Marsa Alam

Holiday Feedback

"Dear Igor This is just to thank you in particular, and the rest of the team, for arranging another WONDERFUL trip for my son and me. In spite of increasing arthritis I managed 12 dives aided by painkillers and very supportive boat crew and dive leaders. My son passed his PADI Advanced, trained by Nick, who was a strict and thorough instructor. The hotel at Port Ghalib was the height of comfort, and the food was "yummy" with a wide choice of dishes. I particularly appreciated not having to walk any long distances, having the dive centre and boat so near. Many thanks again, Regular Client"

Holiday Feedback

"Have just returned from week at Marina Lodge, Marsa Alam. Very familiar with Red Sea resorts but had never gone on my own before. Chose Marina Lodge carefully for its unique characteristics: virtually all customers are divers, Emperor Divers on site - dive boats moored alongside pool, no crowds at dive sites. Remained slightly nervous at going alone but crew on ISA very friendly, guide, Tarek outstanding, and good bunch of people on board. Result - an excellent week's diving and good evenings with nice people. Will certainly do this again. Neil"

Concorde Moreen Beach

"Just a quick note to say everything was just perfect with our holiday, the Representative at the airport was excellent, the hotel was superb, the staff were very good, the food was very good (except first night) the diving was good and Emperor divers were 1st Class. Big thank you to all at Regaldive for putting the package together. I will definitely be booking the Concord Moreen beach hotel & dive package again, thank you. "

Tony Land - UK | 02 May 2013

Holiday Feedback

"Hi Michaela I wanted to report back from our trip to Marsa Alam. Firstly, many thanks for your guidance in selecting the location and Emperor Divers. It was the ideal choice. Emperor were excellent. Joe's training couldn't have been better, it was well paced and thorough. He came out confident but safe, able to cope with the inevitable small glitches that happen (e.g. losing his bite tags from the mouthpiece - must have sharp teeth) without any anxiety at all. It was good to see how the dive leaders allowed flexibility for the dives but maintained oversight. The dive groups were also well sized. Impressive to see a diver being refused kit/dive because of an ear infection (he was arguing that he'd only go down 2m!) that could have compromised his own and other divers safety. The three dive boats may not be the shiniest on the water but they are well managed, spotlessly clean and ideal for the dives. The newest location, Hamada Wreck, is a superb 18m depth split cargo ship about an hour's drive south. The shore dive is a bit hot this time of year but it worked well due to the team's organisation. The only thing I recommended was to provide a map with the wreck background for studying during the bus journey as it can be a bit disorientating in variable visibility. Every dive was a little different - the reefs are excellent. Although occasionally there would be another dive boat, the only place that got crowded was Dolphin House, but that was to be expected. The best bit of that trip was a 40m long swim-through. Hotel was great apart from a few little niggles with service. It was a bit of a hike to the RIB pickup but as folks could leave their kit at the dive centre, it wasn't unreasonable. Thanks for getting the extra leg room. Invaluable. (If you pre-book this for clients you might want to include the instruction that passengers want to sit together. I had a bit of negotiation with Thomson on outbound and inbound legs as they split us between the different sides of the aircraft as "it wasn't included on the request".) Finally... the only hiccup with Regal's services was the hotel pickup. You may have already heard this back from Lisa, but the instructions were unclear. The handout said the time for collection but didn't say (and Ramadan didn't say when we arrived) that it would be provided by the HOTEL bus. We waited over 30 minutes for Ramadan to show and eventually called Lisa. Can you include this in the handout in future? Folks always get a bit twitchy about travel. I'm still unclear why Ramadan didn't meet us at the hotel. Previous trips I've been on have included a reminder of departure arrangements in a visit or a letter 24 hours before departure date. This might be a useful addition. Otherwise the only problem is that I want to go back!!! Cheers Richard S"

Welcome Home

"Hello Michaela Thank you for the e-mail and letting me know about the loyalty discounts. My daughter and I had a great holiday. We liked the Oasis Dive Resort very much and most certainly be going there again next year. The Resort was sensitive to the environment and culture of Egypt and the place had a very rustic and natural appeal. Thanks for all your help. We'll be in touch when we have planned the next holiday. Helen Durrant"

Oasis - Marsa Alam

"Dear Michaela Having a lovely time. Dive centre is great, fantastic local dive guide called Samo who is brilliant. Very skilful, caring and supportive refresher dive which helped. Nothing too much bother for them, from helping to get weights right (am on 10kg, never had to carry so much - am myself only 55kg!). Fab reefs, and the hotel is quaint and different, with great service and not too many people. Nice recommendation, so thanks. Caryn"

