Four ships wrecked on one reef, all between 4 m and 27 m
21–29°C · 70–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediate
Region
Diving in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden
19 curated dive destinations across 7 countries including Djibouti and Egypt in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden. Conditions peak around Apr, May, Jun, Sep and Oct.
Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait · photo W.Strickling
- Destinations
- 19
- Countries
- 7
- Peak season
- Apr–Oct
Common encountersSea turtlesBarracudaNapoleon wrasseReef sharksDolphins
Diving by country
- Egypt11
- Saudi Arabia3
- Djibouti1
- Eritrea1
- Israel1
- Jordan1
- Sudan1
What is diving in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden like?
The Red Sea combines coral reef, wrecks and oceanic sharks, dived from the shore, by day boat and by liveaboard. The Gulf of Aqaba is the easiest start: Dahab in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan are shore diving from the beach, and Sharm El Sheikh runs boats to Ras Mohammed and to the Thistlegorm, whose holds are still stacked with motorcycles, trucks and rail cars.
Offshore and further south, the diving turns to big animals. Oceanic whitetips patrol the walls of the Brothers year-round, and liveaboards reach St John's Reefs and the Sudanese Red Sea, where the frames of Cousteau's 1963 Conshelf II habitat still rest on the sand at Shaab Rumi. Resident dugongs graze the seagrass of Abu Dabbab near Marsa Alam, and juvenile whale sharks gather each winter in the Gulf of Tadjoura off Djibouti.
Best diving in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden for wrecks, big animals, beginners, macro and liveaboards
One destination per theme, picked from the species, dive types, access and site records on each destination page.
Wrecks
Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait
Egypt
Its dive sites take in 6 wrecks, including Ulysses and SS Carnatic.
Big animals
Brothers & Daedalus
Egypt
Hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, thresher sharks and 1 more big species are all on its species list, as many as any destination here.
Beginners
Aqaba
Jordan
Rated for beginners, with mild current and shore diving. Best May–Sep.
Macro
Dahab
Egypt
Muck and macro diving is one of its main dive types, with nudibranchs, frogfish and octopus & cuttlefish on the species list.
Liveaboards
Brothers & Daedalus
Egypt
Dived only from liveaboards, best Jun–Aug; hammerheads and oceanic whitetips are on its species list.
When is the best time to dive the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden?
Peak seasons here are spread across the year; May has the most, with 13 of the 19 destinations at their best.
The leanest stretch is January–February, when Dahlak Archipelago and Djibouti are still at their best.
Dahab, Eilat, Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib and 2 more rate good or better in every month.
| Month | Prime | Good |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 7 |
| Feb | 2 | 7 |
| Mar | 3 | 16 |
| Apr | 9 | 8 |
| May | 13 | 4 |
| Jun | 10 | 6 |
| Jul | 6 | 8 |
| Aug | 6 | 8 |
| Sep | 11 | 4 |
| Oct | 12 | 7 |
| Nov | 7 | 12 |
| Dec | 3 | 7 |
Compare every destination in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden
Tap a column heading to sort.
| Abu Nuhas & Gubal Strait Egypt | Apr–Jun | 21–29°C | Intermediate | Reef fish swarms | Day boat, Liveaboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqaba Jordan | May–Sep | 21–27°C | Beginner | Sea turtles | Shore, Day boat |
| Brothers & Daedalus Egypt | Jun–Aug | 24–29°C | Advanced | Hammerheads | Liveaboard |
| Dahab Egypt | Apr–May | 21–28°C | Beginner | Sea turtles | Shore, Day boat |
| Dahlak Archipelago Eritrea | Nov–Feb | 26–33°C | Intermediate | Dugongs & manatees | Liveaboard |
| Djibouti — Gulf of Tadjoura Djibouti | Nov–Feb | 24–30°C | Intermediate | Whale sharks | Shore, Day boat |
| Eilat Israel | Mar–May | 21–27°C | Beginner | Reef fish swarms | Shore, Day boat |
| El Quseir Egypt | Apr–May | 23–30°C | Beginner | Pristine corals | Shore, Day boat |
| Farasan Banks & Al Lith Saudi Arabia | Mar–May | 25–33°C | Intermediate | Whale sharks | Liveaboard |
| Hamata & Wadi Lahami Egypt | May–Oct | 23–31°C | Intermediate | Reef sharks | Shore, Day boat |
| Hurghada & El Gouna Egypt | Jun–Aug | 21–29°C | Beginner | Dolphins | Day boat |
| Jeddah Saudi Arabia | Mar–May | 22–32°C | Intermediate | Trevally & jacks | Shore, Day boat |
| Marsa Alam & Port Ghalib Egypt | Sep–Dec | 23–30°C | Intermediate | Dugongs & manatees | Shore, Day boat |
| Nuweiba Egypt | Sep–Nov | 21–29°C | Intermediate | Sea turtles | Shore |
| Safaga Egypt | Apr–Jun | 21–29°C | Intermediate | Reef sharks | Day boat, Liveaboard |
| Sharm El Sheikh — Ras Mohammed Egypt | May–Oct | 21–29°C | Intermediate | Hammerheads | Day boat, Liveaboard |
| St John's Reefs Egypt | Apr–Jun | 22–30°C | Advanced | Reef sharks | Liveaboard |
| Sudanese Red Sea Sudan | Apr–May | 26–30°C | Advanced | Hammerheads | Liveaboard |
| Yanbu & the Seven Reefs Saudi Arabia | Jun–Aug | 24–32°C | Advanced | Hammerheads | Shore, Day boat, Liveaboard |
Destination guides
19 guides
The Cedar Pride wreck and a scuttled tank sit an easy shore swim from Aqaba's beach.
