When is the best time to dive Egyptian Red Sea?

The best months to dive Egyptian Red Sea are March, April, May, June, September, October, November, when conditions are most favorable.

What certification do I need to dive Egyptian Red Sea?

Egyptian Red Sea requires a minimum certification of Open Water. Currents are typically variable and the maximum depth reaches 40 m.

How much does it cost to dive Egyptian Red Sea?

A 2-tank dive at Egyptian Red Sea averages around $60 USD. The destination is in our budget tier.

Why does Egyptian Red Sea score 79.1/100 on OkToDive?

Egyptian Red Sea earns a 79.1/100 Score based on 12 weighted categories including marine life, coral health, visibility, operator quality, and value. Backed by 3,870 operator reviews.

Red Sea Diving — Egypt's World-Class Coral & Wrecks

Q: What will I see diving Egyptian Red Sea?

Egyptian Red Sea is known for oceanic whitetip shark, hammerhead shark, dugong, Napoleon wrasse, lionfish, clownfish, with 18–40 m visibility and 21–29°C water temperatures.

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World Class

Intermediate

Egyptian Red Sea

EgyptMiddle East / Africa

79.1

SCORE

27.9158°N

34.3300°E

The Egyptian Red Sea is a pilgrimage for wreck divers, anchored by the legendary SS Thistlegorm — a WWII supply ship frozen in time at 100 feet with motorcycles, trucks, and rifles still visible in its holds. Ras Mohammed National Park offers some of the Red Sea's healthiest reefs, while the remote Brothers and Daedalus reefs deliver hammerhead and oceanic whitetip encounters. Few destinations match this combination of history, marine life, and affordability.

Wreck Legends and Coral Gardens

Visibility18–40 m

Temperature21–29°C

Max Depth40 m

Currentvariable

2-Tank Dive$60

Best MonthsMarch, April, May, June

CertificationOpen WaterIntermediate

Score Breakdown

Click any score to see a detailed breakdown

Marine Life

82.0

Species diversity, megafauna encounters, reef fish abundance, macro life, and endemic species.

Species Diversity

Megafauna Encounters

Reef Fish Abundance

Macro Life

Endemic Species

Marine Life Diversity

82.0

Coral & Reef Health

78.0

Visibility & Conditions

85.0

Dive Site Variety

90.0

Water Temperature

78.0

Depth & Access

85.0

Operator Quality

72.0

Topside Experience

72.0

Getting There

78.0

Value & Cost

92.0

Crowding

48.0

Social Proof

90.0

Key Species

oceanic whitetip shark hammerhead shark dugong Napoleon wrasse lionfish clownfish

Dive Types

wreckreefwalldriftliveaboard

Traveling with Non-Divers?

Great news for traveling couples and families — this is a budget-friendly destination with plenty of affordable topside activities to keep non-divers happy while you explore below the surface.

Activities for Non-Divers

Giza Pyramids & Sphinx day trip (from Hurghada via flight)Luxor temples excursionquad biking in the desertsnorkelingglass-bottom boat

Nearby Cultural Sites

Luxor Temple & Karnak Temple
Valley of the Kings
Hurghada Grand Aquarium

Non-Diver Partner Score

8/10

Excellent for non-divers — they'll love it here.

Family FriendlyYes

Restaurants & Nightlifevibrant

Safety & Emergency

Dive Insurance

Dive insurance is essential. Standard travel insurance often excludes scuba diving. We recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for comprehensive dive accident coverage.

Learn More at DAN.org

Hyperbaric Chamber5 km — Hurghada Hyperbaric Medical Center

Nearest Hospital5 km

Multiple chambers in Hurghada; good private hospitals; frequent flights to Cairo

Skill LevelIntermediate

Current Strengthvariable

Top Operators

Camel Dive Club

PADI

4.5

1850 reviewsNITROX

Red Sea Diving Safari

PADI

4.7

920 reviewsNITROX

Emperor Divers

PADI

4.6

1100 reviewsNITROX

Compare This Dive Site

Honest reality check

What your dive shop won't tell you

The minimum certification printed on a brochure is the legal floor, not the honest recommendation. Here's what we actually think you should bring to this site.

Recommended logged dives

65+

Below this we'd send you somewhere easier first.

Recommended certification

Advanced Open Water

“Incredible value diving with legitimate wreck and wall sites — if you pick the right op. The Sinai is saturated with cut-rate operators cutting corners on safety. Pay for a reputable name.”

What will challenge you

→Currents vary by tide and site. The pre-dive briefing is where the actual dive plan gets made, not the boat manifest.
→Recreational limit of 40 m is reachable here (max depth 40 m). Gas planning and NDL tracking matter.
→Cooler than most tropical sites — 21°C minimum. A 5 mm wetsuit is the floor for longer dives.
→Wreck penetration requires Wreck specialty training at minimum, and often decompression planning. Don't improvise inside.
→Dahab's Blue Hole at the 56m Arch has killed a lot of divers. Do not attempt the Arch pass unless you are a trained tec diver diving within your actual training. The outside rim dive is gorgeous and safe — that's the one to do.

