Diving Sharm el Sheikh at Christmas and New Year: What to Know

Christmas diving in Sharm el Sheikh is very much possible, New Year included, and a good number of divers plan their whole winter around it. Expect the water to be around 22 to 23°C, bring a 5 to 7mm wetsuit (or a semi-dry suit if you feel the cold easily), and book early, because the festive weeks are among the busiest of the year. One thing to plan around: our dive team takes a short break on 25 December and 1 January. Below is what the sea and the weather are really like in late December, what to pack, what’s open on the holidays, and how to fit in a course if this is the year you learn to dive.

In late December the water in Sharm el Sheikh is usually 22 to 23°C. That’s cooler than the 27 to 30°C of summer, but for anyone arriving from a British or Italian winter it tends to feel milder in the water than the number suggests. Above the surface, days are mostly sunny and sit in the low to mid 20s, while evenings drop to around 15°C. What people underestimate is the boat ride back after the second dive, wet, with a cool breeze on deck. The sea itself is usually on your side: in Sharm the windy weeks come in spring, from mid-March to early April, and in December the boats rarely have to change their plans. Visibility is often at its clearest too. For a month-by-month comparison, see our guide to the best time to dive the Red Sea.

There’s no single answer that suits everyone. It depends on how easily you feel the cold and on how many days you’re diving. Most divers are comfortable in a 5 or 7mm wetsuit with a hood. A simple trick is to bring 2 wetsuits, so you always have a dry one to put on for the next dive. Some divers bring their own semi-dry or dry suit instead, especially when they’re doing a lot of dives over many days. The cold builds up: the more days in a row you dive, the more you start to feel it.

The one thing we do consider essential is a hood, or anything else that keeps your head warm. For the boat, pack a fleece or a warm jacket and a hat: on most December days you’ll feel the cold between dives rather than underwater.

Not on those 2 days. Our dive team takes a short break on 25 December and 1 January to spend the holidays with their families, so there are no boat dives, courses or snorkeling trips. On every other day of the holidays, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve included, the boats go out as usual.

It’s worth building the 2 dates into your plan from the start. In a week of diving they work well as rest days, and if you fly home on the 26th or the 2nd they already cover the no-fly time you need after your last dive.

Everything else at Camel runs as usual: the hotel, Pomodoro and the Camel Rooftop are all open on both days. It’s also a good chance to see Sharm from dry land on your own. Jump in a taxi to Ras Mohammed National Park, under an hour away: from its viewpoints you can look down on reefs you dived earlier in the week, then walk along the mangrove channel and the Magic Lake. Closer to the hotel there’s the Old Market with the Al Sahaba Mosque, or a beach day at Ras Um Sid, and you can still be back on the roof for sunset.

We recommend booking as early as you can, ideally by mid to late November. Christmas and New Year are among the busiest periods of the year in Sharm el Sheikh, and we are a boutique hotel with just over 30 rooms. Many of our guests are repeaters who come back year after year, often for the same dates. Flights over the festive weeks are already high by autumn, so if your dates are flexible, early December or January can work out noticeably cheaper (more on that below). And if you’re already thinking about next Christmas, book your flights as soon as airlines release their winter schedules: that’s when the best fares are.

Yes, and the holidays are a good moment for it, since you’re already away for a week or more. The SSI Open Water Diver course at Camel takes 3 days. If you complete the theory at home with SSI’s online e-learning before you fly, those 3 days are spent in the water rather than in a classroom, and you still have time left for the rest of your trip. Since the dive team is off on 25 December and 1 January, tell us your dates when you book and we’ll plan the course days around them.

For a partner or family member who would rather just try it, an SSI Basic Diver session takes half a day and needs no experience at all. SSI’s minimum age for scuba courses is 10, so older children can join in too.

Relaxed rather than formal. Naama Bay is lively over the holidays, and everything Camel runs is a few steps from the dive centre. Come up to the Camel Rooftop before 17:00 to catch the sunset, then stay for winter happy hour, from 17:00 to 18:30.

Downstairs, Pomodoro keeps the kitchen going all evening: homemade pasta, pizza made with Caputo flour, fish, meat and more.

The quietest times to dive Sharm el Sheikh in winter are the first 3 weeks of December and mid-January to March. You get the same clear water and the same reefs, with fewer divers on the boats, more time with your guide and usually better prices than over the holidays. Some of our regulars choose these weeks on purpose, for the calm as much as the value. We often run winter offers for these dates, so it’s worth taking a look before you book.

If Christmas diving in Sharm el Sheikh is on your mind, New Year included, get in touch as soon as you start planning. The earlier you write, the wider the choice of rooms and course dates. Tell the team when you’d like to come and what kind of diving you’re after, and they’ll look after you.

Christmas in the Red Sea? Start planning your festive dive holiday