21–27°C · 70–81°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftbeginnerSchooling hammerheads at Daedalus and two wrecks on one Big Brother wall
24–29°C · 75–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftadvancedThe Blue Hole's infamous Arch passage drops to roughly 55 metres just offshore.
21–28°C · 70–82°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftbeginnerDugongs graze seagrass beds among 200 untouched desert islands
26–33°C · 79–91°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediateJuvenile whale sharks gather in the Gulf of Tadjoura through the winter plankton bloom.
24–30°C · 75–86°Fvis 20 m · 66 ftintermediateA shore-entry reef and a scuttled missile boat inside a 12 km coastline
21–27°C · 70–81°Fvis 25 m · 82 ftbeginnerShore-entry house reefs from a 4 m bay at the ancient port to rope-marked canyons
23–30°C · 73–86°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftbeginnerBest Mar–May
Farasan Banks & Al Lith
Saudi Arabia
Whale sharks gather each spring on a reef almost nobody dives
25–33°C · 77–91°Fvis 35 m · 115 ftintermediateUncrowded Fury Shoals reefs, from shallow caves to Sha'ab Maksur's drop-offs
23–31°C · 73–88°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediateDaily boats to the Abu Nuhas wrecks and the fish-packed Aquarium reef
21–29°C · 70–84°FbeginnerHouse-reef shore diving off North Obhur, and the Ann Ann wreck by day boat
22–32°C · 72–90°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediateDugongs at Abu Dabbab, spinner dolphins at Sha'ab Samadai, sharks at Elphinstone
23–30°C · 73–86°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediateUncrowded beach entries onto reefs with resident green turtles
21–29°C · 70–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediatePanorama Reef's plateau drops away on every side into soft coral walls
21–29°C · 70–84°Fvis 30 m · 100 ftintermediateThe Thistlegorm's holds still stacked with motorcycles, trucks and rail cars
21–29°C · 70–84°Fvis 35 m · 115 ftintermediateLight shafts cut through shallow coral caves at Umm Kharārīm
22–30°C · 72–86°Fvis 40 m · 130 ftadvancedCousteau's 1963 Conshelf II habitat frames still rest on the sand at Shaab Rumi.
