Important things to know for travellers

• Entry visa to Egypt is necessary and can be obtained upon arrival at the airports at the bank/exchange booths for USD15 / person.
• Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the entry date into the country.
• No vaccinations are required to enter the country.

Gallery 12 photos:

Preview of a few Egyptian dive sites

Satayah (Dolphin Reef)

Dolphin Reef, also known as Satayah, is almost 3km long and 60m in diametre with a large sandy lagoon on its southern side. This shallow little lake is barely 10m deep and provides a permanent home to hundreds of bottlenosed dolphins. The northeastern wall drops to 80m deep and after a narrow step, it disappears into the blue waters. At the first metre under the water surface an abundance of colourful stone and soft corals awaits divers. We can meet up with tons of spiny and amber mackerels, tiny tuna and turtles which keep swimming to the surface. In the deeper waters hammerhead and grey sharks cruise.

Thistlegorm

The wreck of Thistlegorm was discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1956. She lies 28m deep on a sandy seabed. The British ship was built in 1940 and it was meant to carry military supplies during the allied operations against Rommel. After having sailed around Africa, she was in the Red Sea on her way to the Suez Canal. She was waiting for the canal to re-open (traffic through the canal was halted by an attack), when the Germans bombed her in October of 1941. Although only 9 people died from the 49-person crew, the stern was completely destroyed when the ammunition had exploded and the boat sank.

Ras Mohammed

Ras Mohammed (Cape Mohammed) is the southernmost peak of the mountain range that forms the Sinai Penninsula which is connected to the mainland by a narrow sand strip. Ras Mohammed is one of the most visited dive sites in the Red Sea. It received its National Park status in 1989 to protect its unique wild life. It is made up of two pinnacles; the higher one in the east is called the Shark Observatory and the famous coral reefs can be found by the lower pinnacle in the west.

Brothers

The Brother Islands are two small islands in the middle of the Red Sea across from El Quseir. The Big Brother can be easily identified by its lighthouse that was built by the British in 1880. A big military ship wreck, the Aida II rests on the northern side that sank in 1957 while carring troops from Alexandria. The western side of the islands provide excellent diving possibilities. Schools of barracudas, surgeonfish, spiny and amber mackerels, snapperfish, bannerfish and sharks (sometimes even tiger sharks) swim by in the deep blue waters.

Deadalus

Abu Kizan, which the British called Deadalus coral reef during the 19th century, is a tiny rock in the middle of the Red Sea. The reef is surrounded by a ledge that starts from 500m deep and barely reaches the water surface. Life is abundant on the steep walls of the ledge. The western wall is covered with white soft corals and giant coral terraces where a cavalcade of colourful tropical fish swarm. The deep waters around the island are home to large groups of pelagics, such as turtles, spiny mackerels, barracudas, grey reef and hammerhead sharks.

Cassiopeia route plans

North Safari

 

• El Fanous, Turtle Bay, Shaab el Erg (night dive)
• Siyul Kebira Island, Shaab Mahmoud, Alternative, Alternative (night dive)
• Rash Mouhamed (2), Small Gubal Island, Small Gubal Island (night dive)
• Small Gubal Island, Big Gubal Island (2), Shaab Umm Usk/Siyul Saghira Island (night dive)
• Umm Gamar, Shaabruhr Umm Gamar, Careless Reef, Small Giftun (night dive)
• Small Giftun (drift dive)

North Wreck Tour

 

• El Fanous, Turtle Bay, Shaab el Erg (night dive)
• Abu Nuhas (Carnatic, Chrisoula K., Ghiannis D., Seastar) (wreck dives), Shaab Mahmoud (night dive)
• Dunraven, Thistlegorm (2, night dive)
• Rosaline Möller (2), Small Gubal Island, Small Gubal Island (night dive)
• Small Gubal Island, Big Gubal Island (2), Shaab Umm Usk/Siyul Saghira Island (night dive)
• El Mina (wreck dive), Balena (wreck dive)

Safaga

 

• Gota Abu Ramada (2), Rash Disha (nightdive)
• Abu Hashish, Panorama Reef (2), Shaab Sheer (night dive)
• Salem Express (2 wreck dives), Abu Kafan, Middle Reef/Tobia Arbaa (night dive)
• Tobia Arbaa, Rash Abu Soma, Rash Disha, Abu Ramada Island (night dive)
• Small Giftun, Erg Abu Ramada, Abu Ramada Island, Shaab Dorfa (night dive)
• Shaab Sabena, Erug Giftun