Diving in the Red Sea

Situated 70 km from the coast the 2 Brothers Islands, or Al Ikhwan in Arabic, are considered the richest diving spots in Egypt and are classified as national parks. These islands emerge as underwater pinnacles descending to depths of over 500 meters. Exposed to winds and currents and surrounded by deep ocean depths this is a meeting point for abundant fauna notably pelagic. Large schools of jacks, tunas and barracudas are legendary. Large gorgonian fans and sponges, multicoloured hard corals cover the drop offs and the deep blue is a privileged meeting place for sharks: grey, hammerhead, black and white tip, thresher, whale, longimanus and sometimes tiger. Manta rays, giant moonfishes and Napoleons also patrol this sector. Please note: night diving at the Brothers is prohibited.

The largest of the 2 islands is 300 meters long. It has a 100 meter long stone lighthouse built by the English in 1880. Only a few soldiers live here and survey the surrounding area. Don't miss the opportunity to stretch your legs and pay them a short visit.

The Big Brother site shelters 2 wrecks:

· The Numidia, to the extreme North is a 145 meter long English cargoship which sank in 1901 while transporting railway materials. She is laying on her starboard between 15 and 18 meters.

· The Aida sank in 1957 during a storm while completing a guard changeover at the lighthouse. The Aida has become a beautiful wreck laying on the side of the reef, South of Big Brother. She has been colonised by an exceptional variety of soft and hard corals, even in the deeper waters. Groupers and tunas constantly patrol what remains of the principal deck. It is very easy to enter the wreck to avoid the occasionally strong currents. A good quantity of equipment is still present, mast, chimney, brass portholes, steam engine...

Along the North-West and South reefs we regularly encounter thresher sharks, turtles and schools of barracudas and tunas. Within the coral, parrot fishes, flute fishes and nudibranches provide beautiful colours for those divers who have forgotten to stop looking into the big blue...

Further to the South, about 1 km from Big Brother, this islet is totally arid and uninhabited. Although the surface presents no particular interest, the underwater world provides a true oasis with beautiful drop offs covered in forests of gorgonians and sponge corals, numerous sharks, where the hammerhead may sometimes be sighted by early-bird divers. Closer to the surface, the longimanus sharks and their pilot fishes can be seen during your ascents. Grey and white tip sharks regularly patrol the edge of the reef. The stronger the current, the stronger the spectacle...

A superb 200 meter long coral reef, bordered by 2 gigantic drop offs which we drift dive, depending on the currents and the sunlight. This dive is limited to 30/40 meters to appreciate, near the end of the dive, after swimming through an arch, a coral plateau situated at around 20 meters on the Southern point. The walls are coverd in large gorgonians, multicoloured sponge corals, sheltering an incredible fauna: anthias, butterfly fishes, parrot fishes, turtles, Napoleon fishes, sharks... And in summer we regularly encounter the longimanus shark.

An exterior circular reef with a diameter not exceeding 500 meters. Half way between Egypt and Saoudi Arabia, this islet is renowned for the large drop offs (to the North) covered in hard corals, the anmones (to the West) and the corla plateau inhabited by numerous reef fishes (to the south) such as surgeon fishes, unicorn fishes. An early morning current dive to the North reveals large schools of tunas, jacks, barracudas and maybe a hammerhead shark, thresher shark or manta ray.

The most beautiful dive zone is to the South of Zabargad Island and between 8 and 25 meters in depth. Both day and night dives are calmer and more protected than those of the outer reef. Several hard coral columns shelter a myriad of reef fishes. In certain areas of sandy bottom, we observe blue and black spotted sting rays and some crocodile fishes. The reef structure permits us to explore several caves, crevasses and overhangs, looking for nudibranches, groupers, octopuses and moray eels.

Not far from Zabargad, 60 nautical miles from the Egyptian coast, we find Rocky Island, a rocky peak dropping off to more than 600 meters in depth. Exposed to strong ocean currents the 3 principal dive sites at Rocky Island have been colonised by numerous species of hard corals, gorgonians and sponges of all colours. Several drift dives along the drop offs allow us to see a large number of pelagic at less than 30 meters of depth: sharks, tunas, barracudas, jacks. To the South of Rocky, diving is often easier depending on the current direction.

Situated only 40 km to the North of the Sudan border, St John's is only accessible during a cruise. This site is a vast succession of small reefs renowned for the large variety of coral, the density of the marine fauna and excellent opportunities for encounters with the hammerhead sharks on the west side.