A perfect winter-escape destination, Hurghada is your heaven if you seek the thrills and adventure of underwater sports. Equipped with professional dive-centres, the city specializes in sea diving, snorkelling, and scuba diving. While it is a must-dive destination for professional divers, even beginners with remote interest in deep-sea adventure can hit the scintillating bottoms of the ocean.
If you are on a romantic getaway, backpacking trips, or a fun family vacation, Hurghada takes you into the mysterious depths of the oceans to the exotic lives of fishes and plants, you come up with a renewed appreciation for nature and a rush that you will never forget!
Hurghada Padi – Everything You Should Know
Situated on the Red Sea of Egypt, Hurghada Padi was once a tiny fishing village and is now flourished into a thriving tourist destination. Never-ending views of crystal clear water, colourful marine life and stellar underwater visibility makes this place a year-round hotspot for scuba diving.
Apart from offering scuba diving, this happening metropolis is lined with five star hotels, eateries, resorts, beaches and nightlife.
Once you reach, expect to see a huge array of vibrant reef and fishes. For those who find thrill in land sports instead of water, Hurghada offers sand boarding in the desert and ATV safari tours where you get to ride on diverse terrains.
It also offers liveaboard trips. There are a wide range of itineraries which specialise in wrecks, reefs or both. These trips are usually for a week or two.
Best Dive Centres In Hurghada – UPDATED 2020
Most hotels at Hurghada offer inclusive packages with dive centres. Another option is transferring to other dive centres. However, this process could be heavily time consuming and lengthy.
If you have a lot of time, you could consider getting a transfer as it will save you money. You could use these savings to spend elsewhere in this city.
Hurghada’s main areas for fun-filled diving are,
Local Dive Sites
Local wrecks near El Mina or Salem Express are shallow which makes them a great option for people who are getting started scuba diving. Europeans come to this place to get their Padi Open Water Certification or CMAS 1 Star.
More experienced divers can make their way towards the North side for some action-packed wreck diving. Besides that, Hurghada is lined with amazing reefs near Giftun Island.
Wreck Diving
The Abu Nuhas wreck, consisting of four stunning wrecks, is the most popular locale for wreck diving. All the four wrecks (Kimon M, Giannis D, Chrisoula K and the Carnatic) are situated very close to each other with shallow waters.
The marine life at Abu Nuhas wreck is as interesting as it gets. You can spot turtles, barracudas, jacks, blue spotted stingrays, lion fishes and all the other reef fishes found in the Red Sea. You can take a day trip to the Abu Nuhas and cover all the wrecks, however it may take 2-3 hours one way to reach there from Hurghada.
Best Resorts & Liveaboards
If you want to cut down your travel time to the dive centre and also avoid crowded diving spots, liveaboards come to your rescue. Moreover, liveaboards fall cheaper than the costs of your hotel stay and diving day trips combined.
Liveaboards towards the Southern Red Sea cross through the two famous diving spots, the Brothers and the Elphinstone Reef. However, these two dive centres are reserved for more experienced divers.
On the other hand, liveaboards going towards the northern Red Sea visit the dive sites of Abu Nuhas, Rosalie Moller Wreck, SS Thistlegorm Wreck and the Ras Mohammed Marine Park.
My Odyssey
A tastefully decorated yacht, My Odyssey liveaboard owns some of the best dive safaris in Hurghada. You can board the yacht from Port Ghalib in Hurghada.
The yacht halts at some of the major dive centres like Daedalus Reef, Rocky, Elphinstone, St. Johns, Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran.
The liveaboard is equipped with free wifi, AC, hot tubs, and more. The dive deck is spacious and you will find indoor and outdoor lounges.
Price is 193 USD per day, 14 nights-15 days package would come with 15-16 dives would come for USD 2967.
My Dolce Vita
The Dolce Vita is a part of the Seafari International Fleet and it offers you live decks and sun decks. The packages that come with this boat covers the world-class Ras Mohammed’s Shark Reef as well as legendary Thistlegorm Wreck.
You can explore this underwater fantasy land for 7 nights- 8 days which will give you 15-16 dives for USD 162 per day.
Golden Dolphin III
Apt for its name, this gorgeous ship allows you to explore major diving destinations across the Red Sea.
It also takes you in and around the waters of Ras Mohammed National Park and Tiran Strait. You can choose from different packages that cover a range of islands, wrecks and reefs.
The price of the Golden Dolphin III for 7 nights and 8 days amounts to USD 1401.
My Blue Planet
Compared to the rest of the liveaboards on this list, My Blue Planet is more cost effective than the others standing at USD 97 for a day and USD 903 for a week. It takes you through the Salem Express wreck.
As for the features, it offers free internet and there is also provision for rental equipment. The beautiful ship provides comfortable lounge chairs and a panoramic view with delicious food. Being pocket friendly, it still has all the amenities you need for an adventurous stay.
