3 independent reviews for Family learn to scuba dive holidays
Reviews for Family learn to scuba dive holidays
Ollie Crowe review 22 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Diving in Dahab with my 13 year old son, who was diving for the first time, was truly magical. The place, the people and the diving were beyond compare2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Do it! Youstina the dive guide and teacher, was exceptional. I can’t think of a better way to start diving or carry it on if you’ve been before. The tour operator is a lovely, quiet, laid back hotel with great staff and a fabulous location. Dahab is a very special town with a laid back vibe and it’s fine to leave all your stuff in a cafe while you disappear off for a dive for an hour (we mostly did shore dives but boat trip was awesome) and come back, relax with great food and drinks. The journey up from Sharm El Sheikh was easy, seamless and all arranged by the tour operator as part of the package3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
All staff and dive guides were Egyptian. They take their zero single use plastics policy seriously and we were all encouraged to collect and remove bits of plastic as we dived. We had a great reward on our last dive of working with Youstina to remove a sizeable piece of discarded fishing net (that was entrapping fish) from the coral. Who knew fist bumps were an accepted form of underwater communication?!4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Utterly fantastic, can’t recommend the whole set up highly enoughJane Harrison review 2 Sep 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Diving in the Red Sea, seeing a turtle, a blue-spotted ray and several octopi.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
This vacation is for divers or extremely keen snorkellers, if you are not doing either of those activities I think you would get bored fairly easily. Don't expect luxurious accommodation, the rooms were very dark - I'm sure in an effect to keep them cool, but the people running the resort were delightful and couldn't do enough for you.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, all the workers in the resort were local, when we wanted to go on a trip or needed a driver, they had lots of friendly local contacts. They tried to encourage recycling but I'm not sure how successful this was. There was a concerted effort to clean up the beach after an oil spill and everyone was clearly concerned.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a great experience made all the more special by the staff in the resort but also the people we met: ex-pats, Egyptian vacationmakers and locals as well. The welcome couldn't have been better.Tim Butcher review 12 Aug 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Being down ‘in’ the coral at ‘The Islands’ site was nothing short of incredible. In addition to a myriad of enormous corals, we saw a turtle, moray eels, octopus and of course thousands of varied fish!Absolutely fantastic.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Finish your PADI online theory training before you go. Snorkel from the hotel beach at high tide to see a coral reef and cliff similar to the dive sites.The cash points work well and give a good exchange rate. Pay a little more for wine at the off licence (£12ish in 2022) and it is drinkable. The off licence near Lighthouse takes cards.Try the restaurant’Shark’ one night for great fish.Take a string bag with you to pick litter from the sea3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The reef is why many people visit Dahab but I’m not clear how it is being conserved. I certainly saw some coral broken (accidentally no doubt) by divers. Certainly there is litter present in the water, and plastic is everywhere in the mountains surrounding Dahab. Our dives were booked at part of the vacation, so I hope the instructors are well paid, but don’t know for sure and tipped them, the waiters and the hotel chef4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The diving is incredible and the owners of the dive company were friendly and welcoming. For a vacation where WiFi is important if you are finishing your PADI online course, it was disappointing. Having 4 O-rings blow before dives was disconcerting but not dangerous. They continue to use the yoke system - my instructor explained this never happens with the DIN system.The litter was heartbreaking and Dahab need to renew their efforts to keep plastic from the streets and sea.Egyptian and Bedouin people are friendly and cheerful, but the security arrangements are overcooked. There is a pointless and time wasting checkpoint leaving Sharm. We had our passports checked 7 times whilst leaving Sharm airport for London. Jobs for the boys and they are unusually moody with a bit of power.Read the operator's response here:
We are really pleased that you enjoyed the diving and that you found us friendly and welcoming.
Dahab is not perfect as it is still a very young community, therefore a lot of what we expect from a developed country is still in its early days here. Rubbish, does not come exclusively from Dahab, but is brought in on the tide and wind from surrounding countries.
Some of the ‘broken coral’ at Islands for example, is in fact due to earthquake damage and not divers. But diver related damage is one of the reasons that we employ a max ratio of 4-1 divers; in fact you had your own guide even though you were only 3 in your family, and this eradicates any potential damage as well as enhancing the dive experience.
We have always paid our dive instructors above the ‘normal rate’ thus ensuring that we only have the best guides and instructors. But tips are always a nice way to show your appreciation.
We are committed to improving the situation, both with our own efforts including; regular clean ups, both on land as well as in water pick up using nets supplied with every diver. We also are affiliated with several clean up groups such as; EcoDahab, HEPCA, Dahab Defenders and the Bedouin Clean Up group.
We spend a lot to make sure equipment is of the highest standard and regularly replace and upgrade our dive equipment, however sometimes fails happen due to the conditions we work in ie sand or grit entering the o rings. It is however very rare and we always have a backup plan just in case.
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