Although less developed than Sharm El Sheikh, the Red Sea dive resort of Hurghada is a rapidly expanding resort, and an increasingly popular destination for scuba divers wishing to sample the underwater splendour of the Red Sea. At the last count, there were over 70 dive centres in Hurghada, far more than in any other Red Sea dive resort including Sharm El Sheikh.
The scuba diving in Hurghada tends to be characterised by shallow reefs, pinnacles and a number of excellent wreck dives can be found in these waters. Calm conditions, coupled with the relatively shallow nature of the dive sites in Hurghada have resulted in the area becoming increasingly popular with novice divers looking to take their first steps in scuba diving.
There are a large number of superb dive sites in Hurghada, inside an area that extends as far north as the Gubal Islands, and as far south as Abu Ramada Island. Water temperatures in the seas off Hurghada range from 25 - 26 degrees during the warm summer months down to as low as 20 degrees in the cooler winter period.
Perhaps the most well known of the dive sites in Hurghada are the wrecks of the Giannis D and the Carnatic, both of which fell victim to the notorius north reef face at Abu Nuhas. The Giannis D, which sank in 1983, now lies in shallow water on the north west corner of the reef. Well preserved, and with good coral growth throughout, the Giannis D is now home to an array of marine life including lionfish, groupers, jacks and barracuda. The Carnatic is much older, having sunk in 1869 and today is covered by extensive coral growth and marine life. Lying in 18-26 metres, the Carnatic is broken into three sections and offers extensive opportunities for exploration in and around this superb wreck.
Further south lies the unusual dive site at Carless Reef, where a large population of moray eels is the main attraction, often staying outside of lairs in the presence of divers. The open water nature of the reef, coupled with the close proximity of deep water have made Carless Reef a good place to spot some of the larger pelagics as well as numerous species of sharks which pass through.
The dive sites in Abu Ramada (Erg Abu Ramada and The Aquarium) are widely thought of as being amongst the best dive sites in Hurghada. Both sites here offer an incredible array of marine life, with the rocks being carpeted in a wide variety of coral life. Again, larger pelagics and numerous species of sharks are regular visitors to the dive sites in Abu Ramada, and make the longer journey this far south well worthwhile.
The diving in Hurghada provides an excellent opportunity to experience some of the incredible variety of coral and marine life that are resident in the region. Throughout the dive sites in Hurghada can be found an array of hard and soft corals across some of the Red Seas most extensive reef systems. An almost unparalleled variety of reef fish can be found here, as well as a number of the large pelagics including barracuda and tuna. Numerous species of shark can be found in the waters off Hurghada including Reef, Grey, Oceanic White Tip and occasionally hammerheads.
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