The Red Sea was a bucket list destination for me, and I recently checked it off. I did a 15 day trip on a liveaboard in the Southern Egyptian Red Sea. The trip began in Hurghada, where we spent one night and the following morning, before boarding the boat. We stayed in the marina area, and in the short time we were there, we found it to be a bustling city with friendly people.

The itinerary of our liveaboard took us to such places as Big Brother, Little Brother, Daedalus, Elphinstone, and farther south to Zabargad, Rocky Island, and Fury Shoal. Mid-way through the trip, we pulled into Port Ghalib (which was also our disembarkment point at the end of the trip) to refuel and to take on new provisions. Port Ghalib has a nice bazaar for shopping, restaurants, bars, and clubs all in the marina area. We saw several resorts along the coast, but some were closed because they cater to European tourists who weren't able to travel, due to COVID.
The Red Sea turned out to be a place to check some things off my critter list. At Daedalus, we encountered schooling Hammerheads, Mantas, Dolphins, and giant Napoleon Wrasse, among other things. Be prepared to dive near the limits of recreational diving and strong currents. This site is for advanced divers. Over the course of the trip we saw Oceanic Whitetips (Longimanus), Thresher Sharks, Silky Sharks, schooling Barracuda, Spotted Scorpionfish, Green Turtles, Cuttlefish, Giant Clams, Batfish, Octopuses, Bumphead Parrotfish, Giant Moray Eels, nudibranchs, and much more. Diving is conducted both from the main boat and Zodiacs. The Red Sea dive guides are experts at finding and pointing out most of the highlight animals. All of the reefs that we dove were very healthy and the coral is packed very densely.

This is a destination that has something for everybody: photography (both wide-angle and macro), shallow reefs, deep dives, wall dives, big animals, and even some great caverns and caves to explore. All of this, and the Red Sea is one of the most economical dive destinations in the world. Our 15 day liveaboard was about half the cost of a 7 day trip on some other liveaboards around the world.
Egypt and the Red Sea are everything you've always heard that they are: a world class dive destination with friendly people, and magnificent diving at rock bottom prices. Every diver should check the Red Sea off their bucket list. Highly recommended!

I have traveled to eastern Mexico on many occasions to dive on the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and the mainland area known as the Riviera Maya. I was lucky to travel to Isla Mujeres (see my review) and the Riviera Maya (another review) in January 2020 just before the world was hit with covid19. The Yucatan peninsula is dotted with over 6000 cenotes, or sink holes, many of which are diveable. There's a large concentration of cenotes along the Riviera Maya in the areas of Playa del Carmen, Akumal, and Tulum. Dive operators in any of these cities can take you cenote diving.
Many of these cenotes have very interesting names, such as Taj Mahal, Dream Gate, Ponderosa, Garden of Eden, Temple of Doom, Carwash, Dos Ojos, and Pet Cemetery. Even though these are underwater caves, sport divers can dive them without a Cave Diver certification. The dives are called cavern dives, and even though most have an overhead, you will never lose sight of the entrance. The cenotes are essentially fresh water, but because of their connection via underwater rivers, in some of the cenotes salt water will seep in and cause a phenomenon called a halocline. This is a mixing of fresh water and salt water, and because of the density difference between the two, a zone of the mixed water causes an ethereal effect while passing through it. It looks as though everything seems out of focus. You will find a halocline in many of the cenotes. At least two different cenotes, Angelita and El Pit, have another phenomenon that appears like a cloud below you after entering the water. These are actually clouds formed by hydrogen sulfide gas caused by decaying leaves and other plant materials. You can penetrate the clouds and drop down under them for a totally different experience. At least one of these two is a must-do dive. Many of the cenotes are adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, leftovers from ancient times when they were filled with air.
Expect the water in the cenotes to be much cooler than the ocean. I was comfortable in a 3mm wetsuit, but my buddy was cold, although she does get cold much easier than I do. You also won't see much in the way of critters. The fish consist mostly of smaller, fresh water species like mollies, catfish, tetras, cichlids, etc. In many cenotes you will see an underwater sign consisting of a skull and crossbones with warnings: “Do not continue beyond this point. Certified cave divers only”. Many people believe that these cenotes are all joined by underwater rivers and cave divers have penetrated some caves for miles.
Most, if not all, of the cenotes that I have dived (well over a dozen) require an entrance fee, which was included in the price, along with transportation, lunch, and a cave certified guide. Some are more developed than others, with picnic tables, restrooms, gear changing tables and other amenities. These will attract more swimmers and tourists, but they never interfere with the dives because you make a partial penetration.
If you're looking for a new scuba experience, travel to the Riviera Maya and try Cenote diving. You won’t be disappointed!

I have now stayed at the Little Cayman Beach Resort twice. The excellence of the staff was evident both times. Everyone from front desk, to restaurant servers, to bar tenders, provide great service, and always with a smile. The chef here is a master at providing amazing food at every meal and superb desserts. They provide games and entertainment every night. They are also located a very short distance from the dive sites, average 10-15 minutes. The on site dive operation, Reef Divers, is a true valet service. Loading and setting up your gear each day, then breaking it down , rinsing, and storing it. Excellent pre-dive briefings and fabulous diving. Divers' paradise!