Dive Urge is aimed at folk who have not only have the Urge to Dive but who also wish to diverge from the 'norm' in terms of what is normally offered and expected on a dive holiday. We set out to exceed those expectations and offer a truly amazing dive holiday. We have built an excellent reputation over the years for safe, responsible diving and have had extremely complimentary articles written on us in Sport Diver (twice) and Dive Girl as well as many web sites too.

Why Did We Start Dive Urge?

Dive Urge has been set up as the brain-child of Helal and Lynne. We are passionate about the Sinai area and especially the Red Sea, where we have chosen to live, work and raise our family. Having worked in the dive industry for a number of years, we were disappointed with the standards of service offered here in Dahab and felt we could improve on it.

There were/are plenty of places that offer diving in the Red Sea but on a sheep herding-like basis. These places have to cut corners in order to make their prices low and attractive. For these clubs this takes the form of poor equipment and putting as many people with a guide/in a car/ as possible (8-1 is the 'norm' here in Dahab)

Having come from the service sector of the IT industry myself, I know how precious holiday is, it usually is the only 1 or 2 weeks you really get to unwind. With this in mind we set out to make sure that the time you had here at Dive Urge would be the best. Here at Dive-Urge, we really WANT you to get the best from your diving holiday, which is why we offer a unique service of bespoke diving with small numbers. We know that we are lucky also to be based in this beautiful place, which induces relaxation.

4:1 Ratio

Our unique 4:1 Ratio means that you are not ever going to be the diver at the end of the group wondering what everyone else was all looking at, because by the time you catch up with them there is nothing but sand swirling around in the water :(

You see more in a small group too; would you stay around if you were a fish and saw 25 divers bumbling towards you? No.... but the chances are, if there is a max of 4, all with buoyancy sorted and not touching anything, you will not only get to see more fish, but also be able to observe their behaviour too.

We are proud to be a PADI Gold Palm resort and under their banner offer quality PADI courses with all the DVD's and books that are needed for this. We use only our own equipment and keep it in very good working order. All dive kit is thoroughly washed between uses with Dettol and all Regulators and BCD's etc serviced in between. Unlike a lot of other clubs, we are self sufficient and do not borrow anything from other clubs including equipment, books and tanks!!

Environment / Eco

Locals make up our main staff in the club, including Egyptian and Bedouins and are treated as one of the family. We help to clean up rubbish all the time, every dive, if we see it we pluck it out, and this good practice sets an excellent example to all. All our children are aware of our stance on the environment and help to teach their peers. Nadia, right, our eldest daughter has now completed her PADI Junior Advanced Open Water and so a new generation of environmental divers is born!

We also make Peak Performance Buoyancy a mandatory dive for PADI Advanced Course as this is THE most important skill in diving; reducing your impact on the aquatic environment, plus reducing air consumption as well as improving your enjoyment level. We advise all dive guests how to improve their buoyancy underwater, so they stay far from delicate corals whilst still enjoying the dive.

Here at Dive Urge we actually do care about the environment here, it is not just talk. We pick up rubbish on every single dive, not just on Earth Day, encouraging good practices. We are proud to be members of Responsible Travel for the last 6 years, who offer specialist eco-friendly adventure holidays.

We provide re-useable bags in the rooms for your use during your stay. We support a local Bedouin Jomar who does regular clean ups on the beach, esp. up to the National Parks. We re-cycle all our food to the goats and both re use and then re-cycle plastic bottles. We make sure that any rubbish after that is picked up and responsibly disposed. Unlike many people trying to make a fast buck here, we live here, we love it here and we want it to be preserved for the next generations to come.

Your time here
We are a friendly/family run Dive Club which most people end up referring to as 'home' to after day one. We have a really friendly crew and as a family crate a very special atmosphere, if you don't believe me, check out our comments below or on Trip Advisor. Our Resort is an oasis of calm, green tranquillity which we like you to consider as a home from home whilst you are here.

Why Dahab?

In this year round resort you will probably find the fact that 361 days of sunshine is enough to persuade you to come here, but the fact that you can get here in about 5 hours flying time, should be even more incentive. Flights to Sharm are now available from most airports in UK.

Dahab is the closest year round warm water diving to England and in an area of breathtaking beauty to boot!

So why Dahab? Dahab is very easy to get to, one hour from the airport (Sharm El Sheikh/ Ophira Airport) in a short time you are transported to another world of intense beauty and relaxation.

Why Dive Urge?

Dive Urge is only 10 minutes walk (or slow amble) to the main bay of Dahab, with all its shops, bazaars and beach side restaurants. On the cornice which runs from Dive Urge into town are also good restaurants and bars too. Dahab Bay is fun to visit and good for picking up presents for the folk you had to leave behind. It is bustling with life which makes it so great to return to the peace and quiet of Dive Urge afterwards. The locals are friendly and often want to know where you are from and a chance to say hello.

Dahab is unique in many ways. For hundreds of years it was a traditional Bedouin stopover during the hotter months in summer, to benefit from the cooler breeze, and to fish the rich waters. The Bedouins now live permanently in the Village of Assalah, where you can see the Bedouin way of life continuing, with children enjoying simple homemade toys and saying 'Hello' at any opportunity, as well as canny Bedouin girls making ‘friendship bracelets’ on the spot. Goats roam free here, as does the occasional Camel.

