Project Shark Best Of The Red Sea October 2021

SAMPLE ITINERARY:

**PLEASE NOTE** the itinerary below is an example of the planned route and dive sites cannot be guaranteed. All dives sites are subject to weather conditions and the final route taken is at the absolute discretion of the captain and dive guides. Adverse weather can affect this route which includes several overnight sailings.

This itinerary can depart from and arrive to either Port Ghalib or Hurghada, which will influence the order of the itinerary and the dive sites available at the start and end of the week. Please note that ports are subject to change.

Day 1 – Visit dive sites local to your departure port for three dives (a check dive, practice zodiac dive and night dive) before heading out to the marine parks.

Days 2-5 – We normally plan to spend a day each at Big Brother, Small Brother, Daedalus and the Elphinstone area. Normally you will have the opportunity to make three dives per day (night dives are not permitted in the marine parks).

Day 6 – After a week of drop-offs, enjoy two relaxed morning dives local to your arrival port allowing you to cruise into harbour in the early afternoon. Take advantage of an evening onshore to purchase souvenirs and enjoy Egypt’s famous hospitality before your journey home the next day.

ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS

DAEDALUS REEF

This huge tear-drop shaped reef rises from the sea bed in the middle of the Red Sea, 80km offshore and more than 300km south of Hurghada. Easily recognised by its zebra-striped lighthouse, this reef offers some of the most amazing dives in the Red Sea. The sheer walls are covered in over-grown hard coral formations and a variety of reef fish.

Napoleon wrasses and turtles are often cruising by, but make sure you keep your eyes open on the blue! Daedalus is one of those places where anything can happen… oceanic white tip, grey reef and thresher sharks are often sighted, but Daedalus is most famous for its scalloped hammerhead sharks which can often be seen in large schools out in the blue during the summer months. The sheer size of this reef means that you can do several dives here and never get bored!

BROTHER ISLANDS

The northernmost part of Egypt’s offshore marine park is made up of two islands 60km away from the coast and 140km south from Hurghada. The larger island (complete with a lighthouse from 1883) is 400 metres long with a spectacular plateau on the south east corner which is dotted with coral mountains and famous for thresher and grey reef shark sightings. The western side of the island has two impressive wrecks which both lie almost vertical on the side of the reef. The most spectacular is the Numidia, a large cargo steamer which sank in 1901 and now lies on the tip of the island between 10 and 80 metres covered in soft corals and frequented by large pelagic predators. The smaller wreck of the Aida (sitting between 30 and 65 metres) was a lighthouse authority supply vessel which sank in bad weather in 1957.

The smaller island, whilst only a little over 200 metres long, hosts an incredible concentration and variety of marine life. There is a pristine fan coral forest, a massive collection of hard and soft corals and compelling overhangs to explore. The highlight is the fish life; with regular seasonal sightings of hammerhead, thresher, grey reef and oceanic whitetip sharks.

ELPHINSTONE REEF

A Red Sea legend; a finger shaped reef, with north and south plateaus covered in hard and soft corals, unpredictable and exciting this truly is an awesome reef where hammerhead sharks are regularly spotted in the summer and oceanic whitetip sharks often congregate in large numbers during late autumn.