Wadi Lahami Azur Resort

Overview

Wadi Lahami Azur Resort is one of the Red Sea's most southerly beach resorts, situated directly north of the peninsula of Ras Banas, a prominent harbour to the ancient town of Berenice that dates back two thousand years. Boasting its own private beach, the resort is situated approximately 185km south of Marsa Alam. Ideally located for diving and snorkelling, Orca Dive Club is based on site and now offers boat diving, and house reef diving from its new jetty.

Accommodation

This resort offers 128 dome shaped rooms with air-conditioning, private balcony or terrace, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, en-suite shower & WC, hairdryer, mini bar and safety deposit box. Guests are accommodated on a soft all-inclusive basis (excludes alchoholic drinks).

Other Facilities

Wadi Lahami Azur Resort has two attractive freshwater swimming pools as well as a childrens pool. The hotel has a main buffet restaurant overlooking the beach and a small beach bar. There is a daily entertainment programme, pool bar serving snacks, and a football pitch. The resort also has a gift shop, internet access, money exchange facility and a laundry service.

Families

The hotel has a children's pool, kid’s menu and inter-connecting rooms.

Location

Wadi Lahami Resort is situated 5 km south of Hamata. The transfer from Marsa Alam airport takes approximately 2 hours and from Hurghada airport around 5¼ hours. Orca Divers are based on-site.

Group Discounts

11 pay, 1 goes FREE (conditions apply)

Dive info

The small town of Hamata lends its name to the region opposite the Fury Shoal Reef system.  This is the most southerly diving resort in the Egyptian Red Sea. The remoteness of this area, situated 180 km South of Marsa Alam, makes it the ultimate in ‘get away from it all’ diving.

Until recently, the pristine sites of this area were the sole preserve of liveaboard boats and have consequently remained relatively unvisited. There are very few resorts this far south, but Regaldive offer two different options: Wadi Lahami Azur Resort and Lahami Bay. Both offer relaxed, uncrowded diving in a remote and unspoiled area.

The legendary Fury Shoal is right on Hamata's doorstep, offering over 35 memorable dive sites. There are over 80 types of coral to discover in this region, all in excellent condition and inhabited by a rich variety of marine species.

Learning to Dive

There are a variety of dive sites that offer novice divers the opportunity to dive on sheltered reefs. However, in order to take full advantage of the stunning dives available here, it is recommended to be an advanced or intermediate diver.

Qualified Divers

Lahami Bay offers a combination of fine house reef diving and excellent day boat diving. For Wadi Lahami Azur Resort, boat diving is offered from Hamata Port (see below). The remote nature of these resorts, combined with their location opposite the Fury Shoal Reef system, offers divers what is arguably the best land based diving available in the Egyptian Red Sea.

House Reef Diving

Lahami Bay enjoys easy access to a wonderful house reef, which is made up of an attractive fringing reef and coral outcrops rising from the sandy plateau. This creates beautiful swim-throughs and offers the opportunity to explore different areas on numerous repeat dives. Between the beach entry point and the start of the reef, the sea grass provides a sheltered habitat for seahorses.

Lahami Bay House Reef Map

NEW: The jetty at Wadi Lahami Azur Resort gives unprecedented access to a beautiful stretch of untouched house reef directly in front of the hotel. Snorkellers will find plenty to explore in the lovely sandy lagoon at 2-3m depth, looking for blue spotted rays and juvenile coral fish. The sandy bottom slopes gently and is covered by many blocks of corals including some plate corals. Divers will find the outside of the fringing reef irresistible with its steep 10-15m reef wall consisting of little caves and overhangs and a large variety of hard and soft corals. Due a small headland the house reef is relatively protected from waves making it ideal for underwater photography.

The house reefs in Hamata enable divers the flexibility to dive to their own schedule, and maximise their time in the water. There is an amazing array of hard and soft corals to be appreciated, all within a short walk of your hotel room. Night dives are also available on the house reefs and provide an exciting opportunity to watch Spanish dancers, lionfish and lobster.

Boat Diving

Wadi Lahami Azur Resort and Lahami Bay share many of the same dive sites on Fury Shoal. There are over 35 uncrowded boat dives accessible from either resort. All of the dives sites are within 2 hours of the dive centres although the majority can be reached within 1 hour of the shore by large, purpose built day boats.  Dive sites this far South offer some of the finest coral in the Red Sea.  There are over 80 varieties of healthy soft and hard coral that have formed over millennia into spectacular coral gardens and pinnacles, which in turn support a vast array of marine life.

One of the sites, Gota Soraya is rated as one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with large caves full of Glass Fish, Sweepers and an abundance of corals. Divers can expect to see a wide variety of marine species, including dolphin, which occasionally come in as close as the resort's house reefs. There is a good chance of enjoying encounters with a variety of shark species, along with large shoals of mackerel in season. Turtles hatch along this coastline and sightings are common.

Ultimately, divers come away remembering immaculate uncrowded reefs supporting an abundance of marine life, including many species rarely found elsewhere. This far south, the water temperature during the winter months is significantly higher than that of the Northern Red Sea. This creates a relaxed dive environment year round.

Dive prices

Regaldive work with two well managed dive centres in the Hamata area:

Guests staying at Wadi Lahami Azur Resort dive with Orca Dive Club Wadi Lahami.  They offer day boat diving from Hamata Port, a ten minute transfer away, and house reef diving from their new jetty.

Guests staying at Lahami Bay Beach Resort & Gardens dive with Barakuda.  They offer beach entry house reef diving and day boat diving.

