Egypt Diving
Egypt’s beauty and thriving underwater world is known to never disappoint divers. With the Red Sea as it's underwater playground, Egypt offers impressive marine life sightings and coral formations of all colours and size.
Northern Egypt
Discover famed historical dive sites, where you can swim among over 7000 artifacts including ancient Roman ruins and WWII wrecks. Go freshwater diving in the middle of the Sahara or glide over thriving coral reefs.
Red Sea Coast
Vibrant soft coral gardens and famous wrecks attract new and experienced divers to the ever-popular Red Sea Coast. Dive in to experience elusive dugong, resident dolphin pods, mantas, hammerheads and more.
Sinai
The Sinai Peninsula has something for every diver preference and experience level, with vibrant Red Sea life of all shapes and sizes. Whether you like bustling dive resorts, liveaboards or quiet beach huts, there’s something for you to enjoy at this world-class dive region.
Diving in Egypt
Egypt, is a much loved hot spot for underwater enthusiasts who venture from around the globe to dive in its pristine water, brimming with diverse marine life. The Red Sea is famous worldwide for its unforgettable sites and is on most divers’ bucket list. Its magnificent ecosystem of coral, colour and critters is something otherworldly.
Egypt really does have diving for everyone, which is why it’s so popular. Whether you’re a complete beginner, or a seasoned dive professional seeking out new adventures, Egypt’s beauty and thriving underwater world is known to not to disappoint. You can generally count on spectacles of fish, magnificent macro creatures like nudibranch and shrimp, and brilliantly beaming coral. Boasting not only vivacious coral and fish, in Egypt you can enjoy diving with the big boys as well. Think shoals of sharks, mantas, turtles, dolphins and manatees if you’re lucky, and a favourite of many - Whalesharks. Wonderfully warm waters and great visibility along with minimal current is frequently found in Egypt waters, which is especially great for beginners wanting to take the plunge for the first time, or for less experienced divers. However, there are also many spots that do require a specific level of training and experience, such as sites that are rather deep, wreck dive sites and areas of strong current. This variation of dive conditions is why it truly is a place for all levels of experience and interest.
Egypt has many dive options, depending on personal preference and what limits you have budget-wise. Much of Egypt’s bustling tourist spots are lined with dive centers, both large and small. Similarly, dive resorts are in abundance, and many resorts have a small dive center within their grounds. Liveaboards are also extremely popular, with plenty of luxury boats sailing to distant dive areas all year round, meaning divers are really spoilt for choice.
Best time to dive
Egypt goes through notable changes in weather and temperature, depending on the season. Additionally, the change in climate means that sea critters displace themselves, so your diving experience will vary depending on your chosen vacation dates. March to May is spring and is the first high season of the year. The temperature in and out of the ocean is warm and comfortable. Furthermore you are more likely to spot whalesharks during this time. June to August is the low season, when temperatures are noticeably hotter. What’s more, you’ll find fantastic deals on liveaboards and dive packages in resorts and dive centers. But low season doesn’t mean bad diving - during this period, hammerhead sharks frequent the area, so be sure to keep your eyes open. September to November are also considered the high season, and, like March to May, these months boast the most agreeable ocean conditions with higher chances of running into manta rays and thresher sharks. December to February is another low season, as ocean temperatures plummet to around 22˚C (72˚). There’s always a compromise though, as this period usually has the clearest visibility. As dive tourism peaks in Egypt’s spring and autumn, it’s important to be aware that dive sites in the Red Sea can be significantly more crowded than in the summer and winter.
Types of diving
As previously mentioned, there is something for everyone in Egypt, be it calm colourful sites, shipwrecks, drift dives and deep sites. For beginners or less experienced divers, or quite simply all divers that enjoy endless rainbow reefs, pelagic species, schools of fish spiralling and all the magic that beautiful coral reefs offer, diving in the Ras Mohammed National Park near Sharm El Sheikh is highly recommended. This protected reserve includes huge areas of coral reef, and expands all the way to the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Many divers of all levels and experience travel exclusively to experience what this breathtaking national park has to offer. Secondly, world-famous wreck in the Red Sea is the Thistlegorm, a British armed Merchant Navy ship that sank in 1941, now home to an array of marine life and a favourite of many divers.
For those that enjoy wall dives, Tiran in the North and the Outer Islands in the South are home to spectacular walls teaming with life. For more advanced divers, the remote sites of The Brothers, Elphinstone, Daedalus and Rocky are famous for speedy currents, epic walls, sharks and awesome wrecks. If you’re an avid cave diver, exploring St John's reef in the Deep South is an absolute must. The Blue Hole near Dahab is a submarine sinkhole of around 100m deep. Known as one of the world’s deepest recreational dive sites, popular with technical divers wishing to push the limits, it's certainly recommended only for more advanced deep-certified divers due to its amazing depth.
What to see
With the Red Sea’s coral reefs expanding over an area of 1500 km, it can rarely be compared to any other place on Earth with regards to biodiversity. Over 300 species of coral and 1,000 species of fish live in its vastness, and amazingly, 10% of these species are only found specifically in the Red Sea.
If you’re seeking out the big stuff, fear not, for there are over ten shark species that can be found in the Red Sea, including the Oceanic White Tip Shark, Grey Reef Shark, Thresher Shark, Nurse Shark, Silky Shark, White Tip Reef Shark, Black Tip Reef Shark, Hammerhead Shark and the Tiger Shark. If that’s not enough, eight species of dolphin, an estimated population of 4000 dugong and four species of turtle call the Rea Sea home.
Best places to dive
While it’s impossible to talk about all of Egypt’s mesmerising dive sites due to its huge size and incredible diversity, there are some sites that are favourited over others, such as Sharm El Sheik’s Straits of Tiran. There are four reefs that are famous here; Gordon Reef, Thomas Reef, Woodhouse Reef and Jackson Reef. All are perfect for enjoying endless colourful reefs, sharks and rays, and spectacular schools of fish.
The Thistlegorm wreck is ideal for wreck divers, where cars, motorbikes and various other vehicles can be seen. Marine life also thrives here, including sharks.
Elphinstone is a long reed located near Marsa Alam. It features exceptional reefs and walls covered in soft coral. Sharks like hammerheads, large fish such as barracuda and grouper and schools of snapper and jacks are common here thanks to strong currents.
Finally, the Blue Hole in Dahab, meaning “gold”, is not only famous for its epic ecosystem, but also for taking the lives of a number of divers, hence it is only recommended for more experienced divers. However, if depth isn’t your cup of tea, Dahab contains other great dive sites, such as Golden Blocks and The Islands and Eel Garden.
