El Gouna

El Gouna is situated just a short drive north from Hurghada and offers easy access to the best of the Northern Red Sea and over 40 dive sites. Boat diving is the norm here, with some beautiful, sheltered reefs situated under an hour’s boat ride from resort.

Its proximity to the legendary wreck graveyard of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas makes El Gouna a superb choice for wreck divers.  During fine weather, the excellent wrecks of Abu Nuhas can be easily visited and enjoyed by El Gouna guests. There are also some fantastic wall and drift dives on offer plus the chance to dive with dolphins!

Learning to Dive

El Gouna is a superb place to learn to dive with access to many spectacular coral gardens in sheltered waters. Excellent visibility maximises opportunities to enjoy the prolific marine life. Beautiful reef fish and amazing corals abound at many sites but in El Gouna it is common to share your first Open Water dives with turtles and dolphins for a truly memorable experience.

Qualified Divers

El Gouna shares many sites with its neighbour Hurghada. Many sites boast resident bottlenose dolphins including the labyrinth of ergs that make up Gota Abu Galawa and the beautiful horseshoe-shaped reef of Sha’ab El Erg. These are spectacular corals gardens sitting in sheltered waters with plentiful reef species and everything from the smallest, colourful nudibranch to octopus.

Wreck divers are spoilt by El Gouna and its proximity to the Straits of Gubal and the spectacular Sha’ab Abu Nuhas. This incredible reef patch lies next to a major shipping lane and it is home to four complete wrecks. It is magical to swim into a cloud of glassfish on the Chrisoula K and the Giannis D and see lionfish stalking prey in dark corners of the hold. Day trips are also arranged to the Rosalie Moller.

Wall and drift diving fans will be challenged by a number of dive sites in this area including those situated near the Siyul Islands that boast stingrays, leopard sharks and a myriad of colourful reef fish. Further north, and the northernmost site in this region, is Bluff Point, which is also a favourite with safari boats. The current is especially strong and can be unpredictable but divers are rewarded with a thrilling drift dive. Rich corals abound as well as the chance to see turtles, morays and occasionally whitetip reef sharks, plus the wreck of the British freighter, the Ulysses. 

View a Map of El Gouna and Hotels

View a map of El Gouna's dive sites

Regaldive work with two well established dive centres in El Gouna:

Emperor Divers are co-located with Blue Brothers Diving at the Three Corners Ocean View Hotel in Abu Tig Marina.  Emperor Divers offer a full range of PADI diver training courses from PADI Open Water to Instructor level. Day boats depart from Abu Tig Marina or occasionally Abydos Marina. FREE Nitrox is available if pre-booked with Regaldive.

Orca Dive Club is based at Turtle's Inn, directly located at Abu Tig Marina. Orca Dive Club offer a full range of PADI diver training courses and day boats depart from Abu Tig Marina. FREE Nitrox is available.

Emperor Divers

Emperor Divers are a British-managed dive company who have been operating in the Red Sea since 1992.

Based close to the Three Corners Ocean View Hotel, Emperor Divers is a PADI 5* IDC Centre offering a full range of PADI diver training courses and day diving. There is a daily RIB, so dive sites can be reached quickly, or day dive boats depart conveniently from Abu Tig Marina or nearby Abydos Marina. FREE Nitrox (12l tanks) is available for nitrox qualified divers (please advise if required prior to travel).

Varied diving is on offer nearby, from deep walls to shallow reefs and a choice of wrecks at Abu Nuhas. Special trips can be booked to the Rosalie Moeller and the Thistlegorm.  Free transfers are provided from all hotels used by Regaldive in El Gouna.

Orca Dive Club

Orca Dive Club El Gouna is situated at the Turtle's Inn hotel in Abu Tig Marina.  This well run, professional dive centre, operates two hard boats and offers a range of dive sites from El Gouna, as well as special trips. A range of technical diving courses are also offered.

FREE Nitrox is available (32%) for qualified Nitrox divers. The centre has a drying room and a popular open air terrace bar for a post dive beer.  Orca offer all level of instruction with permanent instructors teaching in six languages! All dives are unguided.

Please note that it is compulsory at Orca Dive Club to dive with a dive computer.  All divers with fewer than 30 logged dives must be guided. Guide cost is €5 per person per dive (cost subject to change).

