Sharm El Sheikh Diving & Snorkeling FAQs
PADI 5-Star Aquarius Diving Club

We welcome certified divers from all major agencies (PADI, SSI, CMAS, BSAC, SDI, TDI, NAUI, RAID, and equivalents). You'll need proof of certification and your logbook. If you haven't dived in over 12 months, we recommend a Scuba Review (refresher) before joining regular trips. Beginners with no certification can join Discover Scuba Diving or our Try Diving programmes — no experience needed.

Bring your diving certification card and dive logbook. We can verify your certification online if needed. A passport is useful for identification. For courses, you'll complete a PADI medical questionnaire on arrival. We recommend a current dive medical certificate; if you don't have one, positive answers on the questionnaire may require dive-physician clearance.

A dive medical certificate is recommended but not always mandatory. On arrival, you'll complete the standard PADI/RSTC medical questionnaire. If you answer "yes" to any condition (asthma, heart issues, recent surgery, certain medications, age 45+ with risk factors), you'll need written clearance from a dive physician before diving. If you have any concerns, get clearance from your home doctor before traveling.

Red Sea water temperatures range from 21°C in winter (December–February) to 28°C in late summer. We recommend a 5mm full wetsuit in winter, a 3mm full suit or shorty in summer, and adding a hood for the coldest months. All wetsuit sizes are available in our rental fleet, including children's sizes.

Most of our tank valves are DIN, but we keep DIN-to-INT adapters at all locations to fit any regulator. Just let us know your setup when you arrive and we'll have the right configuration ready.

For PADI Discover Scuba Diving and intro dives, you don't need to swim — but you must be able to float for 10 minutes. For PADI Open Water Diver certification, you need to swim 200m continuously (any stroke) and tread water for 10 minutes. Basic water confidence is essential for all diving.

We don't allow solo diving. PADI safety standards require buddy diving, and all our trips include a divemaster or instructor guide. If you want a more personal experience, ask about private guiding — one guide dedicated to you or your group at a supplementary cost.

No experience required. Our Discover Scuba Diving experience and Try Diving programmes are designed for absolute beginners — an instructor stays with you the whole time. You need to be at least 10 years old, have basic comfort in water, and complete a brief medical form. Bring a swimsuit, towel, and reef-safe sunscreen.

Yes. We're a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Centre, fully insured, DAN-certified, and CDWS-compliant (ISO 24803 / EN 14467). Beginner dives use small groups, shallow depths (2–12m), full instructor supervision, and equipment checked to PADI standards. We've been running safely on the Red Sea since 1996.

Yes. From age 8, children can join PADI Bubblemaker and Seal Team in shallow pools (2–4m maximum) with one-on-one instructor supervision. From age 10, PADI offers Junior Open Water certification (depth-limited to 12m at 10–11, 18m at 12–14). We have full children's equipment at every location.

Ages 8–9: PADI Bubblemaker and Seal Team — shallow pool experiences only. Ages 10–11: PADI Junior Open Water Diver — open water certification, max depth 12m. Ages 12–14: PADI Junior Open Water Diver — max depth 18m. Ages 15+: standard PADI Open Water Diver — same as adults, max 18m for entry-level certification.

That's completely normal. Our patient PADI instructors start with very shallow water and progress at your pace. Discover Scuba Diving is the lowest-pressure way to try — no certification expected, just a guided introduction. Many of our most enthusiastic divers were nervous beginners.

PADI Open Water Diver is required for Advanced Open Water and most specialty courses. Rescue Diver requires Advanced Open Water plus Emergency First Response certification. Scuba Review requires any prior certification. Specialty courses each have their own prerequisites — instructors verify eligibility before training begins.

Yes. For PADI Advanced Open Water, you complete 5 adventure dives — Deep and Underwater Navigation are required, and you choose 3 more from our specialty options (Peak Performance Buoyancy, Boat, Drift, Wreck, Photography, Night, Nitrox, Sidemount, and others). Some specialties carry small supplements (e.g., Wreck dives at certain sites). Your instructor tailors the course to your interests.

Nitrox 32 (enriched air with 32% oxygen vs. 21% in regular air) extends your no-decompression limits at moderate depths, reducing nitrogen absorption. It's ideal for repetitive diving, multiple-day diving, and dives in the 18–30m range. You need a Nitrox certification to use it — we run the 1-day course at all locations.

Yes — Nitrox 32 is available at all four locations. The supplement is €4 per dive at our EUR locations (€30 for a 10-tank package), or £5 per dive at Sharm El Sheikh. You need a Nitrox certification to use it; if you don't have one, we run the 1-day specialty course for €60 (Sahl Hasheesh), €70 (Hurghada), €90 (Makadi), or £70 (Sharm). Nitrox is recommended for repetitive diving, multi-day diving, and dives in the 18–30m range.

The full PADI Open Water Diver course takes 4 days when done entirely with us — covering theory, confined-water training, and 4 open-water dives with skills practice. If you complete the theory at home through PADI E-Learning, the in-water portion can be done in 3 days (Open Water Referral). Each training day runs roughly 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with briefings, dives, and skills work.

Our Hurghada Marriott base is set up for accessible diving — wheelchair-friendly entry, adapted boats, and trained staff for divers with mobility limitations. Our other branches (Sharm El Sheikh, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh) can accommodate accessible diving on a case-by-case basis with advance notice. Please contact reservations before booking so we can prepare the right boat, equipment, and support team.

