Diving in Egypt: 11 best dive sites to dive in
Diving in Egypt is a touch of wild underwater life, from sharks to dugongs listed in the Red Book, watching underwater reefs and fish rushing back and forth. There are options for everyone from beginners to professionals. Nature has rewarded the coastal waters of the Red Sea with beautiful underwater landscapes inhabited by bright exotic representatives of underwater flora and fauna.
Abu Dabab
Abu Dabab is a cozy bay full of sea turtles and dugongs, or sea cows, peaceful inhabitants of the underwater kingdom. There is a sandy bottom and a beautiful lagoon. The uniqueness of this place is explained by the fact that it is possible to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of underwater life in natural conditions. The corals at Abu Dabab are also amazing and are considered some of the best in Egypt.
blue hole
The Blue Hole is an underwater cave near Dahab with a depth of 130 meters, surrounded by coral reefs. Having descended to 55 – 60 meters, you can swim out of it through a crevice into the open sea. The passage is crowned with an Arch (an arc of coral arched upwards).
The blue hole is very popular with experienced technical divers. The attraction with a convenient entry into the sea is located in the mouth of the bay, so there is almost never a strong wave of water on the surface. The absence of underwater currents creates a comfortable environment for beginners in underwater travel. In the center of the failure, the depth is 80 meters, but the descent continues
along the slope for another 100 meters.
The route suggested by local instructors starts with a dive at Bells (200 meters north of the Blue Hole). Further, a group of scuba divers moves along the reef wall and enters a hole through the isthmus, called the Saddle of the Arch (depth 7 m). Passing through the hole along the wall, you can go to the surface, avoiding diving to a depth of 20-30 m.
On the beach there is parking for cars and buses. There are several small restaurants and souvenir shops here. You can also find several observation platforms here. Almost all coastal infrastructure near the Blue Hole belongs to local Bedouins.
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Dahab Canyon
Located in the Gulf of Aqaba near the city of Dahab. The canyon is a giant rift in a coral reef. It was formed as a result of volcanic activity in ancient times. The local underwater attraction is a long narrow corridor inside the coral massif, stretching from north to south, going down from a depth of ten meters.
The crevasse has three entrances. One of them called Fish Bowl is located at a depth of 12 meters, the second at 20 meters and the third at 52 meters, accessible only to technical divers. Here you can swim along the plateau with numerous flocks of colorful fish, or you can go straight to the bottom of the Canyon and swim at a depth of 17 meters into a small picturesque cave filled with small fish.
If you are lucky, the diver will be able to see a crocodile fish at the entrance to the cave, lazily watching the nimble fish. Experienced divers will be able to get from the cave into a narrow hall with a maximum passage width of 4 meters at a depth of 23 to 40 meters. Only technical divers are allowed to enter the next hall. The night show is amazing, where under water you can admire the light extravaganza of thousands of lanterns.
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Elphinstone Reef
This is one of those rare places where you can meet in natural conditions tete-a-tete with a real hammerhead shark (Hummerhead). You can also see longimanus sharks and giant rays called manta rays here from May to August. In addition to these giants, a great variety of exotic marine animals such as trevally, tunas and barracudas live here.
Elphinstone Reef consists of two plateaus, each of which is distinguished by its own underwater flora and fauna. The northern plateau, about 100 meters wide, descends stepwise from 5 to 20 meters, followed by a sharp cliff up to 40 meters. Here, just meet the giant trevally and reef sharks.
As for the Southern Plateau, it starts at a depth of 25 meters and gradually decreases to 40 meters, and then abruptly ends. This place was chosen by longimanus, accompanied by pilot fish. Sharks patiently demolish scuba divers' photo shoots. For professional divers, there is an opportunity to visit a through tunnel between the two walls of the plateau at a depth of 60 meters, which is called the Elphinstone Arch.
Islands Brothers
This is one of the best dive sites in the country. Two small islands (Big and Little Brother) are famous for the amazing beauty of corals and the possibility of diving with sharks. In these places you can meet with longimanus, hammerhead sharks, gray reef sharks, as well as fox sharks. Barracudas, giant trevally, manti and tuna will amaze with their appearance.
12 dive sites have formed around the islands. Among them, two routes are the most interesting – these are Aida Wreck and Numidia Wreck. The first site is the Italian ship Aida that sank in 1957. The ship is fairly well preserved and is home to many schools of fish. Divers are happy to take photos against the backdrop of dilapidated ship structures covered with beautiful soft corals.
The second route is a visit to the British cargo ship that sank in 1901. Numidia transported railroad wheels to India. Some of them can still be seen at the bottom. The ship rests on a steep reef in an almost vertical position. If the bow of the vessel is at a depth of 8 meters, then the stern goes very deep.
Ras Mohammed
The name of the Ras Mohammed National Park can be translated from Arabic as the head or bay of Mohammed. It is located in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. The resort is considered the most beautiful place on the entire Red Sea coast. Tiran Island on the territory of the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve is one of the centers of underwater tourism in Egypt.
