The purpose built Chamber in Sharm was opened on 10th March 1993 by Dr Adel Taher, and is still run by him and his team Dr. Ahmed Sakr and Dr.Heikal to this day. The four man facility is a non-profit making enterprise, and its continued service is made possible by donations, mostly from dive centres in the region. The cost of running the chamber is huge, with even the smallest maintenance being expensive due to the medical grade parts required.

Regular visitors to Sharm will be aware that, wherever you dive, you will more than likely see a Voluntary Contribution to the Chamber added to your bill. At €1 per day, this contribution is normally collected and given to the chamber to help them in their everyday efforts to keep the chamber and its expert advice and treatment available to all. However, it is reported that not all centres that collect this contribution pass it on to the intended recipient. In fact, only a very select few still make these valuable payments. If you are intending to dive in Sharm, please take the time to check whether your chosen dive centre is supporting the Chamber and its work by contacting the Chamber directly at hyper_med_center@sinainet.com.eg

The item so proudly presented is the first one-man “Portable Monoplace” chamber used in the Sinai area. After it was decommissioned in the 80s, in response the need for a larger capacity facility, the chamber was abandoned on dry land. Later it was reclaimed by Red Sea Diving College and submerged in the shallows of Naama Bay, used to mark the outer edge of the Red Sea Diving College confined diving area, to enable teaching in a safe environment. It was hoped that it would also become an artificial reef, to promote coral growth and encourage a growth in fish life. However, due to the material of the chamber, it was never to fulfil this role.