Freedom Divers

Located directly on the Red Sea in Safaga, Freedom Divers has been a fixture of the local diving community since 2007. Under German-Egyptian management, the centre has built a reputation for professional standards, catering to both those taking their first breaths underwater and seasoned technical divers looking for advanced gas blending and decompression training.

The centre is positioned right on the water's edge, between the Toubia Hotel and Diver House, making it a convenient base for divers staying in the Safaga area. With a focus on small group sizes, the school ensures that instruction remains personal and high-quality, whether you are working through your Open Water Diver course or mastering complex decompression procedures.

The school is CDWS-certified and operates with a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship. They actively engage in reef cleaning initiatives and eco-diving workshops to protect the Red Sea's delicate marine ecosystems.

Instruction is provided across a wide spectrum of levels, from the initial Bubble Maker and Scuba Diver programmes up to professional Divemaster and SDI Instructor training. The curriculum is designed to be thorough, ensuring that every diver, regardless of their starting point, develops a solid foundation of safety and buoyancy.

Freedom Divers offers an extensive catalogue of certifications through SDI, TDI, and SSI. Beginners can start with the Bubble Maker, Scuba Diver, or Open Water Diver courses, progressing through Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver levels.

For those looking to specialise, the centre provides courses in Wreck, Deep, Navigation, and Advanced Buoyancy. The technical training programme is particularly comprehensive, offering TDI courses in Nitrox, Sidemount, Decompression Procedures, Extended Range, and Trimix. They also host advanced training for Gas Blending and instructor-level courses for SDI and TDI technical disciplines.

The Freedom 2 is a 23-metre wooden boat that underwent a full renovation in 2024. Powered by a 500 PS Mercedes engine, it is designed to accommodate up to 32 divers and carries 80 cylinders. The vessel features two sun decks, a dedicated diving platform, a kitchen, and a large salon for relaxing between dives.

Onboard, you will find two toilets and silent generators to ensure a comfortable environment. The boat is well-equipped for various types of diving, including night dives and daily excursions to the surrounding reefs. Nitrox is available for use during your trips.

The shore base is fully equipped for both recreational and technical diving. They maintain a significant inventory of kit, including 100 aluminium cylinders in various volumes such as 6, 4, 15, 12, and 10 litres, as well as dedicated CCR cylinders. For those looking to dive technical, they provide five Sidemount kits and five 12-litre twinset configurations.

Technical divers will find a robust setup with two AP-Diving-Inspiration rebreathers available on site. Safety is a priority, with two oxygen systems, an AED, a medical box, and an on-site decompression chamber. For those not bringing their own gear, a full range of rental equipment is available, including computers and torches.

The surrounding waters are home to a diverse array of pelagic and reef species. You may encounter big fish and large schools of fish such as tuna (Thunnus) and snappers near the outer reefs. Whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) and grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are also part of the local ecosystem.

The reef structures themselves are vibrant, featuring stony corals, soft coral (Alcyonacea), and giant sea fans (Gorgoniidae). Within these gardens, you can find colourful life including anthias (Anthias), butterflyfish (Chaetodon), and clownfish (Amphiprion), alongside garden eels and various sea anemones (Actiniaria).

In the sandy areas and lagoons, such as Abu Dabab, the presence of turtles (Cheloniidae) and the rare dugong is a significant highlight. You may also spot blue-spotted rays, eagle rays (Aetobatus), and giant moray eels amongst the reef crevices.

The dive sites in the Safaga area offer a variety of environments, from shallow reef gardens and lagoons to deeper walls and offshore reefs. Many sites are suitable for drift diving, where the movement of the water carries you along the reef.

While many sites are accessible to those at an Advanced Open Water level, some deeper locations and wreck penetrations require specific technical certifications. The area offers a mix of sheltered lagoon environments and more open reef sections that may experience more significant water movement.