Red Sea Dive Resorts - Safaga

Laila Popper

Safaga Dive Centre Manager



Born in Berlin and surrounded by lakes, I was always drawn to the water. It was no surprise, then, that when I started diving in 1989 on the Maldives, I was hooked straight away.

After finishing my instructor training in 1992 I came to Egypt planning to stay for a short spell and have been here ever since. I gained my first working experience (in diving) in Safaga, and then settled in Hurghada. Now, returning to Safaga almost 15 years later, I find it almost unchanged, still preserving the charm of the 'old Egypt'.

Coming from a diving family myself, it is important to me to get the balance right for divers of all ages and experience levels. That way we make everyone's diving holiday an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Seeing past guests return with their children and friends gives me great pleasure and a great sense of achievement.

My qualifications include:

• PADI MSDT Instructor, holding 11 Specialty Instructor Certifications, such as: Deep Diver, U/W Naturalist, U/W Navigator, Night Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Wreck Diver Project Aware, AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialty, Enriched Air Diver, U/W Photographer, Dolphin Rebreather Instructor
• Active PADI member for 15 years
• Certified Scubapro technician
• BSAC Instructor

At the moment we are only a small team at Emperor Safaga but we are enjoying the challenge of setting up a new centre and I am sure we will be expanding soon! We look forward to welcoming you to this 'authentic' and peaceful corner of Egypt.