The Red Sea is the closest destination to Western Europe for divers who want to experience tropical coral reefs and exotic marine life. In the summer months, diving in Hurghada is particularly pleasant with a warm 28°C water temperature, but even in winter it doesn’t drop below 20°C. So you have the best chances of encountering dolphins, turtles and even (harmless) sharks all year round. Here we have compiled all the important information for you about Hurghada diving.
Things to know about diving in Hurghada
Hurghada is the most popular Egyptian holiday resort on the Red Sea. In recent decades, numerous modern hotel complexes have been built around the historic town centre. These stretch along the coast, especially south of the airport, and include beautiful bays such as Makadi Bay and Soma Bay. The luxurious resorts offer a variety of sporting activities, which has also made scuba diving in Hurghada more important.
In Makadi Bay, a long wooden jetty even leads across the shallow water to the house reef, making it particularly easy for snorkellers and divers to get started. Hotels such as the TUI BLUE Makadi arrange guided diving day trips on a dive boat to the most beautiful diving spots in the region and on-site introductory diving courses.
Is Hurghada good for diving?
When it comes to diving in Egypt, Hurghada has long been number two behind Sharm-El-Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula. There you will find, among other things, the Ras Mohamed marine reserve and the famous Blue Hole of Dahab. But Hurghada and the towns of Safaga and Marsa Alam further south have long since caught up. Here you will find some of the most beautiful diving spots in Egypt only half an hour’s boat ride from the beach. Many people book so-called liveaboards, where they live on board for several days and explore the underwater wonders of the entire Red Sea. If you want daily diving exclusively in the Hurghada region, however, you won’t lack for varied adventures, because there is a big variety of dive sites:
- The offshore Giftun Islands in front of Hurghada, which have been under nature protection since 1986
- Turtle Bay with coral reefs and – as the name suggests – lots of sea turtles
- Umm Gamar Island with colourful corals and caves
- Carless Reef (Marsa Abu Galawa) with dolphins, reef sharks, octopuses and beautiful corals
- The long Dolphin Reef with dolphins, napoleon fish, rays, scorpion fish and other exotic species
- The wreck of the Rosalie Moller, a cargo ship sunk in 1941
- Shaab Abu Nuhas with a total of seven wrecks such as the 90-metre Carnatic, which broke up on the reef in 1869 and has been lying at a depth of 24 metres ever since.
These are just a few of the most beautiful sites you can explore while scuba diving in Hurghada. The local dive operators will be happy to advise you on which dive trips are suitable for your level. Some of the sunken ships are easy enough for beginners and offer a great introduction to wreck diving.
Hotels in Makadi Bay with dive centre and house reef
Can you snorkel in Hurghada?
Yes, it is possible to snorkel in Hurghada. Choose a beachfront resort with a house reef so you can start snorkeling and exploring the marine life in Hurghada right off the beach. Alternatively you can join one of the many boat trips to the most beautiful snorkeling spots.
What is the price for diving in Hurghada?
The prices depend on the respective diving school and also on the season. For diving trips, hotel pick-up and entrance fees to Red Sea national parks are included in the price, as well as equipment and refreshments. If you only want to dive for one or two days in Hurghada, you will pay around 50 to 100 pounds. If you prefer to spend your whole holiday underwater, you can book inexpensive packages. Five days with ten dives cost about 200 pounds.
If you want to find out whether diving is the right hobby for you, a one-day introductory course is just the thing. You’ll get an introduction to the basic rules of diving and how to handle the equipment at the dive centre and then you can do your first dives under the supervision of the instructor. For the PADI Open Water Diver Certification you have to calculate with about 350 to 400 pounds.
When can you dive in Red Sea: best time for diving in Hurghada
As mentioned above, diving in Hurghada is possible all year round. In the summer months from June to August, the water in the Red Sea is wonderfully warm, but on the other hand, air temperatures of up to 45° C prevail on dry ground. This will quickly spoil your appetite for other activities and is therefore only recommended if you want to go to Hurghada exclusively for scuba diving. Conversely, the air temperature in winter is much more pleasant, but the water temperature drops to 22° C.
We would therefore recommend a compromise and go to Egypt in spring or autumn. The month of May, for example, is very attractive, when the sea has already warmed up but the heat of summer is still to come. If you are lucky, you may even see whale sharks, the largest fish in the world at around ten metres, while diving in Hurghada.
What else can I do in Hurghada?
You really want to go scuba diving in Hurghada, but your family or partner is less convinced? Then we have a few more arguments for you why a holiday on the Red Sea is also worthwhile:
- Spacious modern hotel complexes like the TUI BLUE Makadi Gardens leave nothing to be desired.
- Oriental pampering programmes in the wellness areas such as massages, beauty and hamam treatments
- A wide range of water sports in the quiet, sheltered Makadi Bay
- Authentic shopping experiences in the colourful bazaar of Hurghada
- Excursions to ancient sites of the Pharaonic Empire on the Nile such as Luxor
Last but not least, the weather is an important argument, especially in the cooler months from October to April: Hardly any other destination with perfect beach weather and temperatures around 25 to 30° C can be reached in only four hours by plane from central Europe during this period.
Scuba diving in Hurghada: only a five hours flight away
Whether it’s a taster course for the curious, a PADI licence or challenging full-day diving trips for experienced divers: everyone gets their money’s worth when diving in Hurghada. Look forward to intact colourful coral gardens, fish of all shapes and sizes, dolphins, turtles and much more. And if you want to stay on dry land for a day, let yourself be pampered in your well-kept modern hotel complex.
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