Egypt covers an area of over 380,000 square miles, and has a population of over 70 million people, the vast majority of whom live in the fertile Nile Delta region. Cairo, the countries capital, currently houses approximately 16 million people. Central to life in Egypt, both today and throughout history, is the river Nile which stretches over 900 miles from the Mediterranean Sea in the North, down to the Sudan in the South.
Egypt is split into three main regions geographically. The Eastern desert extends from the Nile Valley all the way across to the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. The larger western desert area, which represents approximately 68% of the countries territory, spreads West from the banks of the Nile to the Libyan border. The third area, the Nile Valley, is the fertile strip of land, only 10 miles across, which follows the banks of the Nile to cover an area of almost 6,000 square miles.
Diving in Egypt
The diving in Egypt can be split into two main regions, the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. The Sinai Peninsula has some of the Middle East's most well known dive sites, and resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab have grown rapidly over the past few years. Both resorts have benefited immensely from the increasing amounts of money brought in by dive tourism over recent years, and with famous dive sites such as the Thistlegorm and Dunraven wrecks and the Blue Hole in Dahab, this trend seems set to continue for the foreseeable future.
Further down the coast of Egypt lie the resorts of Hurghada and Marsa Alam, offering access to the exceptional dive sites of the Southern Red Sea. Increasing in popularity in recent years, many scuba divers are flocking to the resorts further south to sample some of the finest coral reefs to be found anywhere in the Red Sea. Dive sites such as Elphinstone Reef, Daedalus Reef and The Brother possess almost mythical status amongst scuba divers, keen to sample the superb coral and rich reef life which can be found here.
Scuba Diving The Red Sea
The Red Sea is the long body of water which separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, and is characterised by the high levels of salinity and minimal tidal movement of the water. The Red Sea has an exceptional array of coral and marine life, with over 400 species of coral and several hundred species of fish inhabiting the area. Large groups of Jacks, Barracuda and snappers are common occurrences throughout the region, and there are also the possibility for sighting Hammerheads, large groupers, reef sharks and even the occasion whale shark has been spotted off the Red Sea coast.
There are numerous well known dive sites on the Red Sea coast, however the most notable are probably the Brothers, which are two, flat topped islands about a mile apart. Located about 36 miles offshore from the town of El Qusier, the two islands have now been designated a marine park. The steep walls are covered in some of the finest coral grouping, ranging from large sea fans, soft coral and even black coral can be found slightly deeper down.
When scuba diving in Egypt, it is certainly worth considering the country's warm climate. Egypt's climate is hot and dry most of the year round, but does vary between the hot inland areas and the slightly cooler coastal regions. During the Winter months of December, January and February, the average temperatures vary between 60 to 80 degrees F, whilst during the Summer months of June, July and August, the average daily temperature can rise to temperatures as high as 80 to 105 degrees F. Water temperatures in Egypt are fairly constant, and average around 22 degrees c for most of the year.
Overall, diving in Egypt offers a great range of experiences, which if explored in depth can offer even the more experienced divers a new and exciting experience. Following the growth of the Egyptian dive industry over the past few years, there are now a large number of dive operators in the Red Sea coast and the Sinai Peninsula.
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