Coral, Dugongs, and Dolphins – Why Marsa Alam, Egypt is perfect for a family-friendly snorkeling adventure
With its vast archeological record and rich history, it’s not a surprise to anyone that the vast majority of Egypt’s visitors come to explore temple ruins, pharaonic tombs, and to see the pyramids. However, a smaller, second group of tourists instead come to see the natural wonders Egypt has on display. As a small, coastal city sandwiched between a green, valley oasis and the rolling sands of the desert, Marsa Alam is uniquely positioned as one of the best up-and-coming locations for exploring Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
There are a wide variety of locations worth visiting along the Red Sea coast, and many of them are larger than Marsa Alam. However, in some ways, those places’ popularity has actually worked against them. Larger cities along the Red Sea coast are often filled with tourists to the point that it becomes rare to be able to explore even more secluded dive spots without seeing other tourists or signs of human impact.
Marsa Alam trades those crowds for solitude, so you can really sink into those feelings of being surrounded by nature.
Offshore Dive Locations
As with most such locations, getting to the absolute best snorkeling and dive spots near Marsa Alam takes a bit of travel. However, most
Even still, these are wild animals, and finding them requires a bit of luck! But hopping on a tour to one of these locations gives you the best possible chance of finding these amazing animals.
Dolphin House (Shaab Samadai)
Shaab Samadai, or Dolphin House, is a horseshoe-shaped reef located off Egypt’s coast. The sheltering arms of the barrier reef combined with the medium-shallow waters in its center makes this an ideal location to host large pods of spinner dolphins.
Dolphins can make an appearance anywhere in the Red Sea, but it is very common to see them on a visit to Dolphin House! In fact, many divers in the reef have dolphins come right up to them to investigate.
Unfortunately, this has made Dolphin House an extremely popular destination, and large groups of tourists descend on the spot daily. For the protection of the dolphins, Egypt has strict regulations on how close boats can get and where snorkelers can be. And when many tourists are all in the water at the same time, the dolphins will often retreat to the inner parts of the bay where divers are not allowed.
As such, I highly recommend booking a private speed boat tour to Dolphin House instead of getting on one of the larger tour boats. Private tours are often more flexible in their timing and can arrive at the island earlier than the larger tour boats, which both maximizes their guests’ time in the water and makes it much more likely to get up close with these magnificent creatures.
It’s worth noting that while it is more common to spot dolphins here than other areas in the Red Sea, it’s definitely not a sure thing. One guide I asked said he only actually found dolphins on about 40% of his trips. On our first trip out, they were nowhere to be seen! However, even if the dolphins aren’t home the waters around Shaab Samadai are teeming with life, and are definitely worth a look. Other things you might see at Dolphin House include magnificent coral formations, tropical fish, and even black tip sharks!
While you can do snorkeling here, SCUBA trips will let you explore much more of the reef.
Elphinstone Reef – Advanced SCUBA Only
Elphinstone is considered one of the best dive locations in the entire Red Sea. It has a unique undersea topography consisting of several underwater plateaus at different depths surrounding the island. However, the strong currents off the coast mean it isn’t a particularly accessible place for inexperienced divers.
If you do have experience, Elphinstone is a great place to see larger marine life during the summer months, and it is common to see reef sharks, whale sharks, and even the occasional hammerhead. Smaller fish species are also plentiful, and it is not uncommon to see thousands of smaller fish. The deeper reefs on the south side are particularly beautiful, with a wide variety of both hard and soft corals and tons of pelagic fish.
To qualify for diving at Elphinstone you must have at least 50 logged dives under your belt, so younger divers probably won’t make the cut, but if you do have the required experience, this is a can’t miss kind of place!
Coastal Dive Locations
While there are a handful of great dive spots that are only accessible by boat, the majority of sites are easy to access from the beach. Boat tours in the area are often more popular, because they do have a slightly better chance of seeing the larger animals like dolphins and dugongs. They cover more area faster, and can get you into the water at the exact right time to have some amazing experiences. But heading in from the beach with an experienced guide can often get you just as great of an experience!
There are often beautiful reef formations along the Egyptian coast, and a wide variety of animal life can be spotted hiding among the corals. Other stretches of coastline are instead covered with beds of the sea grasses that sea turtles and dugongs enjoy. With a bit of luck, you’ll be able to spot some without ever needing to hop on a speedboat.
But probably the best thing about coastal diving is that even on a guided tour, it is significantly less expensive than boat tours. And if you already have your own gear, it doesn’t have to cost a dime!
Whether you choose to go with a guide or just to explore the sea on your own, these are some of the best spots for coastal snorkeling in and around Marsa Alam.
Pro tip: Coastal dives are extra awesome for families with smaller kids because if/when your kids get tired of being in the water, there’s an entire beach to explore! My family starts our snorkel trips all together, but then my wife and I will take turns hanging out with the kids on the beach while the other gets the chance to go out without kids.
I love snorkeling with my kids, but I also can give significantly more of my attention to the reef when I’m not having to split my attention, so it can be pretty nice to have the beach to retreat to.
