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For lovers of diving and snorkeling, diving in the Red Sea is a mandatory activity to enjoy one of the most attractive marine biodiversity in the world, ideal for experienced divers or travelers who want to live a unique adventure during their trip to Egypt and swim. among corals, dolphins and sharks. Discover in our guide the best places to dive in the Red Sea and Sinai.

The best areas for diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea
Sharm el-Sheikh
For combined diving and beach holidays
Although today Sharm el-Sheikh (or in English, Sharm el-Sheikh), in Egypt’s South Sinai, is known as a beach resort, it remains the main base for diving in Ras Mohammed National Park and the Strait of Tiran, two of the most famous diving destinations in the Red Sea. Some of the dive sites contained in these two areas rank among the best dives in the world. Access to the best dive sites around Sharm el-Sheikh is done by boat, on day trips. There are many diving options operating out of Sharm for those looking for a primarily diving holiday. One of the most popular options—which can easily be booked into a hotel stay—is the overnight diving trip to the Thistlegorm wreck in the Gubal Strait, off the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula.
Dahab
For learning divers and longer diving stays
Dahab is a small beachside resort dedicated to diving. It is the hub of budget travelers in Sinai, who mostly want to avoid the luxury resort style of Sharm el-Sheikh in favor of a relaxed, activity-oriented style of tourism. It is known for its very good value diving activities and is home to Egypt’s free diving community. For all these reasons, Dahab is one of the best places to learn to dive in the Red Sea. This is due to the fact that many of Dahab’s dive sites are accessible from the shore itself and, of course, the lower price of accommodation, which makes the cost of long stays to complete various PADI qualifications more affordable.
Hurghada and El Gouna

To dive within reach of Luxor
The coast around Hurghada was the original diving destination in the Red Sea of ​​Egypt. Its popularity, as well as over-development, has caused a lot of damage to dive sites in recent decades, to the point where today it is known for its luxury hotels and all-inclusive resorts. This is by no means to say that divers should stay completely away from this region, as this is the closest base to a multitude of sites in the Gubal Strait of the Red Sea. For experienced divers, however, it is better to book a holiday on board, rather than stay at a resort and dive the nearby reefs, which tend to be the most damaged and most crowded. For travelers wanting a trip that combines both diving and the chance to visit Luxor’s historic sites, the resorts of Hurghada and El Gouna remain the closest and easiest option, with Luxor within easy round-trip travel distance. In the same day.
Marsa Alam
To dive the sites of the deep south
Marsa Alam has long been known among experienced divers as one of the best Red Sea dive bases, thanks to being the closest city to Egypt’s “deep south” dive sites such as the Fury Shoals. Over the past decade, the coastline around Marsa Alam has become a beach resort area and is now the meeting place for a number of large five-star resorts, as well as simpler beach campsites focused solely on diving. . The dive sites here are more suitable for advanced divers, so if you are a beginner diver looking for a beach resort and diving holiday, you might want to check out Sharm el-Sheikh or El Gouna first. If you are an experienced diver, Marsa Alam could be a very attractive destination for diving in the Red Sea.

Top 10 Scuba Diving in the Red Sea and Sinai
1. The Thistlegorm Wreck
The Thistlegorm is the most famous shipwreck in the Red Sea. This World War II cargo ship was carrying supplies for Allied troops in North Africa and was sunk by German fighter planes in the Gubal Strait in October 1941. The attack split the ship in two, sinking rapidly in the bottom of the sea. The Thistlegorm wreck was discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1956, but its location was kept a secret until the mid-1990s. Diving there is like exploring a World War II underwater museum. The Thistlegorm’s stash of rifle carriers, trucks, and motorcycles are still in the hold, and the rail cars the ship was carrying sit on the seabed next to the wreck. It can be reached by boat from Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada.

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2. Shark and Jolanda Reefs
Most divers heading to Sharm el-Sheikh for the first time are here to dive these two reefs, ranked among the top 10 dive sites in the world. Shark and Jolanda reefs lie within the Red Sea protected area of ​​Ras Mohammed National Park, just off the southern point of the Ras Mohammed peninsula, easily accessible by boat from Sharm el-Sheikh. Due to the currents, this is a major diving destination offering the best of marine life and the famous underwater views of soft coral in the Red Sea, as well as the wreck of the Cypriot cargo ship Jolanda. Marine life here is abundant with large schools of a variety of small, colorful reef fish species along with barracuda, snapper and tuna, turtles, giant moray eels, manta rays and sharks. The variety of coral here is as impressive as the marine life, with colorful coral pinnacles and walls covered in brilliant coral gardens. The dive normally ends with an exploration of the wreck of the Jolanda, which was carrying a cargo of porcelain bathing equipment, its cargo left on the seabed when it sank in 1980.

3. Shoals of Fury
The Fury Shoals is a group of several reefs that stretch south from Marsa Alam to Berenice, in the deep Red Sea south of Egypt. The coral gardens here are notable for being among the most pristine in the Red Sea, with more limited numbers of divers in this area there are excellent opportunities for marine life viewing. White-tip sharks and manta rays are regularly seen, as well as turtles, dolphins, and numerous octopuses, barracudas, various reef fish, and nudibranchs. These deep south dive sites offer one of the best opportunities for the rare sighting of the Red Sea dugong.

