Diving in Marsa Alam

Lovers of the sun and high temperatures will certainly be pleased, choosing Marsa Alam for the place of their holidays. This is because it is the warmest region in Egypt. In addition to basking in the sun this resort also offers many other attractions. You can swim in the crystal clear water and enjoy exploring the colorful underwater world. Those looking for peace and quiet and less crowded places should also be satisfied. Marsa Alam is still one of the less frequented resorts in Egypt.

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The town itself is located in the far south of Egypt – still about 250km south of Hurghada. During your stay here you should look for traces of the traditional lifestyle of the local population in the form of fishing boats. The importance of fishing for Marsa Alam is reflected in its name – translated as “Famous Port”.

Water attractions

Magnificently preserved reefs, with countless fascinating sea creatures and wonderfully colourful corals will certainly delight not only divers here. The surrounding area offers many opportunities to use ABC equipment and to go snoorkeling.

Snoorklers and novice divers simply must go to Dolphin House, where dolphin encounters are extremely frequent (and close), and Abu Dabab, where there are so many green turtles you might lose count trying to count them!

SEE underwater photo galleries from Marsa Alam!

Marsa Abu Dabbab

This is a fantastic dive site accessible from shore. Close encounters with huge green turtles are almost guaranteed, you can often lose count if you try to count them. Guitar sharks and stingrays are equally common. Macro enthusiasts will be delighted, the keen eye will spot pygmy piphorses, ghost pipefish and even seahorses (hippocampus histrix). There are also soft corals, smooth spirefishes, schools of mullet, scorpene and skates of all sizes. All this at depths ranging from 4 to 18 metres.

Elphinstone

The world-famous Elphinstone Reef is the local jewel in the crown. The steep walls and current make this site suitable only for experienced divers. The eastern wall is best dived in the morning and the western wall in the afternoon, so that the sun illuminates the corals. Large gorgonian fans and black corals hide a variety of creatures, such as the notorious oxycirrhites typus (longnose hawkfish). Snappers, large barracudas and giant napoleons are also easy to spot. To the north and south, manta rays, silver sharks, hammerheads and carcharhinus amblyrhynchos can be found in the depths dropping to 40m.

Some diving bases:- Emperordivers, Extra Divers Fayrouz, Sinai Divers, 3WILL

Land attractions

Even if you don’t fancy taking advantage of the diving trips, it’s still worth a trip to Port Ghalib during your Marsa Alam holiday, with its largest and still developing yacht harbour of the central Red Sea coast.

An interesting option to diversify your holiday trip is also a safari, to the lying south of Marsa Alam nature reserve Wadi al Gemal. This is a region ideally suited for hiking and bird watching.

Those interested in culture and religion can take a trip to the tomb of one of the Sufi mystics, Abu Al Hassan Al Shazli.

Marsa Alam combines many attractions and opportunities, making it a place where there is something for everyone and where you will be able to organise a holiday according to your needs.

Examples of hotels available in Marsa Alam: Resta Reef Resort – Sol Y Mar Abu Dabbab – Fayrouz Plaza Beach 5* – Iberotel Lamaya 5*