Photo: Oleksandr Sushko / Unsplash
Northern Red Sea
The Northern Red Sea centres on Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Gulf of Suez. Three things define the diving. Ras Mohammed National Park offers drift dives along coral walls, including Shark and Yolanda Reef. The Straits of Tiran hold four current-fed reefs — Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon. And the Strait of Gubal holds a cluster of wrecks led by the SS Thistlegorm, a WWII cargo ship still loaded with motorbikes, trucks and locomotives. Operators run year-round. Water sits around 28-30°C (82-86°F) in summer and 21-23°C (70-73°F) in winter, with visibility commonly 20-40m. Sheltered reefs suit Open Water divers; Tiran and the deeper wrecks favour Advanced divers who can handle current and depth. Access is easy: land-based resorts, day boats and 7-night liveaboards all cover the same core sites, and it is one of the cheapest quality diving destinations anywhere.
What makes it special
- SS Thistlegorm — a WWII cargo wreck in the Strait of Gubal, still holding BSA motorbikes, Bedford trucks, two locomotives and stacked munitions
- Shark and Yolanda Reef, Ras Mohammed — a drift over twin coral towers with an 800m wall and the scattered Yolanda cargo (toilets and bathtubs) at 15-18m
- The Straits of Tiran — four reefs (Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, Gordon) with current-fed soft-coral walls
- Summer scalloped hammerhead schools at Jackson Reef and around Ras Mohammed, roughly July to September
Price range
$
Trip length
1–7 days
Diver level
Open water
Trip type
Liveaboard, Land based, Day trip, Shore dive
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($ = under $2,000).
One of the cheapest quality dive destinations in the world. Northern Red Sea 7-night liveaboards run roughly $1,300-1,900 (about $150/night or less), dropping to ~$950-1,600 in the June-September low season. Land-based: a single reef dive is $35-60, a 5-dive package around $220-275, and a Ras Mohammed day trip (2 dives, lunch, park fees) $70-90. A PADI Open Water course runs ~$450-650. Flights and marine-park fees are additional.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Moderate
- Water temp
- 22–30°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
- Visibility
- 20–40m — Commonly 20-40m, often over 30m in spring and autumn. Current and silt can cut visibility on the Thistlegorm.
- Getting there
- Easy — Day trips from a coastal base, about 0.5h from the airport.
- Experience
- Sheltered Sharm and Ras Mohammed reefs suit Open Water divers. The SS Thistlegorm, the SS Dunraven and the Tiran reefs (Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas) exceed 20m and/or carry strong current, and operators recommend Advanced Open Water there.
Nearest airports
- SSH — Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (Direct scheduled and charter flights from across Europe; roughly 20-30 minutes to the dive centres and marinas)
- HRG — Hurghada International Airport (Alternative gateway; several Thistlegorm and northern-wreck liveaboards depart from Hurghada)
Permit required
A valid dive certification (PADI, SSI, NAUI or CMAS) is required to dive Ras Mohammed National Park. Boat trips carry a per-passenger national park fee, usually collected by the dive centre.
The Ras Mohammed marine-park fee has historically been around €7 per person per boat trip. South Sinai reserve fees were raised in December 2025, with further Ras Mohammed increases flagged for 2026 — confirm the current rate at booking.
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Mantas around Sharm are chiefly oceanic manta (Mobula birostris), seen as occasional summer visitors (roughly May to October) rather than reliably resident. A 2022 study recorded the Red Sea's highest individual count near Sharm, but encounters here remain occasional.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round and most reliable at Shark Reef (Ras Mohammed) and Ras Umm Sid, where individuals are used to divers and often approach closely.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | not seen |
| February | not seen |
| March | rare |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | not seen |
| December | not seen |
A late-spring to mid-summer visitor (best chance April to August, especially late May to July) following plankton past Ras Mohammed and Tiran. A lottery even in the best weeks.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
An occasional wall and blue-water encounter in the north, chiefly at Tiran. Grey reef sharks are far more reliable on Egypt's southern offshore reefs (the Brothers, Daedalus) than around Sharm.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident on the coral gardens year-round. More wary of divers than green turtles, but seen most diving days somewhere on the reefs.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | peak season |
| August | peak season |
| September | peak season |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | rare |
Schools concentrate at Jackson Reef in the Straits of Tiran and around Ras Mohammed in summer, roughly July to September. Sightings mean handling current in the blue and are never guaranteed.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident and among the most frequently seen rays on the reefs, tucked under coral ledges and foraging sandy patches on almost any dive.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident in the Sharm and Tiran area year-round, seen from boats and occasionally underwater. Not site-guaranteed.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident in reef crevices across Tiran and Ras Mohammed year-round, holed up by day and free-swimming to hunt at night.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Solitary adults patrol the reef edges year-round; schooling barracuda are a signature of the current-swept Tiran reefs, especially Jackson.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
A resident school hangs over the SS Thistlegorm year-round, drifting in the current above the cargo holds.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Resident year-round, grazing the seagrass beds at Mersa Bareika in Ras Mohammed and seen across the reefs.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Diverse nudibranchs and flatworms year-round, best found on night dives. The Spanish dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineus) is among the notable Red Sea species.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Present year-round on the northern reefs, resting under ledges by day. More reliably seen than the seasonal pelagics, but not on every dive.
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- The Thistlegorm is the most famous wreck in the Red Sea and gets crowded, with several groups on it at once; Ras Mohammed and the Sharm day-boat sites are heavily trafficked in high season.
- The Thistlegorm reaches ~30-32m with silt and interior penetration, so it demands good buoyancy, gas planning and Advanced-level experience.
- Shallow passages in the Straits of Tiran cause sudden strong currents that change direction, and divers can be swept — drift exits have to be planned.
- Summer air temperatures are high and surface conditions hot; overheating on the boat in a wetsuit is a real factor, and it is partly why June-September is the low season.
- Hammerheads, whale sharks and mantas here are seasonal and occasional, never guaranteed — even peak-summer weeks can pass without one.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Red Sea Diving Seasonal Guide — Emperor Divers
- Sharm el-Sheikh Liveaboard Diving — LiveAboard.com
- Diving the Straits of Tiran, Egypt — Dive The World
- SS Thistlegorm Wreck — DiveZone
- Update for National Park Fees, Sharm el-Sheikh — Reef Oasis Dive Club
- Egypt Marine Life — DIVE Magazine
- Sea water temperature Sharm El Sheikh — seatemperature.info
- Sharm El Sheikh Diving Guide 2026: Dive Sites, Wrecks & Logistics — About Diving
- Sharm El Sheikh Diving & Dive Sites — Emperor Divers
Note on the data: Per-month water temperatures were not published because only seasonal ranges and the summer/winter extremes could be firmly sourced; waterTempByMonth is intentionally omitted. Region centre and bounding box are approximate (Sharm/Ras Mohammed/Tiran cluster), not a surveyed boundary. Marine-park fee is in flux (increases flagged for 2026) — verify at booking. Price ceiling is set at '$' because all sourced 7-day options came in under $2,000; a premium liveaboard could exceed that. Water temperature: Bands are +/-0.5C around the source's published monthly averages for Sharm el-Sheikh; the real ~22C (Feb-Mar) to ~29-30C (Aug) seasonal swing is reflected, and a wetsuit choice genuinely changes across the year. Access: Sharm el-Sheikh International (SSH) is ~20-30min from the dive centres and marinas; day boats reach Ras Mohammed and Tiran in 30-90min of sheltered running, so there is no open-ocean crossing to reach the diving. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence medium).