RED SEA RIVIERA
The Red Sea coast of Egypt, one of the world’s most beautiful snorkelling destination
Egypt has over 850 miles of coastline bathed by the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. The Red Sea Riviera is, in particular, one of the best snorkelling destinations in the world. Put on your mask and with a few strokes of your swim fins, you will soon be enjoying clownfish in their sea anemone, shoals of bannerfish and reef-flats covered by giant clams. No matter where you snorkel in Egypt, the reefs are stunning, shallow and close to the shore. They provide a marine habitat for some of the world’s most colourful and unique marine species.
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The most popular destinations for snorkelling in Egypt are located along the Egyptian Riviera, a series of resort cities stretching along the western coast of the Gulf of Aqaba and along the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Suez.
From north to south, the best-known resorts are Tawa, Nuweiba, Dahab, Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Alam.
Located in the Gulf of Aqaba, Sharm el-Sheikh is arguably Egypt’s most famous snorkelling destination. Many spots are accessible from the coast, edged in many places by a fringing reef offering a drop-off to the open sea.
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Ras Um Sid (or El Fanar Beach) is one of the best locations in the city for shore snorkelling, but most local hotels also have their own reef access.
Sharm el-Sheikh is also the starting point for snorkelling tours to fantastic nearby spots such as Ras Mohammed National Park, which protects exceptional coral reefs. Gordon Reef, a seashell-shaped reef known for the wreck of the Lovilla, is also a great spot accessible from Sharm.
About a hundred kilometres north of Sharm, the small town of Dahab is known to divers around the world for its Blue Hole, a vertical 394-foot-deep underwater sinkhole, located a few miles north of the city. Snorkelling the coral drop-offs that line the Blue Hole is an awesome experience.
In Dahab, it is also possible to snorkel the reef that edges the city (in Mashraba) and at Lagon Beach.
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On the west coast of the Gulf of Aden, Marsa Alam is another snorkelling hotspot in Egypt. This region brings together everything snorkelers can dream of: some of the best spots in the world to see dugongs (Marsa Mubarak) and spinner dolphins (Sataya Reef, aka Dolphin House), fringing reefs with colourful life (for example in Abu Dabbab, Gorgonia Beach, Aurora Bay or Brayka Bay) and snorkelling tours to some neighbouring small islands (like Shaab Marsa Alam).
Encounters with green sea turtles, rather rare in Sharm el-Sheikh, are much more frequent in the region.
North of Marsa Alam, the huge resort town of Hurghada is also home to some great snorkelling spots, especially around the Giftun Islands.
The waters of the Red Sea, protected from oceanic currents, are particularly calm and warm. These conditions have allowed the development of lush underwater life, dominated by hard and soft corals, and marked by a high rate of endemism.
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With more than 200 species of corals (8% endemic to the region), more than 1,000 species of fish (17% endemics), and 1,000 species of invertebrates, Egyptian waters offer a tireless spectacle.
While snorkelling on the Egyptian reefs, you will spot shoals of surgeonfish, schools of thousands of sea goldies, the unique Red Sea clownfish (endemic to the Red Sea), several species of angelfish (emperor angelfish, regal angelfish), and butterflyfish (including the bluecheek butterflyfish, maybe the Red Sea’s most iconic fish).
The absence of waves, the excellent underwater visibility and the accessibility of the reef drop-offs further make snorkelling explorations really easy.
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When to go snorkeling Egypt?
Snorkelling is possible all the year round in Red Sea coasts of Egypt, where the water temperature is relatively constant, around 77°F/25°C.
The climate, which is dry and hot in this part of Egypt, becomes sweltering from mid-June to mid-September when the temperatures can get up to 104°F/40°C.
In winter, snorkelling can be trickier because of the wind and the air temperature, which is cooler (don’t forget your rash guard).
April, May, September, and October are the best months to explore the region. Have fun.
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