Aquarius - The Marriot Beach Resort

Hurghada is the home of the HQ of Aquarius, a long established and very high quality business in the 'active tourism' field. Operating 10 established dive centres and resorts, together with a quality live-aboard safari offering, Aquarius has a reputation for quality and safety.

All of the dive operations within the Aquarius group have been accredited with meeting the European and International quality (ISO and EN) for recreational diving.

Based at The Marriott Beach Resort, a superb hotel in itself, Aquarius Marriott Beach is on the waterfront and at the end of its own jetty from where you will depart on your diving.

A PADI 5* IDC, with air conditioned classrooms and all of the refreshment and catering facilities within the Marriott on hand, you couldn't be in a better place.

For those learning to dive, or returning to it after a break, the training pool and shallow shore dives right in front of the centre are perfect, and the fleet of dive boats are within a 3 minute walk, so diving couldn't be more civilised!

Hassan (MSDT) and his team of 6 instructors, plus the rest of the gang, give a warm welcome, rigorous check in and safety briefings, and a shop on site provides those all important spares and mementos. Full equipment hire is available, as is Nitrox (EAN).

The diving from here is stunning – over 25 sites lie in wait within a 20-60 minute cruising range, and the variety of reefs, drift diving around Giftun Island, and the minesweeper wreck of El Minya completes the local picture. Hurghada is well known for its population of dolphins, and turtles are a-plenty too.

A couple of hours cruise will take you to Abu Nuhas and Gubal Island, home of the big famous wrecks of Giannis D, Chrisoula K, the Kimon M, the Carnatic, the Rosalie Moller and trips to the Dunraven and Thistlegorm are also weekly features. The final dive of these trips is likely to be Shaab El Urg (Dolphin House) on the way back – don't miss it, as it delivers what it says more often than not!

And, to top this, lying closeby is the famous wreck of the Salem Express. A 45 minute road transfer will take you to the Safaga dive centre a little further to the south. After 90 minutes on the dive boat you will be over the most eerie and moving of wrecks you can imagine. Sunk in 1991 as a result of bad weather and poor navigation, and now lying at a maximum depth of 32 metres, this wreck claimed the lives of the vast majority of its 1600 passengers. Marine life has now populated the wreck in abundance, and has made suitcases and luggage in the hold and sea bed their homes. A powerful and heart-rendering experience.

Daily dive trips are based on 2 dives per day, with a 3rd dive being available for those who want it. Lunch and drinks are served on board, and return to the jetty after an 0900 departure is normally around 1600 hours. Long, hot and sunny days, and rewarding undersea scenery is on tap here – don't miss it.