Diving Holidays to Soma Bay, Red Sea

Accommodation in Soma Bay, Red Sea

SOMA BAY SHERATON         
Inspired by the splendid architecture of the Pharaohs, this luxurious hotel is located 45km south of Hurghada and is set in a beautiful bay surrounded by white sandy beaches, a turquoise blue sea and spectacular coral reefs. The Soma Bay Sheraton is a Five Star resort featuring 277 rooms, 21 suites and 14 beachfront suites all furnished to a high standard with air-conditioning and en suite bathrooms, satellite TV and IDD telephone. All rooms and suites offer breathtaking views of the sea. Some rooms are designed for disabled guests. A wide variety of complimentary recreational activities are available. One of the highlights is an 18-hole (72 par) golf course designed by Gary Player.

ORCA DIVERS newest Dive Centre is based in the Hotel and offers diving activities from the exclusive Soma Bay marina with day boat trips to the pristine dive sites of Abou Soma, Sha'ab Shaer, Abu Kefan, Tobia and Panorama reef.

House Reef

On its eastern coastline, Soma Bay's House Reef extends from Shaab Saiman at the North headland to the Southern tip of Ras Abou Soma, or "Bay Point". This several kilometre long house reef is teeming with a wide assortment of marine life.

A few meters from the tip of the Peninsula is one of the jewels of Soma Bay: Tubya Arbaa. Although the Arabic name refers to the number "four", there are actually seven pillars of coral rising from the sandy bottom. Anthias and basslets cover soft Corals and the occasional napoleon, puffer fish, dozens of lionfish and a large potato cod can be seen there. This is a beautiful dive, yet relatively shallow at 20 meters.

The two other fabulous dives on the northern tip of Soma Bay's House Reef, Ras Umm Hesiwa and Shaab Saiman, are both open to the weather; but, in good conditions, you can see all the fish you could hope for from morays to whitetips, crocodile fish to barracudas and several other species of sharks. Ras Umm Hesiwa is the headland north of Soma Bay. The strong currents mean that more often than not sharks are a common sight, from sleeping whitetips to thresher sharks.

- Four swimming pools - Three restaurants - Six bars - 18-Hole golf course - Tennis - Squash - Fitness centre - Aeorobics

- Croquet - Windsurfing - Water skiing - Catamaran sailing - Deep sea fishing - Pedalos - Organised childrens activities - Desert safaris

ORCA Divers, Soma Bay, Egypt (Red Sea)

Soma Bay offers a variety of watersports activities to please veteran adventure seekers and first-timers alike. Some of the most spectacular Scuba diving and snorkelling can be found at Soma Bay. Famous Red Sea coral reefs are easily accessible from a 420-meter jetty that extends directly from the Dive Centre to the house reef. Also, readily available boat trips to a variety of dive sites are professionally supervised. Even snorkelling around the calm waters of the large bay can yield amazing finds. The Dive Centre run by Orca Divers, offers a full range of courses for beginners and seasoned pros. Orca has been operating in the Red Sea since 1990 and has a reputation for excellence of service and an exceptionally high repeat guest rate of around 90%. As well as offering a full range of recreational diving services, the Orca team have brought their specialist technical diving skills to Soma Bay and offer IANTD and NRC facilities including rebreather training and try dives.

House Reef and Jetty

The Orca Dive Club Soma Bay is situated on a house reef that stretches from the east to the west of the peninsula. Packed with diverse marine life and an abundance of corals it is truly a delight for divers and snorkellers of all experience levels. A 420m jetty extends directly from the dive club to the reef, with electric cars that are available for carrying equipment and divers for effortless access to the reef. A large turquoise-blue lagoon lies at the front of the reef and provides sheltered waters ideal for training. This "House Reef" boasts a spectacular array of marine life from the smallest to the largest creatures. With sightings of large pelagics like barracuda, turtles and eagle rays being more the order of the day than rarities.

You will be transported down the long private jetty in one of several club cars. On arrival at the equipment assembling point, you can strap on your tank and then its just a case of dropping in over the side of the jetty. Once in the water you will be captivated by the abundance of fish this incredible hard coral fringe reef has to offer. This coral growth starts directly below the surface, so is ideal for snorkelling and gradually drops down to 40m+. Frequently spotted species include giant morays, colourful nudibranchs, various large groupers as well as porcupine puffer fish and turtles. Large pelagics dart out of the blue water to visit one of the numerous cleaning stations and eagle rays and mantas are no rarity here!

Boats

You will find a fleet of dedicated hard boats in operation at the Orca Dive Club Soma Bay. The highly experienced and friendly crew guarantee to take you safely and comfortably to only the best dive sites. All boats are equipped with the necessary safety equipment inline with international standards. You will find oxygen, first-aid, VHF marine radios, lifejackets and state of the art communication and navigational aids on-board. Concentrating on a high level of quality and service the Orca Dive Club Soma Bay offers a variety of daily boat trips (excursions). The main focus is a full day trips departing on one of the spacious and comfortable dedicated dive (hard boats) boats with a highly trained and experienced crew to make sure only to take you to the best dive sites. After the first dive there is the possibility to enjoy a delicious cooked meal freshly prepared by the on-board chef, and enjoy a siesta on the spacious sundeck. During the surface interval the crew will take you to another dive site for the second dive of the day. Half day charters with only 1 dive are also arranged on request.

Rental Equipment

State of the art and top of the range rental equipment, which is serviced regularly in accordance with manufacturers recommendations guarantee a comfortable and safe diving experience. 50 complete sets of equipment are available at any given time. This also includes dedicated "Kids" diving equipment.

Nitrox for Free 

The popularity of Nitrox diving is increasing year by year, for it is simply said just SAFER. Safety first is the philosophy of all Orca Dive Clubs. The Orca Dive Club Soma Bay offers Nitrox as an alternative to compressed air to every qualified NITROX diver. NITROX for FREE! (32%) Other EAN mixtures are available on request for a small surcharge.

Diver Training

Since first opening their doors in 1992 Orca Dive Clubs have trained countless divers from all over the globe. Orca Dive Clubs have endeavoured to make educational excellence our trade mark, with safety and realistic practical training being in the foreground when introducing students to new experiences in the "silent world". Their strengths are not only the highly qualified and experience staff of multi-national instructors (German, English, French, and Arabic are spoken) but the logistical support to teach it right. With dedicated air conditioned classroom equipped with a full multi-media studio, ( beamer, DVD/Video, audio cassette/CD, laptops and PC's) to rebreather facility with dedicated servicing and storage areas. Whatever the type of training your are looking for, rest assured that the Orca Dive Club Soma Bay are there to help and assist you every step of the way.

Prices for Soma Bay , Red Sea

PRICE: From £655 per person / 7 nights

Price Includes:  flights, transfers, airport taxes, 7 nights accommodation, bed & breakfast and 10 boat dives. Prices differ month to month and special offers do become available from time to time.