Family learn to scuba dive holidays

Planet

We are fully committed to reducing the impact of tourism on the precious environment in Dahab. To this end we try strive to not use any single use plastics and look for every opportunity to reduce our environmental footprint and of course, encourage our guests to do the same.
We are also proud members of the internationally acclaimed Green Fins organisation.

How do you see responsible tourism in action on this trip?
Everywhere from our rooms, which are supplied with water dispensers so you can fill your own re-usable water container, to encouraging less waste of water and electricity and supplying cotton tote bags provided for shopping locally.

Does this trip visit or show support for one of our projects or any local projects?
We support local initiatives such as beach and sea clean ups, providing help and biodegradable bags for clean ups, as well as just ‘picking it up when we see it’ as well as internationally with Green Fins.
We have encouraged many local cafes and restaurants to stop or reduce their use of single-use plastic especially the dreaded plastic drinking straw which we have not used ourselves for years.

Do the local leaders give a Responsible Travel briefing?
We follow Green Fins protocol for diving too which includes a full eco briefing. All our guides are eco-friendly and all encourage rubbish pickups on the shore and in the sea, leading by example.
Our diving is designed to make sure that divers understand how to dive without touching or harming any of the precious aquatic life and our deliberately small diver to instructor ratio of 4-1 helps.



Do travelers receive a Responsible Travel Code of Conduct?
Yes, we suggest many ways that guests can follows our eco guidelines via a ‘How to be a responsible tourist’ leaflet in their room.

What does the accommodation do to minimise its impact? Has it got good environmental/social practices? (e.g. with regard to conserving water & energy, recycling, composting, organic gardening, purchasing of food locally, local employment etc.)
We conserve water by using well water to water our plants. We have replaced grass with artificial grass to minimise water use. We ask our guests to have their air con set lower than 26 degrees so it does not use as much energy. We recycle all our food scraps to local goats. All our food is purchased locally. Every item in the club is sourced locally if possible too, allowing small local businesses to flourish i.e. bedding, towels, food, supplies etc.,

What is the group size and how does this impact on the community and environment?
We are the only dive club in the Red Sea which stipulates a maximum number of divers to Instructor of just 4-1…this minimizes any potential for damage to the precious reef as well as enhancing the divers experience and making them better divers, for everywhere they might go afterwards.
As a company, what is your environmental policy in your office?
We are mostly a paperless office, for example; adapting check-in forms online and employ the Refuse, Reuse, and Recycle practice.

We are excited to be a part of the Green Fins International initiative.
Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – implemented internationally by The Reef-World Foundation and the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism. It aims to protect coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines promoting sustainable diving and snorkelling. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for marine tourism and its robust assessment system measures compliance.
Obviously COVID had an impact on our existing practices, for example we had managed to eradicate plastic bottles and replaced them with glass bottles but this was not accepted by the CDWS who police diving facilities in Egypt.
So we found a way round this by providing water dispensers in every room, so now our guests can continue to use their refillable bottles in the comfort of their own room.
We have replaced the obligatory single jams, ketchup, mayo etc. with squeezy bottles which are sterilised and reused for example.
Our latest endeavour is the rubbish collection nets which we attach to every BCD, ensuring everyone can make a difference and pick up any rubbish found in the sea

People

Is the accommodation locally owned? Do you use local restaurants/shops/markets/transport etc.?
Yes the accommodation is owned by an Egyptian family, with strong ties to the Bedouin community, formed over 25 years here.
We also encourage our guests to use the local restaurants, markets and shops whilst they are here. When they are diving we take them to local cafes to eat and drink, this way they have rest and have shade between dives. We also recommend other places than our own for eating out in the evening.

Local economic development? Do you use local leaders on this trip? Have they had training?
Yes we use local Bedouin and Egyptian guides and drivers for all our safari and dive work.

Does the trip visit anywhere where the fees paid will help with restoration/conservation?
Fees are paid locally to everyone we use, all our drivers are Bedouin for example, we pay for use of tents and shelters and tea making by our Bedouin friends on every safari. Ultimately as the indigenous people of the Sinai, this filters down and allows an ancient culture and way of life to continue.

As mentioned above we also support local community initiatives including beach cleans.