Fish & Coral Makadi Bay Snorkelling Hurghada 2023 Pt1

[@josefsarg3224]

Nice video: Thank you made my day

[@kirkandbear]

That’s great to know and glad you enjoyed it…thank you 👍

[@abhirathod721]

Beautiful! How would you rate this compared to Maldives for snorkeling?

[@kirkandbear]

Hi, and thanks for watching - glad you enjoyed it. I would say Makadi Bay is superb. There are some things you see in the Maldives more easily - sharks and rays mostly - but the Red Sea is easy to reach and waaaaay cheaper to visit (for us, anyway). The sea currents are also more predictable. The corals in the Reds Sea are often really healthy whereas the Maldives suffered a coral bleaching some years ago so there are some barren areas. I guess, then, that I would say the Red Sea is very good and somewhere well worth snorkelling. The Maldives is quieter (fewer people in the water), harder to reach and more expensive. Most of the fish species are very similar, so in terms of value for money the Red Sea wins, but I loved the sharks and rays in the Maldives. I hope that helps :-)

[@pcij8292]

Great video. Thank you. Watched it through twice and I usually get bored with my own snorkelling videos! Can I ask, if you are in the Makadi Hotel complex do you have to enter from the pier/jetty or are there also some beach access points? Also from the pier/jetty can you just snorkel round the coast (as in area highlighted by your useful map at the start), or are the lifeguards like at some of the Sharm El Sheikh resorts and only let you snorkel in a small area cordoned off at the end? Definitely looks like somewhere I'd like to go.

[@kirkandbear]

Praise indeed! Thank you very much. We have been there several times during the last 6 or 7 years and there have been a few changes - basically they seem to have tightened up the rules a bit. To answer your question, you can get in at the pier or walk in via a number of access points along the beach. We have also walked from the Makadi complex along to the dive centre and entered there, swimming all the way back to the pier so you do have options. Recently, the time at which you can go in is more strictly enforced - we used to go in a first light on occasion but now it seems they do ask you to wait until the “formal” opening time. I think this is due to some safety incidents. At the end by the dive centre they are more vigorous at calling you back in before “opening time”, so we would often arrive there after that time, having been allowed in a bit earlier by the Makadi staff via the beach. In short, you can get in at various places, swim either way, and the whole of the area that I highlighted is available to you. I hope that helps - let me know if you need any more information 👍

[@pcij8292]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I've booked to go there.

[@kirkandbear]

@ Have a lovely time! We might go back again this year :-)

[@Liuwinne]

your videos are a real pleasure to watch! 🥰 What camera are you filming with?

[@kirkandbear]

So glad you enjoy them! GoPro 10 for the snorkelling. Canon Mirrorless usually for dry land. Thanks very much for the compliment too 👍👋👏

[@Liuwinne]

@@kirkandbear thank you for your reply ! I ordered the GoPro 11 for my trip to Egypt in less than a month 🤩, I hope to see as beautiful things as you! thanks again for your videos! this allows me to get an idea and a big congratulations because it is really well filmed 👏🏻

[@kirkandbear]

@@Liuwinne You’re welcome 😀 I hope you have a good time. I recommend the GoPro El Grande pole and super suit (dive housing). The pole gives me excellent reach and is less off-putting for the fish. The dive housing is optional, but I get a greater sense of security from it in the water, and it proves some protection from knocks and scrapes. Happy filming!

[@kirkandbear]

@@Liuwinne And thanks again for the compliments! It is nice to know people appreciate the effort 👍

[@Liuwinne]

@@kirkandbear Great ! This confirms my choice for "El Grande", I had already planned to buy it as well and your feedback only confirms it so that's great! I also thought it would bother the fish less. Regarding the protective shell I admit I hesitated, I’m still thinking about it. Thanks for your advice 😃

[@martinspaceksk]

Hi , first of all, nice video. What equipment did you use to capture the footage? 😊

[@kirkandbear]

Hi, and thank you 👍 All shot on a GoPro 10 (4k 25fps at maximum bitrate and any slo-mo at 100fps) in a GoPro dive housing and mounted on a GoPro El Grande pole. If you’d like to know any more then ask away 👋 These snorkelling videos are fun to shoot.

[@martinspaceksk]

@kirkandbear thanks a lot for the detailed reply :) I will travel to Egypt next week and plan to use my mobile for capturing the footage along with Divevolk seatouch 4 max housing. I chose this setup, since I like to take photos as well as videos (already have one uploaded on YT from a previous trip) And was looking for what the other guys did and yours are easily among the best to watch from Hurghada/Makadi . Take care :)

[@kirkandbear]

We’re flattered! Thanks 🙏 Have a great trip - we have seen others with a similar setup and it looks very versatile. I hope you get some great captures!

[@lowbirproductions]

Which hotel did you stay? How can I go to explore this area?

[@kirkandbear]

Hi, we stayed in the Makadi Palace and there are several hotels on this stretch of the Makadi Bay. Access to the reef is right from the hotel sea front, so it’s easy to go every / any day - no boat trip required. Other hotels include the Grand Makadi, Makadi Spa and Sunwing Waterwold - you can take your pick! Does that help?