Your first dive in the Red Sea
No licence needed: a try-dive from a day boat with an instructor beside you, on a reef chosen for beginners.
- Where
- Reefs off Hurghada, Red Sea
- Length
- Full day by boat
- Needs
- None; a medical questionnaire comes first
The story
A try-dive is not a certification. PADI's Discover Scuba Diving experience is for people aged 10 and over, starts in shallow water and goes no deeper than 12 metres, always under the direct supervision of a professional (PADI).
Hurghada's day boats reach sheltered reefs within an hour of the harbour. Beginners' reviews single out one thing above all others: an instructor who stays with them from the first breath to the last. That is what we ask for.
What happens
Hotel collection and a medical questionnaire before anyone goes in the water.
A briefing on the boat: breathing, equalising your ears and the hand signals you will use.
A first dive in shallow water with your instructor holding the pace, then a second if you want it.
Lunch on board between dives, and snorkelling for anyone who prefers to stay at the surface.
A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The final arrangements and order are agreed before booking.
Who it suits
Comfort in water, a clean medical questionnaire and patience with your ears. You do not need to be a strong swimmer, but you need to be willing.
- Previous experience
- None; a medical questionnaire comes first
- Minimum age
- 10 and over (PADI's standard)
- Best season
- Year-round; the sea is coolest from January to March
- What you see
- Hard coral, reef fish and, with luck, a turtle
Time and travel
- Starting location
- Hurghada
- Total time
- Full day by boat
- Active time
- One or two dives of about 30–45 minutes
Times are planning estimates. Confirm pickup, travel from your accommodation and the time you need to be back. Our effort judgement: moderate.
Our recommendation
Day boats mix beginners and experienced divers. We ask for the instructor ratio and the reef before we book, not after.
What we confirm before you go
- A dive centre licensed through CDWS, and an instructor-to-beginner ratio agreed in advance
- Your answers to the medical questionnaire, and a doctor's sign-off where it asks for one
- The reef, the boat and whether national park fees are paid on the day
- A 24-hour gap between diving and any flight
Every item is settled in writing before anything is arranged.
Where it fits
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Questions?
Ask about “Your first dive in the Red Sea”
Tell us your dates, where you will be and who is coming. We confirm the host, the timing, the price for your party and the terms before anything is booked.
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. Arranged on request; we confirm every detail before anything is booked.
Photography credits (6)
Igorgalli, CC BY-SA 4.0; Wikicomman, CC BY-SA 4.0; cattan2011, CC BY 2.0; Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0; Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0. Resized and cropped for display.
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