8-Day Hurghada Scuba Diving Holiday
Two instructor-led try-dive days, a beach island, a boat just for your party and snorkelling at Dolphin House. Seven hotel nights and your transfers are included.
The short answer
8-Day Hurghada Scuba Diving Holiday is an 8-day, 7-night trip to Hurghada. It includes transfers. Prices start at £777 per person, two sharing (Classic, October–April).
02Overview
A first look
This holiday is planned around the sea. You stay in a single Hurghada hotel for seven nights and spend most days on a boat. Two of them are try-dive days, when a certified instructor takes you underwater with all the kit provided and no experience required. The rest are easier days afloat: Paradise Island for a beach day, a private boat with its own captain and crew, and a snorkelling trip to Dolphin House.
The rhythm is relaxed. After the day you arrive, each day has one outing and then the hours that remain are yours, by the pool, on the sand or over a slow lunch. The final full day is a short tour of Hurghada itself. We arrange the hotel, the outings and the airport transfers, and you pick the standard of hotel when you book while the outings stay as they are.
One thing to be clear about: try dives are a first taste of diving, not a course, so you will not come home a certified diver.
What lingers
- 01Two try-dive days, each with a pair of guided dives led by a certified instructor
- 02All scuba kit supplied on dive days, and no previous experience needed
- 03A day on Paradise Island with a sunbed, parasol and snorkelling
- 04A private boat, captain and crew for your party alone
- 05Snorkelling at Dolphin House, where wild dolphins are often seen but never promised
- 06Seven nights in one Hurghada hotel, with airport transfers at both ends
Choose your comfort level
Prices are per person in GBP, from 2 people sharing a double room, including accommodation at the properties listed or similar.
| Comfort level | Where you stay or similar | Per personfrom, Oct–Apr | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfortfrom £7774★ hotels | Hurghada · 7 nightsSwiss Inn Resort Hurghada | £777May–Sep: from £844 | |
| Classicfrom £7775★ hotels | Hurghada · 7 nightsAMC Royal Hotel & Spa | £777May–Sep: from £844 | |
| Prestigefrom £1,1665★ deluxe hotels | Hurghada · 7 nightsHilton Hurghada Plaza | £1,166May–Sep: from £1,402 | |
| Luxuryfrom £1,4155★ luxury hotels | £1,415May–Sep: from £1,602 |
You'll stay in these properties, or a similar choice of the same quality. Choose your date in the booking panel for the exact price.
- New
Day by day
Detailed itinerary
8 Days / 7 Nights · Hurghada · Red Sea · Paradise Island · Giftun Island · Dolphin House · Hurghada Marina
- 1
Your driver is waiting at Hurghada Airport and takes you to your hotel on the Red Sea coast. Nothing is arranged for the rest of the day, so find your room, explore the pool and beach, and rest before the first boat day. No meals are included today.
- 2
Following breakfast, a vehicle collects you from the hotel and drives you to the marina, where you join a dive boat shared with other guests for about eight hours. A certified instructor leads you on two try dives. Every piece of scuba kit is supplied and the crew run through it all before you enter the water, so you do not need any background.
Lunch, soft drinks and water are served aboard, and marine park fees are covered. You are back at the hotel for a free evening. The captain makes the call on whether the sea is safe, so a day can be altered or cancelled in poor weather.
- 3
A calmer day afloat. You sail with other guests to Paradise Island and spend roughly eight hours out in total, with a sunbed and parasol waiting on the beach. A guide leads the snorkelling and you are given a mask, snorkel and fins for the reef. Lunch is eaten on the boat, with drinks and water, and park fees are paid. If the sea turns, the captain may change the plan.
Once you are back, the evening belongs to you.
- 4
Today a boat, a captain and a crew serve your party and nobody else, for around seven hours. A private vehicle takes you to the boat and brings you home. The outing centres on islands and snorkelling, with a guide and a mask, snorkel and fins, and within the limits of the sea you decide how long to linger. Lunch, soft drinks and water are on board and marine park fees are paid.
The captain may alter the route or the day if the weather requires it.
- 5
Back on the dive boat for another eight hours, but now the routine is familiar. It follows the same plan as day 2: a certified instructor, two try dives, all kit provided, lunch and drinks on board, park fees paid. Having done it once, you can spend this dive getting used to breathing and floating rather than coping with the unknown. It is still a taster and not a qualification.
In a heavy sea the captain may change the day.
