Your first dive in Sharm El Sheikh: trial dive from a boat, a beach session or a full course
7 min read
For most people trying scuba for the first time, the boat day is the one to book: the White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel trip, 9 hours, from €29.02 per person, rated 4.9 from 3,811 reviews. One introductory dive with an instructor, snorkelling on the reef stops, a sandbank and lunch on board. If you want two dives in one day and have children of 11 or over, the 8-hour Ras Mohamed and White Island trip with diving and lunch is the alternative. If you only want to find out whether you like breathing underwater, the 2-hour beach session is the cheapest way in, at €22.50. If you want a certificate, none of the trial dives gives you one, and you need the course.
None of this needs a diving certificate, which is the first thing to understand. All of it is a supervised “try dive”, and the differences between the trips are mostly about how long you are under, where, and who is allowed.
Three ways to try it, and one way to learn
A trial dive from a boat. You motor out to Ras Mohammed, kit up on deck with the instructor and go in. This is the version with the best scenery, because you are on the reef rather than at a beach. The cost is a long day: if you decide halfway that you do not like it, you are still on the boat.
A trial dive from a beach. A short transfer, a briefing on sand, and the dive from the shore. It is a fraction of the time and money, and nothing else is on the plan except the swim.
A course. This is the only option that ends with a card. Trial dives do not, however good the instructor.
The boat trip with one dive
The White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel trip is the same boat day as the big snorkelling trips (more on those in Ras Mohammed and White Island by boat), with a dive added. The booking page says:
After a short safety briefing, dive with a certified instructor for 10–15 minutes to a depth of up to 7 metres
Read the figures before you pay: ten to fifteen minutes, seven metres. That is a taste, and a decent one, but it is not an hour among sharks. The rest of the day is two guided snorkelling stops on Ras Mohamed’s reefs, the sandbank at White Island and a buffet lunch with unlimited soft drinks, tea and coffee. Hotel pickup is included.
Two things to check in the booking options. The booking page lists the introductory dive for ages 10 to 50, “if selected”, and the park ticket, marina fees and snorkelling gear as items that depend on the option you choose. So the headline price is not necessarily the price of the day you want. Pick the option with the dive, and see that the park entrance is on it before you pay. The page also asks for passport details for the boat permit.
See availability and prices for the White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel trip
The boat trip with two dives
The Ras Mohamed and White Island trip with snorkelling, diving and lunch takes eight hours and costs €32.40, rated 4.9 from 2,040 reviews. It promises two introductory dives at two sites inside Ras Mohammed National Park, plus snorkelling, White Island and lunch on a yacht. The park fee, life jackets for everyone and photos and videos of the snorkelling and diving are in the inclusions, and snorkelling gear is listed “if option is selected”.
The booking page states plainly: guests aged 11 and over may dive, guests under 11 may snorkel only. It also lists “people with pre-existing medical conditions” as not suitable. Whether that applies to you is a question for your doctor before you book, not for a tour page. The page does not give a depth or the minutes under water for these dives, so ask the operator if it matters to you.
Compare the two boats on age alone: one booking page lists the dive for ages 10 to 50, the other 11 and over. Different operators set different limits, and for a child of 10 or a first-timer over 50, that is the whole decision.
See dates and prices for the eight-hour trip with two dives and lunch
The short beach session
The Discover Scuba Diving session from a Sharm beach is listed at 2 hours, from €22.50, rated 4.8 from 17 reviews. It includes hotel pickup and drop-off, an instructor, an introductory dive, a snorkelling opportunity, food and drinks. There is no previous experience required, and the page says depth and duration are adapted to how you feel.
This is the one that excludes more people. The page lists as not suitable people with heart problems, wheelchair users, non-swimmers and people with respiratory issues. Touching marine life is not allowed. Twelve reviews is a small sample, so read them yourself, and note that it does not say how deep or how long.
It suits someone who is curious, wants one hour of it and does not want to spend a day on a boat. It does not suit anyone who wants a reef; you get the shore at the spot you are taken to.
See availability and prices for the two-hour beach session
The course
The PADI diving courses package is the one to look at if you want to be allowed to dive without an instructor holding your hand. The listing says you can choose a single trial lesson, or a 2 or 3-day course, to PADI open-water standard, with 2 to 3 days duration. It starts at €314.84 and is rated 4.8 from 12 reviews. Which option that starting price belongs to, and what the longer ones cost and cover, is on the booking page.
PADI’s own rules put the minimum age for the Open Water course at 10, with junior limits on depth and the need to dive with an adult for the youngest. PADI certification rules For a holiday you will spend two or three days of it learning, so this suits people who are going to dive again, not people who are curious about one afternoon.
See the PADI course options and prices
The four side by side
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel | 9 hours | €29.02 | 4.9 (3,811) | most first-timers, one dive and a boat day |
| Ras Mohamed and White Island, snorkelling, diving and lunch | 8 hours | €32.40 | 4.9 (2,040) | two dives in a day, ages 11 and over |
| Discover Scuba Diving from the beach | 2 hours | €22.50 | 4.8 (17) | the cheapest try, no boat day |
| PADI diving courses package | 2 to 3 days | €314.84 | 4.8 (12) | people who want a certificate |
The difference between the first and second row is €7.91 and one extra dive. The third row is cheaper than either boat day, but it is also the one with the fewest reviews, twelve.
Things to know before you book
Do not assume snorkelling gear, the park fee and a dive are one price. On the boat trips they are listed as “if selected” options, and reading the page tells you which option you are buying.
If you are not a confident swimmer, say so when you book. The beach session lists non-swimmers as not suitable; the boat trips do not say, so ask.
Tell the instructor about anything medical on the day, and see a doctor beforehand if you have a condition. This is not something a booking page or this article can decide for you.
If you are not sure you want to go underwater at all, start with snorkelling for beginners, which shows what the water is like at no extra cost. When you want more, all diving trips in Sharm are under diving in Sharm El Sheikh, 13 of them, from €22.50.
Our recommendation
For most first-timers: the White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel trip, from €29.02, 4.9 from 3,811 reviews. One dive of 10 to 15 minutes to 7 metres, snorkelling, lunch, and the park all in a day.
See availability and prices for the White Island and Ras Mohamed dive and snorkel trip
If you want a second dive and everyone in the party is 11 or over, choose the eight-hour trip at €36.00. If you want to try it without giving up a day, the two-hour beach session at €22.50 is the cheap answer, and if you know you want to dive again, the course is the thing to book.