Marsa Samadai (about 10 minute car ride south of Marsa Alam)
Marsa Samadai, or Samadai Beach, is one of then closest “official” snorkeling spots to Marsa Alam. However, it’s lack of seagrass beds and relatively small reefs mean it’s also one of the less popular ones. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see!
Within minutes of getting into the water I had spotted several species of fish that I had not seen at the other reefs we’d visited, as well as stingrays, porcupine puffers, lionfish, and I even spotted my first Red Sea octopus!
The beach itself had a decent amount of fine sand, so my kids took the opportunity to build sand castles, which they haven’t been able to do at many of the dive spots because the sand was too rough. We also made sure to bring an umbrella with us for shade, as there weren’t any other sources of shade there.
I should also mention that while the areas where we could snorkel were fairly limited here, I’m assuming that there is decent SCUBA a little farther off shore because there are almost always SCUBA tours hanging out at this spot.
Al-Nayzak (about 10 minute car ride south of Marsa Alam)
Al-Nayzak is a small-ish hole just off the coast. It was once thought to have been created by a meteorite that crashed into the coast, though that myth has, unfortunately, been debunked in recent years.
Its location right at the edge of the coast means that Al-Nayzak stays filled with seawater, and the sides of the hole are covered in coral, with fish and other small sea creatures hiding among its ridges. Essentially, it is a giant tide pool that has created a safe space where local sea life can thrive!
The water at Al-Nayzak is sheltered from the sea, which helps it to stay calmer, and clearer, than many of the other dive spots in the area. The sheltered nature and general lack of crowds has made Nayzak a family favorite! While you won’t spot the same variety or quantity of fish here as in other places, the calm waters make it a great place for a swim, and my kids love cannonballing off the sides of the pool.
Marsa Egla (about 11 minute car ride north of Marsa Alam)
Marsa Egla is an incredible bay area located a short drive north of Marsa Alam, and is filled to bursting with amazing corals and lively fish. It is also the home of a resident dugong, so if seeing wild dugongs is on your itinerary, this is a great spot to start!
At current, my family has been to Marsa Egla twice, and both times it was absolutely stunning in its beauty. Some of our favorite finds there were lionfish, turtles, and a guitarfish. Other people in our group spotted white tip reef sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) and moray eels, but so far I’ve always been looking the wrong way when they passed by.
Marsa Egla is a public beach without amenities, so be sure to bring anything that you’ll need with you, including food, towels, and shade. There is a small wooden shelter on the beach where local women will sell jebena coffee and local jewelry for a small fee, and the coffee I got there is easily the best that I’ve had during my months in Egypt.
There’s no fee for accessing the beach, but it can be worth it to hire a guide to take you out there if you’re nervous about going on your own. I found that our guide often spotted fish that I would have definitely missed without him!
Marsa Asslaya (about 11 minute car ride north of Marsa Alam)
Just to the south of Marsa Egla is another public access beach that I hadn’t heard of before our guide suggested it to us. Asslaya is another beach area filled with shallow corals and slightly deeper sea grass beds that would be perfect for spotting dugongs!
We arrived at the Asslaya early enough in the morning that we had the area almost completely to ourselves, and the sea was about as calm as I’ve ever seen it. Our conditions were absolutely perfect!
We started the day by swimming straight out to the deeper waters to look for dugongs and turtles, and while we didn’t see any dugongs, we did spot several turtles. In all, we spotted at least 3 different turtles, and possibly as many as 5, but I’m not sure because a couple of them may have been the same turtles that we just saw again.
On the way back in, we stayed close to the edge of the reef and took it slow. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the whole day, as I spotted so many fish while floating along, including 7 different lionfish!
Around 8:30 AM, just as we were getting out, several different groups all arrived at once for different tours. This sudden influx of tours ended up making Asslaya one of the busiest beaches that we had experienced so far, and we ended up being extremely happy that we had come out as early as we had.
I definitely suggest earlier dive times whenever possible!
Abu Dabbab (about 30 minute car ride north of Marsa Alam)
Abu Dabbab is one of the most beautiful areas for snorkeling in the entirety of the Marsa Alam area. There are vast coral reefs filled to bursting with exotic fish, and thanks to Abu Dabbab’s extensive seagrass plains, this is one of the best places to spot sea turtles! Abu Dabbab is also home to at least two resident dugongs, making it one of the more likely locations to find one to swim with.
Dugongs, or sea cows, are in the same order of creature as manatees, and are classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN. Nevertheless, they are a fairly common sight in this area. It’s said that during the summer you have about a 50% chance of seeing a dugong on any specific dive.
If you plan on visiting Abu Dabbab on your own, be prepared to pay an entry fee for beach access, as that is one of the ways used to keep crowds down. It’s not a lot, but it’s worth knowing that it is required to get access to the beach.
Marsa Mubarak (about 40 minutes north of Marsa Alam)
Marsa Mubarak is the farthest north of the snorkeling sites I’m mentioning here. Its location is much closer to Port Ghalib than to Marsa Alam, which makes it a great spot to check out for those who are staying there instead of taking the drive south.
