Diving in Sharm El Sheikh: Everything You Need to Know

The Best Dive Sites from Sharm El Sheikh

Sharm El Sheikh’s value is in its access, not its immediate surroundings. The sites I’d prioritise — and the ones most liveaboard operators build itineraries around — are spread across the northern Red Sea, all reachable within a few hours from the Sharm marina.

SS Thistlegorm

The Thistlegorm is a 125-metre British wartime cargo ship sunk in 1941 by a German bomber. It sits at 30 metres in the Strait of Jubal, a two to three hour boat ride from Sharm, and it remains the single most impressive wreck dive I have done anywhere in the world.

What makes it genuinely extraordinary is the cargo. The hold still contains World War II military equipment — BSA motorcycles, Bedford trucks, Bren gun carriers, rifles, train carriages, ammunition. Nothing has been removed. Decades underwater and the motorcycles are still stacked in rows. The scale of what’s down there doesn’t fully register until you’re in the hold watching fish drift through the spokes of a wartime Triumph.

Thistlegorm is diveable as a day trip from Sharm, but the day trip experience is inferior to a liveaboard night dive. The site has a strict one-hour-on-site rule during daylight hours; liveaboards that moor overnight can dive at 5am with no other boats present. That early morning dive — torches only, the rest of the site in darkness, full access to the holds — is one of the best dives available anywhere.

→ See the full SS Thistlegorm diving guide for a site-by-site breakdown.

Ras Mohammed National Park

Ras Mohammed sits 45 minutes south of Sharm by boat — the closest headline site to the marina. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are the main events: a soft-coral-draped wall diving to 80 metres, consistent grey reef shark sightings, hammerheads in the cooler months, and the famously surreal Yolanda cargo of bathroom fittings encrusted at 25 metres.

Ras Mohammed is a protected national park. The entry fee is around $10–15 USD, usually included in the dive operator price. The reef health here is visibly better than unprotected sites — a direct result of the protection status.

Straits of Tiran

The four reefs that run through the Straits of Tiran — Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas, and Gordon — are named after the British naval officers who charted them. They sit on the passage between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, which means consistent current and consistent pelagics.

Hammerheads are sighted here regularly, particularly at Jackson Reef, where the current runs strongest. The walls are good; the hard coral coverage is exceptional in places. Jackson and Thomas are the most dived; Woodhouse and Gordon see less traffic and reward the detour.

I’ve dived the Straits of Tiran on day trips from Sharm. The crossing can be choppy on windy days — a consideration if anyone in your group is prone to seasickness. Conditions from October to April are generally calmer.

Abu Nuhas Wrecks

Four shipwrecks on a single reef, 80km north of Sharm. Not typically a day trip destination — the distance and transit time make a liveaboard the practical option. The Giannis D is the headline wreck: 100 metres of intact Greek cargo ship at recreational depths, with hold penetration that’s accessible to divers with basic wreck experience.

→ See the Abu Nuhas shipwrecks guide for the full breakdown of all four wrecks.

Local House Reefs

If you’re spending a few days in Sharm doing pre- or post-liveaboard dives, several sites are worth a shore entry or short boat ride:

1. Near Garden and Middle Garden in Na’ama Bay are the most accessible, with shallow coral gardens suitable for check-out dives and night diving. Fish life is good; reef health is variable.
2. The Tower (Ras Um Sid) is a wall dive starting at 6 metres and dropping steeply — one of the better quality shore dives available directly from Sharm. The soft corals on the wall are excellent.
3. Far Garden rewards more experienced divers with richer fish life and less diver pressure than the Na’ama Bay sites.

Sharm El Sheikh Diving Seasons

The Red Sea around Sharm is diveable year-round. What changes is the water temperature, the visibility, the marine life, and the crowd levels.

October to February — Peak Diving Season

This is the window I’d choose for Sharm El Sheikh. Water temperatures drop to 22–24°C — manageable in a 5mm wetsuit — and visibility is consistently 20 metres or better. The cooler water brings in the pelagics: hammerheads at Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran, oceanic whitetips further north, large schools of barracuda and trevally at most sites.

Liveaboard prices are at their highest and boats fill up faster during this window. Book early, especially for the November to January peak. I have personally been here over the November time period multiple times and why I even added it as one of the best liveaboard destinations to dive in November.