Visitor Book

Please browse through a glimpse of our visitor book to see what others thought or Log onto Trip Advisor to get Advice from Real Travellers. We have a return rate of over 80% which must mean we are doing something right. Once you have been here we like to refer to you, affectionately as an 'Urger' and as such become part of our extended dive family.

Dear Kate, Lynne, Helal, Lionel and all the crew,

Just a big thank you to you all for such a lovely holiday. It was great to be able to do so much diving, we appreciated you organising the baby sitter. Little Thea had a great time too; it seems she managed to beg the whole of Dahab for bananas!
Thanks to you all we proved everyone wrong, lots of people doubted we could holiday with a baby and dive. It made life so much easier that we had a cot and a spare room for the little one.

We hope to see you another time soon; Simon now wants to do his deep diver course!

Yours

Liz ,Simon and Thea Margerison

A few more from the visitor book:-

Peaceful and enchanting – an incredible place. My very sincere thanks.
John Harvey Oct 09

We feel like part of the family. So friendly and helpful, great food, great friends, great Arabic lessons – I learnt so much and not only Arabic! We have already booked our space for next year. We leave a little of our hearts here with you all and will e-mail frequently to check up on the gossip!
Love Sally Aug 09

An amazing first holiday to Egypt – thank you for the warm welcome, excellent food, fantastic instructors and for making us feel at home. We will be recommending Dive-Urge to all our diving friends and will hopefully see you all again soon!
Alix & Robin Sept 09

We have had an amazing time learning to dive here in Dahab. All the staff at Dive Urge have been wonderful and added immensely to our holiday experience. The atmosphere is so friendly and relaxed, the food great and the views fantastic. No-one could come here and not love the experience, going home relaxed and refreshed. We certainly hope to be returning here to continue our diving in the not too distant future.
Martyn and Julia Sept 09

What a fantastic way to get work out of my system and immerse myself (literally) in another world. Thanks so much to everyone at Dive Urge and to my surprisingly patient instructor! Am already planning a return trip.
Natalie Sept 09

This is our second visit to Dive-Urge and we loved it just as much as the first! This is such a chilled place, a really great ethos! The food is wonderful, staff are really helpful, friendly and relaxed, and the dive instructors and staff are very professional and helpful. The diving was brilliant and Lionel showed us Tiger Reef which was fab! Thanks for a really fun and relaxing trip.
Nicola & Phil Oct 09

The people are some of the friendliest we have ever met, nothing is too much trouble, staying here is more like staying with friends
Claire Rhodes Sept 08

Booked direct with dive urge. Travelled on my own to learn to dive. Great place, very chilled out and relaxed. The staff were brilliant and the instructor Claire very patient and helpful
July 08

Great place to dive. Very informal but small ... ... come again if I can. Dive -Urge is NOT one of those Sharm resorts but a friendly place to relax that provides exceptional value
Michael and Fritz Range August 08

Dive Urge mirrors the beauty of the Red Sea and we loved the relaxed warmth and family feel"
The Robinson's Feb 2008

"I laughed so much I nearly filled my suit ....a holiday of the mind, heart and imagination"
Rob 2008

"I have achieved a dream and passed my Open Water...none of it possible without Dive Urge"
Polly, September 2007

"The dive training at Dive Urge is first class"
Lord Jerald Oct 07

"Top atmosphere created by Lynne and Helal"
Sue Smith Nov 07

"The dive staff at Dive Urge are awesome ....never have i had so much fun on guided dives"
Stephanie Bosse Nov 07

"Dive Urge is the only place where relaxation comes so easily"
Taniya and Derek, Dubai 2007

"More like staying with family rather than just being on holiday"
Sue Upton Dec 07

“Well, what can we say, but ‘Sensational!’ If only we’d known about you years ago! We all fell in love with you guys….we’ll be back – just try stopping us!”
Jenny and Matthew Dunkley, July 06

Looking around at some ‘other’ HUGE groups, I felt lucky to be out with Dive Urge.”
Oliver Taylor, April 06

“This is a real gem of a place – great people, superb cooking, lovely accommodation and incredible diving.”
Ellie Wright, April 06

“Where to start….we had breathtakingly high expectations of his place and the diving…and it has easily surpassed all of them.”
Jo and Omar Osman, April 05

“We arrived with a simple aim – learn to dive. We left with so much more. Unexpected bonuses were: the great characters we met, both within and outside of Dive Urge – the richness of experience, the introduction of an extraordinary world underwater but most of all, we have become part of a community and a family. ”
Hugh and Diana Poulter, August 05

“Dive Urge is a real find…….a very special place”
Derek & Sue Lee April 2005

“I have dived over three continents and have never felt so welcome at a Dive Centre”
Ben Normington” March 2005

“It is with a lump in my throat that I return to England tomorrow... I don’t remember a holiday so full of fun, new experiences and most of all relaxation…this is the place to learn to dive”
Kaye Hinton Sept 2004

“This place has it all, great diving, great people and a truly amazing atmosphere.”
Paul Ravenhill, September 04

“You are about to embark on something extremely special…As someone who has dived all over the world, this is as good as it gets…in and out of the water."
Gareth Unwin, August 04

“Thank you for these wonderful days, we enjoyed your hospitality and the warm hearted atmosphere at Dive Urge so much. You really have created a little paradise there……”
Sue and Wolfgang Maher Dec 2003

“Thank you for a wonderful and truly relaxing holiday. The friendly, easy going and informal atmosphere as Dive Urge has really made us feel welcome and completely at home.”
Dominique and Kevin Down, October 03