26–30°C · 79–86°Fvis 40 m · 130 ftadvancedBest Jun–Aug
Yanbu & the Seven Reefs
Saudi Arabia
Hammerheads and silvertips on plateaus that run off uncrowded reefs into the blue
24–32°C · 75–90°Fvis 50 m · 164 ftadvanced
Dive sites in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden
182 named sites · 19 destinations
Abu Nuhas & Gubal StraitEgypt
6 sites
- Bluff PointWall · 10–22 m
- CarnaticWreck · 16–24 m
- Chrisoula KWreck · 3–26 m
- Giannis DWreck · 4–25 m
- Kimon MWreck · 15–32 m
- Rosalie MollerWreck · 18–50 m
AqabaJordan
8 sites
- C-130 Hercules WreckWreck · 12–17 m
- Cedar Pride WreckWreck · 10–27 m
- Japanese GardenReef · 2–20 m
- King Abdullah ReefReef · 5–23 m
- Power StationWall · 5–40 m
- Rainbow ReefReef · to 30 m
- The TankArtificial reef · 5–7 m
- Underwater Military MuseumWreck · to 30 m
Brothers & DaedalusEgypt
6 sites
- Aida WreckWreck · 15–45 m
- Big Brother IslandWall · 10–35 m
- Big Brother South PlateauWall · 30–35 m
- Daedalus ReefWall · 10–40 m
- Little Brother IslandWall · 10–40 m
- Numidia WreckWreck · 8–40 m
DahabEgypt
18 sites
- Abu HelalLagoon · 7–12 m
- Bannerfish BayMuck & macro · to 25 m
- Blue HoleBlue hole · 6–40 m
- Coral GardenCoral garden · 5–14 m
- Eel GardenSand slope · 9–18 m
- El GehazaSand slope · 10–18 m
- El ShugarathDrift · to 20 m
- Fish and FriendsReef · to 22 m
- Gabr el BintWall · to 26 m
- Golden BlocksReef · 18–30 m
- LighthouseReef · to 18 m
- Moray GardenReef · 6–30 m
- Ras Abu GalumPinnacle · 20–30 m
- Shaab SaidReef · to 20 m
- The BellsWall · to 30 m
- The CanyonCave & cavern · 18–30 m
- The IslandsCoral garden · 7–20 m
- Umm SidReef · to 35 m
Dahlak ArchipelagoEritrea
4 sites
- Dahlak KebirReef · to 30 m
- Dissei IslandReef · 5–30 m
- MadoteReef · to 30 m
- NokraArtificial reef · to 30 m
Djibouti — Gulf of TadjouraDjibouti
5 sites
- Arta Beach Whale Shark GroundsPelagic & blue water · to 5 m
- Ghoubbet al-KharabCave & cavern · 8–35 m
- Le Faon Wreck (MV Priamos)Wreck · 10–28 m
- Moucha IslandReef · to 30 m
- Sept Frères IslandsPelagic & blue water · to 30 m
EilatIsrael
10 sites
- Coral Beach Nature ReserveReef · 4–6 m
- Dolphin ReefReef · to 12 m
- Eel GardenSand slope · 6–18 m
- Japanese GardensReef · 8–16 m
- KatzaArtificial reef · to 18 m
- Moses RockReef · 9–19 m
- Red Sea StarArtificial reef · to 6 m
- SatilWreck · 18–24 m
- The CavesReef · 4–6 m
- Yatush WreckWreck · to 30 m
El QuseirEgypt
5 sites
- Abu SawatyrSand slope · to 30 m
- El MaklufCoral garden · 10–40 m
- Flamenco Beach ResortWall · to 40 m
- MahelegCoral garden · to 30 m
- Soug BaharCave & cavern · to 30 m
Farasan Banks & Al LithSaudi Arabia
5 sites
- Abu LattReef · 3–12 m
- Farasan KebirWall · to 35 m
- Long Reef (South)Reef · 25–35 m
- Malathu IslandWall · 25–35 m
- Shib HabilReef · 8–25 m
Hamata & Wadi LahamiEgypt
12 sites
- Abu Galawa SorayaReef · 8–30 m
- Fury ShoalsReef · 10–25 m
- Gota SatayaPinnacle · 10–30 m
- Habili SamaPinnacle · 2–17 m
- Lahami Bay House ReefReef · to 12 m
- Sha'ab MaksurReef · to 40 m
- Sha'ab Sataya (Dolphin House)Reef · to 20 m
- Shaab CameliaReef · to 18 m
- Shaab IniCoral garden · to 27 m
- Shaab SakaraReef · to 17 m
- Siyle IslandReef · to 24 m
- Wadi Lahmy Azur HousereefReef · 12–40 m
Hurghada & El GounaEgypt
29 sites
- Abu HashishReef · to 30 m
- Banana ReefReef · to 20 m
- Ben El GebelPinnacle · 8–20 m
- Careless ReefPinnacle · 12–17 m
