Destinations · 7 min read
The best dive sites in the Red Sea
Walls dropping into the blue, sharks in open water, legendary wrecks and reefs full of life. These are the dive sites that make the Red Sea one of the best destinations in the world, and that we visit on our liveaboard routes.
Ras Mohammed
At the southern tip of Sinai, Ras Mohammed became Egypt’s first national park in 1983 and today protects 480 km² of sea. Its walls drop into the blue and hold an almost unbelievable amount of life. Shark & Yolanda Reef combines two reefs with the remains of a cargo ship, and at Jack Fish Alley schools of jacks, barracudas and Napoleon wrasse are a common sight.
We dive it on: North & Brothers, North & Wrecks, Famous 5 and Deep North.
Strait of Tiran
Between Sinai and Tiran island, four large reefs line up in a constant current, which attracts pelagic life and makes corals grow huge. Jackson Reef has spectacular walls and is one of the most photogenic sites in the north; Wood House stands out for its coral gardens and turtles; and Gordon Reef for its variety of fish.
We dive it on: North & Wrecks and Deep North.
Brothers Islands
Two volcanic islets in the open sea, hours away from the coast, with almost untouched walls dropping hundreds of metres. It is one of the best places in the Red Sea to see sharks: oceanic whitetip, hammerhead and grey reef sharks. Big Brother is also home to two coral-covered wrecks, the Numidia and the Aida. Currents can be strong.
We dive it on: North & Brothers, South · BDE and Famous 5.
Daedalus
The reef furthest from the Egyptian coast, with a lighthouse in the middle that you can visit. Its walls are covered in hard coral in excellent condition and visibility is usually exceptional. It is famous for schools of hammerheads on the first dives of the day, and for oceanic whitetips.
We dive it on: South · BDE and Dolphins & Sharks.
Elphinstone
A long reef off Marsa Alam, with vertical walls and two plateaus, one to the north and one to the south, reaching into the blue. It is one of the best sites in the south to meet the oceanic whitetip, especially in autumn, as well as turtles and schools of colourful fish.
We dive it on: South · BDE and Dolphins & Sharks.
Abu Nuhas
Known as the ship graveyard of the Red Sea: this reef, right on the shipping route to the Suez Canal, has sunk several ships just a few minutes apart. The Giannis D, the Carnatic, the Chrisoula K and the Kimon M let you do several wreck dives in a single day, at accessible depths.
We dive it on: North & Brothers, North & Wrecks, Famous 5 and Deep North.
Sha'ab El Erg (Dolphin House)
A huge horseshoe-shaped reef north of Hurghada, with coral gardens, bommies and sandy bottoms. It is famous because pods of dolphins are often around, and it is a perfect dive to start or end the week.
We dive it on: every route departing from Hurghada.
Night dives
One of the great privileges of a liveaboard is diving at night. With a torch the reef changes completely: moray eels and lionfish come out to hunt, crustaceans peek out of their cracks, parrotfish sleep inside their mucus cocoon and, with luck, the Spanish dancer appears. Night dives are done on sheltered reefs and wrecks, such as Abu Nuhas, Ras Mohammed or Panorama Reef, as they are not allowed in the offshore marine parks (Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone).
And the great classic: the Thistlegorm
No list would be complete without the SS Thistlegorm, the British cargo ship sunk in 1941 with trucks, motorbikes and locomotives still in its holds. It is so special that we have dedicated a whole article to it, with its story, what you see inside and how many dives you need.