Eilat.....don't bother!

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You can't claim that you are trying to dive everywhere, if you don't go to these places in the first place! So here I am on my way to Eilat. I spent few days in Aqaba years ago....it was around the Christmas holidays, and even Leslie did dive the Red Sea. You can see Eilat from Aqaba, and obviously the opposite is true too.



This time I'm taking the Egged bus from Jerusalem. That was a good 4 hours drive, beautiful specially once you drive next to the Dead Sea! Hotels in Eilat are crazy expensive, and few of them even have a minimum stay of few nights...so I ended in the Eilat Youth Hostel. The hostel is central...and be ready, a room with breakfast is 140usd per night! Yes, the most expensive hostel I ever stayed....and not the best one. But this is Eilat, and I was not going to pay some 400usd a night for a room in a Hilton. No way! And yes, as you may believe, one night was more than enough!



Spending my evening walking around and enjoying a nice burger. They have this local chain doing pretty cool gourmet burgers around....and yes, simply watching the crowd can be fun here too. I had an early night...as tomorrow it was diving!



Next morning, checking-out, even taking my bags with me to the dive center. I have booked two dives with Snuba divers. They came recommended by few Israelis that I met the last few months. There are a lot of dive centers around....and this for something like 10km of coast. Yes, next door you have Jordan and Egypt, plus Saudi Arabia not that far across the water either.



So the good first....they claim it's only private dives...so you have your own DM. Snuba is the further from Eilat. There is an half-hourly bus that stops right in front...and they are also one of the last stop...meaning next door to Egypt and supposedly corals in better conditions. Yes, visibility was pretty cool.



Now the bad, the DM decided at minute 38 that it was time for the safety stop...come on, this is ridiculous....I refused to go out till minute 45! Than he explains to you that they have to put many dives in a day. I don't care, I pay for a tank, I dive it! And what is the point of doing a private dive than....I'd rather dive with others and have a proper dive! Guss what....on the next dive, they gave me a 10 liter tank....to try to make it shorter...ridiculous! One more time, minute 38....he wants to go out...I turn around and did finished my dive at minute 48!



Most of dives are done here right from the beach...you cross the road fully geared! Was also fun to see these guys trying to give be 8kgs weights on a 5mm shorty...guys, I dive with 6kgs on a full 7mm....you may try to explain to me that water here is more salty...took me 10 minutes to explain that 4kg should do it...and it was indeed enough. Hate these DM who cannot listen....with 700 dives, I think I should know a little! No? So if you ask me, diving Israel done....don't ask me to recommend a dive center....the one I pick was not the right one...but I have the feeling it may be like this everywhere in Israel....they run a business....diving come way after that!



Was time already to get on the local bus to the main bus station for my 5 hours ride to Tel Aviv. Fast lunch first, and another pretty cool ride across the desert of South Israel.



Eilat done, don't bother expect if like me, you wanted to dive your 53rd country! Well, 24 hours in Eilat were more than enough for me to achieve my goal! Next entry, the interesting Tel Aviv....

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Diving Eilat
This one is nice.