The Red Sea - Located between Africa and Asia

The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean located between the continents of Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden. In the north are the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the famous Suez Canal). The Red Sea is most famously known for its spectacular Scuba diving sites such as Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm (a shipwreck), Elphinstone, The Brothers and Rocky Island in Egypt, Dolphin Reef in Eilat, Israel and less known diving sites in Sudan such as Sanganeb, Abington, Angarosh and Shaab Rumi. The Red Sea became known as a sought-after diving destination after the famous expeditions of Hans Hass and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, in the 1950s. Popular destinations for divers in the Red Sea include Holidays to Sharm El Sheikh and Holidays to Hurghada (and recently Holidays to Marsa Alam) and Holidays to Dahab in Egypt, as well as Eilat, Israel in an area known as the Red Sea Riviera.

The Red Sea - A Sought-after Diving Centre

A Red Sea diving holiday in Egypt is a diver's dream and simply unforgettable. Within the Red Sea area are well-established diving centres who will gladly provide you with scuba diving information and arrange courses, daily excursions and live-aboard trips to almost anywhere, from the gigantic coral outcrops of Taba to the vertical walls of Ras Mohammed, from the wrecks of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas to the lonely offshore islands of The Brothers and Zabargad. The Red Sea is dubbed Egypt's 'Garden of Allah', due to the wealth of underwater pristine life, but it should be noted that a few dangerous sea creatures live in the Red Sea.

The Red Sea - Learn to SCUBA Dive

With the Red Sea's year-round sunshine, clear waters and wonderful corals, the Red Sea in Egypt is an ideal place to learn to how to Scuba dive. In the Red Sea, beginner diving courses such as the PADI Open Water Course and Scuba Diver Course are offered by almost all diving schools. The PADI diving courses are particularly well suited for resort holidays, and are recognised world-wide. A PADI Open Water Course, for example, takes normally four to five days to complete. Just imagine, after the theory and the pool sessions, you will be able to be trained as a diver in one of the most outstanding underwater habitats in the world.

The Red Sea - A Hot Holiday Destination for Divers

Along the Red Sea, temperatures range between an average minimum of 14 degrees C in winter and an average maximum of 35 degrees C in summer. Precipitation is almost non-existent: only in autumn and spring does the odd rainfall happen and that normally lasts no longer than fifteen minutes, but this helps to sustain the rare desert flora and fauna. Some areas can experience years without rain, and suddenly receive downpours that result in flash floods. Sinai receives somewhat more rainfall than the other desert areas, and the region is dotted by numerous wells and oases, resulting in a somewhat more humid climate than the rest of the Red Sea coast. The area of Marsa Alam, due to the vicinity to the Tropic of Cancer, has a slightly more humid weather than the rest of the Red Sea governorate coast. It results in a beautiful coastal area with a number of mangrove and palm tree groves. A typical feature of Egypt's weather is the 'khamseen', a hot sandy spring wind that blows across the country and to the Red Sea between March, April and May. This is what in Europe is called 'scirocco'. The 'khamseen' can occasionally become a real sandstorm, although it blows intermittently.

Find more travel information with the Red Sea Travel Guide »