Scuba diving in Marsa Alam offers an incredible Red Sea diving experience, ideal for both beginner divers and advanced scuba enthusiasts. Located in southern Egypt, Marsa Alam boasts crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and rich marine life.
Why Marsa Alam?
The fact Marsa Alam relatively recently developed from a small fishing village into a go-to diving destination tells you what you need to know about what is on offer here. It’s a diver’s paradise with calm waters, abundant marine life, and excellent visibility. It is within a short distance of some of the world’s best sites but remains relatively uncrowded due to its southerly location.
Perfect for both beginners and experienced divers, there is so much to see and explore. You can learn scuba diving by taking a proper certification course or just explore the underwater world for fun through a ‘try dive’ with our experienced and friendly instructors. Get the next certification level or just enjoy guided dives in small groups on our beautiful reefs.
We aim at promoting sustainable diving and snorkeling. Real stories from our community of passionate divers confirm the amazing experience:
One diver says: “This place is unbelievable. Snorkeling with dolphins in the wild is something I never expected to do but there were dozens (seriously)! “Elphinstone Reef… WOW!! Can now understand why it’s constantly spoken about. A must for any experienced diver. Huge off-shore reef, dizzy drop-offs, current, and a fairly close encounter with a Oceanic White Tip.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Scuba Diving
Getting to Marsa Alam
Getting to Marsa Alam is easy for international travellers, especially those coming for diving holidays in the Red Sea. There are direct flights to Marsa Alam International Airport from many major European cities, particularly during peak tourist seasons. For other routes, travellers can fly into Cairo International Airport, then take a domestic flight to Marsa Alam (approx. 1.5 hours). Alternatively, you can fly into Hurghada Airport and travel by road-around 3 to 4 hours by car or bus-along the scenic Red Sea coast.
Whether you’re coming for scuba diving, snorkelling, or just relaxing by the sea, Marsa Alam is well-connected and accessible for travellers worldwide.
Best Time to Dive
The best conditions for diving are during the summer months when the water temperature averages nearly 30 degrees centigrade although even in January it’s a not unpleasant 24 degrees. Accordingly a 3mm wetsuit is suitable for the period from May to September while a 5mm wetsuit would be more appropriate during the relatively colder months.
When planning your trip, be aware that the winter months, January to March, also tend to have longer periods with higher wind speeds and rougher seas. Also be aware that Marsa Alam can be a windy location anytime (usually more so than Hurghada), although diving is very rarely cancelled but can be limited to close, sheltered spots.
Dive Sites in Marsa Alam
The coral reefs along the Marsa Alam coast are a real treasure trove for the diver. These reefs are mostly free from the environmental damage suffered by some further north. And whereas the dive sites near Sharm and Hurghada suffer from overcrowding, the Marsa Alam sites, being further from the larger resorts, can often be enjoyed without having to constantly bump into other divers.
Read also: Best Dahab Dive Sites
Here are some of the best diving and snorkeling sites in Marsa Alam:
- Marsa Mubarak Reef
If you are not absolutely determined to visit one of the best known diving/snorkelling spots, how about a snorkelling expedition by boat to witness the incredible sealife at Marsa Mubarak Reef close to Abu Dabbab.
Here you have a very good chance to see turtles and one of the best chances anywhere in the world (though not guaranteed) to see a dugong.
Click to watch a video about Marsa Mubarak Reef
- Marsa Abu Dabbab Bay
Despite the absence of a coral reef and not infrequent poor visibility, Marsa Abu Dabab is perhaps the most popular of all Marsa Alam’s dive sites and for good reason as it is probably the best place to get close to sea turtles and the dugong. Fortunately the bay has recently been closed to boats making both snorkelling and scuba diving easier and more relaxing. It is also a dive site suitable to all skill levels.
Read also: Scuba Diving in Alexandria
You have a very good chance of seeing Abu Dabbab’s semi-permanent dugong sea cow residents Dennis and Dougal. A Dugong is a large herbivorous marine mammal, brownish or dark grey in colour, with no dorsal fin or hind limbs but with paddle like forelimbs and a dolphin like tail.
Click to watch a video about Abu Dabbab Bay
- Sataya Reef (Dolphin Reef/House)
What makes this reef so special is that so few of the tour operators currently visit it as it is still not yet as well known as Samadai Reef. This means you probably stand a better chance of swimming close to dolphins as, contrary to what you might believe, these friendly but easily stressed animals often avoid areas where there are too many people and boats.