Holiday feedback – Ash Cloud

" Hi, I would like to thank Regaldive for your help and support over the last week at the end of my holiday on the Emperor Elite, and particularly thank Lisa your rep in Hurghada. After the volcano erupted, when the flights were delayed she did a brilliant job of finding us hotel accommodation at a time when it was very difficult to find out what was going on. Once we were accommodated she kept us updated on the situation with the airline. Thanks for a great holiday and a very special thanks to Lisa. Till next time, Kenn"

Red Sea Holiday

"Hi Michaela In response to your email, many thanks to your staff on a most enjoyable dive trip, and in particular to the dive crew and boat crew who looked after us so well. The package was well run and the level of diving supervision etc was of the highest standard, can you please keep me updated ref. future dive trips etc... I would be looking to use you again after the way this trip was run. Many thanks, and could you pass my comments onto the staff in Egypt. Alan Denmead"

Regaldive - Welcome Home

"Dear Clare, Thanks for everything, the trip was superb. The diving wasn't quite as good as we would have wanted due to the weather, but that is out of everyone's control!! We have booked with you several times before and are bound to do so again. I especially like how the staff of Regaldive show such attention to detail, and how they keep you fully informed about the progress of your booking and any changes as they occur. I also have to praise Emperor Divers - they are a truly marvellous and professional organisation. Kevin"

Regaldive - Welcome Home

"Hi Michaela I had a fantastic trip aboard the Emperor Elite liveaboard, we saw manta's, sharks, turtle's and much more :) Thanks you for sorting it for me and I will be looking at my next diving later in the year. Brian Rustage"

Emperor Elite

"I'd just like to thank the team at Emperor for the week we've just spent aboard MY Elite. A fantastic weeks diving again and a wonderful team on board. A big thank you to Daniella, Csaba and the team for making our stay comfortable and homely. You just feel like part of the family on board. A great team who all work very hard to make your stay as easy and as simple as possible. "

Gareth Owen - UK | 27 November 2012

Deep South Itinery - Fantastic

"A huge thank you to the wonderful staff and crew of the Elite for making our weeks diving down to St Johns such a fantastic and brilliant week. The crew from the Captain down work so hard to ensure that you get the most out of the week and nothing is too much trouble. Link to some pictures from our weeks diving. www.warrenssite.com/Egypt/Deep-South-Red-Sea-November/26713142_4W8cBh#"

Warren Price - England | 15 January 2013

Holiday Feedback

"I have just got back from a week's liveaboard on MY Superior. From booking to visa help at Hurghada airport to all staff on board, they were a total credit to your company. I am already looking at your deals for future holidays. Thank you once again. Matthew"

Feedback

"Morning Michaela, We are now back home after a great trip and as requested, here are a few of my thoughts. 1. The boat. We were all told that it is off to dry dock soon but it is worn out at the moment! Other than that we loved the boat, the food was excellent and the cabin was big enough. 2. The tour. Great tour, weather dependent but we were blessed with only 36 hours of wind and generally mirror smooth seas so we got to visit all of the great sites and none of the unpleasantness of sea sickness. 3. The guide. Simon Gardiner has been a guide for over 10 years and his enthusiasm, client feedback, knowledge and helpfulness was absolutely fantastic. He is a huge asset and is the only real client contact point. He is a great ambassador and clearly loves his job. 4. The crew. Apart from the dive guide, the crew are also significantly responsible for the enjoyment of the trip and this crew were no exception. They clearly love the boat, are hard working, cheerful, friendly and helpful. They also work about 15 hours a day and did not seem to have a day off. A very good looking zodiac driver called Mahmoud was really helpful and in challenging conditions was able to ferry us back to the boat with a smoothness that was very welcome. 5. The team. Both yourself and Iain provided useful and quick responses before the trip so we were very confident that we would not have any problems. Thanks for that. 6. The diving. I managed all 21 dives, every single one was fantastic and I was sorry to leave. The briefings were superb and even though I have done this tour several times, I was suitably informed ready to dive. Highlights included a 10 minute opportunity for about a dozen of us with a turtle including his rest under a table coral being interrupted by a free swimming moray eel; a guitar shark having a snooze on the bottom; finally getting a photo in focus of a wart slug; diving with a shoal of milk fish that almost completely surrounded us. Would I do this trip again? Yes, in a heartbeat. The unexpected 26 degree water temperature and the sun out enough for sunbathing certainly did not hurt either!! Thanks for your help in making this a memorable trip. Regards, Nick"

