Safaga Liveaboard Diving

Liveaboard Diving in Safaga

What to Expect on a Safaga Liveaboard

Safaga is a port town in Egypt, just south of Hurghada on the Northern Red Sea coast. Due to the remoteness of the best dive sites in this area, it is best dived by liveaboard.

What Can You See

Diving around Safaga is included in numerous Red Sea liveaboard itineraries to enjoy unspoiled reefs and wreck dives. One of the signature sites of the Safaga region is the wreck of the Salem Express passenger ferry, which sank on a return journey from Mecca. Though there was a tragic loss of life and, as such, exploration of the interior has been restricted, the wreck is still of historical interest. It has attracted a variety of marine life, from schooling snapper to network pipefish. Sha'ab Saiman is another excellent dive site with its pristine and exciting reef, full of bright corals harboring sweetlips, batfish, snappers, jacks, and tunas. Other dive sites in the area may include Panorama Reef, Middle Reef, Ras Abu Soma, or Abu Kifan.

Due to its exposure, this area is not always possible to dive by day boat; thus, a liveaboard trip gives you a fabulous opportunity to dive here. Our Red Sea liveaboard itineraries that include Safaga depart from Hurghada - look for northern itineraries such as 'Simply the Best' or a 'Wreck Special' from our liveaboard trip listings.

The best time to go diving in Safaga

Safaga is known to have proper conditions all year round. Still, it might be better to wear a wetsuit at the end of winter (February/March) due to the relatively low water temperature, even though the winters are comfortably warm. On the other hand, pre-autumn (August/September) has the warmest water temperature, around 28°C. As far as seeing underwater goes, expect a constant 22-meter visibility.

Getting There

While a port town in its own right, not many liveaboards depart directly from Safaga; instead, they choose the more established departure port of Hurghada to the North. Hurghada has an international airport and domestic flights to/from Cairo.