Where the Brother Islands are
The Brother Islands are not a convenient dive. There is no day trip, no shallow warm-up site, and no forgiving conditions if you overstated your experience on the booking form. You get there on an overnight liveaboard passage of up to nine hours from Hurghada, across open Red Sea water.
Big Brother and Little Brother are two isolated limestone outcrops rising from deep water, about 70 km east of El-Quseir and 150 km south of Hurghada. They are a protected marine reserve under the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. Visitor numbers are controlled, and only licensed liveaboard operators can get the permits to dive there. DAN Europe's Alert Diver describes the same rule: the islands are part of a marine protected area, and coast guard authorisation and a fee are required to dive there (Alert Diver, 2017).
Big Brother is the larger, about 400 m long, with a lighthouse that dates from the British colonial era. Little Brother lies about 1 km to the south: smaller and more exposed. Both have steep walls that drop vertically from the surface to well beyond 60 m, with no shallow reef shelf. You drop in, you are on the wall, and the water below you is very deep.
Not sure whether the north or the south of the Red Sea suits you? See north vs south Red Sea itineraries. The Brothers are the headline act of a south Red Sea liveaboard, and a big part of what makes the Red Sea worth the trip.
Who should dive the Brothers
The Brothers are not suitable for newly certified divers, whatever the booking form minimum says. Strong current, depth, open-water exposure, downwelling risk and active pelagic encounters call for a diver who is comfortable underwater, not just certified.
The realistic minimum is Advanced Open Water with 50+ logged dives, including drift diving experience and good shark etiquette. Ideally more. If you have never dived in current, the Brothers will be stressful rather than enjoyable, and a stressed diver in current at depth is a safety problem for everyone on the boat.
The site rewards a diver who can hold depth precisely, control buoyancy in variable current, navigate a wall without gripping coral, and stay calm when an oceanic whitetip comes in for a closer look. If that describes you, the Brothers are worth the crossing. Work on your buoyancy and your ascents and descents first if it does not.
The dive sites
Depths show the whole site. Dive within the limits of your certification (PADI's depth limits).
| Site | Depth | The draw |
|---|---|---|
| Numidia (Big Brother) | 8–80 m | A British cargo ship that struck the northern tip in 1901 and lies broken across the wall. The bow is shallow enough for recreational divers; the stern descends well beyond the recreational limit |
| Aida (Big Brother) | 25–60 m | An Egyptian navy supply vessel that sank in 1957, on the southeastern side. More intact than the Numidia, with a swimmable superstructure and dense coral |
| Big Brother walls | Wall drops past 60 m | Drift dives along sheer north and south walls. The south wall is where oceanic whitetip sightings concentrate |
| Little Brother | Wall drops past 60 m | One main dive zone, with the pelagic action on the north and northeast walls. Circling the whole wall on one tank is possible in good conditions |
The wrecks at Big Brother
The Numidia is draped across the wall itself, with hull sections encrusted in large sea fans and soft coral. Moray eels, glassfish and lionfish fill the dark corners. It is too broken up to penetrate. It is a wreck that has become part of the reef, and it rewards slow, methodical diving.
The Aida is easier to dive. Batfish, grouper and glass sweepers school around the hull in numbers that block the light in places.
Little Brother: the wall and the current
Hammerheads patrol the blue water off the north and northeast walls, threshers have been documented here (mostly on early morning dives), and oceanic whitetips appear regularly. The coral is better preserved than on Big Brother's walls, which see heavier diver traffic: table corals, gorgonian fans and healthy hard coral make it a strong dive even when the sharks do not show.
Current at Little Brother can be severe. Downwellings, sudden vertical currents that push divers deeper, have been reported here and on Big Brother's walls. This is not a site for divers who are not completely comfortable aborting a dive and ascending if conditions change. Your guide will brief you on this. Listen.
The sharks
Oceanic whitetips
Oceanic whitetips (Carcharhinus longimanus) are the Brothers' most reliable big-animal encounter. They are present for much of the year, and our season data scores them highest from October to December.
These are not the reef sharks you meet on most Red Sea dives. Oceanic whitetips are open-ocean animals: curious, persistent, and capable of close approaches that feel intense if you have not met them before. They will circle, and they will come in. Hold your position, stay in a close group, keep eye contact and avoid erratic movement. Experienced guides manage these encounters well, and serious incidents are rare, but this is a shark to respect.
Encounters are most common on the south wall of Big Brother and on Little Brother's northeast wall, typically in the middle third of the dive, once you have moved away from the wreck and into open water.
Shark etiquette matters
Choose a well-reviewed operator and a guide who understands and stresses shark etiquette. The islands were closed to liveaboards in December 2018 after a series of non-fatal incidents involving divers and oceanic whitetips, and reopened in March 2019 with conditions, including a ban on dumping organic waste within five nautical miles (Divernet). These sharks are inquisitive, and as top open-ocean predators they come in for a closer look.
Stay in a close group, especially if you leave the reef or wreck for open water or the surface. Anything flashy, erratic arm movements and skin reflecting the sun can pull them in closer.
