hrs to get there – a sight to behold. You go down the shock-line and explore. Usually first dive is external and second internal – lots to see – trucks, motorcycles, rifles, ammo etc. There was little current on my dive.
Dahab (2-Dives): Excellent shore dive, but beware of sharp rocks! Enjoyed the Canyon (easy dive), the Bells was exciting and the drift dive to the Blue Hole enjoyable.

In summation: Enjoyed the 14- dives in total with Red Sea Diving College. Am thankful to three outstanding instructors: Nasser Shaban who kept an eye on an inexperienced/nervous diver, Ali who took me around Thistlegorm and Ahmed with his willing helping hands at Dahab! A little disappointed that I did not see some of the larger pelagic fish, but was informed the best time is in the summer: June-August. If I can brave the heat, will return then!

Websites Red Sea Diving College   Marriott Na'am Bay

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Florida, Dominican Republic, Philippines (Boracay & Malapascua)& St. Lucia.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 26-28°C / 79-82°F Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Time, air 750psi & depth - limits established at each dive site.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There was a dedicated tank, but some of the boats had nowhere to recharge camera batteries.
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 122 dive reviews of Red Sea and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 
Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest
Reef & Rainforest, Dive & Adventure Travel
A full service dive travel agency that specializes in Africa. We know Africa. Red Sea Diving, Antiquities, Safari, Wildlife.

Want to assemble your own collection of Red Sea reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.12 seconds