From January 2020 the following Environmental Fee is applicable to all trips with Orca Divers. Fees are paid locally and are non-refundable.

• El Gouna:  Boat and speed boat (divers & snorkellers): €2.50 per person, per day

DIVE PRICES

Book your dive pack or course with Regaldive prior to departure, and benefit from lower prices than those in resort. You can also take advantage of our great value dive pack offers.  Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Only 22km north of Hurghada, El Gouna is a self-contained deluxe resort built in traditional Arabic style.

The resort rests on clusters of islands surrounded by lagoons and has all the amenities of a modern 5-star resort. The resorts many facilities include a hospital, open-air cinema and a professional 18-hole golf course. The club house offers its own pool, gym, sauna massage and snack bar.

El Gouna also offers a wide range of water sports and other activities:

• Aquarium
• Museum
• Desert safaris
• Bedouin evenings
• Horse riding
• Club House
• Day trip to Luxor

Find out more about Regaldive's Top Three El Gouna Excursions

Getting Around

Shuttle buses and boats operate an efficient taxi service. Bus tickets are 5LE per day or a weekly ticket costing 20LE is available from the bus driver. These make the secluded beaches, hotels and Downtown shops, restaurants and bazaars easily accessible. Tuk Tuk are also available at a cost of 5LE per journey.

Climate

The hottest time of the year is July and August with air temperature of over 30 degrees C. The coolest time is January with the temperature at around 20 degrees C. Rainfall is negligable and it is invariably sunny but breezes can be cool.

Time

Egypt is 1 or 2 hours ahead of GMT depending on the season as Egypt does not operate Daylight Saving Time.

Currency

Egyptian pounds or LE. Approximately £1 = 20LE

We recommend that you take some money in Cash to Egypt. British Pounds, US Dollas and Euros are all widely accepted as well as Egyptian Pounds. Cash can be drawn from some ATMs in El Gouna, and travellers cheques can be cashed at banks (opening hours 9am-2pm).  Please note that Scottish notes and Australian Travellers Cheques are not accepted in Egypt.

Tipping

Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognised part of life in this region of the world. Some local staff will look to travellers for personal recognition of the services offered. We would advise that you allow approx. £10 for gratuities for local staff for the duration of your stay.

Rough Price Guide

• Local beer: 65LE
• Snack meal (pizza/sandwich): 130LE
• Bottle of mineral water: 25LE
• Soft drink: 35LE 

Flight Information

Flights are available to Hurghada (HRG) and Marsa Alam (RMF) from a number of UK airports. Please refer to the tables below for typical flight schedules, or speak to our friendly travel consultants for the latest information.

Typical Summer Schedule (May to October)

HRG = Hurghada Airport, RMF = Marsa Alam Airport

* Manchester summer service to Marsa Alam begins May 2020

Typical Winter Schedule (November to April)

HRG = Hurghada Airport, RMF = Marsa Alam Airport

NB: Please note that flight schedules may be subject to change by the airlines at any time. Full and up to date flight details will be provided with any holiday quotation.

Flight duration: Approx 5 - 5½ hours

Transfer times: These vary  according to the hotel choice. Minimum transfer time is approx. 20 minutes, certain more remote destinations require longer transfers. 

Departure tax:  N/A

Passports

Passengers travelling to Egypt must have six months valid on their passport from the date of departure from Egypt.

Visas

A single entry tourist visa for Egypt is required for all nationalities. For British passport holders with British citizenship, Egyptian visas can be obtained conveniently and inexpensively on arrival at Hurghada airport, or in advance via the new e-visa portal - Visa2Egypt.

Other nationalities should check with consular office.

Vaccinations

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Egypt, but we recommend protection against typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and polio. Though malaria does exist in Egypt, it is generally not present in the coastal resorts.

Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure.  For the most up to date advice please consult your travel clinic.

Further information regarding vaccinations for travel to this country can be found at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and from your local healthcare provider.

Three Corners Ocean View

Movenpick Hotel

Sultan Bey

Sultan Bey

Arena Inn

Sultan Bey

El Gouna

El Gouna

El Gouna

El Gouna

El Gouna