Dive Review of Emperor Divers/Marina Lodge Hotel in
Red Sea/Port Ghalib

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Emperor Divers/Marina Lodge Hotel: "Good start to a great dive vacation on the Red Sea", Apr, 2016, by Craig A Wood, PA, US ( Top Contributor 54 reports with 48 Helpful votes). Report 8907.
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	Due to flight availability, I arrived in Port Ghalib 2 days before my two weeks on the Red Sea Aggressor. I chose to do a 3 tank boat trip with Emperor Divers, the on site operator at the Marina Lodge Hotel. I made my arrangements online and it worked flawlessly. I completed the paperwork on my arrival and was ready to dive the next day. Emperor Divers has 3 large boats moored at the marina in front of the hotel. Two of 3 boats were operating during my visit. My 12 liter DIN aluminum nitrox tanks were ready for me. They had an analyzer available and I analyzed all 3 of my tanks up front. One and 2 kg lead weights were available in more than sufficient quantity. The boat could take somewhere in excess of 20 divers, there were only about a dozen on my trip and about the same number on the other boat. The trip to the dive site was relatively short, less than 45 minutes. Dive briefings were good. There was a DM/guide in the water but one was not obliged to stay with them and one could dive with their buddy. We did 2 dives at Marsa Shouna. The first went West and was very shallow with relatively poor visibility (max depth 52 feet). The second went East and was deeper, with significantly better visibility (max depth 67 feet). The 3rd dive was in a different area, Marsa Mubarak, at a site called Farsha Sahab. On my first visit to the Red Sea, there was plenty to see. Highlights included a pair of pipefish, a reef octopus, a great and a peppered moray, anemonefish, bluespotted stingrays and many versions of common reef fish I was not familiar with. All 3 dives ended up being an hour or slightly more. A very good buffet lunch was served on the boat between dives 2 and 3 for a very reasonable extra price. Though I did not know it when I booked, the operator also does some special dive trips for an additional cost and early departure. They go to at least 2 world class sites we visited later in the week when I was on the Aggressor, Elphinstone and Abu Dabab. I would do either of the dives, given the opportunity. The Marina Lodge is a very comfortable mid-level hotel with nice rooms and good on site food service. The employees were friendly and customer centric. They have a couple of nice pools if you have the time to relax and enjoy them. Emperor Divers is a well run, smooth dive operator that offers a variety of land based dive opportunities in this region of the Red Sea. I had a very good day diving with them and would gladly do so again.
Websites	Emperor Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Bonaire, Curacao, Turks and Caicos, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama, Maui, Oahu, San Diego, Cape Ann, Key Largo, Boynton Beach, Jupiter...
Closest Airport	Marsa Alam	Getting There	I flew nonstop on Edelweiss Air(Swiss Air) from Zurich to Hurghada. It is a 3 hour drive from Hurghada to Port Ghalib
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	74-75°F / 23-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Buddy diving, but allowed dive extension around the boat solo. Usual, return to boat with reasonable gas.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Emperor Divers/Marina Lodge Hotel in Red Sea/Port Ghalib

Emperor Divers/Marina Lodge Hotel: "Good start to a great dive vacation on the Red Sea", Apr, 2016,

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/Marina Lodge Hotel in
Red Sea/Port Ghalib