Red Sea & Gulf of Aden · Egypt
Brothers & Daedalus
Schooling hammerheads at Daedalus and two wrecks on one Big Brother wall
Photo: W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Brothers are two rocky outcrops well offshore in the Egyptian Red Sea, ringed by sheer walls that drop into the abyss, and Daedalus is a lone oval reef carrying a lighthouse, with nothing else in any direction. All of it is reached only by liveaboard. Big Brother carries the Numidia and the Aida wrecks on the same wall, Little Brother draws thresher sharks to its plateau, and the north plateau of Daedalus is the classic hammerhead site of the Egyptian Red Sea. Strong current runs around the reefs, and it is what brings the sharks in.
About diving in Brothers & Daedalus
Every dive here starts from a liveaboard. A week delivers 17 to 20 dives, three or four a day across six diving days. A check dive on a sheltered local reef comes first, before the boat heads offshore. Dives are often run as zodiac drops with a pickup in open water. When the boat cannot safely reach or moor at the Brothers or Daedalus, the captain re-routes to sheltered reefs such as Safaga, Abu Dabbab or the Marsa Alam local reefs.
The Brothers are two rocky outcrops about a kilometre apart, each ringed by deep walls covered in coral. At Little Brother the walls give way at the northern point to a slow slope that drops to a plateau at 40 m, and on the southern plateau barracuda school while dogtooth tuna and reef sharks prowl. Grey and whitetip reef sharks, hammerheads and oceanic whitetips are commonly spotted at Big Brother's south-east point. Daedalus adds a vast anemone colony in its shallows and walls of dense gorgonian growth.
This is a route for experienced divers who are at ease in strong current, with negative entries, open-water pickups and their own surface marker. The current is what brings the big animals in, so it is part of the dive rather than a hazard to wait out. Both wrecks run deep, so nitrox and a conservative dive plan earn their place. A diver still building a first fifty dives, or one who has never dived in open current, is better served by one of the sheltered northern routes.
Best time to dive Brothers & Daedalus
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 25°C77°F |
| Daytime high | 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 25°C77°F | 27°C81°F | 30°C86°F | 31°C88°F | 32°C90°F | 33°C91°F | 32°C90°F | 30°C86°F | 28°C82°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | 4 mm0.2 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 3 mm0.1 in | 6 mm0.2 in | 3 mm0.1 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 25°C77°F | 27°C81°F | 30°C86°F | 31°C88°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 4 mm0.2 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 25°C77°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 32°C90°F | 33°C91°F | 32°C90°F | 30°C86°F | 28°C82°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 0 mm0.0 in | 0 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 3 mm0.1 in | 6 mm0.2 in | 3 mm0.1 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
January and February fall outside the offshore season, which the wind sets at roughly March to December, and winter wind can cancel the whole trip rather than move it. From March the liveaboards run out to the reefs, and late spring brings some of the most settled conditions of the year. June to August is the peak for schooling scalloped hammerheads at Daedalus. Autumn is settled again, and the season closes in December.
Best months: June, July, August
Brothers & Daedalus water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 23 °C (73 °F) in February to 30 °C (86 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from April to December. Rain is scarce: about 20 mm (0.8 in) falls in a typical year. Daytime highs reach 33 °C (91 °F) in August and drop to 24 °C (75 °F) in January. The coldest water here is about 23 °C (73 °F), so pack a 5 mm suit.
Dive types & marine life
Schooling scalloped hammerheads peak at Daedalus from June through August, though they are never guaranteed. Oceanic whitetips circle the Daedalus moorings in the cooler months, and thresher sharks visit Little Brother's south plateau, usually at first light.
- Wall
- Drift
- Wreck
- Pelagic & blue water
- Hammerheads
- Oceanic whitetips
- Thresher sharks
- Reef sharks
- Manta rays
- Eagle rays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Brothers & Daedalus
- 1
Daedalus Reef
Lighthouse reef where divers hold at 40 m off the northern tip for schooling hammerheads.
- 2
Numidia Wreck
Cargo steamer about 138 m long, lying almost vertically down Big Brother's northern tip from 10 m.
- 3
Little Brother Island
The smaller island, whose south plateau carries one of the finest gorgonian fan gardens in Egypt.
- 4
Aida Wreck
Supply vessel on Big Brother's north-western wall, her hull running from 35 to 65 m: a deep dive.
