​​Almost everyone who dives with Elite Diving here in Sharm, makes a voluntary donation to the Sharm Hyperbaric chamber, which helps with the maintenance and running of the facility, so it’s always ready and operational to receive any diving emergencies.

We want to stress, that this is no substitution for Sport Diving Insurance, as decompression treatment can be in the thousands of US Dollars for just one case. So make sure you have adequate insurance cover for hyperbaric treatment in the event of a diving accident. 

Sharm Hyperbaric chamber, is the only facility for decompression treatment in the whole of Sinai, giving us great peace of mind that here in Sharm, we have such a facility on our door step, and two of the finest Hyperbaric doctors who are world renowned for their knowledge and experience of  treating diving emergencies.

The photo above shows G, Elite Diving’s manager, passing the donation on to Dr Ahmed, who along with Dr Adle, are the resident Hyperbaric Doctors that treats the divers if they need to visit the chamber.

The hyperbaric chamber (more commonly known as the Dive Chamber), is used by divers who have experienced a pressure-related injury during their dive, helping to safely treat decompression sickness, also known as "the bends".

There are other staff involved in the running and maintaining the facility, and the whole Dive Chamber team would like to thank the divers of Elite Diving for their contribution this year of 3,490 Euros or 4,000 USD.

When a diver spots and photographs a certain shark here in Sharm, there is always a debate on what type of shark it is. Here is the true facts about these certain sharks as explained many times by our previous resident Marine Biologist and Dive instructor affectionately known as Taffro. (AKA Alec Jones).

 Photo Above Credited to Kat Mcquillan.
The shark above (Stegostoma fasciatum) Is commonly known as a Leopard Shark, due to the spots on it when it becomes an adult, which resembles a land big cat “The Leopard”. However, Alec, due to his marine biology degree, informs us that it is an actual Zebra Shark, as when it is born, it has a dark body with yellowish whiteish stripes, resembling another land animal “The Zebra”.  It’s not until it grows, that the stripes turns into hundreds of black spots.  This is where the confusion comes from.
These sharks are seen in the waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. So their habitat is on tropical coral reefs and sandy plateaus, as in The Red Sea. Some website say they are Zebra Sharks when they are born, but transforms into Leopard Sharks when they grow, which is not actually true. A Zebra Shark dosent change it's breed by growing. So we will be pushing what Alec tells us, by saying it's a Zebra Shark.

Off the Pacific coast of North America, you may get to spot a Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata). This is called a Leopard shark from birth. A totally different species to the Tropical Indo-pacific Zebra Shark. This is belonging to the Hound Shark family, and these sharks are born with black spots and black sadle shapes, and keep them all through adulthood. In fact, they are born a miniature version of their adult self.
They live in kelp forests which due to the nature of where the kelp grows, is in shallow coastal waters.

Phot Credited to Kat McQuillan.
The Indo-pacific Zebra Shark above, has a long sweeping tail, almost the same length as it’s body, whereas the North American Pacific coast Leopard Shark  below, has a typical hound shark tail.

Many divers looking to progress overlook Rescue Diver, assuming it’s only for those aiming to go professional.
But in reality, it’s often considered one of the most rewarding certifications for recreational divers.
Instead of just building your own experience, it’s about understanding the divers around you - recognising stress early, preventing problems before they happen and knowing how to respond if something doesn’t go to plan.