Desert Rose Resort
If you want the greatest luxuries along with some splashy- diving, look no further as the Desert Rose comes inclusive of dive centres. Situated on a natural lagoon, it is a 5 star hotel with 4 pools and one kiddie waterpark. There are 10 bars out of which some are designed on the beach.
The other places in this resort will present you with the picturesque view of the Red Sea. The packages include snorkelling and diving. An interesting fact about this resort includes underwater weddings held. There are also some protected and quiet places for non-divers, so people who are not into diving need not worry.
Guest packages are available starting from 796 USD for seven nights, all meals inclusive.
Dive Hurghada
This Dive centre offers the guidance of professional instructors. It also provides open water dives and advanced courses for learners. You could dive like a professional within a matter of days.
Enjoy boat tours, scuba diving and snorkeling, shark diving and more such adventures.
Advanced Open Water In Hurghada
There has been a lot of buzz around the Advanced Open Water Course in Hurghada. The course is exciting and challenging for Scuba divers who are looking for a heart-thumping adventure. The course is also suited for those who are just looking to boost their confidence underwater and improve their diving skills.
The standard price of this course is USD 350 and online price is USD 300 for the e-learning course.
Some courses are only open to some selective people, for instance – the PADI Open Water Advanced Course for Juniors can be undertaken by kids who are above 12 years. The professionals are always there to guide through so do not hesitate to give your child an experience of a lifetime.
Certified divers will get through easy. They will have to pass two adventure dive tests. The organisers will reward them with the brag-worthy “Advanced Open Water Certificate”.
There are seven types of dives out of which two are mandatory while the other five are optional. You can choose all of them at once or you also have an option of e-learning the other five dives later on.
Here are the two mandatory dives that this course teaches you:
The Advanced Underwater Navigation Dive
This course improves your navigation skills and teaches you how to manage time and navigate by looking at visual landmarks.
Deep Dive
Deep dive prepares you for the physiological challenges, trains you for deeper dives and gets you ready for a surreal scuba diving experience.
In these adventurous dive courses, you will also get to learn about skills other than diving like photography, identification of different types of sea animals and plants, buoyancy control, exploring reefs and wrecks etc. These skills depend on your interest.
There are five more popular dives that every passionate diver must know about. If you are not able to learn and master all the seven dives, you can use the online application of this program. There is a mention of the e-learning course details in the Dive manual. You could follow the steps and install the application and start using it from anywhere in the world. You only need to have a water source nearby.
It is an interactive, fun program which is quite user-friendly. The five additional dives along with the two mentioned above are – Boat dive, Night Dive, Wreck Adventure Dive, Underwater naturalist Dive and the Peak Performance Buoyancy Dive. You will get all the details on the application.
Hurghada Scuba Diving Prices
If you are passionate about scuba diving or if you are a beginner, you can explore Scuba Diving in Hurghada. You will have to sign up for the course and entirely depend on the instructions for the rest on the instructions. The instructors are very professional and they will provide you with everything that you need.
These courses range from a day to a week, so you have the freedom to choose from them. There is a lot of variety in the packages. These packages range from being cost-effective to being luxurious with all the necessary amenities you need.
Professional Scuba Diving & Snorkelling Trip
Lasting 7 hours, this trip has a pick and drop facility available. However, there is a requirement that divers must have a professional diving license to undertake the adventures that this trip has to offer.
The vehicle is air conditioned and completely comfortable. Refreshments and beverages are also available during the trip.
The price for a one day trip is $40.
Scuba Diving Full Day Boat Trip For Beginners
This trip is ideal for both beginners and experts. It also offers a free pick-up and drop facility. Lunch and refreshments are on the house.
An air conditioned vehicle is supplied along with professional instructors. They would be there to guide you throughout the trip.
You will be free to explore 7 hours on the boat trip for only $20.
Intro Dive From Hurghada
An intro dive is a great trip for starters. People on board can explore reefs and wrecks, plenty of coral and marine life through this trip. You will be on the boat for the whole day enjoying the beautiful underwater life and scenic beauty.
You will also be introduced to major introductory dives while the others are optional. Every diver will be accompanied by a professional instructor which would ensure one to one conversation and guidance.
Learning would be incredibly fun along with the plentiful lunch, beverages and refreshments that are offered. The price of this trip per day is $54.
Diving Hurghada – Scuba Diving Trip
One of the best snorkeling trips, this one is best suited for both diving professionals and learners. There will be complete guidance and protection that you will get to enjoy during this trip.
You start your day with a hot drink and then indulge in some mind-blowing diving experience. Hot drinks, beverages and refreshments are available for the entire day. The cost of this diving trip is $37.
Professional Equipment Diving
Get ready to immerse yourself in a professional diving experience just for $41. This diving session is suitable for professional divers who have been diving all their lives since it offers an advanced adventurous experience.
That doesn’t mean you will be left all on your own. There would still be instructors to guide you in case of any complications.
Enjoy the beautiful city of Hurghada and explore the underwater wildlife. You will learn new skills like diving, scuba and snorkeling and underwater photography in a once in a lifetime experience.