- Gateway to the Pharaohs
What's all this about not diving and flying within a 24-hour period, and how might this affect me?
Quite simply it's all down to pressure differences. It's an accepted basic safety rule throughout the diving community that you don't fly within 24 hours of your last dive. For this reason, we always give you a free day after you've completed your diving when you opt for the tour package. If you're joining us 'on the ground' then you should follow this guideline.
Will I lose out if I decide not to book my extra dives now?
No, you can nearly always purchase your extra dives after you've completed your course/package. However, we do always aim to purchase the dives at competitive prices and you could consider the 'peace of mind' value attached to booking in advance.
I'm not sure if I need to book a refresher dive or not?
If you are at all uncertain then we strongly recommend that you pre-book a refresher dive. Most dive centres will insist that you do a refresher if you cannot prove that you have dived within the last six months. Even if you can prove this but the dive centre is unsure about your skills, they may insist that you take a refresher dive anyway.
Can I bring my own equipment with me?
The Open Water and Advanced dive courses, as well as all extra dives, include use of school equipment necessary for completion of the course. If you have your own equipment and don't mind carrying it, it does make a lot of sense to bring it as you will be more familiar with it, and you've paid for it, after all.
Isn't there an extra weight allowance for sports kit on some airlines?
In general there is a maximum limit of 20kgs per person, including your diving equipment, plus one piece of hand luggage. However, airlines do vary their restrictions in order to attract custom. You are well advised to shop around for the best deal and check the airline's checked and carry on luggage fine print.
I'm a bit worried about booking on a diving course and finding that the instructor doesn't speak my language.
Most Instructors and Divemasters speak more than one language, and all those we use speak English. In fact many are so multi-lingual that they can teach in three languages at the same time. So, don't worry about the language barrier, it's never been a problem.
What happens if I book my diving holiday and we have really bad weather?
That's one of the really good things about diving in Egypt. We very rarely experience weather so bad it stops us diving. In the eventuality that local weather conditions were bad, we would do our very best to help you attain your goal. However, unfortunately we are not able to refund you for any missed dives due to bad weather.
I'm an experienced diver and want to book some diving, what else can you offer? If you are already an experienced diver, why not extend your qualifications further, or book our 10-dive package. Our all-inclusive deal covers all your diving (including equipment) and offers options to visit other places to give you the chance to see a little of what else Egypt has to offer above ground as well as beneath the waves.
Why is there a limit of 3 extra dives on your dive courses?
On all our diving tours, we include an extra day to allow you to relax or do some extra dives. As we can only offer so many different options on our website, we have used two dives as a comfortable number to pre-book for this day. You can arrange more dives with the dive centre while you are there if you wish, or contact us in advance to tailor-make your tour.
I'm a bit concerned that I might book a course then struggle to get a flight to Egypt. What is the availability of flights to Egypt?
In recent years, Egypt has become an extremely popular destination for tourists. Scuba diving has contributed to these numbers and flights have increased accordingly. From Europe you can fly to Cairo any day of the week. If you don't want to visit Cairo, then many European low-cost and charter airlines offer flights directly into Hurghada.
