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World | Red Sea | Diving Sharm El Sheikh:
Sharm El Sheikh overview
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companies listed. We recommend that you only dive with dive centers that are accredited by a major diving association or by their local tourist authority. |
We have teamed up with Travelling Diver to offer you printed guides to the Red Sea. Text and illustrations of dive sites are provided by amongst others Rik Vercoe, our largest contributor to the region and one of the foremost authorities for information in the area with over 1000 dives undertaken in the region during his research.
- Lightweight - ideal for airline baggage weight restrictions
- Fits into your standard diving logbook binder
- Recommended and approved by leading organisations
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Scuba Diving at Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, the Red Sea
Water temperature: |
20°C (68°F) in February to 27°C (81°F) from July to October |
Suit: |
3mm or 5mm wetsuit (November - April), shortie for rest of the year |
Visibility: |
20 - 60 metres (65 - 200 feet), 30 - 40 metres (100 - 130 feet) on average |
Type of diving: |
Reefs, walls, wrecks |
Marine life: |
Turtles, blue spotted rays, jacks, snappers, barracudas, lionfish, reef fish, colourful coral |
When to go: |
Any time of year, although if you are after really warm water it is best to visit the Red Sea between June and September. Air temperatures reach 40°C (104°F) in August and fall to 20°C (68°F) in the winter, which may also dictate when you travel |
How to get there: |
Entry visas are required when visiting Egypt. These can be purchased at the airport itself at a cost of about $25 USD / £15 GBP.
From the UK - Direct five hour flights from Gatwick and Manchester on Sundays to Sharm el Sheikh. Transfers to hotels from Sharm airport take about 30 minutes
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Sharm El Sheikh lies at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula
in the Red Sea. It offers a variety of dive sites from reefs and walls to wrecks.
The climate is hot, the water is warm and clear, and the reefs are covered in
life. Diving is readily available everywhere and there are nearly fifty dive Centers
in the region. More Europeans learn to dive here than anywhere else in the world
and diving is ideal for beginners. Whatever your experience, dive Centers require
you to do one local dive before they will take you on a boat trip in order to
give you an opportunity to orient yourself to Red Sea diving.
There is some shore diving from Sharm, but boat trips are necessary to access
the best reefs. The popularity of these sites does mean that the water can get
rather crowded, particularly once the day boats arrive. The dive sites are diverse
and covered in coral formations and a range of marine life, including jacks, snappers
and barracudas. The areas covered by Sharm are from the Straits of Tiran through
to the marine park of Ras Mohammed. The Straits of Tiran have four circular reefs
rising out of deep water and surrounded by steep drop offs. Ras Mohammed has steep
coastal cliffs that drop away underwater to depths of over seventy metres. There
are coral gardens that are shallow and calm as well as some excellent drifts in
strong currents. For the more advanced diver, with day boats going as far as the
wreck of the Thistlegorm if you are willing to get up early for a four-hour boat
trip. There is also the possibility of diving the Dunraven, which takes 2 1/2
hours by boat. Alternatively, why not go on a mini safari and stay overnight on
a boat?
When not diving, if you have not had enough of the water it is possible to
snorkel, swim, and do other watersports such as parascending and banana boat rides.
The resorts are quite lively with restaurants, bars, discos and shops and food
and drink is relatively cheap. There are also various organised day trips such
as quad biking or jeep safaris in the Sinai desert, trips to Mount Sinai and the
6th Century St Catherine’s Monastery. Close to the resort is a nature reserve
where there are lakes and mangroves.
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