Tipping is appreciated but not expected, and never affects service quality. If you choose to tip, divemasters and crew typically receive €5–€10 per diving day from satisfied divers. Tips can be given in any major currency.

You can book through our online booking form (linked from each destination page), by WhatsApp at +20 100 160 0742, or by emailing reservation@aquariusredsea.com. Our team confirms by email — please check your spam folder, or message us on WhatsApp for a fast response. We accept cash, Visa, Mastercard, and bank transfer; a 2% surcharge applies to credit and debit card payments.

Yes — at all four locations we offer full-day or half-day private boats and speedboats for diving, snorkeling, or family island adventures. Pricing depends on group size, vessel, and itinerary. Contact reservations to plan your private trip.

Cancellation is free as long as the activity has not yet started. There are no cancellation fees for unused diving days, and unused activities can be transferred to another person, postponed, or refunded. Refund processing fees charged by your bank or card provider are at the customer's expense.

PADI recommends a minimum 18-hour surface interval after a single no-decompression dive, and 24 hours after multiple dives in a day or multi-day diving. We schedule your final diving day so you can fly home safely — please tell us your departure time when booking your last diving day.

Free transfers within Sharm El Sheikh for all courses and trips, with pickup from the main hotel security gate (5–10 min wait). Special trips have earlier pickups: SS Thistlegorm departs around 5:30 AM, Dahab Blue Hole around 7:30 AM. All transfers within Sharm are complimentary.

Before joining any boat dive in Sharm El Sheikh, all certified divers complete a check dive at our house reef Ras Ghamila — typically a single shore dive (£43) or two dives (£62). This lets your guide assess your buoyancy, air consumption, and comfort in current. Ras Ghamila is one of Sharm's most beautiful house reefs, so it's a genuine dive, not a formality. The check dive is mandatory regardless of certification level or logged experience.

Intro dives, snorkeling, and passenger packages: include gear, guide, lunch (full-day) or snacks (half-day), permission fees, taxes, and national park fees — no surcharges. Certified diver boat trips: include divemaster, 12L tank, weights, permission fees, taxes, and soft drinks. National park fees (£5/person/day) apply only to certified divers on boats. Excludes equipment rental (£28/day), lunch (£8/day), Nitrox, 15L tanks. Special trips (Thistlegorm, Dahab, etc.): include lunch, national park fees, and permission fees but exclude equipment, Nitrox, 15L tanks, and night-dive torch (£10). A 2% surcharge applies to all credit and debit card payments.

Lunch is included for full-day snorkeling, passenger packages, and intro dive boats. For certified-diver boats, lunch is £8 per day. Mineral water, soft drinks, and hot beverages are included on all boats.

Yes. The SS Thistlegorm is one of the world's most famous wreck dives — a WWII British cargo ship sunk in 1941. Our 2-dive Thistlegorm trip costs £125 and runs from Sharm El Sheikh. You need PADI Advanced Open Water certification (or equivalent) and a minimum of 15 logged dives. Departure is around 5:30 AM with return mid-afternoon.

Beyond standard daily diving, Sharm offers: SS Thistlegorm (£125, 2 dives), Dahab Blue Hole and Canyon by land (£99, 2 dives), Tiran reefs by speedboat (£29 supplement), Dunraven wreck (£26 supplement), and Million Hope wreck (£36 supplement). Some special trips require Advanced Open Water certification.

Intro dives (15–30 minutes underwater) are scuba dives with a PADI instructor following a brief surface and pool briefing — no certification required, max depth 6m. Snorkeling stays at the surface using mask, snorkel, and fins. Both offer half-day and full-day boat options; snorkeling also has a Tiran private-speedboat trip.

Intro dives: Ras Ghamila (shore), nearby reefs (half-day boat), Ras Mohamed or Tiran (full-day boat). Snorkeling: nearby reefs (half-day), Ras Mohamed or Tiran (full-day, including private speedboat option). Certified diving: Ras Ghamila, Ras Mohamed, Tiran, SS Thistlegorm, Dahab Blue Hole, Dunraven, Million Hope.

The Red Sea offers great diving year-round. March–May and September–November are the sweet spots: comfortable air (24–32°C) and warm water (24–28°C), excellent visibility, and full marine life activity. Summer (June–August) has the warmest water (28–30°C) and best chances for hammerheads and pelagics at offshore sites, but air temperatures are hot. Winter (December–February) is cooler — water 21–24°C — but visibility is often outstanding (40m+), prices are lower, and crowds are smaller.

Hurghada: approximately 15 minutes from our Marriott Beach Resort base, at HCMC (Hyperbaric and Marine Medicine Center). Sharm El Sheikh: approximately 20 minutes, at the HCMC chamber on the Naama Bay side. Makadi Bay and Sahl Hasheesh: divers are referred to the Hurghada chamber (15–30 minutes depending on traffic). We're DAN-certified, fully insured, and have evacuation procedures in place. We strongly recommend personal DAN dive insurance, which can be arranged on the spot.

PADI E-Learning lets you complete the theory portion of any PADI course online, at your own pace, before you arrive. You then complete the in-water skills with us — typically reducing your in-resort training by 1 day. You have 12 months of access from purchase. We're a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Centre supporting all e-learning paths.

The Sharm El Sheikh e-learning fee is £90, covering all PADI materials, videos, and your certification card processing. You pay this when you book; in-water training fees are separate. E-learning typically saves 1 day of in-resort training time.