Dive Curated
Scuba diving in Red Sea (Egypt)
G1les · Pixabay Content License · source

Guides · Price overview

PADI Open Water & Advanced Open Water Course Prices in the Red Sea

Two of our tracked Red Sea operators sell Open Water and Advanced Open Water as standalone courses; a third only sells them bundled, which makes a straight price comparison misleading unless you know which shape you're looking at. Diamond Red Sea and Red Sea Diving School both price OW and AOW separately. Aquarius doesn't sell a standalone Open Water course at all. It bundles OW and AOW together as a "Zero to Hero" package, and prices Advanced Open Water bundled with three days of diving rather than alone.

EUR 330-345 for Open Water, EUR 265-300 for Advanced Open Water, across our tracked Red Sea operators, plus the bundled option that changes the comparison.

Prices shown in

  1. blacktip reef shark underwater
    Franziska_Stier · Pixabay Content License · source

    Egypt / Red Sea

    Red Sea (Egypt)

    Beginner-friendlyBudget

    Open Water course from EUR 330 · Day trip from EUR 25

    Standalone Open Water: EUR 330 at Red Sea Diving School, EUR 345 at Diamond Red Sea. Standalone Advanced Open Water: EUR 265 at Diamond Red Sea, EUR 300 at Red Sea Diving School. Aquarius doesn't sell either standalone: its "Zero to Hero" package (Open Water + Advanced Open Water together) runs EUR 417, and its "Advanced + 3 Days" bundle (Advanced Open Water plus three days of diving) runs EUR 286. Diamond Red Sea is Hurghada-based; Red Sea Diving School lists Hurghada and Makadi Bay as its bases; Aquarius runs across seven bases including Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Sahl Hasheesh, and Makadi Bay. None of our tracked operators are based in Dahab.

Before you book

Coral reef
joakant · Pixabay Content License · source

Red Sea (Egypt)

Season

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Also good: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May.

Getting there

  • Fly to Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) on the Sinai Peninsula, or Hurghada (HRG) on the mainland - both have direct charter and scheduled flights from Europe.
  • Marsa Alam (RMF) serves the south.
  • Dahab is reached by bus or taxi from Sharm (1.5 hr).
  • Each base has a distinct character, choose it before you book accommodation.
  • Check current government travel advisories for the Sinai region before travelling.

Minimum stay

4 nights (7+ for liveaboards to far sites)

Good for your first trip if

Open Water minimum for most sites. Advanced OW recommended for Ras Mohammed and liveaboard itineraries (current, depth). Thistlegorm is manageable for OW divers with a guide; interior penetration is Advanced. Hyperbaric chambers in Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. Dahab's Blue Hole is dangerous, never attempt the Arch (56 m) without full technical training.

Know before you go

  • Well-equipped hyperbaric facilities in Sharm and Hurghada.
  • Dahab's Blue Hole has a disproportionate accident record, never push depth here, and avoid the Arch without full technical training.
  • Currents at Ras Mohammed and the Brothers can be unpredictable.
  • Drink only bottled water.
  • Sun protection on surface intervals is critical in summer months.

Top dive sites

Top sites in Red Sea (Egypt)

Coral reef
MonicaVolpin · Pixabay Content License · source

SS Thistlegorm

Intermediate

Depth15–32 m

British WWII cargo wreck in the Strait of Gubal, motorcycles, trucks, and military cargo preserved in the holds. Widely considered the world's greatest accessible wreck dive.

  • WWII cargo wreck
  • motorcycles and trucks
  • military cargo
  • coral superstructure
  • glassfish
Coral reef
marcelokato · Pixabay Content License · source

Ras Mohammed

Intermediate

Depth5–40 m

Wall dropping to 800 m at the tip of the Sinai, grey reef sharks in the blue, enormous jack schools, Napoleon wrasse, and some of the Red Sea's densest coral coverage.

  • grey reef sharks
  • schooling jack
  • wall diving
  • soft coral
  • Napoleon wrasse

Common questions

How much does an Open Water course cost in the Red Sea?

EUR 330 at Red Sea Diving School, EUR 345 at Diamond Red Sea, for the standalone course. Aquarius doesn't sell Open Water on its own. Its cheapest path to certification is the "Zero to Hero" package (Open Water + Advanced Open Water together) at EUR 417, which costs more than either standalone course but gets you two certifications in one trip.

How much does Advanced Open Water cost in the Red Sea?

EUR 265 at Diamond Red Sea, EUR 300 at Red Sea Diving School, as a standalone course. Aquarius bundles it with three days of diving instead of selling it alone, at EUR 286 for the pair, a different product, not a direct price comparison, since you're also paying for three extra diving days most other operators would charge for separately.

Which Red Sea base should I choose for my course?

Diamond Red Sea is a single-base Hurghada operator. Red Sea Diving School names Hurghada and Makadi Bay as its bases. Aquarius runs across seven locations including Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Sahl Hasheesh, and Makadi Bay, so it's worth confirming which specific base you'd be diving from before booking. None of our tracked operators are based in Dahab.

Is Red Sea diver certification cheaper than other destinations?

Not the cheapest, based on our tracked prices. Red Sea Open Water runs roughly EUR 330-345 (about $355-370), while Koh Tao and the Gili Islands both start around $300 and Bonaire starts at $374 in our dataset. See our cheapest PADI Open Water comparison for the full picture. What the Red Sea offers instead is wreck diving access (Thistlegorm, Salem Express) that those budget destinations don't.

How this guide was built

Every fact above is pulled live from the same destination and operator records used on Dive Curated's destination pages. It can never drift out of sync with what those pages say.

Beginner-friendly
Rated on the destination's own current strength, depth range, and visibility.
Budget tier
Verified accommodation, food, and diving costs; not marketing claims.
Price
Lowest tracked operator listing at time of publish. Check the destination page for current pricing.