Marsa Shagra, Marsa Alam, Brothers Islands and Elphinstone

Egypt’s central Red Sea offers an exciting mix of accessible shore dives, world-class day trips and adventurous liveaboard voyages. While the thrilling pelagic action of the Brother Islands, Elphinstone and Daedalus are certainly the main attraction, the ever-present possibility of dolphins and dugongs, as well as sun-soaked coral gardens and superb wrecks, make every dive one to remember.

Despite its protected coral reefs and abundant marine life, diving in Safaga is still reasonably crowd-free. Those who do visit are often drawn by its ghostly wrecks, such as the controversial and deeply emotional Salem Express which sank in 1991, with a huge loss of life. The shore diving around Marsa Alam is worth exploring with calm conditions, providing a great option for beginner divers or those who don’t like boats. Vehicle transport is readily available to whisk divers up and down the coast visiting all the best dive sites, including Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak where rare dugongs can often be found.

A little further from the shore can be found several large coral reefs including the Brothers Islands, Elphinstone, and Daedalus – all famous for their impressive walls and superb pelagic action. Lying within reach of day boats, Elphinstone Reef is one of the most popular dive sites in the Red Sea, and is famous for its steep walls, alluring plateaus and caves, as well as frequent encounters with oceanic whitetips and schooling hammerheads. Only accessible by liveaboard, the Brother Islands are one of the Red Sea’s most renowned sites for experienced divers featuring ripping currents, sharks, rays and both the Aida and the Numidia wrecks. Situated some 80km offshore, Daedalus is a truly astonishing marine park densely covered in soft corals and sea fans. Daedalus Reef’s remote location and steep, current-swept walls make it a perfect destination for thresher shark and hammerhead encounters.