Eilat on the Red Sea

Dolphin Reef Relaxation Pools Coral Reef Dive Instruction Eilat Fish Kings City Dolphin Reef

Eilat on the Red Sea - one of the worlds best diving spots

When you think about holiday in Israel, one of the first images that spring to mind is Eilat – the eternal summer city and where diving is one of the best in the world..

Eilat nestling on the southern most tip of Israel between sea and desert is not just a place for sun worshipers; with its breathtaking desert and mountain vistas, and its surroundings offer panoply of excursions and attractions. Visitors can be scuba diving among the colourful fish, coral and dolphins of the Red Sea in the morning and blazing a trail on a desert safari in the afternoon; parasailing at lunchtime and dining Bedouin style under the stars as night falls.

But this just explains just part of the reason why Eilat is a Red sea hot spot, 8 miles of beach to relax on, and an abundance of accommodation from self-catering units to deluxe hotels set off Eilat to be one magical resort.

Eilat’s underwater world revealed while diving at Eilat bay is spectacular. With it’s crystal clear waters allowing a visibility of 30 metres (due to the single source of incoming water from its southern opening to the Suez bay), the Red Sea and the variety of coral reefs along its shores are among the most beautiful fascinating diving sites in the world.

There are plenty of dive centres which offer world-class instruction that recommend services for beginners and experienced divers, including introductory dive, speciality courses and organised dives to the Red sea’s top diving sites. These sites, most of which are relatively close to the beach, reveal a whole realm of marvellous colours and incredibly gorgeous types of fish and corals.

For first timers, there are over nine diving school centres with certified instructors that offer reasonably priced introductory courses. Or if you are not feeling brave enough try snorkelling to get a taste of what’s underneath the magical crystal clear red sea waters!

Aqua Sport's Red Sea, one of the well known dive sites in Eilat is fantastic in the diversity of its diving environment. Diving sites range from comfortable shallow coral gardens to drift dives, wall dives and multi-level areas where you can choose your next dive. Wreck diving and night diving enhance your diving experience.

All the Aqua Sport centres carry a full range of the most modern rental diving equipment, fully maintained in top condition in our own extensive workshop. They rent 12 litre (80cu.ft.) aluminium tanks, all tanks are equipped for the "A" clamp attachment. DIN adapters are available for rent. Rental wetsuits are 5mm two piece Farmer John with Bermuda, women's wetsuits are also available.

Advanced recompression facilities manned by the region's most experienced operators are available 24 hours a day in Eilat. Contact Aqua sport on 08 6334404 www.aqua-sport.com

Contact the Red Sea Sports club on 08 6333666 www.redseasports.co.il for a variety of guided activities and special packages for certified divers.

According to the Israeli Diving Authority, All qualified divers must produce a recognized diving certificate, a valid diving insurance and a log-book or a declaration showing a dive within the past 6 months, prior to SCUBA equipment rental, tank refill or participation in a guided SCUBA dive. SCUBA REVIEW customers require a certification and insurance only. International diving insurance (valid worldwide for a year) may be purchased at SNUBA. A deposit (credit card imprint or a passport is required for all rentals).

Other things to do in Eilat

Dolphin Reef and the Relaxation pools

Beach lovers must spend a day at the dolphin reef, by far one of the prettiest private beaches in Eilat and a unique site in Israel. People can meet and observe from specially built floating piers dolphins in their natural habitat and also experience snorkelling or even diving in close contact with these fascinating creatures. Whilst there, book a session at the Relaxation Pools. This new age style phenomenon allows a maximum of 11 guests to soak their troubles away in three different pools, salt laden, rainwater and sea water. Floatation devices, massages and piped in underwater music make this the pools the ideal treat for stressed out parents. The pools operate in the evening, at the bottom of open-air wicker and bamboo mansion overlooking the sea. Scented candles, cookies, fresh fruit and wine add to the romantic atmosphere and make it ideal for couples.

Kings city

For beach-weary families why not spare an afternoon at the recently opened Kings City” located at the edge of the promenade, nearby the Eastern Lagoon. In a spectacular and attractive palace you will discover a Theme Park, reminiscent of a kings' palace, conveying to its visitors an extraordinary experience of a voyage in time, through caves quarried in the rock, sailing through King Solomon's halls and abundance of interactive experiences using world leading techniques.

Discover the voyage to the past through 4D film with active chairs pays homage to the wonders of ancient Egypt. The experience is so real that viewers duck when birds fly towards them from the screen. You can also enter the cave of illusions where you will find 65 interactive elements ‘test yourself’ funhouse games, mirrors of distortion, dizzying crooked mazes, holograms. Take a boat ride past famous biblical tales with live action figures doing everything from petitioning King Solomon to the garden of Eden and conclude with exciting water slides. In the Biblical cave descend 60 metres into the earth and admire stalactites and stalagmites. The admission price is around £15 for adults and £12 for children.

Timna Park

For those of you who want to explore excursions round Eilat, drive half an hour away to reach Timna Valley, a magnificent triangular valley of cliffs hundreds of metres high, blessed with fascinating views and thrilling sites from ancient history. The Arava highway leads you to Timna Park. Timna transcends from the Arabic name Wadi Mania and appears in Genesis Chap 36 where Timna is mentioned as the concubine of of Elipaz the son of Esau. Upon entering the park you will be able to pick up literature and route maps. An impressive rotating audiovisual panoramic show called “Mining through time” gives an exciting overview of the Ancient Egyptian copper industry. Knowledge just gained enriches your journey through the park’s path and eventually be led to “the mushroom” an amazing sculpture of red stone created by water and wind in the small valley. Continue further and you cannot miss these colossal masses of sandstone pillars, called Solomon Pillars. There are 24 different hiking paths in Timna Park. Most are relatively short and suited for any ability; among these diverse hikes there are more challenging tracks for the avid hiker, vehicle paths and theme tracks such as the Geological Path. Visitors may also enjoy a boat ride on the lake, relax in a Bedouin tent, eat Labanne (strained yoghurt) with hummus and typical Bedouin Pita. For a complete experience why not puff on a Shisha whilst listening to authentic music?

For more details contact +9728 631 6756

Yotvata Hai Bar

Whilst still in the area visit the Yotvata Hai Bar Nature reserve situated south of Kibbutz Yotvata. It was set up in order to preserve certain types of animals that were fast disappearing from the Israeli landscape.

In the open area of this park, you may encounter flocks of wildlife in their natural habitat. The indoor Predators Centre houses predators of the desert including mammal, reptiles and rodents. The desert nightlife room hosts bats, owls and other nocturnal creatures.

For more information on diving and adventure sports in Eilat find below a list of useful links:

www.coralworld.com

www.redseasports.co.il

www.snuba.co.il

www.siam.co.il/

dolphinreef.co.il/

www.aqua-sport.com

Israeli Tourist Office UK
020 7299 1100
www.thinkisrael.com