The dive sites located in the Fury Shoals offer an exciting variety of diving, from sheer coral-encrusted underwater cliffs and tunnel swimming, to exploring small shipwrecks. Even the Fury Shoals can be reached by boat on diving trips from Marsa Alam. Boat operators also offer multi-day diving excursions to the Fury Shoals departing from Marsa Alam and Hurghada.
4. Jackson Reef and the Lara Shipwreck
Jackson Reef is the northernmost reef in the Strait of Tiran. The Strait of Tiran is located north of Sharm el-Sheikh, from where you can reach Jackson’s Reef on a day trip by boat from Sharm el-Sheikh, interesting for experienced divers due to its strong currents. Reef fish flit around the coral gardens, while larger marine life, regularly seen, includes hammerheads, gray reef sharks, white-tip sharks, great moray eels, octopus, barracudas and schools of tuna. The wreck of the Cypriot cargo ship Lara, sunk in 1981, can also be explored on the northern edge of the reef.

5. Elphinstone Reef
Just north of Marsa Alam, Elphinstone Reef is one of the great attractions of a diving holiday in Marsa Alam, known for its marine life and the abundance and variety of soft corals that carpet the deep plateaus of the reef. With its often swift currents, Elphinstone is a brilliant drift diving destination. The reef drops to 42 meters, with sheer cliffs, caves and coral pinnacles, all of which can be explored in the shallower depths. The site is famous among the diving community for its shark sightings: oceanic whitetips and hammerheads, along with gray reef sharks and blacktips are regularly seen. Due to the currents and depths Elphinstone is not a suitable destination for beginners or inexperienced divers. This is the most popular dive site in the deep south of Egypt due to easy access by boat from Marsa Alam.
6. Big Brother and Little Brother Island
The isolated Brothers Islands (halfway between Hurghada and Marsa Alam) are part of the protected islands of Egypt’s marine park and have restrictions on divers who can dive here. The good news is that the dive operator is the one who takes care of the paperwork to obtain the permits. You only need to be able to justify your diving experience to get entry. Most of the dive sites here are only advanced level. Accessed on dive trips (departing from Hurghada or Marsa Alam), the Brothers Islands only see a handful of divers compared to other Red Sea sites. The seven dive sites in the area are known for their shark sightings, particularly common oceanic whitetips and hammerheads. There are plenty of other smaller reef fish and huge schools of larger fish. Off Big Brother Island, the fringing reef, carpeted with different soft-colored corals, is the highlight, plus it’s possible to explore two nearby shipwrecks.

7. Homas Reef and Gordon Reef
These two reefs are located in the Strait of Tiran and are usually accessed on day trips by boat from Sharm el-Sheikh. There are four reefs in the Strait of Tiran, two of which are at the southernmost end of the reef system, so they can often be explored together on a day trip. The reef walls here feature steep drop-offs that lead to the yawning plateaus of the coral garden. Thomas Reef is the smaller of the two and the more popular dive due to its variety of colorful hard and soft corals, including whip corals, black corals, and huge gorgonians. Both reefs are known for their multitude of reef fish, plus regular shark and turtle sightings, with hammerheads, tiger sharks and gray reef sharks regularly seen. The currents are strong here, so this is a site for advanced divers.
8.Shaab Samadai
This horseshoe shaped reef south of Marsa Alam is a protected area, there is a limit on the number of daily visitors due to spinner dolphins, which are regular visitors here. Whether the dolphins show up or not, Shaab Samadai is a dive site with plenty of variety to offer divers, known for its multitude of coral pinnacles, as well as a canyon for more experienced divers. Those who don’t want to dive, but would like the chance to see the Shaab Samadai dolphins, can usually join one of the dive boats as a snorkeler. The dive site is accessed by day trip boat from Marsa Alam or by boat excursions from Marsa Alam and Hurghada.

9. Dunraven Wreck
Located at the southwestern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, the Dunraven wreck is an 80 meter long steamship that struck the reef here, on its return journey to the UK from India, and sank (with all the crew saved by local fishermen) in 1876. Abundant fish have made their home here, and divers interested in macro marine life will be particularly happy, as there are plenty of nudibranchs to be seen. Reef fish that inhabit the wreck include scorpionfish, pipefish, and wrasse. If you are on a board trip from Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh to the Thistlegorm wreck, the Dunraven dive is usually included in the trip. It can also be accessed by boat on a day trip from Sharm.
10. The Blue Hole
Just north of Dahab, this sinkhole, which drops vertically to about 120 meters, is Egypt’s most notorious dive site due to the number of lives it has claimed. Despite its reputation, however, as long as you dive safely within normal recreational diving depth limits, diving here is just as safe as other sites. Only highly advanced technical divers, with specialized equipment to counter the effects of nitrogen narcosis and oxygen poisoning, should attempt to venture deeper than this and even then they must be highly prepared and trained beforehand. All of the Blue Hole deaths have occurred outside the normal depth limits of recreational diving. On a normal recreational dive here, there are numerous different corals and small fish to see, including plenty of flying clownfish. The edge of the sinkhole, accessed from the shore, is also a popular snorkeling destination due to the rich variety of fish life. External links: Coordinates and maps of diving sites. Diving centers in the Red Sea by location Boat diving centers in the Red Sea.

Water temperatures in Red Sea throughout the year

Photos of the 10 Best places to dive Red Sea