Sinai Dive Club
I dove with Sinai Dive Club in December 2013 and had a blast! Based on the northern Red Sea out of Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh, they run two boats and also have a dive shop at the Hilton Shark's Bay where you can do shore diving right from the resort steps. I did most of my diving from the boats, but did squeeze in a couple of shore dives early on my last day there...
I'll give a brief segment on the boats: The Angelina and the Angelina II. They're both liveaboard-quality vessels, with the Angelina II being a bit larger and including guest-access to sleeping cabins. (there are six, double rooms I believe) Both vessels have full-flush toilets and full heated/air-conditioned galleys with ample seating areas. The dive deck is roomy and well-managed by encouraging passengers to keep excess gear in assigned large milk crate baskets, so you won't have peoples' bags exploding all over the place and getting in the way. The Angelina II has an onboard compressor and I'm not sure about the Angelina, because the crew had enough tanks stocked to conduct all the dives we wanted. Tanks are standard AL80 @ 3000PSI and the fills we received were usually pretty full to within +/- 200psi of 3000. (Cutting a dive short due to low air was never an issue for me) Rear of the pilot house, there's a nice padded sunbathing area on both boats, and the Angelina II has lounge rooftop seating, as well. These are pretty much Yachts by American Standards, and the crew even serves lunch (often included in the dive package). The food was great-tasting and healthy to eat! Overall, I give the boats an A+, compared to most dive boats I'm used to riding on, which are typically much less comfortable and seldom serve more than a pre-packaged snack or might offer fruit to eat. The range of their day trips span from the Strait of Tiran to the HMS Thistlegorm wreck, with a minimum diver requirement to visit the Thistlegorm.
The dive guides were also very good. We had Nobey and Daria. Nobey was goofy and fun to play around with in the water, allowing us to pose for photos and such. Daria - Was absolutely fantastic to show us every tiny piece of the reefs we explored (she loves nudis), and took us on a great tour of the HMS Thistlegorm wreck where we got to see almost the entire thing in two tanks and even did some light penetration of the cargo holds. She was very friendly, knowledgeable, and had the stamina to conduct three, four, and even five dives a day without compromise of safety and composure. She spoke Russian and at least two other languages, yet very good English as well. The atmosphere was always fun while diving with Sinai Dive Club. :)
Rates were reasonable: We dove in the low season and received a moderate discount via an online promotion they were having. On average, expect to pay about 20-25 Euros per dive and don't forget to tip the crew: They probably won't remind you because they are so polite!
The shop itself is adequate, but you can tell the real investment here is with the boats. (meaning the storefront is minimal, since the boats are where you spend most of your experience) They have a few busses/vans and will shuttle you to/from your resort at no charge, so long as you arrange it. After my last dives, they even dropped me off with my luggage at a common entertainment area known as "SOHO Square" so I didn't have to wait in my hotel lobby between checkout and my departing flight. Very, VERY good customer service! A+
The reef at Hilton Shark's Bay is very nice for a house reef / beach dive! The relief drops to over 100' rather quickly, and there's a fair amount of sand w/ patch reef in the 20-40' range, with excellent snorkeling in the 10-15' range. Fish are everywhere, and Morays peek their heads out of the rocks - With one very large resident that I saw on both of my dives. Nudibranchs and shrimp could be found in the sand and amongst the thick growth of soft corals. Very pretty dives if you don't have time to go for hours on a boat. (The price will be about the same as taking the boat, though, and I think I paid 22 or 25Euro for two shore dives - Using my own equipment.)
Overall, I give this place the prestigious acclaim to be the BEST DIVE OPERATOR I've booked to date: That says a lot about the quality of both service and dive sites they maintain. A+
(I'll add more images later, so don't forget to check back for updates!)
