Egypt » Sharm EL Sheikh

Diving is compulsory when around the Red Sea. The coral reefs and the tropical fish are among the greatest you can get across. And picking up your certificate, either PADI or CMAS might be cheaper here than in your home country, but not always. Scandinavians are among those who should avoid getting their course from Sharm el-Shaykh, not only is it more expensive, but you will get no training with cold water diving. 

Sharm el-Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1982. Prior to 1967, Sharm el-Sheikh was little more than an occasional base of operations for local fishermen; the nearest permanent settlement was in Nabek, north of Ras el-Nasrani ("The Tiran Straits"). 

After the Sinai was restored to Egypt in 1982, the Egyptian government embarked on an initiative to encourage continued development of the city. Foreign investors some of whom had discovered the potential of the locality during the Israeli occupation contributed to a spate of building projects. Environmental zoning laws currently limit the height of buildings in Sharm el-Sheikh so as to avoid obscuring the natural beauty of the surroundings.

The city has played host to a number of important Middle Eastern peace conferences, including the September 4, 1999 agreement to restore Palestinian self-rule over the Gaza Strip. A second summit was held at Sharm on October 17, 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, but it failed to end the violence. 

In 1978, a flash flood destroyed most of the shallow reefs in Naama Bay. Being that the bay was largely undeveloped at the time, there were very few casualties.