Taking the Right Diving Equipment for a Holiday in the Red Sea   by Mark Jenner

Most people want to visit the Red Sea at some point in their diving career. Many go back time and time again. For the first time it pays to have some insight of what equipment you should be taking.

When you book a holiday in the Red Sea that involves staying on a boat for the whole week, you can expect to get around 20 dives in during the first 6 days, with the last day resting before your flight home. With up to four dives each day your Scuba Diving equipment takes a lot of wear. As a result it is sensible to thoroughly check all your gear before the trip. If your regulator is due for service make sure that it is done before you go.

Flying to a Red Sea destination such as Sharm El Sheik of Marsa Alam means that you will be traveling with a package tour operator. These use charter flights and therefore you must check in advance how much luggage allowance you will be able to take and the cost of anything over and above this. Many airline carriers do not treat scuba divers the same as, for example golfers, when handing out luggage allowance.

Make sure that you take the biggest piece of hand luggage that is permissible as often a further 10 kilograms can be carried in this way. Delicate or valuable items such as your regulators, torch and instruments are better carried in your hand luggage and this relieves your hold baggage allowance quite considerably.

You must think about what diving gear to pack because the baggage allocation may be tight. Your diving suit is the most important item to get right.

For much of the year the Red Sea provides superb warm water diving allowing many people to get away with 3mm shorties at the height of the season. In the winter, from around November to March, many switch to a dry suit as the temperatures can drop below 20 degrees centigrade.

Most people choose to visit the Red Sea between Spring and Autumn and during this time a 5mm full one piece wet suit will suffice, with perhaps an additional rash vest or over-suit in April or October. People have different tolerances to the cold depending on how much body fat they have, but it is better to wear too much than be too cold!

The chances are that you will get to dive at night on perhaps three or four occasions and a good torch will increase the pleasure of doing this. By law a torch must be carried by each diver as part of their emergency equipment. Instead of taking your heavy lantern a good back up torch with a spare between a buddy pair will be adequate in the clear waters of the Red Sea.

The rest of the equipment is pretty standard, but it pays to take light items wherever possible. A reel and delayed surface marker buoy is essential, but leave your heavy Kent stainless steel work of art at home and take a light plastic finger spool. Taking the spring clips off your fins and putting back the plastic ones can save you around 200 grams in baggage allowance!

Staying on a live-aboard is a very relaxed experience, so fortunately there is no need for any formal attire. Shorts, swimming trunks and a couple of tee shirts are all that are required. If you have at least three pairs of swimming shorts with you this means that there should always be a dry pair waiting for you after a dive. And remember – do not forget your sun tan lotion!

About the Author

Mark Jenner has been scuba diving for over 20 years and has trained with both Padi and BSAC. He has visited the Red Sea and other foreign diving resorts many times and enjoys writing about his scuba diving experiences.
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