Diving in Egypt

This article is intended to provide the already qualified Scuba diver with information which will help to plan dives in the waters of Egypt, whether as a local resident or a visitor. Information is provided without prejudice, and is not guaranteed accurate or complete. Use it at your own risk.

Understand

The Egyptian coast along the Red Sea in both Africa and the Sinai peninsula is a favoured destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. Various dive centers operate in each resort town or city to arrange both recreational and educational trips for all levels of experience and budgets.

General topography

Climate, weather and sea conditions

Marine ecology

Tropical Indo-Pacific

Equipment

Dive sites

Dive sites on the African side of the Red Sea include:

• Hurghada — on the African coast of the Red Sea.
• El Fanadir — to the north of Hurghada. El Fanadir North has a reef wall down to 12 metres, then a plateau extends out to 20 metres before a drop off to below 30 metres.
• El Gouna
• Sharm el Naga — About 40 km (25 mi) south of Hurghada. Shoreline reef cliff.
• Al Quseir — Between Hurghada and Marsa Alam. has many miles of coral reef.
• Marsa Alam — in south-eastern Egypt, on the western shore of the Red Sea near the Tropic of Cancer where the Arabian Desert meets the Red Sea. There are dive sites at barrier coral reefs along the coast and offshore where spinner dolphins, dugongs and hammerhead sharks can be seen.
• Dolphin Reef is a horseshoe-shaped reef in the Red Sea in open water to the northeast of Ras Banas. The eastern side has a steeply sloping wall profile, giving way to a sandy slope. Angelfish, butterflyfish, cuttlefish, bluespotted and blackspotted stingrays are common. Several types of sharks are also frequently spotted, and there are regular reports of dolphins along the reef or inside the lagoon.
• Elphinstone
• The Brothers
• Rocky Island
• Port Sarfaga, also known as Bur Safaga and Safaga, is 53 km (33 mi) south of Hurghada.
  • Chain reefs of Tobia Arbaa
  • Walls of Panorama
  • Towering reefs at Abu Qifan, where big pelagics such as tunas, sharks and mantas can often be seen
• Sha'b Abu Nuhas is a coral reef northwest of Shadwan Island in the northern Red Sea. The name is Arabic for "reef of father of copper", after the cargo of one of the wrecks. The reef is a navigation hazard because it projects into the shipping channel, and there are at least 7 shipwrecks on it including:
  • SS Carnatic
  • Kimon M
  • Chrisola K
  • Ghiannis D

These sites are in the Asian part of Egypt, on the Sinai peninsula:

The blue hole at Dahab

• Dahab — location of the notorious Blue Hole
• Sharm el-Sheikh
• Gamul Kebir just off Safaga Island in the Red Sea
• Nuweiba is in the South Sinai area. It is a relaxed small town with a large choice of shore diving and is ideal for the photographer. There are a number of dive centres which do guided dives for the experienced and courses for the novice through to tec diving. There are several hotels, small accommodations and beach camps to choose from. It can be reached by flying into Sharm el Sheikh or Taba and then a transfer.
• Ras Mohammad is a national park in Egypt at the southern extreme of the Sinai Peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Suez on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The park is 12 km from Sharm-el-Sheikh and has an area of 345 km² of water. Marsa Bareika is a small bay inlet in Ras Mohammed, and Marsa Ghozlani is a very small inlet across from the park visitors center. Coral reef, of the fringing and hermatypic types, exist along the coast around Ras Mohammad close to the shoreline. More than 220 species of coral are found in the area, 125 of them soft coral. The area is home to more than 1000 species of fish, 40 species of star fish, 25 species of sea urchins, more than a 100 species of mollusc and 150 species of crustaceans. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) appear regularly in Ras Mohammad.
  • Wreck of the SS Thistlegorm
  • Shark Reef
  • Yolanda Reef
  • South Bereika
  • Marsa Ghozlani
  • Old Quay
  • Shark Observatory

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