PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course

Drift diving is the closest thing underwater to flying: you stop swimming, the current takes over, and the reef streams past like scenery from a train window. Around Hurghada — where tidal water funnels between islands and along marine-park walls — drifting is not just a technique but the natural way to dive many of the best sites. This two-day, four-dive specialty teaches you to do it with complete confidence.

You learn how currents work and how to read them from the surface and underwater; how to make smooth negative or controlled entries from a moving boat; how to stay effortlessly neutral while the water carries you; how to stay together as a buddy team and communicate with the boat using a surface marker buoy; and what to do when the current changes direction or speed mid-dive. Each of the four dives adds a layer, from a gentle first drift over a coral garden to a proper wall drift where eagle rays and turtles often share the ride.

The minimum age is 12 and the prerequisite is an entry-level certification (Open Water Diver or equivalent). Equipment, PADI materials, the certification fee, lunches on board and Hurghada hotel transfers are included. Divers who complete this course consistently say the same thing afterwards: the sites they used to find intimidating became their favourites.