First time on a live-aboard hints & tips

"Hi Helena, all went very well thank you. Wind chill cut in a little from time to time, but for January... fantastic. I even wrote a few notes for first timers with a view to forwarding to you / blue02: First time on a liveaboard hints & tips. We found ourselves booked onto a 1week dive holiday the day before the flight was due to leave! We both had about 60 dives each, mostly from our own yacht based in the Greek Cyclades. Squeezing gear into tight weight limits for flights was a bit of an issue. To ease this, I’ve written this little note to help other first timers regarding what to expect, and what to bring. We went to the Red sea in January. Water was around 22deg, air about 25, with wind it got chilly at times. You may be diving 4 times a day… some chose to skip the odd night dive, though I personally loved them, especially for the photography! This means you will basically eat, dive, and sleep!!! We brought about 6 books and didn’t open a single one! We did get a headphone adapter though so we could both watch a movie on the flights. Make sure your wet suit is not too much of a nightmare to get on and off. It is a frequently repeated exercise. If you take a dry suit, bear in mind you may end up tearing a seal, so make sure before you leave dock that the boat is carrying a rental suit in your size or that’s it! I wish we’d had an extra vest. Don’t skimp on a hood. I took an old hood and cut it into a dive beanie. It was a brilliant success. Didn’t know I was wearing it, saved a lot of heat loss. We filled our wetsuits with hot water from the deck shower before jumping in too… stopped the chilly inrush! It is easy to drink lots of tea/coffee as the crew offer it all the time, however these, plus nightcaps all add to dehydration, plus ultra dry bottled air will dry you out! If you get post dive headaches it is probably dehydration kicking in. Drink loads of water after every dive is sound advice. Regulars brought a bottle of their favourite tipple duty free on the trip which worked well. Make sure you bring a spare fin strap. If one breaks when kitting up on the rib, your dive is off. After this happened to me, I kept one tied into my BCD pocket as a just in case. Likewise, a spare mouthpiece is a good idea. Turns out one of mine had split, and being an older apeks was of an extra wide size. The boat will carry a few spares, if they fit is pot luck. For the week I lived in the same clothes. Many wore the supplied dressing gowns. In Jan I was happy to have a beanie hat. Once the boat leaves it will not dock until next week. You do not need much! Beware ally tanks. I needed an extra backbreaking 6Kg to get down, and after 2 dives went for the 15L steel. Much better. Most dives were fairly long, so the extra capacity was well worth the extra charge (£30/week ea) As for nitrox, we used it for some of the slightly deeper wrecks. In all 4 times which saved us about £90 between us. Make sure you have an smb and reel each. Little finger reels are great as these + smb can go in a bcd pocket. You will probably be going through wrecks and over lots of fan corals… sometimes on quite a speedy drift. You don’t want bits of kit hanging low snagging or worse breaking off corals. Likewise spg & 2nd dv/alt reg. should be comfortably tucked close in. In the Red sea currents appear suddenly, and can be quite strong, however they are not tides and seem strong on the surface or right on the bottom. I’ve heard horror stories about a down current between Shark and Yolanda that pulled a group down to 40m, then pulled them over the saddle into 5m… When we did it, it was perfect. On this particular dive may be worth getting the guide to go first! They’re used to it. I hope this helps. We had a fantastic time. If you’re lucky enough to have booked with Blue O2 then you’ll be really well looked after, very well fed in a well maintained boat. Happy days! "

Amanda & Bjorn Sjoling - UK | 11 April 2013

Project Shark trip

"We have just got back from the Project Shark trip (16.11.2012 to 23.11.2012). Well Regaldive put everything in to place for us and all went without a hitch. We were met at the airport and looked after well by the reps of both Regaldive and Blue O2. The boat, Blue Horizon, was first class and very comfortable. The diving was equally first class once we got out to the marine parks. The only down side to the trip was that the first and last days were spent on reefs local to Hurghada, and as such were not of the same standard as Elphinstone, The Brothers and Daedelus. I accept that a check dive is necessary, but once that is out of the way, lets get to the pristine reefs that we've paid for. That little whine out of the way, the trip was brilliant. The resident shark expert, Elke, gave four lectures on various shark topics and these were very well put together and expertly delivered. The dive briefings were comprehensively done with plenty of information and the wants and fads of the divers were catered for by the two dive guides. The food on board was also of a high standard, plenty of it and no-one became ill with a gypy stomach. The crew were some of the best I have experienced. All very friendly and helpful. The rooms were cleaned and tidied during the first dive of each day and there was no shortage of clean towels when they were required. The final day saw us off the boat and to the Marriott Hotel. This was a stop-gap arrangement to cater for the time between leaving the boat and going to the airport. Rooms were made available to us to shower and the facilities of the hotel were also available to us. All in all the trip was very good. I have been on a number of Red Sea trips and this ranks with the best. Recommended!"

Keith Jackson - UK | 27 November 2012