what are the best sites to dive in the red sea?

Question

i'm visiting in late may and i will have a couple of days to dive. help me please choose the most interesting sites.
my dream is diving with dolphins can you be of any assistance?

Answer 1

Hi Mikes. I've lived and worked in the Red sea as a scuba instructor for a couple of years, so i might be able to help you (if you're talking SCUBA diving that is)
You won't be able to dive with dolphins. They are around but they don't like the bubbles we make when we dive, so they won't come. Although it has happen in the past, but don't rely on this. Sorry. But there are sea turtles!
I was based in Dahab (on the Gulf of Aqaba) and there are plenty of really good dive sites there (for all levels). The diving is mainly from the shore, so it's nice and easy. On top of it, it's a pretty small town with a very relaxed atmophere. Quite a nice place to chill out for a while. You can get there by taxi or bus from Sharm (a 1 1/2 hour drive roughly).
Now if you only have a couple of days to spare, i would also recommend Sharm el sheik for diving . Ras Mohamed is pretty amazing (Shark and Yolanda reef especially). Avoid all shore dive there if possible (no good), and go on a boat. The Tiran reefs off Sharm are really good too. And at the end of May, you might be lucky to spot some sharks there.
As a word of advice, avoid Hurgada (the diving is crap). But if you're in that area, just go a little bit further south to Marsa Alam where the diving is pretty amazing too.
I wish i was going there. Happy bubbles!

Answer 2

I worked in Dahab, Sharm and Hurghada, and the best diving I saw in the Red Sea was out of Sharm (although contrary to a previous answerer, the dayboats out of Hurghada go to some nice sites too).

From Sharm, then, Ras Mohammed is fantastic for reef life, and the Straits of Tiran are pretty spectacular too. If you like wrecks then the Thistlegorm is a good day out, but you will be charged more for a daytrip there than to the other two areas (because it's a lot further away). Having said that, I should point out that the above areas are almost all advanced dives. The Thistlegorm lies in 30-odd m, and is usually crowded (although a little quieter off-peak). Ras Mo and Tiran sites are nearly all drift dives along effectively bottomless walls, usually with fair to strong currents.

The good dive centres won't take you to any of them without AT LEAST a couple of checkout/workup dives in the more protected areas, especially if it's been a while since your last bubbles. Any dive centre that will do so is by definition NOT a good one, as they will be more interested in your money than in ensuring your safety, comfort and enjoyment. This is because jumping off the back of the boat in a 10 knot drift and then discovering that you have too much lead (or worse, not enough), or that your rental mask leaks, or the suit doesn't keep you warm enough, will not give you a fun day out.

The same philosophy also applies in Dahab, if e.g. someone offers to take you diving at the Blue Hole before they've seen you on a less challenging splash. Don't go with them, go with a centre that asks you to do a check-dive first. You will be glad you did.

There are indeed dolphins in the Red Sea, but you're more likely to see them from the diveboat than during a dive. But the great thing about diving is, you never know what's going to to pass by underwater. I met a mother and calf once at Ras Mo, and got buzzed by a pod of 7 on a training dive in Dahab--but that's only two dives out of several thousand.

You may hear about a place called Dolphin Reef (Ras Samadai), off the coast near Marsa Alam in the southern Red Sea. HOWEVER (1) MA is not the kind of place you go for a couple of days, as it takes that long to get there by road from Cairo, and (2) diving is not permitted, and even the snorkellers have to keep their distance. This is to protect the dolphins from disturbance by tourists every day of the year.

Good luck and enjoy your holiday. I envy you, I wish I was back there sometimes, but that's not possible right now.

Answer 3

DEAR,
I WAS IN A DIVE SAFARI ABOARD A BOAT AND WE MET A DOLPHIN.JUST FEW SECONDS NOT MORE THAN TEN.
THIS WAS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF RED SEA NEAR THE AREA CALLED RAS BENAS OR RAS BINAS.THIS WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY.
I HEARD FROM LOCALS THAT THERE IS AN AREA WHERE YOU CAN SWIM WITH DOLPHINS SOUTH OF THE CITY OF MARSA ALAM. I WISH NOT TO DISAPPOINT YOU BUT TWO DAYS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE FUN , YOU NEED AT LEAST A WEEK AND DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER IS NOT GUARANTEED.IF YOU ARE WILLING TO BE LAND BASED CHECK WWW.AGAZAT.COM
AND IF YOU WISH TO DIVE WHEN YOU ARE ON A LIVE ABOARD SEARCH THROUGH GOOGLE AS I DID LAST FEBRUARY THERE ARE MANY LIVE ABOARD WORKING IN NORTH ,CENTRAL AND SOUTH EGYPT.
IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION CALL ME AT ++12622275793 THIS IS MY CELLPHONE AND I LIVE IN USA.

Answer 4

Don't think Red Sea has any dolphins. We went to Hurghada and the diving was good there.