Orca Dive Club Wadi Lahami

Orca Dive Club run the dive centre at the Wadi Lahami Azur Resort.  Boat diving is offered from Hamata Port jetty just ten minutes transfer from the centre. Divers with fewer than 30 dives logged must be guided. Orca also offer house reef diving from their newly-constructed jetty.

Orca Dive Club offers  a range of courses from novice through to Divemaster, and technical diving courses including Nitrox and Draeger Rebreather. FREE Nitrox is available (32%) for qualified Nitrox divers, making it an ideal centre for Nitrox divers, and those wanting to learn. Please enquire for full details.

Please note that it is compulsory at Orca Dive Club to dive with a dive computer.  All divers with fewer than 30 logged dives must be guided. Guided dives cost €5 per person per dive.  

From January 2023 the following Environmental Fee is applicable to all trips with Orca Divers. Fees are paid locally and are non-refundable.

• Nation park fees: €5 per person, per day
• Tax and permissions: €5 per person, per day

Typically, 10 unguided house reef dives with Orca Divers at Wadi Lahami Resort starts from £200 per person excluding equipment rental.

Barakuda Dive Centre

Barakuda dive centre is ideally located at Lahami Bay Beach Resort, and offers house reef and day boat diving.  The centre is extremely well organised, and offers dive training to PADI, CMAS and TDI standards.

A range of courses is available, from novice to Divemaster. An excellent range of well-maintained equipment is available for hire. DIN fittings standard, with International adapters available free of charge.  Please enquire for details of dive courses available at Barakuda. 

Lahami Bay has a fringing house reef accessible directly from the beach.  Outer parts of the house reef are also accessible by small boat.  Minimum numbers apply for these trips, and a supplement is payable in resort for any boat trips.

Please note that it is compulsory at Barakuda to dive with a dive computer. All divers with over 30 logged dives will be unguided and unescorted, as a buddy pair or group, by Barakuda staff, unless each diver pays €6 per person per dive. Divers without 30 logged dives and their buddy must dive with a guide (€6 per person per dive charge applies).

Typically, 10 unguided house reef dives with Barakuda at Lahami Bay starts from £260 per person excluding equipment rental.

Lahami Bay House Reef Map

DIVE PRICES

Book your dive pack or course with Regaldive prior to departure, and benefit from lower prices than those in resort. You can also take advantage of our great value dive pack offers.  Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Resort info

The Hamata region offers the most southerly accommodation for divers in the Egyptian Red Sea.  A remote region, Hamata is an area of natural beauty, and offers access to superb dive sites previously visited only by liveaboards.

Getting Around

Remote and removed from the outside world, the hotels this far south are generally self-contained.  Entertainment is very much centred around the individual hotels.

Climate 

The hottest time of the year is July and August with air temperature of over 30 ºC. The coolest time is January with the temperature at around 20 ºC. Rainfall is negligable and it is invariably sunny but breezes can be cool.

Time

Egypt is 1 or 2 hours ahead of GMT depending on the season as Egypt does not operate Daylight Saving Time.  Please note that Hamata is 3 hours ahead of GMT - one hour ahead of the northerly Egyptian resorts - although this may be subject to change during the period of Ramadan.

Currency

Egyptian pounds or LE. Approximately £1 = 20LE

We recommend that you take some money in Cash to Egypt.  Please note that Scottish notes are not accepted in Egypt.

Tipping

Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognised part of life in this region of the world. Some local staff will look to travellers for personal recognition of the services offered. We would advise that you allow approx. £10 for gratuities for local staff for the duration of your stay.

Rough Price Guide 

• Local beer:  65LE
• Snack meal (pizza / sandwich):  130LE
• Small bottle of mineral water:  25LE
• Soft drink: 35LE

Travel info

Flight Information

Direct flights from the UK to Marsa Alam Airport are available on Sundays, November through to April, from Gatwick. There are connecting options via Cairo, into Marsa Alam Airport, which work well for Hamata resorts, southern Red Sea liveaboards, and Cairo extensions. Please speak to the team for more information on this option.

Please speak to our friendly travel consultants for the latest information.

Flight duration: Approx 5 - 5½ hours

Transfer times: These vary  according to the hotel choice. From Marsa Alam Airport to Hamata resorts is approximately 3 hours, we do no recomend transfering from Hurghada Airport to Hamata without an overnight on arrival. 

Departure tax:  N/A

Passports

Passengers travelling to Egypt must have six months valid on their passport from the date of departure from Egypt.

Visas

A single entry tourist visa for Egypt is required for all nationalities. For British passport holders with British citizenship, Egyptian visas can be obtained conveniently and inexpensively on arrival at Hurghada airport, or in advance via the new e-visa portal - Visa2Egypt.

Other nationalities should check with consular office.

Vaccinations

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Egypt, but we recommend protection against typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and polio. Though malaria does exist in Egypt, it is generally not present in the coastal resorts.

Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure.  For the most up to date advice please consult your travel clinic.

Further information regarding vaccinations for travel to this country can be found at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and from your local healthcare provider.

Prices

The price panel above provides an indication of a lead-in price for your holiday, based on the cheapest time to travel. Prices shown are per person, and based on two persons sharing. 

As flight prices vary from day to day, Regaldive will prepare a quotation for you based on current flight prices available. This ensures that you receive the most competitive price for your chosen travel dates. Flights from regional UK airports may be available, depending on your destination and date of travel.

Please call 01353 659999 or e-mail Regaldive, using the link below, for a quotation.

Our Price Promise

At Regaldive we are committed to offering you the best possible value for money on all our diving holidays. That's why we offer you a price match promise. Learn more about our promise to you.

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