Dive Review of Emperor Divers in
Red Sea/Egypt

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Emperor Divers: "Excellent winter diving in the northern Red Sea", Feb, 2018, by Harvey S. Cohen, NJ, US ( Sr. Contributor 25 reports with 18 Helpful votes). Report 10148 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I sailed on the Emperor Superior liveaboard "Reefs & Wrecks" [emperordivers.com link] 7-day itinerary between Hurghada and Sinai. Weather was mostly calm, with moderate seas on only a few occasions. Air temperatures were usually low 70s during the day, and cooler at night. Divers wore 5mm or 7mm wetsuits, or drysuits. Most dives were off the dive deck, but a few were from zodiacs. Divers could buddy or follow a guide. I was traveling solo, and arranged in advance for a private guide at 500 Euro for the week. My guide was expert and enthusiastic-- well worth the fare. Nitrox (typically 28%) is free. I reserved a large 15L steel tank for a small fee. There were 20 dives, of which I did 19. A major highlight was the dawn dive at Sha'ab El Erg (Dolphin House). We were jumped by two pods of dolphins, who put on a great show and repeatedly swam within inches of us [youtu.be link] . Other dives offered an amazing variety of morays, ranging in size from mouse to moose. There was also a great variety of stonefish (which my guide excelled in spotting). The wrecks offered easy penetration and interesting contents. The Thistlegorm certainly lived up to her reputation, demanding several dives for full appreciation. A pet peeve: I wish dive operators would discuss torch etiquette in briefings for night dives. Light up critters mostly with the dimmer edge of your beam-- not the hot spot. Point out an item of interest by circling the hot spot around it. Never leave your hot spot on a critter for more than a couple of seconds. If you see someone shooting photos, or especially video, take your beam away from their subject. Food was outstanding in quality and quantity. Wine with dinner was free. One diver arranged in advance to accommodate her large range of food allergies. The beautiful plates she received at each meal were the envy of the other guests. The divers were from Scandinavia, South Africa, America, England, Australia, and Germany-- all delightful and interesting folks. I had the boat's only solo cabin, and I didn't look at the others. My cabin was comfortable, with a good bed and adequate storage, and the bathroom was the typical toilet/sink/shower. Hot water was always available. Several divers remarked that the beds are a little on the short side. The aircon in my cabin was dead, but in the cool weather portholes provided adequate ventilation. There is a lot of competition among liveaboards in this area, tourism is down somewhat for various reasons, and winter is on the cool side, so prices are low. This itinerary was a screaming deal. I would certainly consider a return to the Red Sea, and would be happy to use Emperor Divers again.
Websites	Emperor Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Eilat, Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Fiji, Palau, Coral Sea, Galapagos, many Caribbean locations, New Jersey, Florida, National Aquarium, Dutch Springs, Silfra (Iceland), Panama (Pacific)
Closest Airport	Hurghada, Egypt	Getting There	Hurghada has a large, modern airport. There are direct flights with many European cities. I flew Turkish Airlines from New York, connecting through Istanbul. There are also connections through Cairo, but that means collecting baggage, clearing passport control and customs, buying a tourist visa, and going through security and baggage check a second time for the flight to Hurghada-- not a great idea, IMHO.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents, no currents
Water Temp	70-72°F / 21-22°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Recreational limits.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There is a small camera rinse tank, with a meter-square grating over it where cameras could drip. There are some very small dry storage shelves that could accommodate a hand-held camera but not a larger rig with lights. There is no compressed air hose. There are ample electrical outlets in the lounge, but few good places to set down a camera. Charging anything in passenger cabins is forbidden, due to the risk of electrical fires. A couple of people told me that they felt the deck crew did not exercise sufficient care when carrying cameras to/from divers. There is no really good place to set up a PC on a table and work on photos. Notwithstanding all of this, many divers carried cameras and took wonderful photos. Subject matter trumps almost everything.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Emperor Divers in Red Sea/Egypt

Emperor Divers: "Excellent winter diving in the northern Red Sea", Feb, 2018,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Emperor Divers in
Red Sea/Egypt