At least 50 logged dives
AOWD or equivalent certification
The “Brothers” are among the top 5 dive sites in the Red Sea. The islands, which are about one kilometer apart, are actually mountain peaks formed by volcanic activity. The Big Brother lies to the north and the Little Brother further to the south. The narrow, spire-like islands are surrounded only by the open sea and, due to their distance from the mainland, can only be reached by safari boat. The islands rise from great depths and are classified as drop-off dive sites. The steep walls are densely covered with hard and soft corals. Due to their location, strong currents can occur, leading to a large shark population and making the Brothers famous. Sightings of gray reef sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks (Longimanus), thresher sharks, hammerhead sharks, or silky sharks are not uncommon.
Even from a distance, you can see the landmark of this dive site—the lighthouse built in 1883.
The Numidia sank off the northern tip of the island in 1901. It was a 145-meter-long English merchant ship carrying railroad parts. The wreck lies upright on the sloping reef at depths ranging from 8 to 85 meters. The cargo hold and the gallery are open and accessible to divers. Forty-six years later, another merchant ship sank on the western side—the Aida II. Due to a sudden change in weather, the ship sought shelter near the islands and struck the reef while docking, immediately taking on water. Today, the Aida lies at a depth of 25 to 60 meters.
After all these years, nature has taken over the wrecks. The hulls and superstructures are beautifully overgrown with gorgonians, sponges, and soft corals.
On the southern plateau, there is a shark cleaning station. With a bit of luck, thresher sharks and manta rays gather here.
The steep edge of the west wall looks almost unreal. It’s bursting with color and life. The entire drop-off is teeming with marine life—huge colonies of sea fans give way to dense forests of colorful soft corals. Monumental stony coral formations on the east wall provide shelter for a wide variety of reef fish. Longnose wrasse make their home among the gorgonians.
Groupers, porcupinefish, tropical triggerfish, pufferfish, boxfish, clownfish, and stingrays, as well as pulsating clouds of fiery-colored anthias. If you manage to ignore the wild jumble of reef fish for a moment and gaze out into the blue, you’re sure to be in for a surprise: snappers, mackerels, barracudas, tuna, napoleon fish, and sea turtles are not uncommon here. You certainly won’t get bored.
When the lighthouse on Abu Kizan (the Arabic name) was built in 1863, no one could have imagined what was happening beneath the surface at this hotspot.
The reef gained fame for its large population of hammerhead sharks. The good news: The two groups are sedentary and thus always at the reef. The bad news: You can’t always see them, as they patrol depths that recreational divers cannot reach. Daedalus is the reef of unlimited possibilities—anything of note in the Red Sea can pass by here.
Sightings of thresher sharks are no longer a rarity here either. Alongside the Brothers and some dive sites in the Philippines, Daedalus is a sure bet for spotting these beauties with their distinctive tail fins.
The gentle giants also love this spot. Multiple manta sightings and encounters with whale sharks help elevate this spot to a top-tier destination worldwide.
However, the dive site also requires a fair amount of diving skill. Strong, constantly shifting currents are the norm, and that is precisely why it is so popular with marine life. Here, it is absolutely essential to know how to set a buoy. Even the descent into the blue water without a view of the reef can give some divers a queasy feeling in the pit of their stomach. However, this is quickly forgotten once the first hammerhead shark is spotted and the diver has to blow out their mask for the first time because water has entered due to their big grin.
Things are rather laid-back on the southern plateau. Starting at 20 meters, a gently sloping plateau forms with many sandbars. Groupers, moray eels, and Napoleon wrasse frolic on the plateau. Turtles also gather among the numerous soft corals. Depending on the season, longimani and silky sharks gather beneath the safari boats.
Probably the most famous dive site in all of Egypt, it owes its name, “Red Rock,” to a red rock formation on the mainland that sailors once used as a navigational landmark.
The approximately 600-meter-long spindle-shaped reef lies just 9 km off the coast of Egypt and is a popular spot for daily trips organized by various dive centers, as well as a highlight at the end of every liveaboard trip. Although the area is heavily frequented by divers, this does not deter the underwater inhabitants from visiting this site.
Elphinstone is renowned for its high concentration of oceanic whitetip sharks (or Longimanus). Nowhere else on the globe is the probability so high of encountering one of the largest shark species. Some females can reach a length of up to 3 meters.
Elphinstone is a drop-off with a north and south plateau. The steep walls plunge hundreds of meters into the deep blue—a eerie yet beautiful contrast to the reef’s many colorful coral species, especially the purple and pink soft corals and graceful red gorgonians—their tentacles swaying in the strong ocean currents.
Depending on the prevailing current (usually from north to south), the dive begins on the north plateau. Experienced divers start the dive very deep at the level of the erg to increase the chances of spotting hammerhead sharks. Then they drift further south at a shallower depth. The dive ends in open water with a deployed buoy, waiting for the Longimani and the completion of the safety stop—which can sometimes take longer if the first rounded hammerhead dorsal fin has been spotted and there is still sufficient air in the tank. However, you should keep an eye on the open water throughout the entire dive. Bottlenose dolphins, manta rays, marlins, whales, and other shark species can pass by here at any time.
Halfway to the South Plateau, you’ll usually encounter a huge resident Napoleon wrasse. It isn’t shy around divers and likes to look them deep in the eyes or nudge them affectionately. Of interest to and accessible for technical divers is the sarcophagus, also known as the Arch. Legend has it that an Egyptian pharaoh is buried here. Even in low light, the shape of a sarcophagus is recognizable, and it is covered in coral. The arch begins at approximately 52 meters and ends at 62 meters; for this, you must have the correct gas mixture in your tank.
Technical divers also have a good chance of encountering hammerhead sharks on the North Plateau. No less spectacular is the breakthrough on the North Plateau. Shortly before the erg, at about 50 meters, you encounter three large fan corals that mark the entrance to the breakthrough. From there, the route takes you through the entire North Plateau at depths of approximately 48 to 53 meters. This lies far below the depth limit for recreational divers and may and should only be dived with the necessary technical training and the correct air mixture.
The exact route and dive sites are subject to weather conditions and may differ from the planned itinerary.