Hammerheads
Scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) are seasonal at the Brothers, and the sources disagree on the window. In our season data, October to January is the most reliable period. Outside sources give the Brothers' hammerhead season as May to June, and Emperor Divers says hammerheads at Daedalus are typically shallow from May to June. The month-by-month Red Sea guide sets out both.
Sightings tend to be in the blue water off the wall rather than on it, so look out into open water during your safety stop or while drifting along the upper edge of the wall. Schools are possible in season, particularly at Little Brother. It is never guaranteed: hammerheads are wild animals in open ocean.
Thresher sharks
Thresher sightings at the Brothers are reported but unpredictable. Early morning dives on the Little Brother wall give the best odds, because threshers tend to be deeper and more elusive than the other sharks here. Treat any thresher as a bonus.
When to go
Oceanic whitetips are the reason to plan around October to December. Hammerheads depend on which source you trust.
| To see or avoid | Months | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oceanic whitetips | October to December | Present for much of the year. October to February brings slightly cooler, clearer water (visibility can reach 30 m) and marginally fewer divers |
| Hammerheads | October to January | In our season data. Outside sources report May to June at the Brothers |
| Calmer crossings | May to October | The overnight crossing from Hurghada is generally calmer. The water warms from about 25–26 °C in May to 27–30 °C from June to October |
| Rough seas | January and February | The crossing can be uncomfortable, and operators sometimes skip Little Brother if the surface is too exposed. Check conditions with your operator before a winter departure |
For the full year, see the Red Sea month by month.
Getting there by liveaboard
The Brothers are only accessible by liveaboard. The distance offshore rules out day trips, and the marine reserve permit system is built around liveaboard operators.
- Departure: Hurghada is the main port. Some operators leave from Port Ghalib or Marsa Alam on longer south routes that include Elphinstone, Daedalus and sometimes Zabargad.
- Passage: 7–9 hours from Hurghada, usually overnight so you arrive at first light. The open central Red Sea has short, steep chop in wind. Seasickness is worth preparing for: ask a pharmacist or doctor, and take any medication before you board, not after you feel rough.
- Trip length: Dedicated Brothers itineraries run 5–7 nights. Combined south routes with Elphinstone and Daedalus usually run 7–10 nights.
- Permits: Your operator handles them, and the Egyptian marine reserve permits are included in the trip cost. Confirm before booking that the Brothers are confirmed on the itinerary and not listed as "conditions permitting."
Our ranked Red Sea liveaboards show which boats run these routes.
Ready to look at boats?
What to pack
- Wetsuit: 5 mm. Water runs from 22 °C in winter to 30 °C in summer, and long spells at depth on shaded walls chill you faster than a shallow reef does.
- SMB: Non-negotiable. Current can push you off the wall and away from the boat. Every diver should be able to deploy their own surface marker buoy, and not rely on the guide's.
- Seasickness preparation: See the passage note above. Winter crossings are the roughest.
- Camera: Wide angle suits the wrecks, the wall and the chance of a hammerhead or oceanic whitetip in the frame.
Brothers, Elphinstone or Daedalus?
If you can only do one, the Brothers edge it for experienced divers. Elphinstone is the better choice if your experience level is borderline.
| Site | How it compares |
|---|---|
| Elphinstone | More accessible: closer to shore, on shorter itineraries, with a dramatic northern plateau in a smaller footprint. The Brothers offer more variety (two islands, two wrecks, several wall zones) and more reliable oceanic whitetips |
| Daedalus | More remote, typically a full-day passage beyond the Brothers. Hammerhead encounters are considered slightly less consistent than at the Brothers in peak season, but it rewards the distance with remoteness and occasional threshers |
For routes, see north vs south Red Sea itineraries.
Questions
Do you need a permit to dive the Brother Islands?
Yes. The Brothers are a protected marine reserve, and diving is only permitted with licensed liveaboard operators that hold the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency permits. Individual divers cannot arrange independent access. Your operator includes the permit in the trip cost; confirm this before booking.
Are the Brother Islands suitable for beginner divers?
No. They need Advanced Open Water as a minimum, and realistically 50+ dives including current experience. Depth, variable and sometimes strong current, open-water exposure and active pelagic encounters are not right for newly certified divers. If you are earlier in your diving, a north Red Sea liveaboard covering the SS Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed is a better first Red Sea trip.
What sharks can you see at the Brother Islands?
Oceanic whitetips are the most reliable, and most so from October to December. Scalloped hammerheads are seasonal, and the sources disagree on the window: October to January in our season data, May to June according to outside sources. Threshers are occasionally sighted, mainly on early morning dives on Little Brother's wall. Grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks are also common on the walls.
What is the best month to dive the Brother Islands?
October and November for reliable oceanic whitetips, visibility up to 30 m and calmer crossings than midwinter. Hammerheads are most reliable from October to January in our season data. Avoid January and February if rough seas worry you.
Can you dive the Brother Islands as a day trip?
No. The Brothers are about 70 km offshore and only accessible by liveaboard. The distance, the permit rules and the site conditions rule out day trips, and all diving is from the liveaboard.