The diving centres on the black list have not complied to standards EN 14467/ISO 24803 for Recreational Diving Services and will not be able to renew their license from the Ministry of Tourism and therefore will be operating illegally.

The auditing process to check that diving centres are meeting these standards began in May 2008 and by 31st March 2009 was completed in South Sinai and will continue to 31st July 2009 in the Hurghada area. Steps will then be put into action to close down illegal operations that fail to comply.

See the black list here

The Chamber of Diving and Watersports was founded by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism in 2007 with a goal to improve quality, safety and standard of services in the diving and water sports industry, as well as to preserve the unique environment of the Red Sea.

All diving centres and safari boats will meet ISO standards EN 14467 / ISO 24803 for diving by 2009 as agreed with Egypt’s CDWS, the Austrian Institute of Norms and the European Underwater Federation.