Scuba Diving in Marsa Alam

Diving in Marsa Alam is the southern half of the Egyptian Red Sea, with a different character from the northern Sharm-Hurghada axis. The reefs here have been less hammered by mass tourism, the coastline is wilder, and the headline encounters tilt toward big animals: dugongs in shallow seagrass bays, spinner dolphins in protected lagoons, and oceanic whitetip sharks at the offshore plateaus in autumn. Marsa Alam International Airport (RMF) opened in 2003 as Egypt's first privately operated international airport, which is what shifted the southern Red Sea from a multi-hour transfer destination off Hurghada into its own self-contained dive scene. Most divers fly directly into RMF and stay in the resort strip stretching 100+ km (60+ mi) south along the coast.

The town of Marsa Alam itself is small (around 10,000 people) and the dive scene is built around the resorts and the Port Ghalib marina just north of the airport. Two distinct categories of dive trip run from here. Shore-based and short-boat day trips cover the bay sites (Abu Dabbab, Marsa Mubarak, Marsa Egla, Marsa Shouna) where dugongs, turtles, and resident reef life sit within easy reach. Longer boat days cover the offshore reefs: Elphinstone, Shaab Samadai, Shaab Marsa Alam, and Marsa Shagara house reef are all 30 to 90 minutes out. Multi-day liveaboards from Port Ghalib head deeper south to Fury Shoal and the offshore trio of the Brothers, Daedalus, and Elphinstone, which is where the famous shark diving happens.

Conditions are reliably good year-round and slightly warmer than the northern Red Sea. Water sits at 22 °C (72 °F) in February and peaks at 30 °C (86 °F) in August. Visibility is typically 25–40 m (80–130 ft) at the offshore sites and drops to 5–20 m (15–65 ft) at the seagrass bays (Abu Dabbab can get murky in poor light, but that doesn't matter much when you're looking at a dugong 3 m (10 ft) away). Currents are gentle at the protected sites and pick up significantly at Elphinstone and the offshore plateaus where the pelagic action lives.

Top Dive Sites

The best dive sites in Marsa Alam span the shore-entry bays where dugongs and turtles feed, the offshore lagoons where spinner dolphins rest, and the wall dives at Elphinstone where pelagic sharks patrol. Here are the five most-booked.

Elphinstone Reef

Elphinstone is the marquee day-trip dive of Marsa Alam, a long narrow offshore reef 12 km (7.5 mi) off Marsa Abu Dabbab and 30 km (19 mi) north of Marsa Alam town. The reef sits in deep open water with vertical walls dropping past 100 m (330 ft) on both sides and a 375 m (1,230 ft) long plateau at the top running 1–40 m (3–130 ft) deep. Two distinct dives run here: the north plateau and the south plateau, both featuring spectacular soft and hard coral coverage and constant pelagic patrol in the blue. Below recreational depths sits the famous Elphinstone Arch at 55 m (180 ft), a tunnel cutting through the reef with a tomb-like rock formation that local legend associates with a buried Pharaoh.

The headline encounter is the oceanic whitetip shark, which arrives in numbers from October to December and stays bold and approachable on the surface during the autumn season. Hammerheads, thresher sharks, and grey reefs also pass through. The reef sits fully exposed, so trips run weather-dependent and the current can be strong.

Depth: 1–40 m+ (3–130 ft+) recreational, 55 m+ (180 ft+) technical | Level: Advanced

Abu Dabbab (Turtle and Dugong Bay)

Abu Dabbab is the easiest signature dive in Egypt, a shallow seagrass bay 30 km (19 mi) north of Marsa Alam with shore entry from a flat sandy beach. The bottom drops gradually from 1 m to 40 m (3 to 130 ft) across a vast seagrass meadow, which is what makes the site special: dugongs (sea cows) visit the seagrass year-round to feed, and Abu Dabbab is one of only a handful of places in the world where you have a real chance of swimming with wild dugongs in shallow water. The bay has two known regulars (Dennis and Dougal are the names guides use), though sightings have become less reliable in recent years and many divers now find Marsa Mubarak the more dependable bay.

Green and hawksbill turtles graze the same seagrass, often within touching distance, and guitar sharks (giant guitarfish) cruise the deeper sand in summer. The bay is now closed to boats, which has improved both the conditions and the encounters. Dive prep is minimal: walk in, descend to 5–10 m (15–33 ft), follow the seagrass, wait.

Depth: 1–25 m (3–80 ft), 40 m (130 ft) on the deeper edges | Level: All Levels

Shaab Samadai (Dolphin House)

Shaab Samadai is a horseshoe-shaped offshore reef 7 km (4.3 mi) off Marsa Alam, declared a marine protected area in 2004 and managed under a strict three-zone system. A resident pod of spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) uses the inner lagoon as a daytime resting spot, and the encounter is the most reliable wild spinner dolphin experience in the Red Sea. Zone A (the inner lagoon) is a no-entry sanctuary where the dolphins rest. Zone B (the surrounding lagoon) allows snorkelling with a guide and life jacket; this is where most dolphin encounters happen. Zone C (the outer reef) is where the boats moor and where scuba diving runs.

The diving itself is excellent independent of the dolphins: three pinnacles on the southern outer wall, dense soft coral coverage, and gardens of pristine staghorn coral at 5–25 m (15–80 ft). Daily visitor numbers are capped to protect the dolphins.