- 6
You spend about eight hours on a shared boat bound for Dolphin House, a reef where dolphins are regularly seen. They are wild animals, so there is no promise of an encounter, and the guide keeps the boat and swimmers quiet and at a polite distance. You snorkel with a guide using the mask, snorkel and fins supplied. Lunch, soft drinks and water come aboard with you, and marine park fees are paid.
If the sea is unsafe the captain can alter or cancel the trip.
- 7
The last full day stays on dry land. For roughly four hours a local guide who speaks English leads a small group in an air-conditioned minibus past the marina, a mosque, the old town and a market. Bottled water is provided. With the morning over, the afternoon is free for packing, one more swim or souvenirs. Lunch and dinner are not included today.
- 8
Once you have had breakfast and checked out, your driver takes you on the transfer of about an hour to Hurghada Airport. Your airline sets the flight time, and we plan the pickup to suit it. The holiday ends when you reach the airport.
The fine print
What's included – and what is left out
Included
- Seven nights in a Hurghada hotel with breakfast
- Private transfers from and to Hurghada Airport
- Two try-dive days, each with two guided dives, an instructor and all scuba kit
- Paradise Island day with sunbed, parasol, snorkelling guide, mask, snorkel and fins
- Private boat charter with captain, crew and snorkelling guide
- Dolphin House snorkelling trip with guide, mask, snorkel and fins
- Hurghada city tour with a local English-speaking guide
- Lunch with soft drinks and water aboard on every boat day
- Marine park fees on all boat trips and hotel pickups for the shared outings
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egyptian entry visa
- Dinners, and any lunch other than those on boat days
- Hotel drinks and anything not listed as included
- Tips for guides, crew and drivers
- A diving qualification: try dives are not a course
- Travel insurance and personal spending
Field notes
From our Egyptologists
- 01
If your ears are slow to clear on a first dive, let the instructor know straight away; a gentle, shallow descent makes the day much easier.
- 02
Bring a UV rash vest to Paradise Island, as the shallow reef keeps your back in the sun for most of a snorkelling session.
- 03
On your own charter, ask the skipper to head for a quiet reef away from the crowded moorings; there is time to be choosy.
- 04
Dolphins at the Dolphin House are wild, so float quietly and let them come to you instead of swimming after the pod.
Tailor it
Make it yours
You choose your hotel standard when you book. Ask about extra nights in Hurghada, a night in Cairo before your flight home, or swapping an outing for more free time.
Your own specialist deals with each request before you book.
Suited to
Is this for you?
Yes, if
- Beginners keen to try diving with an instructor, along with couples, friends and families with older children who like boat days and free afternoons by the pool.
Maybe not, if
- Travellers who want a diving qualification, who cannot swim, or who have a heart condition, asthma, ear problems or are pregnant. Not for anyone wanting sightseeing beyond Hurghada.
Honest assessment
The honest pluses and minuses, as our own team sees them after running this trip.
Highlights
- Two instructor-led dive days with all kit supplied
- A single hotel all week, with no packing between outings
- A balance of diving, snorkelling, a private boat and a town tour
Things to Consider
- Try dives do not lead to a qualification
- Boat trips can be changed or cancelled for weather and sea conditions
- Not suitable if you have a heart condition, asthma, ear problems or are pregnant
Where it fits
A good fit for a first week on the Red Sea built around the water. It has no sightseeing in Cairo or Luxor, so add those on a separate trip.
Worth knowing
How this compares
Many dive holidays are sold as a qualification course or a fixed package. This one is a gentler alternative, with two try-dive days and snorkelling days around a single hotel, and free time after each outing.