What will surprise you

→Thermoclines can drop water temp by 8°C between the surface and depth. Your wetsuit choice should match the minimum, not the average.

Time of day

When to dive it

Every dive shop gives you this briefing at 7am. We just wrote it down.

Morning

Viz
peak
Current
mild
Crowd
light

Thistlegorm wreck
Ras Mohammed walls
wide angle

Thistlegorm at dawn before the day boats from Sharm arrive. The wreck is iconic — motorcycles, trucks, crates of rifles, all still in the holds from 1941.

Afternoon

Viz
high
Current
mild
Crowd
moderate

shallow reefs
Blue Hole at Dahab
macro sites

Dahab's Blue Hole is the most overrated-underrated dive on earth. As an AOW recreational dive on the outside rim it's gorgeous. Don't try to thread the Arch at 56m unless you're a tec diver who knows exactly what they're doing. People die here every year.

Month-by-month

Dive forecast

Realistic conditions by month. Viz ranges are what you should actually expect, not best-case marketing numbers. Confidence % is the share of days that match this profile historically.

Month	Viz (m)	Temp (°C)	Current	Sea	Rain	Confidence	Highlights
Jan	20–35	21	Mild	Calm	Dry	85%	cold! 5mm minimum, best viz
Feb	20–35	21	Mild	Calm	Dry	85%	cold, great viz
Mar	20–35	22	Mild	Chop	Dry	80%	warming
Apr	20–35	23	Mild	Chop	Dry	85%	peak season
May	25–35	25	Mild	Calm	Dry	88%	peak, hammerhead season starting at Brothers
Jun	25–40	26	Mild	Calm	Dry	90%	peak season, warm
Jul	25–40	28	Mild	Calm	Dry	88%	peak summer, hot topside
Aug	25–40	29	Mild	Calm	Dry	85%	hottest
Sep	25–40	28	Mild	Calm	Dry	88%	peak
Oct	25–40	27	Mild	Calm	Dry	90%	peak season
Nov	25–35	25	Mild	Calm	Dry	85%	cooling
Dec	20–35	23	Mild	Calm	Dry	80%	winter starting

Shoot here

Photography brief

Subjects are only half the shot. A perfect macro site is useless in a three-knot drift, and a wide-angle dream is useless at 35 m with a murky ceiling. These are the conditions, not the hype.

Macro subjects69

Wide angle89

Viz stability82

Hover friendliness50

Natural light60

Recommended kit

→Wide-angle or fisheye (8-15mm range), dual strobes for close-focus wide angle
→Dedicated video light for dark wreck interiors; don't rely on strobes alone

Level up here

What this site will teach you

The dives that made you a better diver are the ones that made you uncomfortable for the right reasons. Here's what this site will quietly train you for.

Drift diving
intermediate
Reef hook discipline, current reading, group cohesion in flow. The skills you'll build here are what every current-dominant site demands — transferable everywhere.
Wreck penetration fundamentals
advanced
Line laying, gas planning for the way back, and silt-out response. Learn it on a site with clear-water wrecks before you try it in darker water.
Deep profile discipline
advanced
Max depth 40 m puts you at the edge of recreational limits. You'll build NDL tracking instincts, gas reserve management, and safety-stop discipline you can't get on 18 m reef dives.

What it costsEstimates — calibration pending

7-day trip, per person

Rough ranges anchored to existing regional data — not booking quotes. Land-based trip, standard breakdown.

Budget

$1,600–$2,250

Hostels, shore diving, cheap eats

Flights (RT from US): $900–$1,100
Accommodation / day: $25–$50
Diving / day: $50–$60
Food / day: $15–$30
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Mid-range

$2,500–$3,650

3-star hotels, standard boat ops, mix of restaurants

Flights (RT from US): $1,350–$1,650
Accommodation / day: $60–$120
Diving / day: $60–$80
Food / day: $35–$65
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Splurge

$4,250–$6,550

Top resorts or liveaboards, premium operators

Flights (RT from US): $2,050–$2,550
Accommodation / day: $150–$300
Diving / day: $80–$100
Food / day: $75–$150
Transfers + misc: $50–$150

Flights priced round-trip from a major US hub. Figures are per person on a shared room. Solo travelers add ~30% to accommodation.

Pair with

Build a trip around it

Most divers fly across the world for one destination and don't realise another worth-it site is 90 minutes away. Here are the honest pairings.

Best dive types here

Egyptian Red Sea Diving — Egypt

Score Breakdown

Marine Life

Key Species

Dive Types

Traveling with Non-Divers?

Activities for Non-Divers

Nearby Cultural Sites

Non-Diver Partner Score

Safety & Emergency

Dive Insurance

Top Operators

Camel Dive Club

Red Sea Diving Safari

Emperor Divers

What your dive shop won't tell you

When to dive it

Dive forecast

Photography brief

What this site will teach you

Drift diving

Wreck penetration fundamentals

Deep profile discipline

7-day trip, per person

Build a trip around it