Scuba Diving in Hurghada

Good to Know

• If you want genuine shore-entry diving, Hurghada is not the place — that's more Dahab's specialty. Here, plan on a boat for virtually every dive, and budget real transfer time (up to several hours each way) for bucket-list sites like Abu Nuhas and the Thistlegorm.
• The Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone are only realistically diveable via a multi-day liveaboard out of Hurghada — don't expect a day-trip option to these.
• Weather (particularly wind) frequently cancels or reroutes trips to exposed offshore sites like Careless Reef and Erg Somaya, so build flexibility into your dive schedule if these are on your wishlist.
• Some divers and local operators consider diving the Salem Express ethically sensitive given the loss of civilian life in the 1991 sinking — worth thinking about before booking that trip.
• Course prices quoted by shops are almost always advertised in euros rather than Egyptian pounds, even though payment can usually be made in EGP, USD, or by card — always confirm which currency you'll actually be charged in before booking.
• Ask specifically whether daily national park fees (e.g. for Giftun Island, roughly 300 EGP/day) are included in your course price — several sources note this is a common add-on that isn't always mentioned upfront.
• If you think there's any chance you'll want the full Open Water certification, it's usually cheaper to commit to the full course from day one rather than doing a paid 'Discover Scuba' trial first and trying to upgrade later, since the upgrade credit is often smaller than the intro-dive price you already paid.
• Booking in Hurghada's shoulder/low season can save a meaningful amount versus peak season, according to multiple operator pricing pages.