Dive Review of Red Sea Aggressor in
Red Sea/Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib

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Red Sea Aggressor: "Great two weeks in the Red Sea", Apr, 2016, by Craig A Wood, PA, US ( Top Contributor 54 reports with 48 Helpful votes). Report 9141 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
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I dived the southern route and then the northern route on the Red Sea Aggressor (RSA) in back to back weeks between April 24 and May 6, 2016. This was my 1st experience with the Aggressor Fleet Reservations and logistics: I was living in Basel, Switzerland when I made this trip. I made my own airline reservations and flew nonstop from Zurich to Hurghada on Edelweiss, a subsidiary of Swiss Air. I made land transport and hotel reservations though Aggressor Adventure Travel, they were great, went flawlessly. I did a day of land based diving with Emperor Divers prior to boarding the RSA (see separate review of Marina Lodge Hotel and Emperor Divers). The three hour drive from Hurghada to Port Ghalib was pretty grueling in both directions. I would consider flying into Cairo and taking an EgyptAir flight directly to Marsa Alam. My wife and I spent a separate 2 weeks in Cairo and on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, including a side trip to Abu Simbel, in February. This was a great trip, would advise visiting other parts of Egypt is you are making the trip to dive in the Red Sea. The boat: The boat was clean and well cared for. We had only 4 passengers (3 divers) for the first week and 7 divers for the 2nd week. We had the luxury of all the room we wanted or needed. The air conditioner did not work optimally in the 1st room I was given so I was immediately moved to a new room. The rooms were extremely comfortable and roomy for a single. They would be fine for a couple who knew each other well, might be a bit tight for strangers. The lounge/dining room was very comfortable. We had internet access when we were close enough to shore for the boat to have a cell signal. The crew: The crew was absolutely fantastic and did everything they could to ensure a great trip. The cruise director/guide, Mahmoud was great, very friendly and a shared a wealth of information about Egypt. Zodiac drivers Islam and Emad were very skilled. German guide, Angela, was very good with an unskilled diver the 1st week. The food: The food was from good to excellent. If anything, there was too much available and one had to show some discretion. Chef Amr and stewards Hegaze and Nubi bent over backwards to satisfy any reasonable request. The diving: The diving was really excellent, but, I went in with such high expectations, that there was probably no way they could have been fully met. I did 22 dives, including 4 night dives, in 5 ½ days on the southern route and 22 dives, including 1 night dive, in 5 ½ days on the northern route. Night dives are not allowed at Little Brother, Big Brother, or Daedalus. Most dives were done of the zodiacs, 32 total. AL 80s were standard, a few steel 100s were available for reservation. Fills were always good and nitrox always right on around 32%. The dive deck was very good, you stayed in your assigned place for the duration and tanks were filled in place. Hot showers and warm towels were most appreciated. They issued Nautilus Lifelines for use on the northern route from Little Brother to end of the trip. Highlights of the southern route included beautiful hard coral gardens at Abu Dabab I, large schools of Hammerheads at Daedalus, beautiful caverns and swim throughs at Cave Reef, and snorkeling with Spinner Dolphins at Sataya (Dolphin) Reef. Other cool encounters with Napoleon Wrasse, Giant Morays, Blue Spotted Stingrays, Anthias all over the reef. Highlights of the northern route included a few Thresher sharks and a couple of mantas at Little Brother, a Thresher and the wrecks of the Namidia and Aida at Big Brother, the Hammerheads and anemone gardens with many Anemonefish at Daedalus, and a good dive in brisk current with sharks at Elphinstone. Wish I could have seen some Oceanic White Tips, but you don't always get everything. All in all, one of the best dive trips I’ve done, very glad I had the opportunity to do it, many fond memories.
Websites	Red Sea Aggressor
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 into Hurghada, grueling 3 hour ride to Port Ghalib
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	74-78°F / 23-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	60-120 Ft/ 18-37 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Recreational depth limits, no deco. Generally dive with buddy or group within reason. Send up SMB if not with group on zodiac dive
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	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	Two good sized camera tables with air hoses. Crew took good care of cameras and rinsed them prior to placing on the tables. There was plenty of room for our small group, could be quite crowed with a full boat and sophisticated equipment

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Randall S Preissig in TX, US at Oct 18, 2016 09:33 EST

Excellent review. I just did a 10 day and a 7 day Aggressor trip and second everything you said--plus we had oceanic whitetips on dives at the Brothers.

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Dive Review of Red Sea Aggressor in Red Sea/Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib

Red Sea Aggressor: "Great two weeks in 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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Red Sea Aggressor in
Red Sea/Marsa Alam/Port Ghalib