Dive with Sharks at Hurghada Grand Aquarium

This is a controlled-environment dive inside the main tank at Hurghada Grand Aquarium, sharing the water with the sharks, rays and large reef fish that visitors normally watch through the glass. It lasts about 35 minutes.

The value of it is not bravado. It is proximity and time. In the open sea a shark encounter lasts seconds and happens at distance; here you are in the water with them for half an hour, at a fixed depth, with a guide beside you and no current, no visibility problem and no surface interval to worry about.

Requirements

• You must hold at least an Open Water Diver certification, or the equivalent, and have dived in open water before. Bring your card and logbook.
• Declare any medical condition or medication when you book.
• This is not a first dive and cannot be done as one. If you have never dived, take the Discover Scuba trip first - and you can always come back for this later in your stay.

What is included

Hotel pickup and return in a private air-conditioned vehicle, a private guide, all dive equipment, a full tour of the aquarium after your dive, and all service charges and taxes.

About the sharks

The species kept in this tank are not aggressive toward divers, and the dive is supervised throughout by staff who know these individual animals. You will be briefed on how to behave: stay calm, keep your hands to yourself, do not chase anything, and let the animals set the distance. Sharks are considerably less interested in you than you are in them, which is a slightly humbling thing to discover at close range.

Good to know before you book

• The dive is around 35 minutes, and the whole outing takes about an hour plus transfers.
• A $5 per person supplement applies from Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Ahyaa, El Gouna and Soma Bay.
• Photography and video services are not included, and any extras not listed are charged separately. If you want images of this, arrange it in advance - it is not something you can repeat cheaply.
• Do not fly within 24 hours of diving, even in an aquarium.

$140 per person (regular price $150), including the dive, private guide, equipment, aquarium tour and hotel transfers.