The Red Sea is blessed with warm, clear water and amazing reefs filled with bright corals and unique marine life. No matter what your dive interests are, the Red Sea offers a wide array of diving opportunities; drift dives, wrecks, pinnacles, shore dives, day boats, liveaboards, and wall dives! Due to the variety of dive sites, the Red Sea provides dives for the beginner as well as the more advanced diver. The diversity in marine life, fauna, and incredible wrecks here brings in divers from all over the world!
I had the pleasure of scuba diving the southern region of Egypt in October, embarking on my liveaboard from the coastal city of Hurghada. Although I feel like I dove some of the most iconic dive sites in the Red Sea, there’s still so much left to see! Wherever your travels take you, here are 6 of the many reasons to dive the Red Sea!
1. Red Sea’s Protected Islands
- Ras Mohammed – This island, located on the Sinai Peninsula, was the first island in the Red Sea to be protected. It is accessible by liveaboards and resorts and provides great wall, wreck and drift diving.
- Giftun Island – Right off the coast of Hurghada, this island is easily accessible by a day boat as well as a liveaboard. There’s also a lovely drift dive option here to see the gorgonian coral forest!
- The Brothers (Big Brother & Small Brother) – The Brothers are only accessible by liveaboard due to their remoteness, but it is well worth it! If you are interested in seeing oceanic whitetips, this is the place to go! We would see a couple of them hanging out around the boat during our safety stop almost every dive. Although rare, thresher sharks can also be seen at Brothers (we were lucky enough to see one on a deep dive). There are 2 wrecks at Big Brother Island: The Aida and the Numidia. These are deeper dives, so you want to make sure you have an advanced diver and deep diver certification before your trip. Most liveaboards that go to Brothers leave from Hurghada and Safaga.
- Daedalus Reef – Daedalus is also only accessible by liveaboard and is a more challenging dive site, as the currents are often really strong and the reef is in open ocean. Daedalus dives will be deep dives (up to 130ft, 40m), especially if you are here to see the schools of hammerhead sharks in summertime. Oceanic whitetips and Grey Reef Sharks are also common here!
- St. John’s – Near the Sudanese border, this protected island is becoming more popular among liveaboard itineraries as there is an abundance of hard and soft corals, large pelagics, dolphins and manta rays. It’s a great spot for advanced divers, who enjoy drift dives, wall dives and caverns.
Rocky Island, and Zabargad Island are worth looking into as well…
2. Historic Wrecks
- S.S. Thistlegorm – Located in the North of the Red Sea in the Strait of Gubal, lies the S.S. Thistlegorm, a 420ft (128m) long World War 2 wreck. This is the most popular wreck in the Red Sea, as well as one of the best dive sites in the world. The most spectacular part of the Thistlegorm wreck is the number of artifacts: 2 locomotives, 2 tanks, jeeps, motorcycles, army trucks and more. You do need to be an advanced diver to dive this wreck as it rests in about 98ft (30m) of water.
- Numidia Wreck – As mentioned above, the Numidia Wreck is located at the north end of Big Brother Island. This wreck lies on a very steep slope, starting at 32ft (10m) and ending at 279ft (85m). There is an opportunity to penetrate the Numidia at around 130ft (40m) where the entrance to the engine room is located.
- Giannis D – This wreck is actually broken into 3 pieces, lying parallel to the Sha’ab Abu Nuhas Reef. The navigation, similar to that of the Numidia, can be difficult on this wreck due to the tilt. Divers can become easily disoriented, so make sure if you plan to penetrate the wreck, you are with a dive guide or have the right certification and training.
- The Rosalie Moller – This is actually the sister ship of the world famous S.S. Thistlegorm. Although it is easiest to explore this wreck from a liveaboard, it is possible to do a day trip from Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada, but it does take 3 hours to get there so keep that in mind. The main portion of this wreck is at 115ft (35m) so it is for advanced divers only.