*Update as of September 2023*
While the hotels on either side of Marsa Mubarak have historically allowed non-guest tourists to pay for day access to the beach, they are no longer allowing this.
Egyptians can still access the beach at no charge, but tourists that are not staying at a hotel that has access to the private beach (such as Iberotel Costa Mares) will be turned away by the Coast Guard.
You can, however, still access the snorkeling there via a boat tour.
The main reason you would choose to do so is because Marsa Mubarak has a resident dugong (named Dyson) that calls it home. If your goal is seeing one of these incredible creatures, Marsa Mubarak is said to be your best shot at running into one. Though you should note that Dyson is not always there and booking a tour to the area is not a guarantee of seeing a dugong.
Booking a room at the Iberotel and spending several days in the water there remains the best way to maximize your chances of seeing a dugong on your trip.
The Rest of the Marsa Alam Coast
While there are some truly outstanding named locations in the area, you really don’t have to go anywhere special at all to find great snorkeling in the Red Sea!
We’ve been staying in a hotel that’s located just off the coast, and have been walking straight out to the beach from our doors. It’s an unnamed stretch of beach and relatively “un-special” for the area, but we’ve seen brittle stars, clown fish, box puffers, and other beautiful reef fish pretty much every time we’ve made the swim. No dugongs or turtles yet, but there is a patch of seagrass, so you never know.
After all, sea life is unpredictable. There’s no telling what you’ll find!
As my family is still exploring the Marsa Alam area, I will continue to update this page with any other great spots that I find, so check back for more!
Wadi el Gemal Marine Sites (Potential New UNESCO Heritage Site)
With a name like Wadi el Gemal (Valley of the Camels), you would be forgiven for thinking that this particular site wouldn’t have much in the way of water activities. However, while much of Wadi el Gemal does extend inland (including Roman era ruins, ancient petroglyphs, and wild camels in a desert oasis valley), a large chunk of the park is a coastal marine reserve.
Wadi el Gemal was the first thing that caught my interest about the Marsa Alam area. We heard about it during our first trip to Egypt while researching national parks in the country. So, when we found an opportunity to visit, it was a bit of a no-brainer for us.
Note: Egyptian National Parks collect an entrance fee of 40 EGP for foreigners. This comes out to around $2 USD making it one of the best possible things you can buy for less than 5 bucks.
Qulaan Mangrove Beach
Our first beach stop in Wadi el Gemal was Qulaan Mangrove Beach.
Mangroves are some of my favorite trees from around the world, and I have fond memories of walking and boating tours among different mangrove swamps all around the world. The mangroves growing in the Qulaan area are not the largest, nor the greenest mangroves that I have seen, but in an area surrounded by desert, they were a welcome sight!
Qulaan beach is a stretch of white sand among the mangroves that sits right beside a fairly shallow saltwater pool. The mangroves form a natural barrier between this pool and the Red Sea itself and protects the smaller fish there from larger predators. Because the pool is fairly shallow, its waters are warmer than the surrounding seas, and the white sand bottom gives the water at Qulaan a beautiful blue color that is out of this world.
The area is a biodiversity haven, and I spotted fiddler crabs, herons, gulls, and a variety of fish in the area. However, I found the water too cloudy for snorkeling, and I spent most of my time there in the shaded tent, drinking Bedouin tea and admiring the view. My kids, however, spent the entire time playing in the sand and splashing in the shallows.
After a couple hours, we headed back to the van, making sure to buy a couple souvenirs from the local shop on the way out.
Sharm El Luli Beach
Our next stop was Sharm El Luli Beach. Sharm el Luli is one of the most beautiful and least busy beaches that you can find in the area, and could easily take an entire afternoon to explore! We found the beach itself to be one of the cleanest that we we’ve seen in Egypt, and there were both shaded pavilions and public bathrooms accessible to visitors who wanted to make a day of it.
Once again, my kids took to the shallows to play in the sand and gentle surf, while I took the opportunity to explore a bit deeper on my own.
Unlike Qulaan, the snorkeling at Sharm El Luli was spectacular! I saw clown fish, pipe fish, surgeon fish, and a ton of others that I didn’t know the names for. The coral was colorful, and the water was so clear.
This was the trip that convinced me that I need to buy a Go Pro so I can upgrade my underwater photography game for the remainder of our time in Egypt.
Update: We bought a GoPro Hero11. The pictures are so much better. If you plan on taking good pictures during your dive, it is definitely the camera that you want. Trying to save money buying a less expensive option is not worth losing out on the chance to capture your memories!
The Hamata Islands
Located in the southern portion of Wadi el Gemal, the Hamata islands area is home to three pristine islands surrounded by beautiful coral formations, a variety of exotic reef fish, and lots of empty horizon. In fact, the Hamata islands are regularly called the most beautiful islands in Egypt.
These islands are one of the best representations of what the Red Sea has to offer its visitors, and have been called the “Egyptian Maldives” for their crystal clear waters and vibrant reefs.
We haven’t had a chance to visit the Hamata Islands yet, but it is on my list, and I will hopefully be able to update this section soon!
