First of all yo ucan check out Emperor divers own website for students reviews and comments...
http://www.emperordivers.com/

They have several locations in the Red Sea - all seem to be well regarded. My own experience is their centre at the Hilton Coral resort in Nuweiba. They were very good. My daughter did her Junior Open Water programme with them.
There was an article about this centre (their Discover Scuba) in March Diver magazine. Article available on-line here http://www.divernet.com/learn/0305discoverscuba.shtml

Where are you going? Then maybe someone can comment on the specific centre.

Don't know if you know Alan, but Swiss has got an Emporer Dive School going into the Swisscare Resort. The signs are up already.

Carrot - yes I know Emperor are going to the Swisscare. I'm waiting to see if I can dive with both centres when we go in August. The house reef at the Swisscare sounds good.

Re: the swimming test questioned in the first post. You will probably do these tests in the sea, possibly still in your wetsuit. This is a lot easier than in a freshwater pool! Both the salt water and the wetsuit make you more bouyant. Even so if you want to dive you ought to be able to do 8 lengths of a 25m pool and float/tread water for 10 minutes - it's not such a big trial. Some dive training agencies stipulate 200m in 12 minutes, but with PADI there is no time limit (and you can use any stroke, or a mixture).

11 year old just passed his theory and poolwork yesterday in Edinburgh.
he just needs to complete his referral dives out there. he is better at diving than swimming so take your time and you will be ok.

I'm halfway through my PADI OW - The 200m swim should be no big deal, you can take as long as you like.

As for the 10min water tread - i can't actually tread water , well not for 10 mins anyway and i've been told its OK to float either on front or back.

You are not (or SHOULD not be ) allowed additional "artificial bouyancy" for either the float/ tread water or the swim for PADI - so if you wear a wetsuit you will also have to wear a weightbelt to get you neutrally bouyant again!!

There is no time limit on anything until you get to divemaster level, so you can amble along at your own speed - but it isn't an onerous distance even for a semi-swimmer really!!

How much is it to hire kit out in Sharm?
I am open water qualified already so don't need any training.

Thanks
Dale

Faye, don't worry about the swim & survival float. I am no way near as fit as I should be, but it was a doddle, plus we did it in the pool at the Coral Hilton with no wetsuit. Just pace yourself on the swim, I did mine on my back just kicking my feet.

dwalton, prices vary. Check on the website of the dive center you'll be using.

My daughter had to swim out to a white buoy and then back as far as the jetty at the Coral Hilton (no wetsuit) then do the float/tread. This last bit was made particularly easy because the instructor was there talking to her so the time passed quickly.

I did the swim/float part straight after back-to-back training dives lasting 45 minutes each, so was getting a bit tired (in Greece). Like Everest I'll confess to not being entirely fit - but even so I headed off at what I thought was a gentle paced front crawl and the instructor called after me "it's not a race".
I found taking the scuba gear off at the surface then putting it back on far harder.

One thing I would recommend is that you buy, steal or borrow a copy of the PADI Open Water manual and read it through before you go. Here's a place that sells them (http://www.divingshop.com/), or try a local dive shop.

Oh dear TAH-M, I got away with doing this swim in a short wet suit. Fortunately I can do plenty more than 8 lengths and tread for at least 15 minutes down the local pool so I won't have to send the PADI card back...

hey everybody!

Thankyou for all your replies! Ive been swimming three times this week and have found that I can do 200m is totally fine, I didnt try out the float/treading water down my local pool as thought I might get some strange looks but will try in the hotel pool when we arrive (although Im sure itll be fine). Last night however I did come across a huuge problem with regards to our diving course, but will post that on a new post.

thanks again,

faye

Hi,

Would highly recommend Emperor Divers, I have dived with them four times, three in Sharm and once in Marsa. Very competent company, relaxed, but they like to stress the safety points! There's even a compulsory 'dive brief' at the beginning of each week for those diving with them (at least this was the case a year and half a go).
I did my Open and Advance dive courses with them and also the Nitrox course And then lots of diving
They do pickups from most hotels.

Hope you have fun

Paul

Posted by fayeg
Last night however I did come across a huge problem with regards to our diving course

Don't tell us, you're staying hundreds of miles from any water?

Fayeg

Good luck with the diving, remember it's supposed to be fun so take it easy and enjoy yourself.

Once you've done it you'll be hooked and planning your next holiday so that you can dive again.

Let us know how you get on when you get back and take plenty of piccies

Cheers

tee hee - noo were not staying miles from any water - goodness that would be a disaster. Il post in in a new post as dont want to go and be told off

I am a confident, strongish swimmer although not as fit as I'd like. However, I wear contact lenses and nowadays won't go underwater unless wearing goggles not even to do a proper face in the water crawl.
Will I be allowed to wear ordinary goggles to prove I can swim do you think???

Probably bellaoz.

But... and this is a big but... if you are doing the OW course, you WILL have to take your mask off underwater and swim without it for a while. That is part of the course and therefore compulsary. If that puts you off and causes problems with your contacts, then you could always buy a mask that can have prescription lenses fitted. It will set you back more but solve the problem.

Some people just shut their eyes for the mask off bits if using contacts.
My guess is you will be allowed to use goggles, bu tnot sure.

A prescription mask is the best idea - then if ever your mask comes off underwater by accident (fin in the face, broken strap) or even just flodds for some reason you won't wash the contacts out.

I wear contacts (used to be regular hard gas-permeables, but more recently changed to daily disposibles) and have always managed the mask-off bits OK just by squinting my eyes a bit shut (with both types of lenses). Just make sure you tell your instructor that you wear lenses and they will be able to help you if you'd prefer just to do it with your eyes closed altogether.

You can't do it in goggles, as the point of the exercise is to prepare you for a situation where your mask accidentally floods or is knocked off. You have to be able to remove it, replace it and clear the water from it and continue your dive....................................

I tried prescription lenses in my mask but kept falling over things in the boat when I'd completed my dive and removed my mask!! Blind as a bat I am without my lenses or glasses!!!

Just a reminder:
Check any life and holiday insurance policies.
Scuba diving IS classed as a dangerous sport.
Steve