About the country
Egypt is a country bordered by the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
A diving mecca for a very long time, the country suffered from a lack of tourism for years because of its political situation. A blessing in disguise : fewer divers did the corals and marine life of the Red Sea a lot of good.
For dive spots, there’s no shortage of choice, in the south as in the north. We chose to do the south, from shore and via a cruise. The Red Sea is rich and full of fish, reachable in a single day with no time difference, at reasonable prices.
Marsa Alam is reachable by plane from Cairo, or by road from Hurghada or Luxor airports. But road transfers are long, and there can be a lot of checkpoints.
The best of : Daedalus, Elphinstone, Dolphin House (Samadai), Marsa Abu Dabbab, Shaab Claudia.
We took a cruise around Elphinstone, Daedalus, Zabargad, Rocky Island and the Fury Shoals, departing from Port Ghalib. A really beautiful cruise, with quite a bit of sailing involved. There are a few boats at the sites, especially at Elphinstone, since boats come there for the day. The open-water reefs are stunningly beautiful, dizzying walls with incredible, colorful marine life. Lucky divers might spot mantas and sharks. We went in late August, with water at 31 degrees, so unfortunately we didn’t come across hammerheads or thresher sharks.
Marsa Alam, the southernmost option for shore departures, offers more than twenty dive sites : seagrass bays where you come across big green turtles and really beautiful reefs. The seabed is fabulous, and we had really good conditions despite it being the end of the season (winter). The sites are rich, and the corals are as beautiful as those you’d find in the Indo-Pacific. Sharks, including oceanic whitetips, are present on the open-water reefs but tend to stay fairly discreet.
Our opinion
Difficulty
Visibility
Diversity
Atmosphere
Practical
In December 2021.
Oasis Diving Resort offers dive packages, you pick the next day’s dive plan the evening before. Watch out though, everything comes at a cost in Egypt, the best dives are extras, whether that’s beach access at a resort (even a closed one), entry to the marine parks, or a boat/zodiac surcharge.
It’s possible to dive from the reef house, but we didn’t have time to do that.
The dive staff, guides, and the team running the compressor and gear are extremely efficient and really friendly. All the guides are instructors, and maybe a bit too “by the book” and overprotective, but they’re genuinely committed to making sure every level has a good time. Groups are arranged by level, 60 minutes max, briefings are very clear, and independent diving is possible.
In September 2022.
Diving Attitude currently has two boats and offers several cruises. The Exocet is a beautiful, recent boat with a capacity of 25 people and very large cabins. They favor independent divers. Nitrox is included, with a maximum of 3 dives a day. The atmosphere is good, though we were sorry to be diving all together on the same sites every time. The Exocet remains one of the best cruise boats we’ve been on in terms of comfort, cleanliness and food.
In December 2021.
The Steigenberger Nile Palace (in Luxor) is the former Méridien. A very large hotel complex, with a beautiful view over the Valley of the Kings, offering several restaurants and a warm welcome.
Oasis Diving Resort (north of Marsa Alam) offers really pleasant small bungalows. The ones facing the sea have a breathtaking view, especially at sunrise. The place is very quiet and dedicated to divers (mostly German-speaking). The resort offers half-board packages, with varied and pretty solid food. The only downside is having to buy plastic water bottles every day, which felt out of place given that this country already struggles with pollution and illegal dumping.
In December 2021.
Egypt is packed with magnificent sites around the Nile Valley, you’d need a dedicated trip to see it all. It’s possible to get around on your own for the visits, but a guide and driver are strongly recommended to make the most of it.
Luxor with the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, the magnificent temple of Karnak.