Recently in Marsa Alam Category

Lots of airlines fly into Hurghada and Luxor but until now it's been that bit more tricky to arrange transfers to Marsa Alam. Not anymore!

With the improvement in roads and a reduction in transfer times we now offer return transfers from both airports with our Meet and Greet service.

For example, online prices start from only £40/48 euro pp for two travelling together from Hurghada. Singles and triples can also be booked online at the Resort Packages section. For small groups - please email for a quote.

Book your next diving holiday today and give yourself something to look forward to.
Email info.reservations@emperordivers.com

In the last year or so our resort teams have seen a big increase in family and friends of divers booking snorkelling trips with our sister company, Oceans Red Sea.

We know there are lots of boat trips for non divers available but believe our expertise and love of everything Red Sea sets our trips apart. Our aim is to make these fun but also educational; what's more, the same great guides you dive with help non-divers master the art of snorkelling as well as teaching them about the amazing marine life.
 
Maybe you have family and friends who are thinking of taking a holiday in the Red Sea and, if so, we hope you might recommend Oceans Red Sea. Do tell them that, if they book their place using the website, they get a 10% discount.
 
All they have to do is visit www.oceansredsea.com to book a trip that many of our past guests say was the "highlight of their holiday".
 
Thanks for passing this information on. We feel sure your family and friends will enjoy a quality boat excursion whilst on their Red Sea holiday .

If you would like more information, please email reservations@oceansredsea.com

Here's what Abi Cleaver had to say about her recent Oceans trip...

"First experience snorkelling/scuba diving made extremely enjoyable and relaxing.  I felt very safe and the day overall was really good.  I would use this centre to learn the full techniques of diving."
 

It's great when saving money is so easy!

Our Low Season prices give you the most fantastic value Red Sea diving.

Just go to our online booking, select where to dive, what diving you want and the rest is done for you as our booking system is being rather helpful and clever and works it all out for you.

Prepare for a nice figure...

Or you can email info.reservations@emperordivers.com for more information and that personal touch!

Share your photos and you could be the winner of 2 dive packs worth up to £320 to enjoy at an Emperor Dive Centre of your choice.

You'll get 4 days of fabulous boat or shore diving (depending on resort) at any one of our five Emperor Diver Centres in the warm, clear waters of the Red Sea - probably the best diving in the world.

• Entries can be uploaded from 7 November, until 2 December. 
• Vote for your favourite photo between 3 and 8 December. The entry with the most votes wins! Get your friends involved and ask them to support your entry.
• The winner will be announced on 9 December.

Pictures can be from anywhere in the world but must include some aspect of people diving e.g. kitting up, on a dive, marine life or coral, wrecks, immediately after a dive, on the dive boat etc.
 
Enter today and you could be diving in El Gouna, Hurghada, Nuweiba, Marsa Alam or Sharm el Sheikh - the choice is yours.
 
Just click here, Like us on Facebook and enter the competition!

El Gouna
Report by Mat Cotton, Dive Centre Manager

Luckily, the reefs that we focused on to clean had very little rubbish and trash to be collected! This means that after the few weeks of debris dives, we still had not collected much litter - rather a result we felt. This prompted the staff to undertake their own clean up of their local jetty area near the dive centre, which was in need of a clean-up!

Hopefully guests diving with us enjoyed their debris dives as well as being able to help the local environment here in El Gouna.

We also had a school group recently who did a reef survey and found the local corals to be very healthy. Emperor also arranged for HEPCA to come and give a talk during this time about the affect of tourism on the local environment and what we are doing to counter this.

Among the more obscure items we collected over the few weeks were:
A large car tyre
Fuel canisters
Various masks and snorkels which, if in working condition, were donated to local staff.

 

Marsa Alam
Report by Luke Atkinson, Dive Centre Manager with special thanks to Ian Clarke for this amusing photo of 'glove on head'. Possible contender for the Turner Prize?

71 people took part in our cleanup dives over four separate 'Debris Days'. Over 70 kg of rubbish overall was collected as well as 355 Euros raised for Project AWARE.

Some comments from our guests...

Mick Scott, "Well done guys, keep up the good work."
Big Blue Marble, "Great effort, it's good to see this sort of cleanup. Lets hope others follow."
Phil Mills, "I fully support debris dives. Well done."

They're back and we know you love them.

Our Dive Show Specials at the NEC, Birmingham, on 22/23 October this year include:

• Buy one get one half price on day diving
• Buy one get one half price on selected dive courses
• Take a luxury liveaboard on Elite or Superior - Reefs & Wrecks or Classic just 600 Euro pp
• How about South & St Johns - just 700 Euro pp
• Or Simply the Best - just 799 Euro pp

Book yourself a treat when you visit us at Stand 821

OR

BOOK ONLINE - ONLY from 1 - 25 October*

This year, you can book our Specials online from 1 October until 25 October (*except for El Gouna and Marsa Alam, which can only be booked online or at the Dive Show on 22/23 October).

Click here for the full details and how to book.

 

We've moved but it's the same reliable Emperor service from Port Ghalib.

