Southern Red Sea – Egypt

South of Safaga the Egyptian coast becomes quieter and the reefs wilder. Marsa Alam is the base for shore diving, dugong and turtle bays and day boats to Elphinstone. Far offshore, the Brothers islands and Daedalus reef rise from great depth and are known for sharks, including oceanic whitetips and hammerheads in season. Further south, the Fury Shoals, St. John's reefs and Rocky Island and Zabargad offer soft corals, caverns and resident dolphins, mostly visited by liveaboard.

Facts

Best season: Year-round; offshore parks are best in calmer months, oceanic whitetips mostly in autumn, hammerheads mostly in summer
Water temperature: About 22–24 °C in winter, 28–30 °C in late summer
Visibility: Often 25–40 m offshore
Getting there: Fly to Marsa Alam (RMF) or Hurghada (HRG); liveaboards leave from Port Ghalib, Hamata or Hurghada
Experience: Offshore parks (Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone) are blue-water dives in current; operators usually ask for Advanced certification and a minimum number of logged dives
Safety: Oceanic whitetips can be bold: follow the guides' shark protocol, avoid splashing and do not snorkel alone where they are reported

Season

Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov
Acceptable: Jun, Jul, Aug, Dec, Jan, Feb
Water temperature: 22–29 °C

Offshore liveaboards to the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone mainly run roughly Mar–Nov; winter wind can limit the offshore reefs. Sources differ on oceanic whitetip timing (Oct–Jan vs Sep–Jun).

Dive sites (29)

Marsa Alam & Elphinstone

Abu Dabbab offshore reefs (Ithnain & Thalata, Heaven One wreck) – 5–20 m, beginner
Elphinstone Reef – 10–40 m, advanced
Marsa Abu Dabbab – 3–18 m, beginner
Marsa Mubarak – 2–21 m, beginner
Marsa Shagra house reef – 5–40 m, beginner
Marsa Shouna – 5–35 m, beginner
Ras Torombi – 5–18 m, beginner
Sha'ab Samadai (Dolphin House) – 5–40 m, beginner
Sha'ab Sharm – 10–35 m, intermediate

Fury Shoals

Abu Galawa Kebir (Tien Hsing tugboat) – 5–25 m, beginner
Abu Galawa Soraya (yacht wreck) – 5–20 m, beginner
Malahi – 5–23 m, beginner
Sha'ab Claudio – 5–25 m, beginner
Sha'ab Maksur – 8–40 m, advanced
Sha'ab Sataya (Dolphin Reef) – 3–30 m, intermediate

The Brothers

Aida wreck – 25–40 m, advanced
Big Brother – 10–40 m, advanced
Little Brother – 15–40 m, advanced
Numidia wreck – 8–40 m, advanced

Daedalus Reef

Daedalus Reef – 5–40 m, advanced

St. John's Reefs

Gota Kebir – 5–25 m, intermediate
Gota Soraya – 5–30 m, intermediate
Habili Ali – 10–40 m, advanced
Habili Gafaar – 5–30 m, intermediate
Paradise Reef (St. John's) – 5–30 m, beginner
Umm Khararim (Cave Reef) – 3–15 m, beginner

Rocky Island & Zabargad

Khanka wreck (Zabargad) – 2–24 m, intermediate
Rocky Island – 5–40 m, advanced
Zabargad Island (reefs & Turtle Bay) – 5–30 m, intermediate

Operators (9)

Emperor Divers Port Ghalib & Wadi Sabarah – dive centre, Port Ghalib marina (second centre at Wadi Sabarah)
Emperor Liveaboards Egypt (Elite, Superior, Asmaa) – liveaboard, Port Ghalib / Hurghada
Red Sea Diving Safari (Marsa Shagra, Marsa Nakari, Wadi Lahami) – resort, Marsa Shagra village, north of Marsa Alam
Sinai Divers – The Oasis Dive Resort Marsa Alam – resort, The Oasis, north of Marsa Alam
ORCA Dive Club Wadi Lahmy – dive centre, Wadi Lahmy Azur Resort, Hamata
Extra Divers (Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam Equinox, Lahami Bay) – dive centre, Three Corners Fayrouz, Port Ghalib (also Equinox and Lahami Bay)
Master Liveaboards – Blue Horizon & Blue Melody – liveaboard, Hurghada / Port Ghalib
Red Sea Aggressor (II, IV, V) – liveaboard, Port Ghalib
Golden Dolphin Safari World – liveaboard, Hurghada (also Port Ghalib)

Routes (6)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Offshore sites are exposed and remote; always dive with a local guide.