Diving in HURGHADA, EGYPT
Scuba Diving in Hurghada, Egypt
Don’t worry; I couldn’t pronounce it the first time round either, but don’t let that put you off! Hurghada is a small fishing village located on the eastern coastline of Egypt. It stretches for about 20 miles along Egypt’s beautiful seashore and is packed with loads to do. Due to the refurbishment of the New Marina (a strip of bars, restaurants & clubs) Hurghada is rapidly becoming the ultimate go-to seashore destination.
Diving in Hurghada will be an experience that will stick with you forever. The beautiful reefs, hot weather & interesting shipwrecks make Hurghada one of the most popular diving sites in the Northern Red Sea. It’s also an ideal location for underwater photography. The high visibility waters results in crystal clear pictures, not to mention the many beautiful wrecks scattered throughout the seafloor.
Novice diving sites
Hurghada is home to several beautiful reefs that are just overflowing with exotic, tropical life. The clear visibility and shallow waters makes for a great starting point for those doing their first dive. If however, you’re a first time diver, and after something a little more interesting than reefs, that’s fine too! There are a few local shipwrecks not too far away that are relatively shallow with good visibility. All these sites are great for those looking to gain their PADI Open Water certificate.
Among the many good diving sites close to the resort, dolphin reef and Saleem express are notable.
Abu Nuhas Graveyard
Abu Nuhas graveyard is an array of about 5 shipwrecks scattered closely on the seafloor. What is most interesting is that all wrecks are different kinds of ships and come from completely different periods in time. Unfortunately due to the depth and sometimes reduced visibility these wrecks are advised for more experienced divers.
There are 4 main shipwrecks on the Abu Nuhas reef.
Kimon M
Giannis D
Chrisoula K
The Carnatic
They make for a great dive as these wrecks are teeming with exotic aquatic wildlife!
The Rosalie Moller was a 4000 ton, 115 meter ship. She started her life at the shipyards of Barclay and Curle at Glasgow in 1910. She spent the majority of her time delivering coal to navy bases, however she only made several successful trips before being attacked by German bombers while anchored between gobal and quisum in the early hours of October 8th 1941. She quickly filled with water and started to settle due the weight of her cargo. The attack claimed 2 lives while the other survivors took to the sailboats.
Rosalie Moller is located north of the Abu Nuhas graveyard and takes approximately 3 hours to get there from Hurghada. It makes for a great wreck dive as it is a very large ship. Unfortunately it is quite deep (50 meters) and is only reserved for experienced divers. It is an absolutely huge wreck to explore and is home to much local aquatic wildlife.
I want to dive in Hurghada!
Hurghada is home to many fine Hotels, all relatively close to the New Marina. Of course, it is recommended to read reviews from other travellers before selecting a hotel, for example this TripAdvisor lists more than 200 hotels around Hurghada.
Best times to dive
Diving in Hurghada is possible all year round, however the air and water temperature change throughout the year so it’s really down to your personal taste.
There isn’t really a best diving season, however March to May and September to November see a huge spike in northern red sea diving.
So if you’re not a fan of crowds & don’t mind a bit of heat, then during summer between May and August is probably good for you!
General diving conditions
Sea conditions: General conditions in the Northern Red sea are generally really good. The waters are clean & clear!
Visibility: Visibility will be excellent all year round. The most common range is from 20m to 30m; however it obviously depends on what depth you decide to dive to.
There are some sites you can dive to that have visibility of 60 meters!
Currents: Currents are normally quite gentle, especially around the Giftun Islands area, an ideal spot to learn scuba diving.
Information & Tourism
Tourism is now taking over the once humble fishing village due to the amazing new sights & attractions. Since the refurbishment of Hurgdhana’s New Marina, tourist population has skyrocketed and it’s like the small town has been tarred with a 21st century brush. Attractions include stylish bars/clubs, 5star restaurants & exquisite museums. Hurghada also provides many other activities such as desert camel rides, off road Quad Biking and regular trips to nearby Bedouin villages!
The tourist office in Hurghada lists much more activities to do around Hurghada!