Compare
Similar tours to compare
On the ground
Where it is
Snapshot
Good to know
- Travel style
- Resort-based Red Sea holiday with try dives and boat trips
- Accommodation
- One Hurghada hotel, standard chosen at booking
- Destinations
- Hurghada · Red Sea · Paradise Island · Giftun Island · Dolphin House · Hurghada Marina · Hurghada Old Town
- Includes
- 7 nights in a Hurghada hotel with breakfast · Two try-dive days with instructor and all kit · Paradise Island, private boat and Dolphin House outings · Hurghada city tour with a local guide · Lunch aboard on boat days and marine park fees · Private airport transfers at both ends
- Best for
- Beginners curious about scuba · Couples and friends who love boats · Travellers after an easy resort week
The morning of
Meeting point & timing
- Where
- Hurghada International Airport (HRG), Arrivals HallMap
Before you go
What to pack & wear
What to bring
- Passport and any visa or travel documents
- Two or three swimming costumes or trunks, so one is always dry
- Quick-drying towel
- Reef-safe sun cream, SPF 30 or higher
- Sun hat and sunglasses
- Any regular medication, and your completed medical questionnaire for the dive days
- Waterproof pouch for your phone
- Refillable water bottle and a little cash for tips
What to wear
- Swimwear under light clothes on boat days
- A long-sleeved top or rash vest to keep the sun off on deck
- Non-slip sandals or water shoes for wet decks and jetties
- A light jumper or fleece for early and late on the boat
- Loose, modest clothes for the town and market on the city tour, covering shoulders and knees near the mosque
Children & families
Children are welcome on the transfers and on boat days when they can swim or use a flotation aid. Age and size limits for try dives and some boat trips are set by the operator, who confirms them when you book. Child prices depend on age and on the outing, and we give you the exact figure once you tell us their ages. We would not book young children onto the dive days.
Accessibility
Who can join this
Each outing means stepping onto a boat from a jetty and using a ladder or steps to enter and leave the water. On dive days you also wear or carry heavy kit, with help from the crew, and the deck can move in a swell. You need to be able to swim for the snorkelling and diving. Transfers are in air-conditioned minibuses and your hotel matches the standard you choose, but we cannot promise step-free boarding on every boat. Please tell us about any mobility needs, medical conditions or hearing or sight difficulties when you book, so we can plan around them.
– Responsible travel
How we travel here
Marine park fees are built into the boat trips and help protect the reefs you visit. We ask guests not to touch, stand on or collect anything from the reef, to keep a distance from dolphins and turtles, and to wear reef-safe sun cream. The trips use diesel boats and road transfers, and these differ from day to day, so we make no claim about carbon savings. Boats, instructors and guides are local to Hurghada, so a good share of your spending stays in the area. Please bring a refillable bottle and carry your litter back to shore.
Licensed Egyptologist guides
State-licensed, and people we have worked with for years
Fair wages on the ground
Drivers + guides paid above market
Site preservation
We follow the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' site rules: marked paths, no touching reliefs
Local teams, real help
Our own offices in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh
If plans change
Cancellation and refunds
If you cancel, your refund depends on how soon you let us know and on the kind of holiday. See our current cancellation and refund terms
Asked & answered
Frequent questions
01Do I have to be a qualified diver?
No. The two dive days are try dives for beginners. A certified instructor leads you, the kit is supplied and the crew explain everything first. You do need to swim and to fill in a medical questionnaire truthfully.02Will I come home with a diving qualification?
No. A try dive is a first experience, not a course, so this holiday does not certify you. If you would like to qualify, let us know and we can suggest a proper course.03Who cannot do the try dives?
Anyone with a heart condition, asthma or ear problems, and anyone who is pregnant, should not dive. A medical questionnaire comes first and the dive operator has the final say. The operator also confirms any age limits at the time of booking.04What is covered on the boat days?
Every boat day includes hotel pickup, lunch with soft drinks and water aboard, and marine park fees. Dive days add all scuba kit and an instructor. Snorkelling days add a guide and a mask, snorkel and fins.05What if the sea is too rough?
The boat captain may change or cancel a trip for safety, and we would never ask a boat to go out when it is unsafe. Where we can, we move a lost day to another day of your stay. Refunds follow the cancellation terms above and nothing beyond them is promised.06Are dolphins certain at Dolphin House?
No. They are wild and move around, so sightings are likely at best and never guaranteed. The guide keeps a respectful distance and asks swimmers to do likewise.07How full are the days?
Not very. After arrival, each day has a single outing and then free time. Boat days take seven or eight hours from pickup to return, and the city tour takes about four.08Will I make my flight home?
This holiday includes no internal flight, but plenty of guests reach Hurghada from Cairo on a separate ticket. Internal and international tickets are separate bookings, so a delayed internal flight can cost you your connection. We would suggest a last night in Cairo. If you must connect the same day, pick a late-evening or night international flight, and buy travel insurance that covers missed connections.09Are international flights and the visa included?
No. The holiday covers seven hotel nights, the outings listed and the airport transfers. You arrange your own international flights and Egyptian entry visa.
Last updated Product ID: TOU-HRG-149410
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days · 7 nights
- Starts
- Daily
- Includes
- Transfers