Snorkeling in the Red Sea

Last year in mid-November, I’ve got a chance to visit Egypt for the first time. The most visited Egypt resorts are along the beautiful Red Sea, which is known for its magnificent underwater world great for snorkeling. It’s a paradise for divers, and also snorkelers like myself. Of course, I’m a really bad swimmer, that’s why I choose to snorkel “around the shores” and in really salty waters (Mediterranean, Red Seas). We stayed in Hurghada, and one day of our vacation we took a snorkeling boat tour.

We bought the tour from the guy that was advertising the tour on our hotel’s beach. I really don’t remember the name of the yacht that we took. But the name of the captain was Nemo (really? ;)), and the whole tour cost 20 euros per person. We started the boat tour at 8:30 from the hotel’s Regina Swiss Resort Inn beach. The spacious boat was filled with around 20 people, including two captains and a photographer.

Let the snorkeling day trip begin

The journey to the first snorkeling stop lasted about 60 minutes. The place was quite crowded because it was a popular place for snorkeling trips, it was in the area of Giftun islands. All the snorkeling equipment  (tubes, masks, life vests) were available on the yacht. The life vest gave me confidence because, as I mentioned before, I’m a really bad swimmer.

We had around 45 minutes to snorkel in the area. There were a few great coral reefs, but the whole beauty here was the exotic fish. What an amazing view, like in the aquarium, but the fishes were way bigger and in their natural home. Despite that here stopped at least 5 yachts with snorkelers, there was plenty of place for everyone.

Further, we moved to the next snorkeling place. After around 30 minutes we reached one of the most wonderful corals in the Red Sea. The waters were way deeper here, so few yachts with divers also stopped here. Because of the deep waters there were fewer fish here, but the size and beauty of the corals amazed us.

After these two snorkeling stops, the crew provided us lunch on the boat. I don’t know if it was the surroundings or the tiredness of snorkeling for about two hours, but this was the tastiest food we tried in Egypt…

The Orange Bay paradise

After lunch, the last part of our experience was visiting The Orange Bay. One of the most beautiful bays in the Giftun Islands. Giftun Islands are the massive group of islands that are environmentally protected and include Mahmya Beach, Paradise Island and Orange Bay.

When we reached the Orange Bay, the sights were absolutely stunning. The sand is so white and the water is so clear!
Very nice beach with white sand and wonderful colors of the sea. The turquoise sea stretches far from the shore till you’re more than knee-deep. On the shore, the golden sands are decked out with wooden umbrellas, deck chairs, bean bags, and wooden cabanas. There were plenty of sunshades and beds to lounge on, all for free.

We stayed there for around 40 minutes just relaxing, swimming, and sunbathing. Felt like in paradise… But around sunset time the island starts to close, as it’s prohibited to stay the night on the protected area. So we went back to the yacht for our way home. Along the way, the crew provided us with drinks and fresh fruit. and just before the dinner in the hotel, we were already home.

Egypt is full of many exciting and sometimes unexpected attractions, snorkeling is just one of them. Use up your time to the fullest, don’t only lie on the beach with a cocktail. Nevertheless, the attractions that you’ll have in Egypt, won’t break the bank 😉 Enjoy!

Related adventures in Egypt: The Temple of Hatshepsut, Luxor – photo diaries