Depth: 5–30 m (15–100 ft) | Level: All Levels

Marsa Mubarak

Marsa Mubarak is a sheltered bay 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Marsa Alam reached by short boat ride, with a sandy bottom dotted with large coral blocks and seagrass patches. The site is the easier alternative to Abu Dabbab for dugong and turtle encounters, with calmer conditions, less crowding, and a more varied reef topography. Two dives are usually run here: the north side with its coral blocks at 5–15 m (15–50 ft), and the south side with deeper sand patches and seagrass at 8–20 m (25–65 ft) where dugongs and green turtles often feed. The bay also holds resident schools of fusiliers, regular eagle ray sightings, and an excellent macro community on the coral blocks (frogfish, octopus, scorpionfish).

Depth: 5–20 m (15–65 ft) | Level: All Levels

Marsa Shouna

Marsa Shouna is a local shore-entry house reef 20 km (12 mi) south of Marsa Alam and one of the easiest dives in the area. The bay has a narrow channel entry through the fringing reef into a sheltered lagoon, then opens out onto a coral garden at 5–15 m (15–50 ft) that drops gradually to a sandy plateau at 25 m (80 ft). The site works well for Open Water training, night dives, and as a check-dive on the first day of any Marsa Alam trip. Marine life is reef-standard but consistent: lionfish, scorpionfish, blue-spotted rays, schooling fusiliers, dense anthias clouds, and turtles cruising the shallow gardens. Conditions are calm year-round and the bay is protected from the northerly winds.

Depth: 5–25 m (15–80 ft) | Level: All Levels (excellent for Open Water training)

Explore Interactive Map

Best Time to Dive

The best time to dive Marsa Alam is March to May for spring conditions and October to December for the oceanic whitetip shark season at Elphinstone. Water temperatures in spring and autumn sit at 24–27 °C (75–81 °F) with light winds and excellent visibility across all the offshore sites. Summer (June to August) brings the warmest water at 28–30 °C (82–86 °F) and the best conditions for shore diving, but pushes air temperatures past 40 °C (104 °F) and increases the crowds at the dugong bays. Winter (December to February) is the coldest at 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) but is peak oceanic whitetip season and the busiest time for offshore liveaboards. Abu Dabbab, Marsa Mubarak, and Marsa Shouna stay diveable year-round in nearly any weather.

Diving Conditions

Marine Life

Marine life in Marsa Alam is what divers come for. The southern Red Sea holds the full reef community plus a roster of big-animal encounters that are either impossible or unreliable further north, with several signature species tied to specific sites.

Dugongs: Year-round, especially around Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak. Marsa Alam is one of the best places on earth to see wild dugongs. The shallow seagrass bays at Abu Dabbab and Marsa Mubarak hold known regulars that feed across the meadows year-round, with morning trips typically having the highest success rates. Encounter rates have declined at Abu Dabbab in recent years (20–40% on calm mornings is more realistic than older reports suggested), and Marsa Mubarak has now overtaken it as the more reliable boat-access option.

Spinner dolphins: Year-round, especially around Shaab Samadai. The resident pod at Shaab Samadai (Dolphin House) is the most reliable wild spinner dolphin encounter in the Red Sea. The zoning system means most encounters happen on snorkel in Zone B rather than on scuba, but the protection keeps the pod stable and present year-round.

Oceanic whitetip sharks: October to December, especially around Elphinstone. Oceanic whitetips arrive at Elphinstone in numbers from October through December and stay bold, curious, and approachable in the upper 30 m (100 ft) of the water column. Elphinstone is the most reliable oceanic whitetip dive in Egypt outside of the offshore Brothers and Daedalus, and the only one accessible as a day trip rather than a liveaboard.

Hammerhead sharks: May to September, occasional at Elphinstone. Scalloped hammerheads pass through the deep blue off Elphinstone's northern plateau during the summer months. Sightings are less reliable than at the offshore Daedalus Reef but more frequent than at the northern Red Sea sites.

Green and hawksbill turtles: Year-round, especially around the seagrass bays. Turtles are essentially guaranteed across the shore-entry sites. Green turtles dominate at Abu Dabbab and the seagrass bays where they feed; hawksbills are more common at the coral reef sites.

• Reef and macro life: Lionfish, scorpionfish, blue-spotted rays, octopus, giant moray eels, schooling barracuda, fusiliers, and dense anthias clouds populate every reef. The southern reefs hold some of the best-preserved soft coral coverage in the Egyptian Red Sea thanks to the lower diver pressure compared to Hurghada and Sharm.

Practical Information

Dive Prices

• Fun dives: $40–$60 USD per single dive, $65–$95 USD per two-tank day. Marsa Alam is comparable to Hurghada and cheaper than El Gouna or Sharm.
• Elphinstone day trip: $90–$140 USD including transport, two dives, and lunch (weather-dependent)
• Shaab Samadai (Dolphin House) day trip: $80–$130 USD including transport, snorkel and dive options, and lunch
• Liveaboards: $1,200–$2,500 USD per 7-night trip on Brothers/Daedalus/Elphinstone (BDE) or Deep South routes
• Open Water courses: $350–$450 USD over 3–4 days
• Park/permit fees: Shaab Samadai has a $5–$10 USD daily permit fee included in tour pricing. Marine park fees apply on liveaboards to the offshore reefs (Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, Wadi El Gemal park further south).

Getting There

Marsa Alam International Airport (RMF) is the primary gateway, opened in 2003 as Egypt's first privately operated international airport. RMF receives direct seasonal flights from major European cities (UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Netherlands, Switzerland) and is just 8–10 km (5–6 mi) south of Port Ghalib marina (15 minute transfer) and 60 km (37 mi) north of Marsa Alam town (1 hour transfer). Hurghada International Airport (HRG) is the alternative, 270 km (170 mi) north, with a 3–4 hour road transfer to the Marsa Alam resort strip. Cairo is a 1-hour flight to Hurghada or RMF followed by the road transfer; the direct drive from Cairo is 8–9 hours and rarely used.