If you have been to Sharm El Sheikh before, please share your experiences, ideas and feedback (Hotel, Excursions, General Feeling,…) in the comments section below, by doing so you will help fellow travellers to plan their next trip
Sharm el Sheikh combines beach time with access to local reefs, Ras Mohammed and the Strait of Tiran. It suits a diving-focused week, a resort holiday or a mixed group in which some people prefer snorkelling and evenings on land.
Choose your base before comparing a long list of excursions. The resort areas are spread along the coast, and a hotel near your preferred beach is not necessarily close to the dive boat’s harbour or the restaurants you want to visit.
In this page you will find practical information to plan a scuba diving trip to Sharm El Sheikh:
Table of contents
Where to stay?
I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Sharm El Sheikh as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.
Sharm has both large resort packages and independently bookable accommodation. Compare Na’ama Bay, the Hadaba/Old Sharm area, Shark’s Bay and Nabq by actual hotel location, beach access and daily transport. Do not assume one bay is always the cheapest or that independent travel is impractical.
For a diver, useful questions are where the equipment is stored, whether pickup is included and how early it starts. For a non-diver, check the beach entry, pools, shade, meal plan and activities available without joining a diving boat.
A dated non-diver stay example
Camel’s seven-night snorkelling-and-hotel package lists €495 per person for the period through 20 November 2026 and €425 for 1–20 December 2026, based on two sharing. It includes continental breakfast, two boat-snorkelling days, return airport transfers and 14% VAT. Lunch is €10 and the park fee €7 per person per boat day: adding both on two days gives €529 or €459 respectively, before flights and other spending.
The package requires advance booking and a deposit; payments are non-refundable. Single occupancy costs more. Confirm availability and equipment arrangements for your dates. This is one specific holiday product, not a general Sharm hotel-price estimate.
Activities and excursions in Sharm El Sheikh
A boat day for snorkellers or passengers
Aquarius’s Sharm tariff, checked 24 October 2026 in GBP, lists a full-day snorkelling trip at £55 with gear, guide, lifejacket, lunch, soft drinks, park fees, taxes and Sharm transfers. The full-day passenger-only option is £44 with lunch, drinks, fees and transfers; it is a different product from guided snorkelling. Its half-day snorkelling offer is £42 with snacks and soft drinks.
Confirm the exact route, pickup, swimming expectations, child policy and weather arrangements. Ras Mohammed and Tiran are alternative programmes, not a promise to visit both on one day. A non-diver should not assume every wreck-diving trip provides suitable snorkelling.
Time on land
The Old Market, an evening in Na’ama Bay and a beach afternoon are simple options between boat days. Sharm al-Sheikh Museum adds Egyptian history without a long mainland excursion. The Ministry lists foreign-adult entry at EGP200 and student entry at EGP100, with sessions at 10am–1pm and 5pm–11pm; ticket sales close one hour earlier. Ramadan hours differ.
A Dahab visit or a desert excursion needs separate transport and enough time. For Mount Sinai or St Catherine, check current access, the actual route, fitness demands and altitude after diving. Arrange activities outside resorts with approved operators and follow current regional advice rather than treating every desert trip as interchangeable.
Best time to visit Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm offers holidays throughout the year. Summer brings hot days, while winter evenings and boat rides can feel cool in the wind. Spring and autumn can suit a trip mixing water activities with time outdoors on land.
Packing for the whole day means bringing sun protection as well as a warmer layer for after swimming. Wind can change boat routes or beach access in any season, so a flexible schedule leaves room for a museum visit or a quieter day when the sea is unsuitable.
Health and Safety
Review current regional travel advice before choosing inland or cross-border excursions. Restrictions vary within Sinai; advice for a coastal resort does not automatically apply to every road or mountain route. Carry the documents requested for checkpoints and use approved operators for trips outside resorts.
Check insurance for your actual activities, including diving and evacuation if needed. Ask the centre about oxygen, communications and its emergency plan. Follow beach closures and local swimming instructions.
DAN recommends at least 12 hours before flying after one no-decompression dive, or 18 hours after repetitive dives or multiple diving days, for divers without symptoms. Longer intervals reduce risk; decompression dives need longer planning. Discuss altitude exposure before a mountain excursion, and do not fly with possible diving-injury symptoms.
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Sharm El Sheikh, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Where is Sharm El Sheikh located in the world?
Sharm el Sheikh is at the southern end of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, between desert mountains and the Red Sea. Hurghada is across the sea on the mainland, while Dahab lies farther north on the Sinai coast.
Sharm regional orientation
Arrange your Sharm El Sheikh airport transfer to the booked hotel, then confirm the jetty and pickup for each boat day. A hotel transfer does not automatically include the journey to the excursion’s departure point.
Sharm reef and wreck orientation map
CDWS reference positions distinguish local sites, Tiran, Ras Mohammed and longer wreck excursions. These are not a sailing itinerary, harbour positions or underwater navigation instructions.
1. Middle Garden · 2. Ras Umm Sid · 3. Shark and Yolanda · 4. Jackson · 5. Thomas · 6. Thistlegorm · 7. Dunraven
How to get to Sharm El Sheikh?
Flights and hotel transfers
Sharm el Sheikh International Airport (SSH) is the flight gateway for a resort stay, with direct services or a Cairo connection depending on your dates. The useful comparison is the complete journey: baggage rules, dive-equipment charges and the onward hotel transfer can change the value of a tempting airfare.
