Sharm el-Sheikh

A town born of diving

Sharm el-Sheikh sits at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. A fishing village and military base, occupied by Israel from 1967 to 1982, it opened up to tourism in the 1980s, with divers first. Today it has luxury hotels, golf courses and shopping centres, and its conference centres have hosted enough international summits to earn it the nickname "City of Peace"; the United Nations climate conference, COP27, was held here in 2022.

The town stretches along the coast in distinct districts. To the north, beyond the airport, Nabq Bay is lined with large resorts. Further south, Naama Bay is the lively heart of town, and the Old Market still sells spices and souvenirs. At the end of the peninsula lies Ras Mohammed National Park.

Three national parks underwater

Sharm el-Sheikh's dive sites lie within three national parks: Ras Mohammed, Tiran and Nabq. Protection began in 1983 with Ras Mohammed; park rules are checked regularly, and an official map divides the Ras Mohammed and Sharm el-Sheikh area into zones set aside for each marine activity.

• Ras Mohammed, at the tip of the peninsula, is Sharm el-Sheikh's signature boat trip; Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are its best-known reefs.
• The Strait of Tiran, to the north-east, closes the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba; Jackson Reef is its best-known reef.
• Nabq, north of town, combines reefs, mangroves and Bedouin camps.

Divers see hard and soft corals, turtles, dolphins, manta rays, moray eels, Napoleon wrasse, tuna, barracuda and several shark species, both reef and pelagic.

The Thistlegorm. This British cargo ship, sunk by two German bombers on 6 October 1941, lies in about thirty metres of water near Ras Mohammed park, around 40 km from Sharm el-Sheikh. Its holds still contain trucks, motorcycles, weapons and two steam locomotives: it is the Red Sea's most famous wreck. Allow a full day by boat. The Egyptian diving chamber tightened the visiting rules in October 2025 because the wreck is deteriorating: you need at least 20 logged dives and good buoyancy control, and touching the wreck, resting on it or kicking it with your fins is forbidden.

Day boats or liveaboard. Most divers stay at a hotel and head out by boat each morning with a dive centre, usually for two dives. Sharm el-Sheikh is also a departure port for liveaboards, where you spend several days on board: to the Strait of Gubal and the Abu Nuhas wreck graveyard, passing the Thistlegorm, or around Tiran Island.

Diving rules in Egypt

In Egypt, diving is regulated by the CDWS (Chamber of Diving and Water Sports), set up in 2007 by the Ministry of Tourism. Dive centres are registered with it and hold a licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Its rules apply along the whole coast, from Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba:

• Depth. According to the CDWS, the limit for recreational diving on air is 40 m, if the diver's training and experience allow it. Deeper dives require technical diving training and a centre certified for it.
• Supervision. On boats, one guide or instructor for at most 12 divers, and one guide for at most 12 snorkellers. For an introductory dive at sea, one instructor per participant; the Discover Scuba Diving programme (the introductory dive of the PADI training organisation) runs at two participants per instructor, and only from the shore.
• Before any activity, every customer signs a health declaration.
• The reef. Touching corals and marine life is strictly forbidden. Gloves are allowed for protection against the cold, but the CDWS recommends going without when the water does not call for them. Taking or damaging coral is punishable.

Children can start from age 8, with activities designed for them in sheltered water. Many centres offer a free first try in the pool, one-to-one with an instructor.

Choosing a centre. More than a hundred centres operate in Sharm el-Sheikh. The CDWS publishes its list of members and a blacklist of operators that fail its safety rules: Sabaro checks both before offering a centre. Take extra care with small operators, check your diving and repatriation insurance, and strictly follow the centres' instructions, as the Red Sea is home to sharks, some species of which are dangerous; attacks are rare, but they have happened. Diving below your insurance policy's depth limit invalidates your cover, and air or sea rescue can cost more than 4,000 US dollars an hour.

Sharm el-Sheikh has a hyperbaric medical centre, at Sharm el-Maya harbour, to treat decompression illness.

Where to stay for your trip

The three hotels in the Sabaro selection are north of town, near the airport.

• With family, the Rixos Premium Seagate, on Nabq Bay, 9 km from the airport and 18 km from Naama Bay: all-inclusive, water park and kids' club.
• Adults only, the Rixos Sharm El Sheikh Adults Only, on the same bay, all-inclusive and for over-18s, with a jetty for snorkelling.
• As a couple, without all-inclusive, the Four Seasons, about 2.3 km from the airport, with two piers out to the reef and its own dive centre.

From Nabq, Naama Bay is 18 km away: for an evening in town, plan on a taxi.

Formalities, safety and excursions

The Sinai visa. Travellers who arrive by air in Sharm el-Sheikh and stay less than 15 days in the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba receive a free entry stamp at the airport instead of a visa. To leave these resorts or stay longer, you need the standard visa: 30 US dollars on arrival, in cash, or online. The special Sinai visa cannot be changed once you have entered: if your trip includes St Catherine or the rest of Egypt, Sabaro advises taking the standard visa at the airport.

Safety. In the tourist areas of southern Sinai, security forces check vehicles and airports. Your ministry's advice appears in the "Travel advice" table on this page. Travelling at night outside towns and tourist sites should be ruled out, buses included. Sabaro books excursions through approved agencies and schedules all road transfers in daylight.

Excursions. Dahab, about 90 km north, for the Blue Hole; St Catherine and Mount Sinai, where Sabaro advises staying overnight, since the climb is made at night; the Sharm el-Sheikh Museum for ancient Egypt. The Sabaro trip idea "Sinai, Mount Sinai, St Catherine's Monastery and Dahab, 7 days" links the two from Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

Seasons. The water rarely drops below 22 °C, which makes Sharm el-Sheikh a winter destination: from December to February, daytime highs are around 22 to 24 °C. From June to September they exceed 36 °C and the sea reaches 28 to 29 °C: Sabaro suggests diving in the morning and staying in the shade during the hottest hours.