Marsa Alam

Marsa Alam lies roughly 270 km south of Hurghada, and the further south you travel down this coast the emptier and better it gets. It was a fishing and mining town until an airport opened in 2001; it is now the base for the most serious diving in mainland Egypt.

The reefs here are in exceptional condition because so few boats reach them. Elphinstone Reef offshore is a wall dive with a reputation among divers worldwide. The seagrass bays closer in — Marsa Mubarak and Abu Dabab in particular — are feeding grounds where green turtles graze in the shallows and, occasionally, dugongs appear.

Dolphin House at Samadai Reef is a protected resting lagoon for spinner dolphins, managed with access limits to stop the animals being driven off.

What we run to Marsa Alam

Our full-day snorkeling trip to Marsa Mubarak departs from Hurghada, and we run private transfers on the Hurghada–Marsa Alam road as well as to Port Ghalib, Abu Dabab, Shams Alam and Sharm El Luli.

Practical notes

• Marsa Alam has its own international airport. If this region is your destination, flying here rather than into Hurghada saves three to five hours in each direction.
• The coast is thinly served. Arrange transport in both directions before you travel.
• Around turtles and dugongs: stay several meters back, never block their route to the surface, and let them decide how close they come.