I had wanted to do my PADI Open Water scuba-diving qualification for some time, when at last, I coerced my rather reluctant boyfriend – he had barely snorkelled, let alone dived – into accompanying me to Sharm el Sheikh, a resort town on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. With clear waters, sandy beaches, about 1000 species of fish and 150 types of coral, the Red Sea is a wonderful place to enjoy some guaranteed winter sunshine and experience the rich marine life there.