- Dunraven – The Dunraven is a much easier wreck to penetrate and dive as it is in a sheltered location and the dive condition are usually good. The shallowest portion lies at 60ft (18m) and the deepest reaches 91ft (28m). You can also do a day trip here (about 2 hours from shore).
- Salem Express – One of the most unique wrecks in the Red Sea is the Salem Express, a former long car and ferry passenger. The official death toll of the Salem Express was 470 passengers (more are expected) therefore penetration into the wreck is forbidden as it is considered a Maritim Tomb. It is a shallow wreck and is a great day trip option from Hurghada or Safaga.
Check out The Carnatic, The Kingston, and many others.
3. Marine Animal Encounters
- Oceanic Whitetips – The Oceanic Whitetip is one of the more common shark species to be found in the Red Sea. It’s important to note that this species’ population is in decline and it’s considered to be endangered so “common” might not be the best term. It’s possible to see oceanic whitetips during any month out of the year. During our dive trip, we saw them most frequently at The Brothers, but they can be seen at many other dive sites.
- Whale Sharks – During the summertime, plankton blooms in the northern part of the Red Sea attract Whale Sharks and other filter feeders. This lasts from May til the end of July.
- Schools of Hammerheads – The best chance of seeing hammerheads in Egypt is to dive Elphinestone and Daedalus Reef, best done from a liveaboard. Daedalus Reef is known for receiving schools of hammerheads during the summer months, but it can be a challenging dive site due to the currents, depth, and being in open ocean.
- Dugongs – There are a few locations in Egypt where dugongs can be sited: Hurghada, El Quseir, and Marsa Alam. The majority of sightings have recently been at a sandy lagoon off the coast of Marsa Alam called Abu Dabbab.
- Dolphins – There are 8 species that are native to the Red Sea, but the most common for divers to see are the Bottlenose Dolphin, the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, and the Spinner Dolphin. Dive sites off the coast of Marsa Alam give you the highest chance of having a dolphin encounter with Samadai Reef being the best.
- Bluespotted Stingray – These beautiful stingrays are found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea. They can be found swimming along the sandy bottom around coral reefs. We spotted many of them while diving right off the coast of Hurghada!
4. Affordable Dive Packages and Liveaboards
Over the last 10 years, Egyptian tourism has unfortunately taken a big hit due to safety concerns involving terrorism and political instability. In an attempt to revive the industry, dive centers, liveaboards, and dive resorts have lowered prices, making Egypt an inexpensive place to scuba dive. My liveaboard experience was incredible, equipped with the nicest staff. I encourage you to take advantage of the prices and enjoy the amazing diving!
5. Great Diving Conditions
Overall, the Red Sea provides excellent diving conditions, including great visibility, pleasant topside conditions, and warm water temperatures even during the winter months. In the summer, the water in the Red Sea is around 86°F (30°C), which is perfect for planning multiple, back-to-back dives without getting cold. Even during the winter season, the temperatures rarely drop below 71°F (21°C). The weather above is equally as pleasant, as Egypt is typically hot, ranging from 68°F (20°C) to 104°F (40°C) with low chances for rain and storms. These great dive conditions provide the perfect opportunities for new divers as well as advanced.
6. Amazing Reefs and Biodiversity
The Red Sea has some of the healthiest reefs in the entire world, mainly due to the lack of population along the coastline, as well as commercial fishing. It is expected that there are around 2,148 species of fish in the Red Sea alone, 10% – 20% of which are thought to be unique to this location. The Red Sea also has an abundance of corals, both soft and hard. Interestingly, the corals here have developed a strong tolerance to warm temperatures and high salinity, which would destroy corals and reefs in other parts of the world.
There are so many reasons to dive the Red Sea
The Red Sea has a lot to offer divers. I had an unforgettable trip this past October and would love to go back and do a different itinerary. If this article got you excited about diving the Red Sea, Blue O Two’s “Simply the Best” itinerary is a great place to start! I highly recommend this company and this route!
Thinking about visiting Egypt? Read my post about how to stay safe in Egypt. I also recommend checking for travel advisories before traveling here.