What sharks are there in Egypt?

The Red Sea is one of the most beautiful diving destinations in the world. The water is generally clear, it is full of life and there is plenty of coral. An added advantage is that it is also easy to reach from Europe. It is often around a 5-hour flight and there is little time difference. There are several places in the Red Sea near Egypt where you can dive, and it also varies by season what you will see. In this blog we talk about the sharks in the Red Sea.

The different sharks of Egypt

Longimanos (oceanic white tip)

The oceanic white tip is one of the most common sharks in the Red Sea off Egypt. The season with the highest chance of seeing these sharks, is from October. Diving with a longimanos is not something you do lightly. Prior to these dives, you will receive an extensive briefing from your guide. They are curious sharks that can come close, so some alertness is required. You always start your dive with a negative entry. The sharks are often just below the surface, so it is important that you are quickly around 5 meters depth. That way you can look around well.

Well-known locations for the longimanos are Brothers, Deadalus and Elphinstone. These are remote, uninhabited islands where the sharks come to.

Hammerhead

Hammerhead sharks are also found in the Red Sea. This shark likes strong currents at drop-offs, where they feed visibly on schooling fish. You have the greatest chance of seeing hammerhead sharks during the early morning dive, which during a liveaboard is often around 06:00. You will also see these sharks around Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone reefs.

The best time to see hammerhead sharks is in the summer. Just before the oceanic white tip, that is. August and September are good months, but even a little before that you have a chance to encounter hammerhead sharks.

Fox Shark

The thresher shark is a bit more difficult to spot because these sharks are often in deep water. There are certain cleaning stations around 40 meters where the sharks come to early in the morning, but other than that they are often at depths too great for recreational divers. Thresher sharks can go as deep as 500 meters! So you definitely need some luck to see a thresher shark, a separate certification for deep diving is also useful to have. Again, the greatest chance of seeing a thresher shark is at Brothers Islands and Daedalus Reef.

White tip reef shark

Also a shark with white tips, yet very different in character from the oceanic white tip. The white tip reef shark is a shark that you find mostly near the reef, as the name implies. They are often resting quietly on the bottom, on the sand or a bit more hidden under crevices in rocks. You can find these sharks for example around Marsa Alam (Abu Dabbab) or in southern Egypt, at St. Johs Reef and Fury Shoals.

You have a year-round chance of encountering these reef sharks.

Blacktip Reef Shark

In addition to white tip reef sharks, you also have black tip reef sharks. The main difference between the two, of course, is the color of the fin tip: black instead of white. In addition, the blacktip reef shark tends to remain somewhat smaller; this species grows to a maximum length of 1.6 meters. The white tip reef shark continues to grow and become larger.

In Egypt, you will find these reef sharks mainly in the south, at St. Johns and Fury Shoals. These sharks can also be seen in many other places, such as the tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Whale Shark

The whale shark is also found in the Red Sea. In recent years they have been spotted more often, but it remains a rare sighting. You have the best chance during the summer months, when there is more plankton in the water. Popular locations where you can find them include Marsa Alam, Hurghada and Sharm-el-Sheikh. Little Brothers is another location where you have a chance of encountering a whale shark.

If you really want to see a whale shark, it’s better to choose a destination with more certainty, such as La Paz in Mexico or the Galapagos Islands. Read here our 15 favorite destinations where you can encounter whale sharks, ecologically of course.

Where can you dive with sharks?

As we mentioned under shark species, you have the best chance of seeing sharks at Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef and Elphinstone Reef. This is therefore often called the “Golden Triangle”, the liveaboard boats often follow this route (and call it the BDE) and you sail in a triangle as it were to the 3 points.

Brothers Islands

Brothers Island consists of two islands: Little Brother and Big Brother. They are two small points of rock rising out of the water in the middle of the open sea, about 60 kilometers from the Egyptian coast. Little Brother in particular is bursting with life on a surprisingly compact piece of reef. Its steep walls are covered to every corner with sponges, anemones and an impressive diversity of hard and soft coral, in colors and shapes that feel almost unreal.

Daedalus Reef

Daedalus Reef is surrounded by steep walls all around, with a plateau on the south side that slopes from about 28 meters beside the reef to about 40 meters at the edge of the drop-off. This is a place where you regularly see several species of sharks. The marine life here is perhaps the richest in the entire region, with schools of doctor fish, fusiliers and several species of carangids constantly on the move.

Elphinstone Reef

Located offshore, Elphinstone is a 600-meter-long reef with depths ranging from 5 to over 100 meters. The marine life is spectacular, with steep drop-offs and a wide variety of fish. It is one of the best places in the Red Sea to see sharks, including hammerhead, oceanic whitetip, gray and silky sharks, and sometimes even whale sharks and manta rays.
In addition, it is teeming with snappers, anthias, fusiliers, tunas, trevallies, napoleon fish, turtles and barracudas. The soft corals provide a colorful backdrop. Due to the strong current, this dive site is especially suitable for experienced divers.

St. Johns

St. Located in the southern part of the Red Sea, St. Johns is known for its variety of dive sites: from tunnels and caves to colorful coral gardens. It is a destination that you do with a liveaboard, as it allows you to discover the best spots of the south.

This route offers a diverse diving experience with chances of seeing Napoleons, turtles and eagle rays.

When can you dive with sharks in Egypt?

That depends entirely on which shark you want to encounter. Reef sharks are normally observed all year round, there is no specific season for that. For other sharks, however, there is.

Oceanic white tips: September, October, November. Therefore, this is the best period to take a liveaboard trip with the BDE route.
Hammerhead sharks: May through September
Thresher sharks: between September and January.
Whale sharks: mainly in the summer months when there is more plankton in the water
Reef sharks: year-round

Of course, you are never guaranteed to actually encounter sharks, which is actually only a good thing. After all, that means we don’t disturb the animals by baiting and/or feeding them. And exactly the unexpected is what makes diving so special: you never know what to expect!

A diving trip to Egypt

Diving in Egypt is an experience you won’t soon forget. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced diver, there are dive sites for every level of experience. Want to know more about what Egypt has to offer underwater? Then be sure to read our extensive blog.

For the ultimate diving experience, we recommend a liveaboard with the BDE route: here you increase your chances of spotting sharks. Prefer it from the shore? Then stay in Abu Dabbab, where you can directly explore the house reef and easily sail to Elphinstone by speedboat. Or head south, exploring the dive sites of St Johnsfrom a liveaboard.

Still unsure about the best option? Feel free to let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll put together a personalized travel proposal for you.