All groups of divers go on a dive only accompanied by instructors. Before that, scuba diving enthusiasts must undergo a detailed briefing for an hour. The first dive for beginners takes place at a depth of 8 – 10 meters. Diving is also arranged for children aged 8 to 10 years. They are given special children‘s equipment for diving to a depth of two meters. The starting platform is located on the most beautiful beach coral ridge.
The underwater park is divided into several sectors, which are called dive sites. The most visited routes are Shark Yolanda Reef and Anemone City. Having sailed along it, the participants of the dive will enjoy the view of the huge “garden” of anemones at a depth of 14 meters. No less picturesque dive sites are Shark Observatory, Eel garden, JackFish Alley, Ras Za'atir and Ras Ghazlany.
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View prices for tours in Sharm El Sheikh
Marsa el Alam
The resort city is famous for its sandy beaches, and most importantly, coral reefs, which attract divers from all over the world. The horseshoe-shaped bay of Abu Jabab is home to rare mammals such as sea cows, which all diving enthusiasts aspire to admire. The El Naaba lagoon is separated from the sea by a coral reef.
This feature creates ideal conditions for a relaxing pastime in the underwater world of the lagoon. Nearby is the Wadi el-Gimal National Park with islands, reefs and amazing algae plantations. Local natural attractions in the sea have been preserved in their original form, thanks to the discipline of numerous fans of underwater travel.
Rest in the resort is suitable for all categories of tourists. There is diving equipment for children from 8 to 10 years old. Under the supervision of instructors, children can make their first dive into the beauty of the underwater world to a depth of 2 meters.
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Sunken ship Dunraven
In 1977, the sunken ship Dunraven was discovered near Sharm el-Sheikh. Built in Newcastle (England), the ship Dunraven was launched in 1873. And already in 1876, going from Bombay, the ship was wrecked, colliding with a reef through the fault of the captain. Today, the shipwreck is a popular site for divers to visit.
Scuba divers observe the ship upside down. Broken bow beams open a passage into the ship. Twilight with sparkling air bubbles from scuba tanks, schools of silvery fish – all this creates an eerie, but romantic atmosphere of an underwater walk. The wooden hull of the ship, once covered with iron, despite more than one hundred and thirty years of being in sea water, has retained its shape. The beauty of the soft corals that have occupied the noble tree brings revival to the tragic picture of the shipwreck.
You can get to the crash site by boat two hours after leaving the port of Sharm el-Sheikh. The bow of Dunraven is at a comfortable depth for divers – 19 meters, and the stern goes to a depth of 30 meters.
Wreck of the Thistelgorm
The cargo ship of the British armed forces Thistelgorm was sunk by German aircraft in the Gulf of Suez in the Red Sea on October 6, 1941. It is currently a tourist site for divers. Military transport rests at a depth of 35 meters, three miles from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Until recently, visiting the ship was strictly prohibited.
This was due to the large accumulation of ammunition in the holds. At the slightest impact from the side of the ship, the shells could detonate. A few years ago, the ship was cleared of mines, and the largest wreck in the Red Sea became available to diving enthusiasts. For 80 years, the Histelgorm, broken in half, lies on the port side on the sandy bottom of the Gulf of Suez. Overgrown with soft corals, the ship has become a habitat for numerous schools of fish.
A 102 mm cannon and a 76 mm anti-aircraft machine gun were perfectly preserved on the aft platform. On one of the decks there are a large number of trucks, motorcycles and other equipment. Some of the Maurice brand cars were lifted up. The restored vehicle has become collectible and is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jackson Reef
It is located in the northern part of the Tiran Gulf of the Red Sea. The natural underwater attraction has gained worldwide fame due to the results of the shipwreck in 1981 of the Cypriot merchant ship Lora. Its fragments lie at a shallow depth. Therefore, you can admire the wreckage of the ship, armed not only with scuba gear, but also with a mask, snorkel and flippers.
The reef is inhabited by bright fiery red corals. Jackson's waters are home to trevally, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, barracudas and huge manta rays. Here you can observe sea turtles and dozens of different species of fish. For divers, there are restrictions on access to the northern part of the reef.
Due to the strong undercurrent, only experienced divers with documented technical qualifications are allowed to swim and dive to depth. They arrive at the place by water transport from Sharm el-Sheikh. There are no accommodation facilities here. Therefore, tourists spend the night on yachts, boats, or spend only a day here and return to the city for the night.
Shaab Abu Nuhas
The reef is located in the eastern part of the Gubal Strait in the Red Sea, 11 kilometers from the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada. The reef is famous for the fact that four sunken ships rest at once at its bottom. These are the vessels Chrisonla K, Ghiannis D, Carnatic, and Kimon M. The sandy bottom is at a depth of 18 to 35 meters. This is the most visited place by divers who come here from all over the world.
Shipwrecks attract underwater tourists because all 4 ships belong to different historical times. Barracudas, manta rays and reef perches live here. Also here you can see a huge number of butterfly fish, sweet lips and red mullet. There are whitetip reef sharks.
Every diver is simply obliged to visit Egypt, because this country, with its amazing underwater nature, provides divers with many opportunities and dozens of wonderful places. But, of course, you can't go around everything. Therefore, we have compiled a list of the most paradise places for diving. They will appeal to the professional and lure the novice divers into the ranks.