March to May — Excellent All-Round

Water warming from 24°C toward 28°C. Good visibility, reef fish active and spawning, less crowded than the winter peak. A strong period for reef diving quality and a more relaxed atmosphere on liveaboards. Mantas make occasional appearances.

This is the sweet spot if you’re flexible on timing — comparable diving quality to winter, slightly lower prices, and shoulder-season availability.

June to September — Summer

Hot. Air temperatures regularly exceed 35°C, water reaches 28–29°C. Visibility is still good, the corals are at their most colourful, and the resort diving is busy. The big pelagics — hammerheads particularly — are largely absent from the headline sites. Liveaboard prices are lower than winter.

If your trip dates are fixed in summer, Sharm is still very worthwhile. Just don’t come specifically for sharks in July.

Liveaboard vs Day Trip from Sharm

This is the most common question for divers planning a Sharm trip, and the honest answer depends on what you want to see.

Choose a liveaboard if:

• You want to dive the Thistlegorm properly (the night/dawn dive is the benchmark)
• You want Abu Nuhas — the four wrecks need more than a day trip window
• You want to reach Brothers, Daedalus, or the southern Red Sea sites
• You’re a committed diver who wants 3–4 dives per day and maximum water time

Choose day trips if:

• Your budget doesn’t extend to a liveaboard
• You have family or companions who aren’t diving, and you need to be back each evening
• You’re happy with Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran as your primary sites — both are day-trip accessible

The liveaboard cost varies considerably: budget operators run from $150–200 USD per day all-inclusive, mid-range from $200–300 USD, and premium boats from $300 USD upwards. For the Thistlegorm experience alone, the liveaboard premium is worth paying.

Browse liveaboards departing Sharm El Sheikh on Divebooker — filter by departure port and itinerary type. Look specifically for north itinerary boats that list Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed on the schedule.

Choosing a Dive Operator in Sharm

Sharm El Sheikh has more dive operators than almost any other Red Sea destination. Quality varies enormously. A few things that separate the good ones from the average:

1. Boat condition and setup. Day trip boats should have a well-organised dive deck, a working surface marker buoy system, and a first aid kit that’s actually stocked. Have a look before you book.
2. Guide-to-diver ratio. For open water sites with current — Ras Mohammed, Straits of Tiran — you want no more than 6 divers per guide. More than that and someone gets lost when the current picks up.
3. Night diving access. For the Thistlegorm specifically, ask operators directly how early they depart for the site. Boats that leave Sharm the evening before get the dawn slot. Day trip operators leave at 5–6am and arrive after the good window.
4. PADI or SSI affiliation. Most reputable operators in Sharm are affiliated. This is a basic quality threshold, not a guarantee, but it’s a starting point.

Practical Information for Diving Sharm El Sheikh

• Getting there: Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH) has direct connections from the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Charter flights from the UK typically land in 4–5 hours.
• Visas: Most nationalities receive a Sinai-only stamp on arrival, valid for 15 days and free of charge. This covers the Sharm El Sheikh area and Sinai diving. If you want to travel elsewhere in Egypt, you’ll need a full Egypt visa.
• Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP). USD is widely accepted for dive services. Carry both.
• Water temperature: 22–24°C (November–April), 26–29°C (May–October).
• Recommended wetsuit: 5mm October–April, 3mm May–September.
• Hyperbaric chamber: Sharm El Sheikh has a hyperbaric chamber. Confirm its current operational status with your operator before diving.
• Nitrox availability: Widely available from most operators and liveaboards. Confirm before booking if this matters to your dive plan.

Conclusion on diving in Sharm el Sheikh

Diving in Sharm El Sheikh earns its reputation as the Red Sea’s dive capital not because the town itself is remarkable, but because of what you can access from it. Within a half-day’s boat ride you have some of the best wreck diving in the world, a protected national park with walls that drop to 80 metres, and consistent pelagic action through the cooler months.

Get a liveaboard if you can. The Thistlegorm dawn dive alone is worth the cost. If day trips are the budget, Ras Mohammed and the Straits of Tiran will still give you excellent Red Sea diving — just make sure you go in season.

Browse Red Sea liveaboards departing Sharm on Divebooker