Egypt

The Red Sea is one of the rare regions that is three to four flight hours from Turkey and can be dived twelve months of the year. Water temperature drops to 21-22 degrees in February and reaches 29-30 degrees in August and September; visibility is between 20 and 30 metres on most days. The health of the coral reefs, the density of fish and the presence of Second World War wrecks alongside them are what keep this region standing, both for a first dive trip abroad and for a diver of many years.

There are in fact two separate Red Seas, and they are not the same tour. The north — around Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab — is open to every level with its sheltered bays, the reefs of Ras Muhammad and the Thistlegorm wreck; the current is usually moderate and you stay close to shore throughout. The offshore reefs in the south are another matter: on the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone (BDE for short), Fury Shoal and St John's routes you dive in blue water, in current and at depth. These trips call for experience, a regular diving history and the ability to manage yourself in current.

Timing decides what you will see. Offshore reef routes are generally open from late spring through autumn; hammerhead sharks are seen more often around Daedalus and Brothers in the summer months, and the oceanic whitetip (longimanus) around Elphinstone and Brothers in autumn. The Sataya area is known for spinner dolphins, and the northern wrecks for being divable all year regardless of season. No sighting can be guaranteed; all of it depends on weather, current and season.

Most of our tours in this region use the liveaboard format: six nights on board and, depending on weather and sailing conditions, a total of 20-22 dives.