- El Fanadir, NorthWall · to 12 m
- El Fanadir, SouthWall · to 70 m
- El MinaWreck · 25–32 m
- El SakhwaWall · to 40 m
- Erg Abu RamadaPinnacle · 10–30 m
- Erg SabinaPinnacle · 10–12 m
- Erg SomayaWall · to 30 m
- ExcaliburWreck · to 20 m
- Fanous EastWall · 8–27 m
- Fort Arabesque Makadi BayReef · to 18 m
- Giannis DWreck · 4–24 m
- Giftun IslandsReef · 10–30 m
- Gota Abu RamadaCoral garden · 10–14 m
- Gota IrisPinnacle · to 14 m
- Gotha Abu GalawaPinnacle · 4–10 m
- HamdaReef · to 30 m
- Marsa Abu GalawaReef · to 35 m
- Ras AbdallahReef · to 22 m
- Royal Azur Makadi BayDrift · to 20 m
- Shaab El ErgReef · 8–10 m
- Shaab IrisReef · to 14 m
- Shaab SabinaDrift · 5–14 m
- Shab Tag Makadi BayReef · to 18 m
- Shabruhr Umm GamarReef · 14–30 m
- Umm GamarWall · 12–40 m
JeddahSaudi Arabia
8 sites
- Ann Ann WreckWreck · 14–30 m
- Chicken WreckWreck · 10–18 m
- Coco BeachReef · 3–36 m
- Coral Gardens 1Coral garden · 15–20 m
- Crazy EightReef · 7–13 m
- Destination ReefReef · to 15 m
- Salhia BeachReef · 5–10 m
- Sol BeachReef · 5–40 m
Marsa Alam & Port GhalibEgypt
18 sites
- Abu Dabab IIIReef · to 20 m
- Abu Dabbab BayLagoon · 4–24 m
- Coral Garden GhalibCoral garden · to 25 m
- Elphinstone ReefWall · 18–40 m
- Gota HossamReef · to 18 m
- Habiba WallWall · 2–30 m
- Long CanyonReef · 8–10 m
- Marsa MubarakLagoon · 3–12 m
- Marsa Shagra House ReefReef · 1–40 m
- Marsa Umm Gerifat SouthReef · 6–18 m
- Nilson ReefReef · 2–15 m
- Port Ghalib FishmarketReef · 5–20 m
- Queen WallWall · 15–25 m
- Sha'ab Samadai (Dolphin House)Reef · 5–30 m
- Shaab NakariWall · 15–25 m
- Sharm SalmanReef · to 30 m
- Three Corners Sea Beach Resort House ReefWall · 12–30 m
- Villa KoraffiReef · to 40 m
NuweibaEgypt
5 sites
- Abu Lou LouReef · 5–26 m
- PipelineArtificial reef · to 20 m
- Ras Mumlah NorthReef · 10–25 m
- Ras ShaitanReef · 10–30 m
- The SinkersArtificial reef · 8–35 m
SafagaEgypt
9 sites
- Abu KafanDrift · 10–30 m
- Cannon ReefReef · to 15 m
- Gamul KebirReef · to 16 m
- Gamul SorayaReef · to 14 m
- Middle ReefReef · to 30 m
- Panorama ReefReef · 2–30 m
- Salem ExpressWreck · 7–32 m
- Sha'ab Sheer WestReef · 14–30 m
- Tobia ArbaaPinnacle · 10–16 m
Sharm El Sheikh — Ras MohammedEgypt
19 sites
- Anemone CityReef · 1–65 m
- Gordon ReefReef · 10–24 m
- Jackfish AlleyReef · 6–20 m
- Jackson ReefWall · 5–30 m
- Kormoran / Zingara WreckWreck · 10–12 m
- Laguna ReefLagoon · 10–12 m
- Million HopeWreck · to 22 m
- Naama Bay Jolie VilleReef · 2–40 m
- Ras GhamilaReef · 14–26 m
- Ras GhozlaniReef · 6–30 m
- Ras Umm SidWall · 15–40 m
- Shark & Yolanda ReefWall · 15–30 m
- Shark ObservatoryWall · to 90 m
- SS DunravenWreck · 15–30 m
- SS ThistlegormWreck · 16–30 m
- TempleReef · 6–30 m
- Thomas ReefWall · to 25 m
- White KnightWall · 10–35 m
- Woodhouse ReefDrift · to 30 m
St John's ReefsEgypt
7 sites
- Abu BasalaReef · 15–20 m
- Dangerous ReefReef · 7–30 m
- Gota KebirReef · 15–30 m
- Gota SorayaWall · to 30 m
- Habili AliPinnacle · 10–40 m
- Habili GafaarPinnacle · 20–35 m
- Umm KharārīmCave & cavern · 6–10 m
Sudanese Red SeaSudan
4 sites
- Angarosh ReefPinnacle · 10–40 m
- Sanganeb AtollWall · 5–40 m
- Shaab RumiWall · 5–30 m
- Umbria WreckWreck · 5–35 m
Yanbu & the Seven ReefsSaudi Arabia
4 sites
- Abu GalawaReef · 12–40 m
- Mansi Reef (Marker 42)Pinnacle · 10–35 m
- Marker 32Wall · 3–40 m
- Sharm YanbuReef · to 12 m