A prearranged pickup makes the arrival easier, especially when you are travelling with dive equipment. Your hotel or dive operator will need the flight number and exact accommodation; agreeing the meeting point and delay arrangements in advance avoids uncertainty at arrivals. A package may include this transfer even when a separately booked room does not.
Road and sea connections
For a road journey from Cairo, confirm the current service, departure terminal, luggage allowance, journey time and arrival point. Allow for checkpoints and avoid building a tight same-day boat connection around a quoted road time.
Travel from Eilat involves the Taba border, then separate onward arrangements. Check border opening, entry eligibility and current charges; it is not simply a direct city bus connection. The Dahab guide helps if you want to divide the holiday between the two bases.
For a Hurghada–Sharm ferry connection, obtain an operator-confirmed sailing and booking for your date before arranging onward travel. Otherwise, compare available flight or road options.
Do I need a visa for Sharm El Sheikh?
Entry rules depend on nationality, arrival point and itinerary. The official Egyptian e-Visa portal lists tourist e-Visas at US$30 single-entry or US$65 multiple-entry and requires an eligible passport with at least six months’ validity from arrival.
For British citizens arriving by air at Sharm, UK government guidance says a free entry-permission stamp applies to stays of less than 15 days at specified Sinai resorts. Travel outside those resort areas or a longer stay requires a visa. This is not a universal visa exemption for every passport or trip.
Tell the operator your planned boat route and any inland excursion before deciding which permission you need. A mainland extension to Cairo or Hurghada needs the appropriate Egyptian entry permission. Check current rules with the authorities for your nationality.
Getting Around
An agreed hotel pickup or taxi is a straightforward way to move between bays, the marina and an evening out, with the total fare and return arrangements settled before leaving. Local minibuses are another option once you know the route and stop, though they are less convenient with dive equipment or an early boat departure to catch.
For a relaxed evening, plan around the area where you are staying rather than assuming all of Sharm is walkable. The Old Market and Na’ama Bay offer different settings for a meal or a stroll.
Sharm travel questions
Can I book Sharm independently?
Yes. Compare a separately booked hotel and diving programme with a package on the same dates, meal plan and transfer basis.
Is the free Sinai stamp enough for every trip?
No. It depends on nationality, arrival point, length of stay and route. Confirm mainland and inland excursions before arrival.
Can non-divers join a boat?
Selected boats offer guided snorkelling or passenger places. These have different inclusions and suitability from a diving trip.
Does a hotel package include park fees?
Not always. The Camel example excludes the daily park fee and boat lunch, while the cited Aquarius snorkelling product includes them.
Can I climb Mount Sinai just after diving?
Plan altitude exposure with appropriate diving-medical guidance, as well as checking access, fitness and current regional advice.
Travel and operator information checked 24 October 2026.
Sharm El Sheikh Photos
Scuba diving
You will find all information about sea life, best time to visit, top dive spots, etc. in our review: Sharm El Sheikh Diving
Diving Reviews for this region
Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm combines local reef diving with Ras Mohammed, Tiran and separately planned wreck excursions. Match the route and dive profile to your experience.
Liveaboard Reviews in Sharm El Sheikh
MV Seawolf Dominator
A shaded dive deck, room to relax outside and a choice of northern and southern programmes make Dominator an appealing base for a week devoted to diving. Choose the route first: a Tiran week and a marine-park week ask different things of a diver.
MV Blue Melody
Photos: Blue Melody gallery supplied through LiveAboard.com.
MV Snefro Love
Photos: Snefro Love gallery supplied through LiveAboard.com.
Freedom VIII
Freedom VIII is a 22-metre liveaboard for up to eleven guests, sailing from Umbi Sharks Bay in Sharm El Sheikh. Five cabins and a choice of shorter safaris make it an appealing size for friends who would rather share a boat than join a large group. Its
MV Dreams
1 / 6Photographs: MV Dreams gallery on LiveAboard.com.Since 1989, Sea Serpent Fleet, a luxury-class motor yacht diving operation, has operated liveaboard safari vessels in the Egyptian Red Sea. Sister ship to MV Miss Nouran, MV Dreams was presented in
MY Golden Dolphin II
Checked 24 October 2026. Divernet reported a fire aboard Golden Dolphin II in Hurghada on 28 February 2026, citing a joint operator and CDWS announcement. The boat was docked for maintenance, with no guests aboard, and no injuries were reported. The ex
MY Emperor Superior
Photos: Emperor Superior gallery supplied through LiveAboard.com.
MY Snefro Spirit
Photos: Snefro Spirit gallery supplied through LiveAboard.com.
MY Seawolf Felo
Status checked 24 October 2026. The Scuba News reported in November 2022 that Felo had struck a reef and sunk. The current Seawolf fleet page lists Dominator and Steel; the specialist Felo booking listing is marked unavailable.
MY Miss Nouran
MY Miss Nouran is the perfect Red Sea liveaboard if you are looking for an economical liveaboard without sacrificing security and quality service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gynVdjQMaeY Aside from great diving, guests will be connected to the onli
The last time I was in Sharm el Sheikh, I lived at the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf, which I definately can recommend. It’s a very nice resort and there is a choral reef right by. I also went on a few excursions with Atlantis Rejser, that I traveled with. I went to Dahab, Blue Hole and Three Pools. All recommendable if you are a fan of amazing chorals and beautiful fish