ORCA Dive Club Safaga
SSI Instructor Training Center in the Amarina Abu Soma Resort at Safaga, with its own jetty, a house reef and boat trips to the Tobia and outer reefs.
Last updated October 2026
Book your dive directly with this centre.
About
The club is part of the hotel's waterfront. Dive centre, jetty and shallow beach sit together at the Amarina Abu Soma Resort, and the boats are moored at that jetty, right beside the dive centre. Everything else on the page follows from that arrangement.
Boat days run to the inner Tobia reefs and to the outer reefs. Tobia Arbaa is described as five ergs, the coral blocks, down to 30 m, with stonefish, scorpionfish, Napoleons and turtles. Panorama lies further out, quoted at 45 to 60 minutes by boat, and Abu Kafan and Salem Express are on the programme too. A full-day trip combines two dives, for example at Abu Soma Garden and Tobia Arbaa, with two snorkelling sessions and lunch on board.
Beginners start on the house reef, a short swim from chest-deep water, with a pool close by. The day-one guarantee is simple: a diver who finds on the first day of a beginner course that diving is not for them pays nothing for it. Courses follow SSI and CMAS programmes, with courses in German on offer at all times and in other languages as well. Open Water starts at age 10, with a separate course for ages 10 to 14, and the children's SSI programmes begin at age 8 with a maximum depth of 2 m.
The club is an SSI Instructor Training Center and describes itself as an SSI Diamond Dive Center, so a diver can continue from Open Water through Advanced, Rescue, Nitrox and specialties to Divemaster, which asks for 60 logged dives. The equipment room offers 12 and 15 litre aluminium tanks and kit in all sizes, with air and nitrox filled on site. Drying rooms and a terrace over the beach and jetty complete the base.
The ORCA name is older than this base. The brand dates itself to 1991, when Volker Clausen opened the first ORCA Dive Club at Hor-Palace in the south of Hurghada, and moved its club to Safaga in 1995.
What divers say
Reviews describe an unhurried club: a calm, no-rush atmosphere, patient teaching for beginners and a family-sized team. One group of twelve was taken for a try dive, with ten of them diving on a single day. Guides and the boat captain are praised by name, the boat is called clean and roomy with a daily lunch, and the equipment and facilities are described as well kept. Several divers add that the house reef is good enough to dive several times in its own right.
Recent reviews are positive throughout, and none raises a complaint.
Facilities
Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified October 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on ORCA Dive Club Safaga's official website before booking.
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Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
Rates appear on the booking page once check-in and check-out dates are entered; Amarina resort guests are quoted special rates on packages and courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same ORCA club as the one at Coral Garden?▾
No. This page is the base inside the Amarina Abu Soma Resort at Km 8 on the Safaga-Soma Bay road. ORCA also runs a club at Coral Garden, which is a separate base with its own address, so check which one you are booking before you travel.
How deep are Panorama and Abu Kafan, and can an Open Water diver go?▾
The depth labels on the offshore reefs describe the reef, not the dive. The club describes Abu Kafan as three vertical walls that drop more than 100 m into open water, and the same goes for the figures quoted for Panorama. Recreational depth limits still apply on the day: 18 m for Open Water, 30 m for Advanced Open Water, 40 m with the Deep specialty. These are exposed sites listed as deep dives, and the ride out to Panorama is quoted at 45 to 60 minutes, so they suit certified divers with some experience. The sheltered Tobia reefs are the gentler option.
Does the club teach PADI courses?▾
The club's own programmes are SSI and CMAS. On request it also teaches courses that follow PADI guidelines, so ask before booking which certification card you will receive at the end.
Can I dive on trimix with this club?▾
A trimix fill appears in the club's directory listing but not in its own description of its equipment, which names air and nitrox from Bauer compressors. Treat trimix as unconfirmed and ask the club directly before planning technical dives.
Do Amarina resort guests get different rates?▾
Yes. Guests of the Amarina Abu Soma Resort are quoted special rates on packages and courses. The club sets them per booking, so mention your room when you ask for a price.
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