Travel Information

Travel Information

If you are traveling you may find a lot of adventures; to keep them as enjoyable as possible we like to give you some useful information for traveling on the Sinai Peninsula.

Diving in General

All divers diving with Diving Camp Nuweiba, with the exception of those taking entry-level courses, must be qualified divers. It is essential to bring your diving licenses and logbook to show to the dive center, without which you will not be allowed to dive. As a first dive a check dive is mandatory. After a positive result you can do unguided dives on our house reef.

Diving Safety

We require that you maintain safety diving practices. According to Nuweiba rules the maximum depth limit is 40 meters and the maximum ascent rate is 18 meters per minute. Because of all the different opinions we at Diving Camp Nuweiba recommend that you should not dive 24 hours before your flight. PADI and DAN (Divers Alert Network) recommend a 18 hour interval between your last dive and your flight, if you are only doing a single dive; and more than 18 hours if you are doing multiple dives or diving on multiple days.

Diving & Environment

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 for the northern Red Sea area:

• Do not collect, remove or damage any material, living or dead, from protected areas (Corals, shells, fish, plants, fossils, etc.)
• Avoid walking on the reef and it is prohibited to anchor on any reef area. Please use marked access points and entry areas.
• Take care where you walk while entering a dive site.
• 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 & 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 a stamp, looking like a postage stamp. This visa gives you access to anywhere in Egypt. On arrival in Sharm El Sheikh the visas can be purchased as soon as you enter the arrivals hall. If your port of arrival is Taba you can purchase the Visa in the Egyptian Embassy in Eilat if you do not have one yet.

Currency

The Egyptian Pound (LE) is linked closely to the US Dollar. Credit cards are accepted in most major hotels and some restaurants with VISA or MasterCard being the most popular, anyway you will be charged with a service fee between 4 and 5 %. There are several banks and ATM machines available in Nuweiba. Scuba College Diving Camp Nuweiba does not accept any credit cards nor cheques.

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 (mostly in cash). For more serious matters there is a hospital. For diving related facilities there are now 2 re-compression chambers in Sharm El Sheikh as well as one re-compression chamber in Eilat/Israel. A treatment in the chamber is about $750 per hour (So check that you have your own diving insurance and dive conservatively!)

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 leave at about 08:00, you would have to check with Egypt Air as the schedule changes often. Also there are a lot of charter flights from major European cities directly to the Sinai so check with your 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 4 buses per day to Cairo from Nuweiba, this is a trip of about 6 hours covering 500km. Popular buses are called the "Super jet" gets you to Cairo at night. They cost 70LE for a ticket. There are also regular buses to Dahab, Sharm El Sheikh, St Catherine's, Suez and Taba.

Ferry:

There is a ferry between Aqaba and Nuweiba. This runs on a very variable schedule, with a catamaran that takes about 60 minutes or the ferry that takes about 4 hours. There is a ferry from Sharm El Sheikh to Hurghada, which leaves at around 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 20LE this covers most journeys within Nuweiba. It is also used to travel longer distances but then you must sort out the price before starting the journey. As for example a taxi from Sharm El Sheikh Airport to the Diving Camp is about 250 LE.

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 Nuweiba the normal clothing is shorts and t-shirts or any other style of loose cotton. With the number of shops here that sell t-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!!! For trips or excursions into the desert we recommend to wear a hat and shirts and trousers with long sleeves to protect against the burning sun. If you plan a trip to St. Katherine or Mt. Moses we recommend some warm clothes, because it can be quite cold in the mountains at night.

Tipping

Egypt is the country of "Bakshish". Small tips are expected for everything. After joining a day trip accompanied by Bedouins a tip between 5 and 10 LE is expected, but is usually including a cup of Bedouin tea as well. Groups on boats are expected to give small tip to the crew 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.

Diving

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. If you do not have an A-valve on your 1st stage please also take an adapter with you. You can also rent it for a small fee on our counter.