Dive Review of Red Sea Divng Safari/Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge in
Red Sea/Marsalam

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Red Sea Divng Safari/Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge: "first time after C 19", Oct, 2021, by Michael Joest, Kehl, DE ( Top Contributor 49 reports with 30 Helpful votes). Report 11671 has 1 Helpful vote.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Egypt, Marsalam, Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge My travel plans and attempt in September to fly to Madagascar, Nosy Sakatia again went down the drain for the 3. time due to C 19. The prime minister of the country would decide in the middle of October if and when he would allow western tourists into the country again, my travel agent told me. For more than 1.5 years I had not done any serious diving neither at home in cold water nor in warm waters abroad. I longed for the deep blue. The big question where to get wet again arose. The Maldives and Red Sea were more or less open for European tourists, so I chose the latter. I had already visited Sharm el Sheik for the Thistlegorm, went to El Quesier for jeep safari and day boat trips, Hugharda for more of that plus live aboard and last not least to Port Ghalib for a 2 week trip on board the Royal Evolution into Sudanese waters (see undercurrent June 2013 ). This time I planned to head south to Marsalam and found some Eco Lodge resort named Marsa Shagra village. Tents and chalets were offered which looked cozy to me. Diving concerned they promised trips to Elphinstone reef and Fury Shoals, house reef and jeep safaris north or southward. Went from Frankfurt with Condor, took a bit of time to get through all the checks this time. We have the 3 G rule, you are allowed to enter or participate in things when you are vaccinated, tested or had recovered from the disease (3 G = geimpft, getestet, genesen) The resort sits right next to the beach with 2 different tents and huts to choose from. There is a small tent, a bit larger one, a hut, which all have shared facilities and a bungalow or chalet with your own shower and toilet, which I prefer. Meals were lovely mixtures of Arabic and Western buffet however behind Plexiglas to be on the safe side. Desserts were a lovely and colorful mouthwatering dream. All soft drinks coffee and tea were included, alcohol came extra. Dive center a huge place right next to the reception, they run a smooth and efficient operation, nitrox 3 €, 15 liter tanks 2 € each. The beautiful house reef offers trips south of north with entry from the beach and back, out with Zodiac and back to shore or again pick up by inflatable. With buddy you can go as often as you like each day, you only had to sign in on a big board to make sure, you will be back in a while. Same went on for night diving. You could find nearly everything there, starting with a scorpion fish called “Walkman” to surgeons, lions, trigger, puffer, hundreds of anthiasis, crocodile, moray eels, turtles, eagle ray, blue spotted sting ray etc. even dolphins came. Weather was sunny reaching high thirties each day, a strong wind was blowing nearly every day with white caps on the outer reef, water 28 C For trips to some outer reefs they charge extra, Elphinstone 30 €, nearer places 20 € which adds up to quite some amount diving a 10 day package Getting to Elphinstone in the morning was a tough bumpy and hard ride and for neck vertebrae of a nearly 70 year old guy rather strainful but it was really worth it once looking down into the deep blue onto the reef platform. We had dolphins in the water on the surface which accompanied us down, what awesome begin of my trip. Everybody I guess looked for the evasive longinmanus, only 1 lady was lucky on an early ascend. Once we had 3 liveaboards already on site on arrival. One of these had to reposition and we had horrible noise of engine and propellers for nearly 10 minutes in the water. Some divers plugged their ears with fingers. How can you expect a longimanus to turn up in this noisy atmosphere? Kareem our guide gave thorough briefings before we started and even debriefings right after the dive which you seldom get. He even cautiously criticized us when the group went into different directions and he had to look behind and in front to find all of us. He always stayed on the safe side and took us sometimes a bit early back to the surface when the majority of us were running around 70 bar. The best site for me was Um Hallalala where you swam through an amazing maze of bizarre pillars and boulders with a stunning variety and abundance of hard coral of every species and fish all around. With late afternoon sun this was some fantastic picture and opportunity for great pics. One day I watched others divers air consumption only to forget mine on this. The result was a bad headache and being sick on the surface. I should definitely know this by now diving for nearly 50 years, but this happens to me mostly every other dive trip, badly misjudging my air needs. Guys like me without booties did not like the rather slippery entry into the Zodiac. There are many good examples how to make this safe for entry and exit with full gear. Luckily the crew recognized the problem with the senior divers and always stretched out two hands to safely get us on board. A first for me with so many dives under my belt, a couple celebrated their 100 and 200 dives in our group. To properly do this they suggested a nude early morning dive. I thought well these guys are kidding because often in the evening our jokes reached way into R rated country. Next morning they warned me, “Mike, remember, without wetsuit ..” well I guess in 28 C water I would survive a ¾ hour dive in swimming trunks. In 17 m however the 2 ladies stripped and us 3 guys more or less followed their example. Well it was fun and a totally new experience which normally you only have at home in your own tub. Our guide later told us, he thought this whole thing was “highly inappropriate” – maybe because we had knowingly left him out of the fun back at the center.
Websites	Red Sea Divng Safari
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	worldwide more than 100 destinations, mostly South Pacific and Asia, Africa and Caribbean
Closest Airport	Marsalam	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	27-29°C / 81-84°F	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	10-40 M / 33-131 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Subscriber's Comments

By Frank Nelson in PA, US at Oct 07, 2021 11:29 EST

I had done this resort a few years ago and found it to be quite accommodating and the diving excellent. They did not charge for the trips to the outer reef.

By report author: Michael Joest in Kehl, DE at Oct 07, 2021 11:54 EST

thank you - well, the setting is beautiful and my little chalet was exactly what I´ve been looking for forgot to mention: there is a recompression chamber = hyperbaric center right next across the street the flies around were a damn nuisance, they don´t cruise around you like in Europe but try to crawl into every opening you offer (eyes ears nose ) disgusting that

By Frank Nelson in PA, US at Oct 07, 2021 15:44 EST

When I was there the Dr and his wife who operated the chamber were at the resort everyday I was there and we talked, had dinner, and was invited to tour the chamber and building.

By report author: Michael Joest in Kehl, DE at Oct 08, 2021 00:13 EST

yes, I had to visit the chamber too cause the dogs played a bit too roughly with me in the water close to the beach, got some ugly scratches on my hand, where the dive center suggested more than just betaisodine for treatment to make sure it´s not getting worse - the doc put some antibiotic on it, lucky me

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Dive Review of Red Sea Divng Safari/Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge in Red Sea/Marsalam

Red Sea Divng Safari/Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge: "first time after C 19", Oct, 2021,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Red Sea Divng Safari/Marsa Shagra Eco Lodge in
Red Sea/Marsalam