Diving in General
All divers diving with C Fun
Divers with the exception of those taking entry-level courses,
must be qualified divers. It is essential to bring your diving license
to show to the dive center, without which you will not be allowed to dive.
If you have not been diving for the last 6 months (Logbook required),
a check dive is mandatory.
Diving Safety
We require that you maintain safety diving practices.According to Sharm
El Sheikh rules The maximum depth limit is 30 meters and
the maximum ascent rate is 18 meters per minute. Because of all
the different opinions we at C Fun Divers recommend that you should not
dive 24 hours before your flight.
PADI and DAN (Divers Alert Network) recommend that a 12 hour interval
between your last dive and you flight, if you are only doing a single
dive. And more than 12 hours if you are doing multiple dives on multiple
days.
Diving and Conservation
Coral
reefs are unique, built up over thousands of years by the activities of
countless marine animals and plants. Sadly, like virtually every natural
habitat, coral reefs are coming under intense pressure from pollution,
collection of coral materials and overfishing. Diving can have an impact
too. But you can help to minimise it. The following are the regulations
set by the Ras Mohammed National Park:
- Do not collect, remove or damage any material, living or dead, from protected areas (Corals, shells, fish, plants, fossils, etc.)
- It is prohibited walk or anchor on any reef area. Please use marked access points.
- Fish feeding upsets the biological balance on the reef and is therefore prohibited
- Fishing and spearfishing are not allowed
TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU, LEAVE
NOTHING BEHIND
Passports and immigration
A full passport is required to enter Egypt, which must have at least
6 months validity left on it. There are 2 types of visa available for
Egypt. The main one is a 1-month visa, which can be obtained at the Embassy
in your country or is available on arrival at the airport. This visa costs
approx. $15 (£10) and comes in the form of stamp, looking like a
postage stamp. This visa gives you access to anywhere in Egypt. On arrival
in Sharm the visas can be purchased as soon as you enter the arrivals
hall.
Currency Updated 30/05/01
The Egyptian Pound (LE) is linked closely to the US Dollar. You may check
the current exchange rate online with the OANDA
FXCurrency Converter by clicking here.
Credit cards are accepted in most major hotels and some restaurants with
VISA or MasterCard
being the most popular. There are 4 ATM machines in Sharm el Sheikh.
Medical Facilities
All the major hotels have a doctor on staff or on call. So the reception of your hotel can probably help. Remember that all medical services over here have to be paid for. For more serious matters there is a hospital which opened up 2 years as well as a private medical centre. For diving related facilities there are now 2 recompression chambers in Sharm. The original one which was donated by USAID is still the most popular (all divers with the C Fun Divers are asked to donate $1 per day towards the up keep of this chamber (Click on the Logo below to know more about it). If you don't want to then mention this to the counter and these few dollars will be removed from your bill).The other chamber is a new one situated in the hospital and is run under the Ministry of Health. A treatment in the chamber is about $750 per hour (So check that you have your own diving insurance and dive safely!)
Vaccinations
If you are coming from an infected area than check with your travel agent
or the Egyptian embassy. If you are diving then it is a good idea to be
up to date with Tetanus.
Electricity
The power supply here is 220v / 50hz. This is supplied using a 2 pin round fitting.
Getting around
Aeroplane:
There are internal flights available to and from Cairo which leaves about
08:00, you would have to check with Egypt Air as the schedule changes
often. Also there is a lot of charter flights from major European cities
directly to Sharm so check with you travel agent or drop us an e-mail
and we can recommend one for you.
Train:
These are only available along the Nile, there is no railway in the Sinai
Peninsula...Yet.
Bus:
The buses are a cheap way to get around. There are about 8 buses per day
to Cairo from Sharm, this is a trip of about 6 hours covering 500km. Popular
buses are called the "Super jet" gets you to Cairo first thing
in the morning. They cost 60LE for a ticket. There are also regular buses
to Dahab, Nuweiba, St Catherine's, Suez and Taba.
Ferry:
There is a ferry between Hurghada and Sharm. This runs on a very variable
schedule, with a catamaran that takes about 90 minutes or the ferry that
takes about 6 hours. There is a ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba, which leaves
at 11:00 and 18:00, again patience is required to handle the flexible
timetable.
Taxi:
This is the main way of getting around, with a minimum charge of 10LE
this covers most journeys around Sharm. It is also used to travel longer
distances but then you must sort out the price before starting the journey.
Car rental:
There are numerous companies offering rental. For a small car it will
cost approx. $50 per day with 100km included. Then any extra km at about$0.20
It is also possible to rent either a little scooter or a motorbike.
Dress code
In Sharm the normal clothing is shorts and Tee shirts or any
other style of loose cotton. With the number of shops here that sell Tee
shirts you don't need to bring much luggage. For the girls you must remember
that you are in a conservative Muslim country where women are usually
covered up. The less you wear the more looks or comments you will get!!!
Tipping
Egypt is the country of 'Bakshish". Small tips are expected for
everything. Groups on boats are expected to give small tip at the end
of the week.
Baggage allowance
Normally the limit for luggage on flights is 20kg. Some of the airlines
allow 10kg excess for dive gear, you would need to check with them. The
airlines are starting to check on hand luggage a bit closer with a 5kg
limit. Remember that some airlines do not allow pony bottles on board,
while others insist that the tanks are empty or the valves removed.
Climate
In general the Red Sea climate is hot and dry. You will need a 5 to 7
mm full wet suit in winter and 3 to 5 mm full wet suit in summer.
current
local weather