Naama Bay is in Sharm el Sheik on Egypt's Red Sea coast. The water is warm and shallow with a gently sloping sandy beach, good for learning scuba diving. It is so sheltered that the initial lessons can be done here rather than in a swimming pool, which is the usual place in countries where the water is colder, rougher or harder to access.

I followed a group taking their first scuba experience, the PADI Discover Scuba course which aims to introduce the equipment and give a taste of the underwater experience. Participants can go on to a certification course. The experience started with some theory, presented at Ocean College Dive School just back of the beach. Participants were then introduced to their equipment, and helped to kit up. Then a walk down the beach though the umbrellas and sun-loungers took them to the water. In waist-deep water, they put on masks and fins. The instructors taught the initial skills of mask clearing, using the regulator and getting buoyancy right. This was done with an instructor to each group of 3 trainees and they became confident quite quickly.

When they were ready, the groups set off with their instructor and explored a small reef a bit further out in the bay. Considering it was near to a busy beach, the reef had a lot of life including a large blue parrot fish and shoals of anthias and goatfish. After the experience, the trainees were very enthusiastic and several wanted to take their training further. This initial experience seemed like a good alternative to starting training in a swimming pool, as the nearby reef gave a taste of the excitement of watching Red Sea marine life. The trainees had quite a wide range of ages and all were happy with the experience. Some of the older participants were pleased to find that scuba is an adventure sport that anyone with a reasonable level of fitness can take up.

Written by  Jenny Fowler.

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