| | Hamata/Berenice is the absolute must for the keen scuba diver. A diving holiday in this remote area of the Red Sea, has all what the Red Sea is famous for. Starting from the outskirts of the Wadi el Gemal National Park, the area of Hamata/Berenice is a place out of the world and the gateway to Africa. Remote, isolated, paradisiac, the area of Hamata/Berenice is for those who can do without nightlife, clubs and mad shopping, and love to be in the wilderness. The most famous dive sites of the South Marine Park, once reachable only with liveaboards, are at your doorstep. The Hamata/Berenice marine area is protected, as many other areas in Egypt, and diving centres here operate under environment-friendly procedures. Starting from year 1995, local authorities, NGO’s and international bodies such as USAID have co-operated in the conservation of the underwater life of the region. Nowadays, regular checks and upgrades ensure the presence of mooring buoys in all dive sites. Hamata has become in the last few years a favourite port of departure for liveaboard trips to out-of-the-way offshore and southern regions. Particularly attractive are the three remote islands: Daedalus, Rocky and Zabargad; and the two outer reef systems: Fury Shoal and St John Reef. | Dive sites in Hamata/Berenice | Scuba diving in Hamata/Berenice can be performed from shore, or with comfortable boats going out for a day or a half-day trip. The area offers some of the top-class dive sites in the Red Sea Riviera. Places such as the fabled Qulan Islands, Sha’ab Makhsour, Sha’ab Ossama, Sattaya and Sha’ab Claude are now almost at your doorstep and reachable on day trips. Here are some of the most famous dive sites in Hamata/Berenice: - Sattaya: the second Dolphin House of the South. A crescent-shaped large reef home to a huge pod of timid Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris).
- Sha’ab Makhsour: only for experienced divers, this is the big tower plummeting to unfathomable depths where there is a constant passage of pelagics, with the highest number of shark species present in the Red Sea.
- Sha’ab Claude: a scuba diver playground, with its labyrinth of coral canyons, crevices and overhangs playing awesome natural light and sound shows.
Check out our Diving and Snorkelling Maps to have an idea of the location, accessibility and experience level required to dive in the Hamata/Berenice dive sites. | Hamata/Berenice Diving Services | Hamata/Berenice is an area under development, with very few hotels, eco-lodges and diving centres already operating. Most of its coastal area belongs to the Wadi el Gemal National Park, where only eco-lodges are allowed to be built. The few diving centres present at the moment offer reliable and professional services, ranging from scuba diving beginner certification courses to professional courses and technical diving, and providing guided dives to the area's outstanding reefs, introductory dives and diving packages, with one, two or more dives per day, for those who are certified. For the non-licensed diving enthusiasts, the centres offer free of charge pool intro’s, where visitors can experience the thrill of scuba diving on a one-to-one basis with a diving instructor in the hotel’s swimming pool. The Hamata/Berenice diving centres also offer experience programmes, where the visitor can try actual dives in the sea straight away, under the strict supervision of a diving professional. Hamata/Berenice, with its wealth of unforgettable dive sites, is an ideal location of the Red Sea Riviera in Egypt to spend a diving holiday. |
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