The best snorkeling in Hurghada: the reefs worth the boat ride

The best snorkeling in Hurghada starts where the sand ends. The beaches you see in every brochure (Orange Bay, Paradise, Mahmya) have very little coral off them; the good reefs are the stops your boat makes before and after the beach. So the question to ask a seller is not "which island?" but "which reefs?". This page ranks the reefs that snorkelers can actually reach, says which trip goes where, and flags the famous names that belong to divers.

Is Hurghada good for snorkeling?

Yes, with one condition: you need a boat, or a hotel in the right bay. The fringing reefs in front of Hurghada town have been largely damaged by construction, so the town beaches are not where you snorkel. The reefs worth your time lie offshore around Giftun Kebir (Big Giftun), Abu Ramada and Magawish, north at Sha'ab El Erg, and along the shore further south in Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh and Soma Bay.

What you get out there is the normal Red Sea cast in shallow water: hard and soft corals, gorgonians, Napoleon wrasse, moray eels, parrotfish, angelfish and bannerfish, with turtles and rays possible but never promised. Reef tops near the islands start at about 1 m, which is ideal for snorkeling and means you are looking down on the coral rather than at a blue void.

The catch is that most listings never name their reef stops. "Two snorkeling stops at a coral reef" can mean an excellent sheltered garden or a tired reef with forty boats tied up beside it. Ask the seller which reefs, and ask how many snorkel guides are on board: Egypt's Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) allows at most 12 snorkelers per guide, so a boat with 25 snorkelers needs at least three.

Best snorkeling spots in Hurghada, ranked

The ranking is for snorkelers with average fitness on an average day. Wind changes it daily, which is why the last section of this page matters as much as this one.

1. Gota Abu Ramada — the reef to ask for

Dive guides call Gota Abu Ramada "the Aquarium", and the name is earned. It is a group of coral pinnacles about 5 km south of the Giftun islands, with tops from about 3 m, a plateau at 12–14 m and the densest fish life of any reef around Hurghada: bannerfish, sweetlips, goatfish, glassfish and triggerfish around the heads. It is rated suitable for novices, which is rare for a reef this rich.

It is further than the standard stops: about 60–90 minutes by day boat, or about 35 minutes by speedboat. Few cheap trips go there, so ask before you book. One trip that does name the area is the Royal Cruise Orange Bay day, whose own page lists a snorkel stop at Abu Ramada reef as well as Giftun (see the Royal Cruise Hurghada review). The neighbouring Abu Ramada islet adds sheltered shallow sides, soft corals, anthias and an eel garden; its cave (about 20 m) is for divers.

2. Giftun's west and south reefs — the standard, and fine

Most boat days out of Hurghada Marina snorkel on the reefs of Giftun Kebir, about 45 minutes by day boat or 20 minutes by speedboat. The west and south sides are sheltered from the prevailing north wind, the reef tops sit at about 1 m near the shore, and the life is good: corals, gorgonians, Napoleons, morays, barracuda and the odd turtle. The deep east wall and the plateau at 15–25 m are for divers.

The downside is popularity. Giftun gets dozens of boats a day and the classic stops can be busy by mid-morning. The trick is an early start or a trip whose reef stops come before the beach, which is how most yachts run anyway.

3. Dolphin House lagoon — calm days only

Dolphin House is Sha'ab El Erg, a horseshoe reef about 20 km north-north-east of the marina, roughly opposite El Gouna. Inside the horseshoe is a sandy lagoon with small pinnacles; the reef runs to about 15 m and a channel brings some current. Napoleons, rays, turtles and morays live here, and it is a resting area for dolphins, mostly Indo-Pacific bottlenose and sometimes spinners.

Treat the dolphins as a bonus, not the product. They are wild: some days they are there and calm, some days not, and no operator can promise them. The reef is also exposed, so on windy days captains skip it or swap it for a sheltered stop. It is about 1.5 hours by day yacht (well under an hour by speedboat) and the run north pitches into the wind; the ride home runs with the swell. HEPCA's map puts the moorings at the southern tip, with snorkelers swimming in from the lagoon side, and its dolphin code requires a lifejacket in the water.

4. El Fanous — turtles and a no-boat dolphin zone

El Fanous is a reef with a lagoon about 30 minutes' sail from Hurghada. Fanous West has a 9 m lagoon behind a narrow channel and a coral garden to 14 m, with turtles, morays and big table corals; dolphin pods are not unusual. Its south-western part is a dolphin safe zone set by a governor's decree: no vessels may enter, boats stay outside the white buoys, and you swim in. Snorkeling in the safe zone is allowed and free under the decree, but the EEAA's fee list includes a USD 10 charge for the Erg and Fanous zones, so ask whether your trip covers it.

5. Magawish — easy, close, rays

Magawish is a real island (Umm Agawish), about 0.8 km² off the Magawish district of south Hurghada — not one of the Giftun islands, whatever the listing says. It is about 20 minutes by sea taxi. The reef has a level seabed at around 10 m with anemonefish, blue-spotted stingrays and goatfish, and turtles are reported here more often than at most stops. It is the gentle choice for a short day or a first snorkel; the sea-taxi formats are covered on the Hula Hula and small islands page.