Excursions here are offered daily (except Saturdays and Sundays) and an excellent value fee of 66 euros (£59) per person covers your transport to Hamata and back, your boat and all necessary permits, your snorkeling equipment, a professional guide, a freshly cooked lunch on board and a choice of tea, coffee, bottled water and soft drinks at any time of the day.
Click to watch a video about Sataya Reef
- Elphinstone Reef
Elphinstone Reef is one of the most famous dive sites in the world and offers some of the best scuba diving in the Red Sea! Located 12km offshore and about 30km from Marsa Alam, Elphinstone is famous for its wonderful drift dives along deep steep walls, unspoilt corals and sights of sharks.
The top of the reef plateau here, some 300 metres long and 30 metres wide, is between one and 40 metres deep, but at its’ edges there are near vertical cliff walls. The west drop off is a little less vertical than the east and sandier with some overhangs and small caves.
Elphinstone is an excellent choice if you are looking for shark encounters with reports of various frequenting shark species but particularly the large and usually solitary oceanic whitetip. Divers report up to four sitings on a single dive. Please be cautious of these magnificent animals and never feed them.
Click to watch a video about Elphinstone Reef
- Samadai Reef (Dolphin House)
The spinner dolphins are a nocturnal animal and return every morning to the shallow waters of the reef to rest. Visitors are discouraged from feeding or playing with the dolphins as it is not natural for them and may cause distress.
The reef itself is crescent shaped with a small lagoon of sand and sea-grass within, which is rich in marine life including the usually elusive sea horses. Divers can also explore some underwater caves and at least twelve coral towers. You should only explore the caves with an experienced guide.
Click to watch a video about Samadai Reef
- Abu Dabbab Reefs
There are at least six of these reefs, some of which lie a few miles out to sea from Marsa Abu Dabbab. Mostly averaging 15 to 25 metres in depth these are generally fairly shallow. At one of the reefs you can dive down to the wreckage of a small ship which sunk after a fire in 2004.
Dolphins frequent the area and although you won’t always see them, they have been known to spend up to 10 minutes at a time with divers. You can also explore the beautiful coral garden and an underwater cave system.
Click to watch a video about Abu Dabbab Reefs
- Abu Ghusun Shipwreck (SS Hamada)
The cargo ship, the Hamada, sank in 1993 and lies on its’ starboard side in two sections. It has attracted many types of coral and marine life including Napoleons, Lion fish, Surgeon fish, Butterfly fish and Moray eel. The port side of the ship protrudes just about the water line at low tide.
Suitably qualified divers may be able to swim into parts of the wreck including the pilothouse, engine room and cargo hold. Almost everything on the ship had to be abandoned and now items ranging in size from telephones to a fork lift truck have become surprising homes for many types of marine life.
Click to watch a video about Abu Ghusun Shipwreck
Dive Centers and Packages
Like many places in the world there are tons of dive shops to choose from. Emperor Divers have nearly 25 years of experience in the Red Sea and were the first diving centre inside Port Ghalib back in the early 2000’s, so nobody knows the sites like them.
Emperor Divers Blue Vision is the ideal destination for those who want to dive, dive, and dive again - while having a whole lot of fun doing it! Located in the heart of Marsa Alam, Blue Vision offers savvy travellers the perfect base to explore the wonders of the Red Sea.
Here are some affordable diving packages:
| Duration | Number of Dives | Price (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 1 Dive | 35 |
| 1 Day | 2 Dives | 65 |
| 2 Days | 4 Dives | 125 |
| 3 Days | 6 Dives | 180 |
| 4 Days | 8 Dives | 230 |
| 5 Days | 10 Dives | 270 |
| 6 Days | 12 Dives | 310 |
Note: Prices include Egypt's 14% VAT.
All bookings for diving with us at Blue Vision are done on a package basis. These include accommodation and diving with a range of courses also available.
Accommodation
Based just a few meters away from the famous Abu Dabbab beach, Abu Dabbab Lodge is the perfect place to stay to eat, sleep dive and play! With a handful of cute wooden cabins located around a large open swimming pool, it has a super relaxed and cosy atmosphere.
The staff were amazing, so friendly and couldn’t do enough to help us! They were always smiling and laughing and offering us help and recommendations.
Enjoy shore dives in calm, protected bays, or venture into deeper sites featuring wall dives and exciting swim-throughs. Discover colourful reef fish, sea turtles, and playful dolphins, especially at the renowned Dolphin House reef.
Languages spoken: Arabic, English, German, Italian
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