Join Maureen for a fun 3 weeks of relaxed resort diving, a week on the Red Sea, and a 1 week Nile, Luxor and Cairo tour. We begin this fun trip at Marsa Shagra Dive Village.
Week 1, Marsa Shagra Dive Village
The facilities and focus are geared to the fantastic diving, both on the excellent house reef as well as the excursions a little further afield. You'll be amazed at the coral and unique fish species endemic to the Red Sea, and the viz of the warm water.
Bring a hat! The sun is intense and the rigid hull inflatable (RIB) dive boats are uncovered. Priced at just $1995 this women's only trip is a great value.
We're sharing the resort with the Undersea Expeditions Women's group to offer this exciting new destination, including ocean view accommodations, meals, and plenty of excellent diving. There are a variety of dive sites suitable to every level of experience, and it's easy to meet a dive buddy at the welcome party where you'll get to know this friendly group of women divers.
Package Includes:
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Seven nights at Marsa Shagra Dive Village in an air-conditioned Deluxe Chalet
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Three days guided dives, including first day orientation on house reef
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Two days excursions: Elphinstone and Dolphin House
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Six days unlimited house reef diving by RIB or shore entry
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Scheduled group transfers from Hurghada or Marsa Alam airports
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Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily
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Tanks, weights and weight belt
Airfare to Egypt, any additional beverages not listed above, rental equipment or instruction if needed, Nitrox if desired ($100/wk), dive and resort gratuities, and items of a personal nature. If we bring enough Rainbow Divers we'll earn a commission that we'll apply to your nitrox for the week.
Week 2, All Star Scuba Scene
After a week of getting your sea legs in a relaxed environment, continue with us on our mixed LGBTQ+ liveaboard to explore offshore islands in the Red Sea.
A favorite of European divers, the Red Sea is rightfully considered one of the best scuba destinations in the world. Thousands of kilometers of coastline are blessed with extensive reef formations and islands. The underwater scenery is rich with coral-covered walls and beautiful "gardens". Over 400 varieties of coral and 1500 species of fish, turtles, and sharks inhabit the Red Sea.
Jacques Cousteau once said "The Red Sea is a corridor of marvels. The happiest hours of my diving experience have been spent there". That statement is as true today as it was when Jacques Cousteau explored here. Surrounded by desert, there is no runoff to cloud the crystal-clear waters.
We'll dive the top three offshore Marine Parks with shark scientist Dr. Elke Bojanowski, founder of the Red Sea Sharks non-profit. You'll need 50 logged dives to join us on this expedition, so plan ahead to be prepared!
Planned Itinerary, Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone
Attention: This is an intermediate to advanced itinerary, with 50 logged dives required. We'll mostly dive from a live skiff, requiring a backward roll to enter the water, sometimes with a negative entry. All Star Scuba Scene skiffs are equipped with a sturdy ladder for ease of re-entry. You should have Advanced Open Water training and be comfortable with buddy diving, currents, descent and ascent without a visual reference, deploying an SMB from your safety stop, and hopefully large sharks!
Dive the top three Egyptian Marine Parks: Big and Little Brothers, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone
The Brother Islands are the pinnacles of two undersea mountains rising from the depths of the abyss and are located about 60 miles offshore. Part of the Marine Park Islands National Park, these islands offer stunning wall diving, with the walls being covered in soft corals and forests of gorgonians, creating a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours. They attract a diverse array of marine species and large pelagics. Large tuna, jacks and snappers cruise in the blue, accompanied by occasional hammerheads, silvertips, silky and oceanic white tip sharks and mantas. Even the rare thresher shark can be found here. Sightings of the grey reef shark are almost guaranteed on the North and South Plateau of Small Brother.For the wreck diver, the wrecks of the Aida II, an Egyptian supply vessel, and the Numidia, a cargo ship, lie on the walls of the Big Brother. Both are covered in a rich growth of soft and hard corals. Marine life includes a family of Napoleon wrasse and grey reef sharks.
Daedalus Reef, also part of the Marine Park, is a large, oval reef with a lighthouse and is the furthest offshore reef in the Egyptian Red Sea. Its deep walls and drop-offs offer some of the most spectacular diving to be found. Daedalus has mountainous, pristine, hard coral formations. There is also a chance of spotting scallopped hammerheads and grey reef sharks, usually deep this time of year.
Elphinstone, with its sheer walls covered in soft corals, offers a likely encounter with oceanic white tip sharks.
Please note the itinerary is an example of the planned route, and the order and dive sites are not guaranteed. All dives sites are subject to weather conditions and the final route is at the absolute discretion of the captain and dive guides.
Package includes:
The Northern California Rainbow Divers (NCRD) strives to provide high quality, good value, safe and fun trips to club members in relaxed and non-threatening environments and that respect the natural beauty underwater.