From: michael@cs.huji.ac.il (Michael Naaman)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Diving in Israel
Date: 27 Jan 1993 05:22:20 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


   A few days ago someone posted a question about diving in Israel. I don't
have it here, but I'll give some info.

   General:  Israel lies between two seas: the Mediterranean & the Red Sea.
The Mediterranean is a 'pond' - it's much shallower than the Red Sea, and 
much less marine-life. There are no actual real big reefs there. But - 
there are wreck (quite alot), and its good for fishing. I personally don't
like it there - you have to take a boat to reach somewhere of interest, and
I don't fish, so I find the Med a place I don't dive in.
   The Red Sea, in contrary, is a deep sea (actually, one to become an
ocean in time - it has a mid-oceanic ridge in it). In the west coast of it,
some very big and beautiful reefs were formed, due to very specific conditions.
The Red Sea is certainly THE place to dive in the area. The water temp is
constant - 20-24 Deg C.

   Clubs (shops): Eilat is the only remaining connection to the Red Sea in 
Israel. So diving is concentrated there. There are several dive clubs 
there, so one can choose. I personally recommend Aqua Sport club - its the
first club in Israel, and a very professional one. I've done there my basic
** course (sort of AOW or OWII), and also my *** (DiveMaster) course. The 
staff there are nice and helpful, the gear is OK, and they keep it in good
condition. They also organize daily tours to sites in the area, and 
SEA-FARY's to Sinai (more on Sinai later). Other clubs are The Red Sea 
Sports Center, Lucky Divers, The Dolphin Reef, The Lighthouse - they are
all OK but I've heard bad things about the gear in Red Sea Sports Club. At 
the dolphin reef - they have dolphins, but it costs you money just the 
entrance, and if you want to dive with them, you have to pay more. All of
these clubs are a little south of Eilat the city itself. 
   In the Mediterranean, There are clubs and shops all long the coast - but
I can't recommend of any, because I don't dive there alot. 

   Accommodation: Eilat is a tourist city, so you can find there places for 
every budget. Aqua Sports hold a small hostel, not very comfortable, but 
quite cheap (25 NIS/night. 2.8 NIS = 1$usa). There's a cheap hotel across
the road called Caravan, and they give 10% discount to divers.

   Prices: A full gear a-day is 95 NIS. filling a tank is 10 NIS. You also
MUST do a sort of insurance - its about 18$ for three month's, and you must
have it (because Israeli law requires insurance for diving, and no-one will
rent you gear if you don't have one).

   Sinai: The best diving places are in Sinai. You can just cross the border
and go to Dahab, Sharm-el-sheikh and many other places. More info you can 
find in Eilat. BUT: Sinai has very dangerous places, and it is very 
recommended to dive there with someone who already been there before, and
knows the places.

=====>   Michael
           CS System Group, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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| Dreams are like water, Colourless and Dangerous (TMC - Blood).           |
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| All opinions expressed here are mine - nothing to do with my employer.   |
|						Michael			   |
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Newsgroups: rec.scuba,rec.boats