Massawa's surrounding islands the Dahlak and nearby Green Island offer excellent snorkeling and diving opportunities and have pristine beaches with turquoise waters. But going there requires chartering a boat or joining one of the pricy diving tour groups which tend to be rather costly and to date there are no cheap alternatives. There is a decompression chamber in Massawa if you were to have any problems and you should obviously not get on a flight or travel up to Asmara at 2600 meters above sea level too soon after diving. Give it a day or two of staying on land. There aren't many extraordinary beaches in or around mainland Massawa or the bridge-connected islands apart from the Green Island. Gurgusum beach which lies only 14 km north of town on the mainland is an average beach with adequate facilities.
The town itself comes to life "after dark" when temperatures cool down slightly. The oldtown becomes a bazaar of sorts with shops, bars, restaurants and brothels opening up to customers. Bring tankloads of sunscreen and a good pair of sunglasses because the Red Sea sun is merciless. You will not find good sunscreen in Eritrea, if at all it will be too expensive and/or expired. Also bring plenty of insect repellent and mosquito net to place above your bed, especially in the winter months November to February. Although you may be taking anti-malaria treatment, there are other insect-borne diseases for which there is no prevention or treatment other than avoiding insect bites, such as Dengue fever. This is especially prevalent in the tropical climate zone along the Eritrean coast.
