Diving in Egypt is an absolute feast, with visibility up to 40 meters the Red Sea is so clear you find yourself feeling like you are floating in an aquarium. With many dive sites around you can really take your pick every day and have a completely different experience every time. From cave dives to open sea and technical to easy peasy, the Red Sea is for everybody… When you actually book a trip with a diving company that is!
When we were still alone…
As we explored the Ras Mohamed National Park for 2 days, we started off early in the morning driving from Dahab to the park. We were a small group of divers with guides and driver, and the little bay we planned to dive in was blissfully quiet upon arrival. After getting our gear in order, squeezing ourselves in wetsuits and bcd, we were ready to get in and explore the joys of the underwater world. Diving is world class and with the help of our guide we managed to find some well hidden sea life, making the dive another big success.
As the dive site is around a corner from the cove we started in, coming up from the depths you literally ‘pop up’ from underneath. This is a fun way to exit, if only the bay was not now filled with a busload full of Russian tourists in thongs! There is little more horrifying than coming from a magical underwater experience only to bump into people’s asses… Even worse, with little regard for the local customs (thongs and topless is NOT the way to go in Egypt) or those around you.
Of course we would have gotten over that very quickly, if after finding our balance again we were not unpleasantly surprised by a big bulky Russian in a hefty discussion with our driver. Things were seeming to get ugly as our diveguide got involved to stop the debate, which turned out to be a demand to be taken on a dive trip then and there! As you drive into Ras Mohamed with all your gear, and thus the tanks you pack are the tanks you have available for the day, there were not tanks for him available. Beyond this of course… how about just booking a dive trip like all of us do?
Entry to Ras Mohamed National Park 
Getting ready to dive! 
No room for extra tanks…
We were left dumbfounded by the sheer rudeness of the whole thing, but it would not be the only time we were unpleasantly surprised by rich Russians acting like they own the world. While we are sure money can buy a lot, decency and respect would be the way to go anywhere in the world!