Discover the amazing marine life in Hurghada and visit the best snorkeling and diving locations in the Red Sea. Plan your unforgettable underwater adventure with Cruisara
Egypt’s city of Hurghada, formerly a small fishing village on the east coast, now serves as the gateway to the wonders of the Red Sea underwater. It has a desert climate with year round sunshine, little rainfall and sea temperatures between 22°C and 30°C during the winter and summer months, respectively, providing excellent visibility with often more than 30 meters.
The conditions promote the growth of healthy, lush, expansive coral reefs. So, let's see how the marine life in Hurghada provides visitors with direct access to a world-renowned underwater habitat which is a key component of Egypt marine life.
What marine life can you see in Hurghada?
As you read about the life that can be found in the Red Sea fish guides, you can see that the marine life in Hurghada is found in different ecological sections along the coastal reef system.
Red Sea fish guide
Shallow reef plateaus have abundant colorful fishes, such as parrotfishes, butterflies, damsels, and clownfishes living symbiotically with sea anemones, as confirmed in a detailed Red Sea fish guide. Beyond the outer reef walls there are deeper nesting areas for larger pelagic species like barracuda, tuna, humphead wrasse and giant moray eels.
The area also has large populations of marine megafauna. Offshore reefs like Shaab El Erg are frequented by pods of Indo-Pacific spinner dolphins and forage areas are spread across shallow coral gardens, where hawksbills and green sea turtles are found.
Read More: Sea Trips in Hurghada
What month are sharks most active in Egypt?
Higher water temperatures during the summer (May to September, ranging from 28° to 30°) are the time when sharks are most active, because it is the time when fish spawn in the ocean and naturally attract pelagic predators such as sharks to deeper offshore reef drop-offs.
Small blacktip reef sharks or whitetip reef sharks may be found resting on sandy bottoms occasionally by snorkelers or divers exploring the sites of Abu Ramada and Abu Hashish Island. This seasonal migration pattern is confirmed to make studying marine life in hurghada during the typical tourist excursion very safe from predation of marine animals.
Can you see turtles in Hurghada?
The sea turtles are seen regularly around all marine parks in the area of Hurghada. The region's fringing reefs and seagrass beds are used by both hawksbill and green sea turtles for food and hiding. The green sea turtle is a primitive vegetarian carnivore, and the hawksbill uses its pointed beaks to pick sponges out of coral crevices.
Turtle Bay on Big Giftun Island, Shaab Abu Ramada and off the coast of Makadi Bay and Sharm El Naga are the primary localities where turtles are spotted. Snorkelers hovering over shallow reef flats often spot sea turtles in an open sea environment because they need to come up for air. It is important to protect these kinds of gentle reptiles so as to maintain the marine life in Hurghada.
Read More: Hurghada Dolphin Trip
Is it safe to swim in the sea in Hurghada, Egypt?
Overall, swimming in the sea in Hurghada is safe as long as one swims only on beaches within the resorts and the supervised beaches. The Red Sea waters are clear and calm with millions of tourists enjoying diving to the depths of the sea safely each year, but you still have to know some guidelines to have some sort of awareness before heading into these beaches.
Safety Guidelines
- Swim zones: Swim in hotel and resort beach zones marked with buoys and ropes.
- Timing: Avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, or night when marine predators are more active.
- Special areas: Avoid swimming in and around areas where fishing takes place, drop-offs to deep water, and concentrations of bait fish.
- Marine life: Wear water shoes when trekking into coral entries and never try to touch or feed marine life in Hurghada.
Read More: Is Cairo Worth Visiting from Hurghada?
Dangerous animals in the Red Sea
The majority of the Egypt marine life is safe for recreational swimming, particularly in the Red Sea, but there are even species that have defensive stingers, spines, and camouflage and awareness serves as a prevention for accidental injury:
- Stonefish and Scorpionfish: bottom fish with venom that use extreme camouflage and are adapted to rocky bottoms.
- Lionfish: Exhibits fan-shaped fins that are ornamentally attractive and have venomous spines used only for defense.
- Moray Eels: Tending to be shy and by the sea cavity, bites are very rare and usually happen when specifically feeding hand-held.
- Stingrays: Have venomous tail barbs which would only cause a problem if stepped on in shallow sand flats.
- Fire Coral: Groups of hydrozoan polyps that sting minimally when they come in contact with an exposed skin surface.
Hurghada is a magical destination for exploring the Red Sea's natural beauty. Observing the diversity of marine life in Hurghada is a great aspect that visitors from overseas admire due to calm waters, high visibility and the variety of ecosystems from coral gardens to sheltered bays.
Choose our service and enjoy a safe, well organized, and memorable ocean experience.