Hurghada & El Gouna
Hurghada is the Red Sea's workhorse - a full-blown resort city on the Egyptian mainland whose fleet fans out daily to the reefs and islands of the Strait of Gubal. Its trump card is wrecks: four cargo ships piled onto Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, the deep and moody Rosalie Moller, and the somber Salem Express to the south make this the sea's densest wreck run outside a liveaboard. El Gouna, up the coast, shares the same water with a tidier marina-town wrapper.
Pourquoi plonger ici
The Strait of Gubal funneled a century of shipping onto its reefs, and Hurghada inherited the result. Sha'ab Abu Nuhas alone holds four divable freighters - the tilted, timber-laden Giannis D, the elegant 1869 steamer Carnatic, the tile-carrying Chrisoula K, and the broken Kimon M - each a different lesson in how ships die. North at Gubal Island the Rosalie Moller sits upright at 50 meters for those with the training to visit, and south off Safaga the Salem Express asks for quiet respect rather than excitement. Between wreck days the offshore islands deliver conventional pleasures: bottlenose dolphins on the horseshoe reef of Sha'ab El Erg, coral gardens off the Giftun islands, and relaxed drifts in warm water. Flight connections from Europe are cheap and constant, which keeps the whole operation humming twelve months a year.
Mois par mois
Twelve-month diving. February water is coolest at 21-23 C; August warmest at 27-29 C. April-June and September-November combine calm seas with warm water; winter crossings to Abu Nuhas are often rough or blown out.
| Mois | Eau | Visibilité | Ce que c'est comme |
|---|---|---|---|
| January●●●○○ | 22–24 °C / 72–75 °F | 12–25 m | Cool and often windy; wreck crossings get canceled. |
| February●●●○○ | 21–23 °C / 70–73 °F | 12–25 m | Coldest sea of the year; quiet boats. |
| March●●●●○ | 21–24 °C / 70–75 °F | 15–30 m | Improving, though spring wind lingers. |
| April●●●●● | 22–25 °C / 72–77 °F | 15–30 m | Calming seas open up the outer wrecks. |
| May●●●●● | 24–26 °C / 75–79 °F | 15–30 m | Warm and settled, with fine visibility runs. |
| June●●●●● | 25–27 °C / 77–81 °F | 15–30 m | Long calm days; heat building ashore. |
| July●●●●○ | 26–28 °C / 79–82 °F | 15–30 m | Hot; early departures beat afternoon chop. |
| August●●●●○ | 27–29 °C / 81–84 °F | 15–30 m | Warmest water; busy summer season. |
| September●●●●● | 27–29 °C / 81–84 °F | 15–30 m | Warm sea and settling weather. |
| October●●●●● | 26–28 °C / 79–82 °F | 15–30 m | A favorite month for the wreck run. |
| November●●●●○ | 24–26 °C / 75–79 °F | 15–30 m | Cooling but still reliable at sea. |
| December●●●○○ | 23–25 °C / 73–77 °F | 12–25 m | Wind returns as winter chill begins. |
Fiabilité des données mensuelles: Well documented. Les mois sans ligne ne disposent d'aucune donnée vérifiée — nous préférons afficher un vide plutôt qu'en inventer une.
Les sites de plongée (7)
| Site | Type | Profondeur | Niveau | Accès | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrisoula K Holds stacked with floor tiles; machinery in the aft workshops; an easy… | Wreck | 5–27 m | Intermediate | Boat | |
| Giannis D The tilted engine room; the intact heeled stern; glassfish swirling through… | Wreck | 6–27 m | Intermediate | Boat | |
| Kimon M The exposed engine and propeller; quieter conditions than the neighboring… | Wreck | 6–32 m | Intermediate | Boat | |
| Rosalie Moller Intact deck furniture and fittings; the atmospheric gloom of a deep upright… | Wreck | 20–50 m | Advanced | Boat | |
| SS Carnatic Light through the exposed iron ribs; soft-coral growth on a Victorian hull… | Wreck | 17–27 m | Intermediate | Boat | |
| Salem Express An intact, legible large ferry at recreational depth; the twin funnels and… | Wreck | 12–30 m | Intermediate | Boat | |
| Sha'ab El Erg Wild bottlenose dolphin encounters on their terms; pinnacle gardens on the… | Reef | 3–22 m | Beginner | Boat |
La vie marine, planifiée à l'avance
Bottlenose Dolphin
Giant Moray Eel
Reef Stonefish
Wreck interiors packed with glassfish and sweepers, lionfish and morays on every hull, bottlenose dolphins at Sha'ab El Erg, turtles and rays over seagrass and coral gardens.
Épaves ici
Chrisoula K
Giannis D
Kimon M
Rosalie Moller
SS Carnatic
Salem Express
Comment s'y rendre & se loger
Comment s'y rendre: Direct European charters and scheduled flights land at Hurghada International; transfers to town, Makadi Bay, or El Gouna take 15-45 minutes.
Où séjourner: Choose between Hurghada proper's budget-to-midrange sprawl, all-inclusive bays to the south, or El Gouna's polished lagoon town 30 minutes north.
Liveaboards: Classic north-route liveaboards out of Hurghada bundle Abu Nuhas, the Thistlegorm, and Ras Mohammed - the efficient way to dive the strait's wrecks.
Coûts: Highly competitive day-boat pricing with lunch included; wreck trips to Abu Nuhas or the Salem Express cost more for the distance. Park and marina fees are usually extra.
Entre les plongées: Desert quad and jeep trips, kitesurfing at El Gouna and Safaga, long day trips to Luxor's temples and tombs, and a waterfront of restaurants and marinas.
Sécurité & aspects pratiques
Dangers: Exposed crossings and surge around Abu Nuhas; silt and entanglement inside wrecks; isolated shark incidents off swimming beaches in 2022-2023 led to temporary closures, though risk to reef divers remains very low.
Penetrate wrecks only with the training, lights, and line discipline they require - several lie in surge that moves divers against steel. Keep conduct on the Salem Express respectful.
Caisson de recompression le plus proche: Hyperbaric chambers operate in the Hurghada area; availability changes - route emergencies through EMS and DAN.