Scuba Diving in Alexandria, Egypt: Exploring Underwater Antiquities

Nov 06, 2025 0

Founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC, Alexandria is one of Egypt’s most historical cities. Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, it makes it a great tourist destination for relaxation, interesting archaeological sites, culture and culinary delights. While most divers in Egypt head to the Red Sea, Alexandria offers a unique and different diving experience.

You won’t find colourful corals and clear water here like in the Red Sea but what you will find is some of the most interesting dives in the world. Diving around Alexandria can be categorized by four different dive types.

Ancient Ruins and Historical Significance

Over its long history, Alexandria has been the cradle of several civilizations of the ancient world, including Pharaonic, Hellenistic, and Roman. This multicultural museum lies safely under Alexandria's Mediterranean coastal waters. During the fifth Century B. C., a number of 1300 sites were located at sight and cleared of attaching sediments.

In the Eastern Harbor and near to the shore, divers can discover ancient ruins from the pharaohs, Romans and Greeks. One of the unique scuba diving sites of the Pharos is in Greek and Roman Antiquities.

Cleopatra's Underwater City

The most popular dive site in the area is Cleopatra’s Underwater City, which is full of sphinx statues and Roman columns. This city, which was built by Alexander the Great in 300BC, collapsed into the sea after an ancient earthquake. The best dive in the area is Cleopatra’s Palace in the Eastern Harbour.

Discover the renowned dive site of Cleopatra's underwater city, home to an array of sphinx statues and Roman columns. The historical city, submerged after an ancient earthquake, includes remnants of the lighthouse at the foot of Fort Qaitbey. There’s a statue of Mark Anthony, Cleopatra’s royal districts and sun boat.

During the diving, you can see more than 8,000 archaeological pieces, including sphinxes, columns of all eras (pharaonic-Greek-Roman), parts of the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), a base of an obelisk, statues, inscriptions and other surprises.

Underwater ruins in Alexandria

Pharos Lighthouse

Another great ruins site is Pharos Lighthouse. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the architectural landmark of Alexandria during the Ptolemaic dynasty and during Roman rule. Also known as the Pharos, it got its name from the small island it was situated on in the Alexandria harbor. It was estimated to be between 115 and 150 m (380 and 490 ft) tall, which would put it on a par with the Great Pyramid.

The lighthouse was destroyed in the early 14th century from earthquakes, and in the 15th century, Sultan Qaitbey built a fort on the site. The fort is still there today. Surprisingly, no one knew that parts of the lighthouse were in the sea until a team of divers discovered in 1994.

Beginners can enjoy diving around some ruins and a shallow wreck of an airplane from World War II, Faros Island or Lighthouse with headless statues and the ruins of an ancient lighthouse.

Wreck Dives

To the east of the city, a couple of wrecks from the Napoleonic-era Battle of the Nile offer an interesting diversion for advanced divers. To the east of the city is Abu Quir Bay and the battle of the Nile was fought here so there are a couple of wrecks. You need to be an advanced diver to do any wreck dives in the area.

For experienced divers, there are a few wrecks from the Napoleonic-era Battle of the Nile. For beginners, a shallow wreck of a WWII airplane provides a glimpse into the area's modern history. There’s a statue of Mark Anthony, Cleopatra’s royal districts and sun boat and a plane wreck.

Dive Tour Itinerary

Here is a sample itinerary for a dive tour in Alexandria:

10:00 am: Arrival at the dive center, reception and equipment preparation
10:30 am: Briefing of the tour
11:00 am: Boarding on a small boat
11:30 am: First dive site (Pharos Island-one dive for 45 min. at a depth of 8 meters)
01:00 pm: Second dive site (Lovers Island or Antirodos Island), 45 min, at 5 meters depth. On this site, which was the summer palace of Mark Anthony, you will see limestones of the palace, columns, amphoras used for the Royal food and drinks, and a Second World War airplane that fell on the palace.

On this site, which was the summer palace of Mark Anthony, you will see limestones of the palace, columns, amphoras used for the Royal food and drinks, and a Second World War airplane that fell on the palace.

Egypt's Ancient Underwater City That Archaeologists Say Defies All Logic | Series

Additional Dive Sites

Another special dive is at the Siwa Oasis, three hours drive from Alexandria and in the middle of the desert. This is best done on an overnight trip combined with a tour of the area where you can sand board, kite sail and experience the local Bedouin culture. Around the oasis there various springs suitable for diving, most of them about eight metres deep and containing the remains of Roman construction. The water is crystal clear and you can see a few fish in the springs as well.

Read also: Cape Town scuba diving guide

Important Information for Divers

It’s very important that you contact the dive centre two days before you want to dive and provide them with a copy of your passport so that they can prepare all the permissions for you. If you have an underwater camera, there is a special ticket fee of around 40 euros.

Before most dives, you have a short meeting with the divemaster to go over hand signals. They had special ones to identify is something was Roman, Greek or Egyptian or if it was a pillar or part of the lighthouse.

Getting to Alexandria

If you arrive in Cairo then you can catch a bus (2.5 hours, leaves every 30 mins) or train (2 hours, 3 times a day) to Alexandria. The international airport is 20 mins by taxi to the centre, be sure to agree on a price BEFORE getting into the cab.

Accommodation

You can find a cheap double room in a hostel for about $25 for two people per night or luxury spa resorts for about $90.

Other Attractions in Alexandria

There are some fascinating sites such as Quaitby Fort, which you can climb to the top of for fantastic views of the city or the Kom el Shokafa Catacombs, the largest known Roman burial grounds in Egypt. Visit the Montazah Palace and Gardens or Abu Abbas al-Mursi Mosque or one of the many museums throughout the city. There are loads of other things to explore in the city; it’ll take you a few days to get through them.

Dining

Head to the Corniche for cheap eats and food stalls a plenty, or the restaurant Fish Market for great food and entertainment. If you feel like going out on the town then Café Salsa is a great place for a dance and a drink.