6. Makadi North and South — the best shore snorkeling

If you only snorkel from the beach, stay in Makadi Bay. Its house reefs are the best shore snorkeling around Hurghada, with more than 100 reef species recorded in shallow water. Details are in the beach section below.

7. Erg Sabina and Banana Reef — from the Mahmya side

These two reefs lie on the east side of Giftun Kebir, towards Giftun Saghir (Small Giftun). Erg Sabina is a coral labyrinth from 5 m to 14 m with shallower parts; Banana Reef has a shallow top and a north side that drops deep, with eagle rays and soft-coral ergs. Both are calm-day reefs. The easiest way in is Mahmya's Full Program, which includes a snorkel trip to Sabina Reef (see Mahmya).

8. Abu Hashish lagoon — only from the Sahl Hasheesh side

Abu Hashish is the island of the Sahl Hasheesh bay, a local protectorate with a shallow lagoon and a shelf at 15–22 m; cornetfish, squid, cuttlefish, turtles and rays live here. From Hurghada it is about 90 minutes by boat and often too rough; from Sahl Hasheesh it is close. Only worth chasing on flat days or if you are staying in that bay.

Hurghada snorkeling spots map and boat times

The chart shows every place a Hurghada boat day goes, from the marina out to Giftun, Magawish and Dolphin House, with the time ladder for yachts and speedboats. Times are typical day-boat times from Hurghada Marina; real days add detours, mooring and the wait for other boats.

The table lists every spot sheet on the site — islands, reefs, house reefs and the dolphin reef — with depth, life, boat time and fees. Filter it to "reef" to see only the snorkel stops.

Two rules of thumb from the chart. First, Orange Bay is the shortest crossing (about 8 km), so a speedboat day there leaves the most time in the water. Second, Dolphin House is about as close from El Gouna as from Hurghada, so guests up north should book an El Gouna departure from Abu Tig Marina and skip the 40-minute drive to Hurghada Marina.

Beaches vs reefs: where the coral really is

Orange Bay, Paradise and Mahmya are three beaches on one island, Giftun Kebir. They are lovely places to lie down and have very little coral off the sand. Orange Bay is a shallow sandy lagoon that turns milky when the wind gets up in the afternoon. Paradise has shallow beach water, and visitors report rockier patches; Mahmya is a private beach club whose snorkeling is the Sabina trip. Hula Hula, White Island and Nemo Beach are trade names for beach clubs and sandbanks: pleasant stops, not reefs.

That changes how you read a listing. A trip with "two hours on the beach" and two short stops is a beach day; a trip with two long reef stops and an hour ashore is a snorkel day. On the cheapest yachts expect about an hour on the beach. For real snorkeling, the time at the reef matters more than the time on the island.

Best snorkeling beach and hotels in Hurghada

Shore snorkeling around Hurghada is a resort-by-resort story. These are the places with a real house reef; for entry points and hazards see the beach snorkeling guide.

Makadi Bay is the best. Makadi North is the fringing reef off Fort Arabesque Resort: a reef flat more than 40 m wide at 0.5–1 m deep, then dozens of small reefs with tops at about 0.6 m dropping to 2–6 m. Makadi South is reached along the 350 m Stella Makadi jetty to a drop-off; the lagoons beside it are under 1 m. Makadi West (Xanadu, Tia Heights, Jaz Makadi, Iberotel) is the calmest part of the bay, with seagrass and rays — the one for children. The Makadi jetty is open 10:00–16:00; the drift from it along the north reef is for strong snorkelers, and the South drop-off can be windy. Access is free for guests of the bay's resorts.

Sahl Hasheesh has hotel jetties to the outer reef and the Sunken City, a man-made set of arches, columns and statues in shallow water — an artificial reef, not an ancient site. Access depends on the neighbouring hotel's beach, and hotels may charge non-guests for day use.

Soma Bay has The Breakers' 420 m jetty to the Ras Abu Soma drop-off and the Robinson Club reef about 180 m out, to about 12 m. Beaches are private, and the bay is windy: snorkel on no-wind days.

El Gouna has no house reef: it is lagoons and sandy beaches, and snorkeling means a boat from Abu Tig Marina. Hurghada town has no beach snorkeling worth planning around. For any other hotel, ask whether it has a jetty to the reef before you book the room.

Dive sites sold as snorkel spots

Several famous Hurghada names are dive sites. They appear in "top snorkel spots" lists because they are famous, not because snorkelers enjoy them.

• Carless Reef (often spelt "Careless"), about an hour north-east, is exposed, has no protective moorings and strong, unpredictable current. Its "friendly" morays are the result of years of fish feeding, which reef codes discourage.
• Erg Somaya and the Small Giftun drift are walls from about 27 m down to 60 m and beyond, with drift current: for divers.
• Umm Gamar, a reef by a crescent islet far north, is a 14–30 m drift dive.
• Panorama Reef off Safaga (walls to 300 m) and Tobia Arbaa (the "Seven Pillars", from about 10–12 m) are for experienced divers; strong snorkelers on flat days at most. The Salem Express is a ferry wreck at 30 m — a dive site.