- 5
Big Brother Island
The larger island, with grey reef sharks patrolling the current line and big schools of trevally and barracuda.
Site guides
Wreck
Intact superstructure on a hull that stands almost vertical
Sheer wall, constant current and two ships draped down the same rock
A 20 m-wide ridge to 60 m off Big Brother's shark-patrolled point
A lighthouse on a seamount that climbs from 450 metres of water
Great hammerheads rise from the deep for a look, then drop away
Railway wheels at 8 m on a hull that runs down to 80 m
How to get to Brothers & Daedalus
Liveaboards leave from Hurghada, Port Ghalib or Marsa Alam. Marsa Alam International Airport is five minutes from Port Ghalib, and transfers from Hurghada or Marsa Alam airports can be arranged. Hurghada departures face a longer overnight crossing south.
Photos from Brothers & Daedalus
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
Thomei08 · CC BY-SA 3.0
W.Strickling · CC BY-SA 4.0
Thomei08 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Diving Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone - Liveaboard in Egypt [4K] · Victor_eeo on YouTube
Brother Islands Liveaboard - one of the best dive sites on the planet · Frank Ude on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What experience do the Brothers and Daedalus need?+
Advanced Open Water or equivalent and around 50 logged dives, with recent dives in the last year. At Big Brother fifty logged dives is the legal minimum, not a suggestion.
Can the Brothers be dived on a day trip?+
No. The reefs lie far offshore, with no day boat and no shore access, and are reached only by liveaboard.
Is night diving allowed at the Brothers and Daedalus?+
No. Both are protected marine park sites with strict mooring and access rules, and night diving is not permitted.
Sources
- Your best guide to Brother Islands scuba diving, Southern Red Sea, Egypt — Dive The World
- Big Brother Island - the Numidia, the Aida and the Shark Walls — Red Sea Diving
- BDE Liveaboard: Brothers, Daedalus & Elphinstone — Red Sea Diving
- Daedalus reef — Red Sea Diving
- Diving Daedalus will offer a magical hammerhead experience — Emperor Divers
- Big Brother — ScubaGo / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Daedalus Reef — ScubaGo / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Brothers - Daedalus - Elphinstone itinerary — Egyptian Cruising Company / Travel Red Sea
- Brothers Daedalus Elphinstone Diving Safari — Sadko Safari Fleet
- Port Ghalib — Wikivoyage
- El Ikhwa Islands — Wikipedia
- Little Brother Island — Red Sea Diving
Photo credits
- Diver descending along the coral-encrusted deck rail of the Numidia wreck at Big Brother Island by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Divers exploring the lattice superstructure of the Numidia wreck off Big Brother Island by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reef fish swarm the sunken superstructure of the Numidia wreck at Big Brother Island by Thomei08, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The stern of the Aida troop transport wreck rising from the wall at Big Brother Island by W.Strickling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Little Brother Island viewed from the sea, with liveaboard boats anchored offshore by Thomei08, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 6 dive sites near Brothers & Daedalus on your own page.
In The Logbook
- Why things look bigger underwaterOcean science · 12 min read
- The best wall dives in the worldWalls & drop-offs · 11 min read
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
- What is decompression sickness (the bends)?Body & health · 18 min read
- Why do you pee when diving, and tire after?Body & health · 12 min read
- Malapascua thresher sharks: Monad or Kimud?Big animals · 11 min read
- Do you need a safety stop? What it buys youBody & health · 11 min read
- How long to wait before flying after divingBody & health · 8 min read
- Why is the sea blue? Water filters out redOcean science · 7 min read
- Why your ears hurt diving, and how to stop itBody & health · 8 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- Where to dive with oceanic whitetip sharksBig animals · 11 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
- Liveaboard vs resort diving: which suits you?Trip planning · 6 min read
Similar destinations
The Thistlegorm's holds still stacked with motorcycles, trucks and rail cars
Cousteau's 1963 Conshelf II habitat frames still rest on the sand at Shaab Rumi.
Light shafts cut through shallow coral caves at Umm Kharārīm
2015-05-02_12-44-44_Brothers-5832.jpg){kind=link}
_Starboard_2015-05-02_12-54-34_Brothers-5845.jpg){kind=link}
Dugongs at Abu Dabbab, spinner dolphins at Sha'ab Samadai, sharks at Elphinstone