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El Gouna
An hour away by boat from the Red Sea's famous wreck haven of Abu Nuhas and a world away from the bustle of Egypt's major underwater tourist hotspots, El Gouna offers an excellent mix of a mellow atmosphere with serious diving. Situated 25km north of Hurghada on the mainland Egyptian Red Sea coast, El Gouna is a self-contained tourist town built on 10km of coastline with access to more than 40 excellent dive sites.
Although El Gouna does not fall under the remit of any national marine park authority, the area has a strong underwater conservation philosophy. Installed and maintained with the help of the Hurghada Environmental Protection Association (HEPCA).
There are dives to suit all levels of experience, from beginners to experienced and technical-qualified divers. All the dive sites are within a 30-minute to two-hour boat journey.
Abu Nuhas is the greatest draw for shore-based divers in El Gouna. One of the greatest concentrations of wrecks in the Red Sea, the sunken vessels of the 19th century Carnatic, the impressive Chrisoula K, photofriendly Giannis D and the 100m-long Kimon M wrecks are all scattered here in ideal recreational depths.
Another nearby wreck to El Gouna shores is the 115m-long Rosalie Muller, the sister ship of the world-famous Red Sea lain structure of the Thistlegorm. The Rosalie Muller lies between 20m and 46m, so a popular excursion for extended range/technical divers.
Lying to the east of El Gouna is a site often described as an aquarium, where divers frequently encounter dolphins. Dolphin House is part of the huge Shaab el Erg reef system and accessible in all weather conditions.The reef acts as a shelter to a resident pod of bottlenose dolphins. However, these are wild dolphins, so playful diving encounters with them are common but far from guaranteed.
The town is created on a canal-like network of islands among fine sand beaches and shallow lagoons where visitors can experience a whole raft of other watersports, from kite-surfing to canoeing. There are also many activities on offer on land, with an 18 hole USPGA championship golf course, tennis, horse riding, beach volley ball and yoga on the beach.
Little bridges link the different sections of the resort and tourists commute by rickshaw (tuk tuk) between the hotels, the old town and the marina as well as attractions such as a large open-air cinema. The standards of restaurants here are excellent and there is a huge variety of international cuisine to choose from. If you are on half or full board within El Gouna's many hotels, it is worth taking part in the area's unique Dine Around scheme. You are given vouchers which can be used and exchanged in most of the top restaurants within the resort.
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 The diving industry in Egypt is regulated by the Chamber of Diving and Watersports. For your safety and quality of service, ensure you book with a CDWS member operator. All CDWS members have passed an ISO audit to meet European standards for recreational diving in order to obtain their operating licence from the Ministry of Tourism.
For a full list of legal dive operators in Egypt click here:
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