If these are why you came, book a try dive or diving day instead of a snorkel boat.

Best snorkeling trip in Hurghada for each reef

Most listings do not name the boat company or the reefs, so the picks below are chosen on what the listing and the operator publish. Ratings and review counts are from the platforms.

Our picks by reef

1

Snorkelers who want the Abu Ramada reef

Royal Cruise's Orange Bay day lists a Giftun stop and an Abu Ramada reef stop; 75 minutes on Orange Bay, lunch and drinks included. Rated 4.9 from over 7,000 reviews.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch

4.9 (7,075)

from $53Check dates

2

Budget snorkelers who want reef first, beach later

Zanetta's Orange Bay day does two guided reef stops in the morning, then gives about two hours on Orange Bay, with island fees covered.

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

3

A calm-day Dolphin House trip

A yacht day to Sha'ab El Erg with lunch. Dolphins are wild and not guaranteed; check the forecast and book early in your holiday so you can move it.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuide5.5 hDolphin House (Sha’ab El Erg)

Hurghada: Dolphin House Yacht Trip & Swim W Dolphins & Lunch

4.5 (1,108)

from $39Check dates

4

Mixed groups who want variety

Orange Bay, Giftun and Magawish in one day, rated 4.7 from over 9,000 reviews. The listing does not name the boat company.

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull day

Hurghada: 3 Islands, Dolphins & Snorkel Yacht Trip w/ Lunch

4.7 (9,195)

from $45Check dates

Royal Cruise sells the same Orange Bay day directly for $45 from Hurghada; on GetYourGuide it is from $53, with a cancellation window and a paper trail for the difference. A near-identical bundle is sold on Headout:

For Dolphin House the platforms differ more. Headout is the cheapest today, but the boat, pick-up area and what is included (lunch, the zone fee, transfers) may differ between listings:

How a reef-first day runs, using Zanetta's published Orange Bay timetable as the example:

More trips with reef stops, from the top-rated listings:

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Luxury Cruise Trip to Orange Bay with Lunch

4.9 (7,075)

from $53Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

Hurghada: Premium Orange Island Cruise with Lunch & Transfer

4.8 (1,152)

from $37Check dates

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide5 h

Hurghada: Hula Hula Speedboat w/ Optional Snorkeling & Lunch

4.5 (1,594)

from $44Check dates

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide5 hOrange Bay

Hurghada: Giftun Island Orange Bay Speedboat Cruise & Lunch

4.7 (1,238)

from $197 per boatCheck dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayDolphin House (Sha’ab El Erg)

Hurghada: All-Inclusive Elite VIP Dolphin House & Massage

4.9 (854)

from $50Check dates

◔ Speedboat

GetYourGuide3 h

Hurghada: Private Speedboat Adventure with Fruits & Pick-up

4.7 (858)

from $117 per boatCheck dates

See all trips on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

Wind, water and the best time for snorkeling in Hurghada

There is no calm season. On average the wind blows at about 11 knots from the north or north-west in every month; May and September are the windiest on average, November and December the calmest, and afternoons are windier than mornings. That is why the good stops are on the south and south-west sides of the islands, and why your reef choice is really made by the captain on the morning.

In a north wind, captains swap exposed reefs — Dolphin House, Abu Hashish, Carless — for sheltered Giftun and Magawish stops. In stronger weather the Red Sea Ports Authority, not your operator, closes the port, usually for one to three days and mostly in winter and spring. Book the reef you care about most early in your holiday and keep a spare day.

The water is coldest in February and March (about 22.5 °C on average) and warmest in August (about 29 °C). November, at about 26 °C, is warmer than May and one of the best months for snorkeling. From December to April most people want a shorty or a 3 mm suit for a long reef stop; from May to November a rash guard is enough. Month-by-month figures are on the best time to visit page.

Fees, reef rules and safety

Giftun and the islands around it lie inside the Northern Red Sea Islands protectorate. The park fee is USD 5 per foreign visitor (under-7s free); a rise to USD 10 has been decreed but postponed, with no new start date. Some trips include it, others ask for about €5 in cash. Dolphin House and Fanous are separate zones with a USD 10 fee on the EEAA list and a limit of 300 visitors per zone per day; how that limit is applied on the water is not published. Some operators add a coast-guard fee of about €5. Current figures are on the EEAA protectorate fee page.

The reef rules are simple: don't stand on or touch coral, take nothing, don't feed fish, and expect your boat to tie up to a mooring buoy rather than drop an anchor (HEPCA has laid more than 1,000 of them in the Red Sea: HEPCA moorings). With dolphins, boats keep 30 m away and never chase; swimmers wear a lifejacket, enter gently and never touch (HEPCA dolphin code). You can report anchoring or reef damage at hepca.org/report-violation. Snorkel boats must be CDWS members; you can check a centre in the CDWS directory.

UV is moderate to high even in winter and very high around midday from May to August: a rash guard and leggings protect you better than sunscreen. Bring your passport or a clear copy, because passenger names go on a coast-guard list.

Questions about the best snorkeling in Hurghada