Due to the high rainfall in Malaysia in December we are now thinking of Marsa Alam instead. We are looking for accommodation that includes the dive operator and preferably with a good house reef. My wife has vertoed the Red Sea Safari Eco divers villages as being too spartan although they seem to meet my other criteria. We do not need a busy nightlife. Any suggestions? Another possibility is an operator who can take us diving with accommodation in different towns.

We decided on Marsa Alam as Sharm and Hurghada seem to be very busy and commercialised. Are they still so busy in December?

Thanks in advance

The main Red Sea safaris lodge in Marsa Shagra is anything but spartan! Food is luxurious and served in an amazing setting and the brick housings are very nice. The tents or the housings without AC could probably be viewed as somewhat spartan, but the housings with AC are really nice. And for diving Red Sea safaris are hard to beat, they have a very good set up. I would suggest that you take this one more time by your wife. Tehre could probaly be better lodging in the area, but the diving will then be highly compromised compared to Red Sea safaris version.

/Bent C

I agree with Bent. There are comfortable brick "bungalows" in the Marsa Shagra camp. December is not hot so you probably won't need AC, even if it's available.

Another recommendation for red sea diving safari, the facilities are very good, as is the service and diving, and it's incredibly laid back and relaxing. Don't be fooled into thinking of it as a campsite, just because they have tents...

I'm heading back there from November 28th until December 9th, running a photo workshop, Jeff Goodman will be there at the same time doing a video workshop, so pop in and say hi if you do make it out there.

Cheers

Stuart

Does it add confusion if I say that the liveaboard dive boats offer better, easier diving going south of Marsa Alam?

Tim

Isn't that called stating the obvious?

I just returned from a 2-week trip to Marsa Shagra and give one more vote in favor from a divers perspective. Food and accommodation are not spartan though also not luxury. There are no pools (apart from the big salty one where you will spend most your time), a la carte dining, or green lawns and fancy architecture (the dining hall is nice though). Another thing to consider is that I saw a number of such "fancy" resorts but they all appeared to be more or less deserted due to the hit to tourism, yet Marsa Shagra was pleasantly busy even if it was still low season. I also bet the atmosphere and ease of making friends and finding buddies will nowhere be as good as in Marsa Shagra. I was traveling alone but was never short of friends during bottom or surface time.

Compared to my visit 3 years ago they have gotten very strict on PADI rules. No unguided night-diving for PADI O/W divers, e.g. me, even if you have hundreds of dives and many night dives under your belt. The easy solution, start your dive shortly before 6pm and it will transition around 6:30 from a dusk into a night dive. I actually liked those even better than the real night dives. There was also a 45/60 minute dive time limit for night/day dives on the house reef but those were not enforced and 70-90 minute dives were not unusual.

Bart

RSDS at Shagra gets my vote too. I've been going there and also RSDS at Wadi Lahami for many years.