New book explores the birth of Red Sea diving

If you’ve ever wondered how the Red Sea dive industry was founded and grew into the world class destination is it today, take a look at a new book exploring the birth of Red Sea scuba tourism as told by one of the pioneers.

‘Treasures, Shipwrecks and the Dawn of Red Sea Diving – A Pioneer’s Journey’ is an account by Howard Rosenstein, who opened the first dive school in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Through his dive centres, first in the Mediterranean and then exploding onto the Sinai scene, Howard became a pioneer of recreational diving.

Howard was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2009. In this memoir, he shares the more surprising as well as his favourite stories from the early part of his long diving career.

A Red Sea pioneer

Following the opening his first dive school (in a train carriage!) at the edge of the desert, Howard’s resort would somehow go on to become a global destination. Rosenstein was cracking open a hidden world in Sinai. This true story dives headfirst into those groundbreaking times, where celebrated guests, uncharted dives and historical discoveries became the extraordinary routine.

His first dive school (in a train carriage!) at the edge of the desert would somehow go on to become a global destination

It’s a tale of grit, where resourcefulness and connections fueled Howard’s pioneering spirit. At the time, most of the Red Sea was an unexplored underwater wilderness. From Roman coins glinting on the seabed to the dark, unmapped depths, his dives unveiled sunken treasures and secrets of the past.

It was a tumultuous time which required tightrope walks between nations still at war. Howard braved floods, aided grounded ships, and even braved the depths of Mount Sinai itself.

In the process he rubbed shoulders with underwater legends, bestselling authors, true photography greats, and even world leaders. He navigated murky shipwrecks, charmed amorous sharks, and found himself a player in the delicate dance of peace negotiations.

The book recounts the extraordinary story of the entrepreneur who pioneered Red Sea dive tourism, illustrated with 200 images by the author and others, including renowned underwater photographer David Doubilet.

Treasures, Shipwrecks and the Dawn of Red Sea Diving – A Pioneer’s Journey’ is available to purchase from 2nd July priced £30 RRP from Dived Up Publications.