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Sharks Bay Umbi Village

7 Nights - 5 Dive Days / € 300 Seasonal Rate

Nitrox $

WIFI Available

Star Rating

Sharks Bay Umbi Diving Village is located on the Red Sea in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. The resort is the ideal diving holiday choice for visitors who want a mixture of authentic and beautiful architecture mixed with a relaxed setting and a great location. Located on the shores of the Red Sea, in Sharm el Sheikh, the hotel combines traditional Bedouin-style and hospitality in a unique and peaceful atmosphere. This offers guests a feel of the real Sinai.

Sharks Bay Umbi Village WEATHER

The resort is a self-contained sanctuary away from the crowds. The resort offers divers everything desired on-site including their own jetty, dive center, and seafood restaurant for the perfect diving holiday. Additionally, the private beach and house reef are perfect for divers and non-divers to enjoy the wonders of the Red Sea.

The village offers two types of accommodation to suit every budget. The individually styled Bedouin village rooms are built into the cliff above the bay and have superb views across the sea to Tiran Island, many with balconies or terraces. Constructed on different levels and accessed by a series of walkways, all have private bathrooms, air-conditioning, mini-fridges, television, and telephone. Some rooms can sleep a maximum of four guests. The wooden beach cabins are at sea level with the front directly on the beach. All have small private bathrooms, air-conditioning, and mini-fridges. This is the perfect Sharm holiday beach accommodation for families with small children or for anyone who wants easy access to the beach and waterfront. Towels are provided in the bathroom but not for beach use. All rooms have twin beds. All rooms have 220 v electrical outlets.

Resort packages include breakfast, tax and service charges, linen service, towels in the Bedouin rooms for bath and beach use and in the beach cabins for bath use only, airport transfers, laundry service, luggage storage, telephone / Fax facilities, free internet and Wi-Fi, and safety deposit boxes. The resort offers several standard packages that include accommodation and boat dives as well as several packages that include PADI training courses. The basic package includes beach cabin accommodation but may be upgraded to a Bedouin Village room. Rates are per person double occupancy.

The diving on the Red Sea offers a wide variety of sites suitable for various diver’s experience levels and includes amazing reef dives and wrecks including the famous Thistlegorm. Dive areas include local sites of Sharm el Sheikh, Ras Mohammed, and Sha’ab Mahmoud. The local house reef gently slopes down in a series of ledges that make it ideal for training dives. It is also a great site for photographers wanting to see the abundant marine life. Whale sharks and mantas visit the bay in the springtime; hence, where the name came from. Eagle rays, giant moray, and Napoleon are very common here. The dive operation offers nitrox but does not support technical diving or rebreathers.

Text and photographs courtesy of Sharks Bay Umbi Village.

Dive Conditions

Diving conditions in the Red Sea are idyllic, with water temperatures rarely falling below 71°F/22°C even in the Egyptian winter (December - February). Topside weather conditions are equally pleasant, with temperatures ranging from 68°F-104°F (20°C -40°C) depending on the time of year.

Located in the Middle East, the Red Sea is a northern offshoot of the Indian Ocean. While these bodies of water share many of the same habitats and marine life, the Red Sea has evolved to provide unique habitats for numerous endemic species. Due to little rainfall, high evaporation, and a relatively isolated location, the Red Sea has one of the world's highest rates of salinity. These same factors also provide excellent diving conditions, and the Red Sea boasts a phenomenal 360 dive days a year. Furthermore, the Red Sea has few river tributaries feeding into it, which means limited microalgae allowing excellent dive visibility.

Diving is available in the Red Sea year-round. However, March to May and September to November are often cited as the best times to visit. Topside weather conditions are comfortable and the sea temperature isn’t too cold during these months, but this also attracts many other tourists, and dive sites can be extremely busy. During June, July, and August, uncomfortably hot topside temperatures mean resorts are quieter, but it's still worth considering since you may encounter hammerhead sharks on the outer dive sites.

Shore dives from the northern resorts and beaches are generally organized by the inhouse resort dive centers, and many offer unlimited diving on their house reef. Day trips out to Ras Mohammed and Tiran usually offer two or three dives from a day boat, often at busy sites with a lot of other divers and snorkelers. Many divers opt for a liveaboard trip which gives better access to remote areas where there are no crowds. Dives are generally from the back of the liveaboard or from tenders which take divers close to the reefs. Many Red Sea dives are drift dives, so the use of a safety sausage is mandatory.