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Visit Egypt’s most popular dive sites

Diving the Red Sea in Egypt is as alluring and ancient as this country’s culture. Whether you want to stay at one of the quaint sea-side towns for day diving excursions or join a liveaboard venture out to seemingly untouched reefs, Egypt offers it all. Egypt’s reefs are teeming with marine life, and there is no shortage of fascinating wrecks to explore. And if you love sharks, this is the place for you! The Red Sea has become famous for oceanic whitetip shark dives. Conditions are ideal for beginner divers to the most technical with calm and clear conditions year-round. Explore all that diving in Egypt has to offer.

Gordon reef is most famous for the wreck of the “Loullia” which ran aground on the northern end of the reef in 1981. This dive can be done as either a drift or a mooring dive, mooring on the southern side of the reef.

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Shaab Samadai / Dolphin House

Shoaab Samaday, also known as Dolphin House, is a protected area by the Egyptian environment authorities. The crescent formation of the reef and shallow water has, over the time, attracted bottlenose dolphins to use it as a rest location. This dive is perfect for entry level divers and snorkelers alike.

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This is one of the most famous dive site in Egypt. The Elphinstone Reef is full of healthy corals, magnificent clear blue water, and rich marine life. It is also a great destination to see your first shark.

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Located 12km North of Dahab, the famous Blue hole dive site is a large submarine sinkhole, 150m across and 110m deep. The dive can start or end at the blue Hole as you can enter the water north of the sink hole at Ells Bells and multi level your dive to end at the blue hole.

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Little Brother

Brothers Island, or El Akhawen, is a “must dive“ for every diver that visits Egypt. This dive site can be reached only via liveaboard boats. The location contains two islands, the small and the big island. This is a more advanced dive as it can have strong currents and deep drop-offs with lots of shark sightings.

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The Thistlegorm is the wreck of a British freighter, and one of the most famous wrecks in the world. It lies some 40 kilometers west of Sharm El Sheikh. The wreck lies on a flat keel at 30 m depth. The bridge rises up to 17 m.

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Reef and coral garden in front of Abu Dabbab Bay. Beautiful cave with bright light inside. Small and old wreck beautifully covered with soft corals. Approachable by zodiac.

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Shark & Yolanda Reef

The most famous site in Ras Mohammed. There are many ways to dive the site so there is something for everyone here. Shark Reef, Yolanda Reef, and Satellite Reef make up the 3 pinnacles. On Yolanda Reef you can find toilets and a mast laying around from the sunken Yolanda wreck.

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Achensee

At just under 400 m, between the Karwendel Mountains and the Brandenberg Alps, lies the largest lake in Tyrol: the 130 m deep Achensee. The excellent water quality not only ensures impressive visibility, but also an above-average diversity of species.

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Panorama Reef is one of the top dive sites in the Safaga area. The reef formation and location attract all the amazing large marine species that you would expect to see in the deep blue. Two different dives can be done here: north and south Plato. Both dives average 0 to 40m plus in depth.

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Panorama Reef, Safaga

Approach by boat about 60 min, large outer reef with north and south plateau, depth 18-32m. Steep walls on east and west side, depth 40m+ with current mostly from north direction, in light to medium strength.

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Discover the world’s most fascinating aquatic life

Aquatic life under our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams is amazing! From microscopic zooplankton to the largest animal on earth, the blue whale, underwater life comes in all possible shapes and sizes. With 71% of the earth being covered with water, it is no wonder we are so fascinated with what lies beneath the surface. In fact, scientists estimate that there are nearly 1 million different species of aquatic animals. Freshwater ecosystems are home mainly to fish, invertebrates, and reptiles, whereas the ocean contains a wide array of marine life including fish, mollusks, crustaceans, reptiles, sharks, and marine mammals like whales, dolphins, seals, and manatees.

Spinner Dolphin

One of the most acrobatic dolphin species, the spinner dolphin is famous for its acrobatic displays, specifically the way in which it spins multiple times longways as it jumps through the air. They are commonly spotted racing alongside boats and are a beautiful, exciting site to see. These agile mammals are among the smallest of the dolphins and are found in tropical waters all around the world. The largest populations seem to be near Thailand, the Central American Pacific coast, and the Hawaiian Islands.

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A close relative to the manatee, dugongs are thought by some to be the motivation of seafaring tales of mermaids with their shapely bodies and fluked tails. In fact, they belong to the classification order Sirenia. Dugongs are the only strictly herbivorous marine mammals in the world and can be found all throughout the southern hemisphere, encompassing 40 countries and territories within the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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The grey reef shark is one of the most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific and is frequently seen cruising shallow coral reefs, especially near steep drop-offs. These animals may have a slightly white-tipped first dorsal fin, however, they are clearly distinguishable from other shark species because they lack the distinct black or white markings on the tips of their fins and are a more uniform grey color. These agile predators are fast swimmers and feed mostly on bony fish and cephalopods that they hunt along the reef.

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Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

With fins as wide as wings, manta rays soar along ocean currents like birds in flight, making them one of the most elegant animals of the sea. The name ‘manta’ comes from the Spanish word blanket and with a wingspan of up to nine meters, it’s easy to see how they can look like a blanket floating in the sea. Scuba diving with mantas is one of the most amazing experiences any diver can have underwater.

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The green sea turtle, also known as the green, black, or Pacific green turtle, is one of the largest species of sea turtles and has a wide population distribution throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical seas. There are two distinct populations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but they can be found throughout the Indian Ocean as well. They are unique in that they are the only species that are strict herbivores as adults, feeding mostly on algae, seagrass, and seaweed.

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Clownfish

Not the best swimmers, Clownfish seek shelter in their anemone homes throughout most of the day. These distinctly colorful fish have developed a highly intricate and mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with their anemone homes, earning them the nickname: anemonefish. Due to this sophisticated relationship, they tend to stay within a maximum radius of four meters to their anemone host in order to hide quickly within its tentacles in case of danger. If you’re lucky enough dive with clownfish you could experience these cute little fish attempting to “attack“ you to defend their anemone.

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Lionfish are native to Indo-Pacific waters and are usually found hiding under ledges or in shallow caves at depths between 2 and 60 meters. They are diurnal, meanings they hunt both during the day and at night but often stay hidden until sunset to avoid predators. Unfortunately, lionfish have become an invasive species in the western Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. In fact, despite their menacing beauty, lionfish have become a huge problem in the Caribbean as their population has spread tremendously in just a single decade. In fact, the Science Channel has claimed they are “one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet.” These flashy predators are considered fairly aggressive and harmful to humans so take caution when diving with lionfish and keep a safe distance.

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Most wrasses species have extraordinary, bright coloration. With over 600 different species, wrasses are as varied in size as they are in their brilliant color. They are identifiable by their elongated bodies, protruding canine teeth, and thick lips. It is fantastic to dive with wrasses and watch them swimming around coral reefs firsthand. These lively fish make coral reefs even more colorful.

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