Our 'control centre' is now at the Moreen Beach, situated 20km south of Marsa Alam airport and Port Ghalib, but for guests who want to stay in the hotels around Port Ghalib, we still offer the same, easy 'zero transfer' diving that we always have done; here's how:

• Our classic dayboats will still be moored in Port Ghalib and will run the same trips to the same dive sites you know and love.

• Through our easy to use booking system, you can book as many days on Port Ghalib classic dayboats as you want - starting from the first day of your trip!

• We'll bring the dive centre to you! Equipment, tanks, weight - whatever you need - and we'll check you in on the boat.

Walk onto our boats from the Marina Lodge hotel or take a short boat trip across the Marina from Crowne Plaza or Intercontinental Palace.

FREE transfers are provided from the following hotels: Triton Beach Three Corners, Iberotel Coraya, Solaya, Lamaya, Samaya, Sol y Mar Dar El Medina, Resta Reef, Resta Grand, Crowne Plaza Sahara, Oasis/Sahara Sands, Intercontinental Palace, Marina Lodge, El Fayrouz Three Corners, Tulip, Shoni Bay, Nada, Badawia, Equinox El Naba, Moreen Beach, Hilton Nubian Resort, Sol y Mar Abu Dabab, Abu Dabab Diving Lodge, Solitaire, The Oasis, Calimara Habiba, Blue Reef, Kharamana, Abo Nuwas, Brayka Bay.

With our new dive centre located further south and on the beach, we can offer so much more:

• Unlimited housereef diving - pick up your tanks and off you go!
• Shaab Abu Dabab on our doorstep - a set of six offshore reefs with stunning visibility, corals and marine life. Now just a short RIB trip departing direct from the new centre.
• Regular trips to Elphinstone by fast RIB - smaller groups, shorter sailing times, more flexibility on dive choice, varied departure times and quicker pickups. Dive the jewel in our crown in style!
• Guided shore diving to help your diving budget go further.

If you would like more information, email reservations@emperordivers.com and they will be very happy to help.

 

On 01 October 2011, we will open our new dive centre in the Marsa Alam area. Situated in a brand new seafront hotel, Moreen Beach, the centre is 20 km south of the airport, giving the same Emperor Divers' experience that guests have come to know and love in Port Ghalib. 

The added bonus is that there is now a great housereef and the Centre is closer to the Marsa Alam jetty saving time when visiting southern sites.

Built to a customised design giving spacious facilities and all the necessary amenities expected from a world class dive operator, including a rooftop bar for that all-important post-dive socialising, the location adds to the variety of dives on offer.

Just 20 km south of Port Ghalib marina, our classic hardboat trips will operate as usual with more diving options to include the unspoilt and uncrowded Abu Dabab offshore reef system, now just 15 minutes away by speedboat.

The housereef is literally on the doorstep and ideal for more experienced divers offering plenty of guided or unguided options, day and night, as well as regular morning and afternoon trips to Elphinstone for those 'big' encounters. With the Centre being closer than ever to the Marsa Alam marina, we continue to offer Dolphin House trips to divers and snorkellers and with shorter transfer times, guests can dive even more southern sites such as Shaab Marsa Alam whilst still enjoying the famous 'Overnight Elphinstone' trips.

Moreen Beach is a 4 star hotel operated by Concord Hotels and is the ideal venue for divers and non-divers alike.

For divers with family and friends who simply want to relax, then this is the place to do more half-day trips and lazy starts while everyone can enjoy the sandy beach and fabulous facilities.

We still offer free transfers from other hotels; however, for those staying in Port Ghalib, the same renowned Emperor service is on-hand where you wake up and walk to your dive boat or have a short zodiac transfer.

Luke Atkinson, Emperor Marsa Alam's Manager explains, "Our operation in Port Ghalib will remain virtually the same with the addition of a super housereef at the Moreen Beach and easier access to Shaab Abu Dabab and Marsa Alam's sites. We look forward to giving our guests more choice, memorable diving and the same customer-focused service".

It's business as usual at the current Marsa Alam centre in Port Ghalib. The move will be seamless so guests won't feel a thing...except a better location and more choice of dive sites!

For more information, please email reservations@emperordivers.com

We will have more information on our Marsa Alam web page by September.

 

Author: Anton de Vries
Photographer: Agnes Nyhof

In May my girlfriend Agnes and I took the PADI Dugong Appreciation Distinctive Speciality Course at Emperor Divers in Port Ghalib. In the morning we had the theoretical part of the course in which we learned a lot about the dugong species; about how best to search for it, about how to approach it when you find it and about the data gathering of dugong sightings by Emperor Divers. It was a nice informal session and you could tell our instructor Luke really enjoyed showing the presentation.

After the theory-session we had two dives at Marsa Mubarak in which we put what we learned into practice. We searched on the surface with the speedboat for the Dugong but we were not able to find it at first. During the two dives we saw a lot of turtles on which we practiced approaching big marine life in a sensitive way. It was really great to be able to get so close to a turtle without scaring it away!