Located on the western side of Egypt's Red Sea coast lies Hurghada, a popular scuba diving destination second only to Sharm El Sheikh. It is a common starting point for Egypt dive liveaboard cruises as it provides an ideal gateway to some of the best dive sites of the Red Sea. Once a quiet fishing village, Hurghada is now a bustling city and home to many bars, restaurants, and hotels, perfect for your stay before and after your Red Sea liveaboard dive trip.
Liveaboard Diving From Hurghada
Liveaboard.com has more than 20 dive liveaboards departing from Hurghada every week, providing many choices year-round for keen divers. With a prime location in the Red Sea, Hurghada liveaboard departures can easily reach the Northern and Southern Red Sea routes or a combination of both.
Northern Routes include visits to the Sinai Peninsular to iconic dive sites such as the Ras Mohammed National Park, which is teeming with marine life, the Tiran Reefs of Jackson, Woodhouse & Thomas, the famous SS Thistlegorm, considered one of the best wrecks in the world to dive, along with other fantastic wrecks such as the Dunraven, Rosalie Moller, Ulysses, and Abu Nuhas, the ships graveyard.
Divers on a northern Red Sea liveaboard can expect to see amazing corals alive with life. Huge bommies, plateaus, and overhangs, interspersed with massive table corals and gorgonian fans, make for some exciting dives. The usual critters of Lionfish, Nudibranchs, Moray Eels, and schools of Batfish will be hanging around, along with possible sightings of Hammerhead Sharks and Oceanic Whitetips.
Southern Routes tend to visit the amazing walls and drop-offs of The Brothers Islands, Daedalus Reef, and Elphinstone Reef. Located far offshore, these reefs are alive with color and life. The Brothers Islands, the pinnacles of 2 undersea mountains, rise from the depths to ensure exhilarating wall dives. Daedalus is the furthest offshore reef in the Egyptian Red Sea with pristine corals, and Elphinstone is an amazing wall dive on an undersea pinnacle.
Marine life is varied and abundant in the Southern Egyptian Red Sea. From brightly colored corals encrusting the underwater pinnacles to swarms of fish, divers will not be disappointed. Many shark sightings are offshore, including schooling Hammerheads, Silky Sharks, Silvertips, and Oceanic Whitetips. Even Thresher Sharks have been spotted on dive trips. Whale Sharks, Dolphins, and Manta rays are also possible sightings on these exciting itineraries. Don’t forget to keep an eye out in the reef for cool critters like the Long-Nosed Hawkfish and rare nudibranchs munching on the corals.
Getting There
Hurghada has its own international airport and many airlines fly there, including Air Berlin, Air Cairo, Austrian Airlines, Condor, Corendon Dutch Airlines, EasyJet, EasyJet Switzerland, Edelweiss, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thompson Airways, TUIfly and many more. There are also connecting flights from Cairo.
