Diving and snorkelling

For diving, Sabaro looks to Egypt. The Red Sea has coral reefs very close to the shore, water that rarely drops below 22 °C, and dive centres overseen by a national professional chamber. Oman adds a few days of diving on a tour, around Muscat. In Morocco, the Atlantic stays cool, from 16 to 22 °C depending on the season and latitude: there, the selection focuses on surfing and kitesurfing.

Choosing your coast

Egypt's coast stretches over several hundred kilometres, and each stretch has its own way of diving.

Sinai suits those who want a wide choice of trips: in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Four Seasons has two house reefs and its own centre, which goes to the region's 76 recognised sites. Dahab, 90 km to the north, is a small town where you almost always dive from the shore.

The central coast, from Hurghada to Safaga, lives by the boat. The Giftun islands are the classic trip; in Soma Bay, The Breakers is built around a 420 m jetty that leads to the reef, with a centre open early in the morning and at night.

Marsa Alam, further south, is the choice for divers who want to spend their days in the water. At the Red Sea Diving Safari village in Marsa Shagra, a guided orientation dive is compulsory on arrival; after that, certified divers dive the house reef without a guide, within the limits of their level, from 6 am until the night dive, local time. Elphinstone and the Brothers are for experienced divers.

Oman: the Daymaniyat Islands, off Muscat

In Oman, diving is done by boat, in half a day from Muscat. The main site is the Daymaniyat Islands nature reserve, off Seeb and Barka, 30 to 40 minutes by boat from Seeb harbour. Rays, leopard sharks and shoals of fish live among the corals, and hawksbill turtles come to nest on the islands. The snorkelling trip lasts 4 h 30, Ministry of Environment permit included, from about €73 per person; the dive trip, open to beginners, from about €151.

Closer in, south-east of the city, the reef off Qantab beach, next to Bandar Jissah bay and Jumeirah Muscat Bay, is good for diving. The Barr Al Jissah complex, home to Al Husn, for guests aged 16 and over, and the family-friendly DoubleTree Al Waha, has its own dive centre certified by PADI, the main international diver-training organisation, runs dolphin-watching trips and a turtle conservation project; at Al Husn, canoes and snorkelling gear are provided free of charge. In town, the Mandarin Oriental organises trips to the Daymaniyat and dives at Qantab. Dolphins can also be seen on a two-hour boat trip, for around €30 per adult.

Off Muscat, the water ranges from about 23.5 °C in February to 31.5 °C in June, and stays above 27 °C from April to November. The season for European visitors runs from October to April, when the air stays mild.

Elsewhere, the selection includes a dive centre at the Atana Musandam in Khasab, and reefs near Alila Hinu Bay in Mirbat; some foreign ministries advise against travel to Musandam and the Salalah area, the pages on these areas give your country's advice, and the guide Oman and the regional situation sets out the details.

With or without a tank

The Red Sea can also be discovered with mask and snorkel, and that is often where families begin.

• From the beach. At the Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian, the reef starts at the edge of the beach, in Abu Dabbab bay, where green turtles and sometimes dugongs graze the seagrass. At the Rixos hotels in Nabq Bay, a wooden jetty leads to the reef.
• The try dive. In the sea, it is done with one instructor per student: the basic skills at 2 m at most, then a dive to 12 m at most.
• Children. At the Robinson Club Soma Bay, they try diving from age 8, take the Junior Open Water from 12 and the Open Water Diver from 15; a free try dive in the pool takes place twice a week.
• A first certification. At the Steigenberger Coraya Beach, the bay's centre is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort, the highest category of centres approved by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors, an international diver training organisation); the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh trains divers from the first level up to Divemaster.

The country's rules

In Egypt, dive centres are members of the CDWS (Chamber of Diving and Water Sports), set up in 2007 by the Ministry of Tourism. Under its rules, every client signs a health declaration and a liability release before any activity; the centre records their certification level and the date of their last dive, and checks their skills before taking them out. A guide leads 12 divers at most, and recreational diving on air stops at 40 m. The Thistlegorm requires at least 20 logged dives. Gloves are allowed as protection against the cold; touching coral and marine life is strictly forbidden, as are feeding fish and fishing.

Sabaro's guide "Diving in the Red Sea: rules, supervision, chambers" covers these rules in detail. Hyperbaric medical centres are found in Dahab, Sharm el-Sheikh, El Gouna, Hurghada, Safaga, Marsa Alam and Hamata. Check your diving and repatriation insurance, and follow the centres' instructions strictly.

Between the last dive and the flight. A no-diving interval must be respected before flying; your training organisation and your dive computer give it. So schedule the offshore trips early in the stay and snorkelling at the end.

Season and water temperature

The Red Sea can be dived all year round. In Hurghada, the water drops to about 22 °C in February and March and rises to about 29 °C in August; in Marsa Alam, from 23 to 30 °C. In winter, a full-length wetsuit and a jacket for the boat deck are useful; in summer, the heat invites you to dive early and keep the middle of the day for the shade. October and November combine a still-warm sea with milder air.

Turkey: diving from the hotel, in summer

In Turkey, Sabaro's selection includes two hotels where you can dive from the beach. In Antalya, the Akra has a platform beach at the foot of the Lara cliffs, reached by the hotel's lift, where a diving school operates in summer. In Bodrum, the water sports centre of the Mandarin Oriental offers scuba diving and water sports. The sea is above 24 °C from June to October in Kaş, on the Lycian coast, and reaches 26 °C in August in Bodrum.