Safaga snorkeling and Soma Bay: house reefs, dive boats and Utopia island

Safaga snorkeling works differently from Hurghada. There is no fleet of island yachts at a marina; the boats here belong mostly to dive centres and leave from hotel jetties along the Safaga–Soma Bay road. The wind blows hard enough that Soma Bay is better known for kitesurfing and windsurfing than for snorkeling, so the trick is to use the calm mornings well.

What you do get is a choice Hurghada guests do not have: house reefs reached by long jetties, the shallow Safaga reefs on dive boats with few people, and Utopia, a sandy island in the Tobia islets that is far closer to you than to Hurghada. The Giftun islands are still possible, but they cost you a long minibus ride.

Soma Bay snorkeling: the house reefs

Soma Bay is a gated peninsula about 5 km long, with a private road and one controlled gate. Its resorts — Palm Royale, Kempinski, Sheraton, Robinson Club, The Cascades and The Breakers among them — face the reefs of Ras Abu Soma.

Two house reefs are described in detail:

• The Breakers. A 420 m jetty runs out over the reef flat to the Ras Abu Soma drop-off, where the coral and the fish start. It is used by the hotel's dive centre, and guests snorkel it on no-wind days.
• Robinson Club. Beach entry, with the reef about 180 m out and dropping to about 12 m.

For the other hotels, including the Sheraton, we have no reliable house-reef description. Ask your hotel whether it has a jetty to the reef and when it is open. Beaches on the peninsula are private: if you are not staying there, expect to be refused or charged at the gate.

Safaga snorkeling spots by boat

Safaga's reefs are visited mainly by dive boats, which take snorkelers when there is space. Most are dive sites first. Ranked for snorkelers:

1. Gamul Soraya and Gamul Kebir, Tobia Soraya. About 15 m with shallower parts: coral blocks, garden eels, seagrass. These are the snorkel-friendly ones.
2. Tobia Arbaa (the "Seven Pillars"). Coral pillars rising from about 10–12 m, with stonefish, scorpionfish, Napoleon wrasse and turtles. Fine for strong snorkelers on calm days, from a boat.
3. Panorama Reef (Abu Alama). About 45 minutes by boat from the Orca dive centre in Safaga, with plateaus at 12–15 m and walls dropping to 300 m. Far offshore and exposed — experienced snorkelers on flat days only.
4. Salem Express. A ferry wreck at 30 m. It is a dive site; there is nothing to see from the surface.

On a dive boat snorkelers fit around the divers: the boat goes where the divers want, waits while they dive, and you snorkel near the boat. Ask in advance which reefs are planned, whether a guide swims with snorkelers, and what the centre's reef or permit tax is (Hurghada centres add €5–7 a day). Check any centre in the CDWS directory of diving centres before you pay.

Utopia island: the nearest island day from Safaga and Soma Bay

Utopia is a sandy island in the Tobia islets between Soma Bay and Safaga, with a shallow sandy beach on one side and a reef on the other. From Hurghada it is a long day of road plus boat; from here it is your local island. See the full Utopia guide.

Utopia's own day programme costs USD 50 for adults and USD 25 for children 6–11, with younger children free (the island's site gives two different age limits — confirm). Lunch, soft drinks and snorkel gear are included, the transfer is not. Its boats leave from Memnon Marina; other sellers board at Amarina Soma Bay Marina or bus guests to Safaga port, so the departure pier depends on who you book with. Details are on utopiaisland.net.

On Headout, From Hurghada: Bianca Island Utopia Cruise with Glass-Bottom Boat, Snorkeling, Lunch & Transfers sells the day as "Bianca Island Utopia" from $100 with a glass-bottom boat, open bar and transfers — a new listing with no reviews yet, which charges $10 extra from Soma Bay. Bianca Island is also a separate brand, managed by Gravity Hotels & Resorts (biancaisland.com); whether it lands on the same island is not established. Before you pay, check which beach club your trip lands at and what the price includes.

Safaga snorkeling tours to Giftun and Orange Bay

Any listing titled "Safaga:" or "From Safaga" that goes to Orange Bay or Giftun is a Hurghada trip with a longer pick-up. The drive to Hurghada Marina takes about 50 minutes on an empty road, and the minibus also collects other guests, so expect a pick-up window of up to 90 minutes and a start before 07:00. Then comes the crossing to Giftun itself, about 45 minutes by yacht.

What the long ride costs on top:

Two listings use the Safaga name. Hurghada: Orange & Giftun Island Cruise with Massage & Lunch is Royal Cruise's Hurghada cruise to Orange Bay and Giftun with Safaga as a pick-up zone. Safaga: Giftun Island Speedboat Cruise to Orange Bay W Fruit is a speedboat to Orange Bay from about $234 — priced for the whole boat, with only a handful of reviews. For a family or group, the per-boat price can work out; for a couple, a shared yacht with a surcharge is cheaper.

Our view: one Giftun day from Safaga is worth it if the reefs are the reason for your holiday, but go on a calm day and book a trip with more time ashore. Orange Bay is the shortest crossing once you are at the marina. Dolphin House, which adds about 1.5 hours by yacht north of Hurghada, makes a very long day from here.

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

Semi-submarine from Safaga

For non-swimmers, small children and anyone who gets seasick, a semi-submarine is the easy reef day. Its viewing cabin sits about 3 m below the surface and it never dives. From Safaga: Royal Seascope Submarine with Snorkeling is Egypt Sun Marine's Royal Seascope, "From Safaga" with Safaga pick-up, but the boat runs and snorkels in Makadi Bay, not off Safaga. Safaga/Makadi Bay: Panorama Submarine with Snorkeling Tour, another Makadi semi-submarine, also picks up in Safaga.

Egypt Sun Marine's own site lists its Safaga base from $25 (egyptsunmarine.com); the GetYourGuide listing is from $22 today. Compare what each includes — the transfer makes the difference. More in the semi-submarine guide and the Egypt Sun Marine review.

Sharm El Naga: a long day south

A few listings sell Sharm El Naga, a beach and snorkel stop a long day south of Safaga: Sharm El Naga: Beach, Snorkeling & Red Sea Adventure Tour on GetYourGuide, and similar trips on Headout and Tiqets, all new with no reviews. Read the itinerary and inclusions carefully.

Is Safaga a safe place to snorkel?

The main issue on this stretch of coast is the wind. Snorkel the house reefs only when the sea is flat, stay near the jetty, and on boats wear the lifejacket you are given. On average the wind is lightest in November and December and strongest in May and September — see best time to go.

The Red Sea Ports Authority closes the ports in bad weather, Safaga's included, usually for one to three days (Egypt Independent). Keep your boat day early in the holiday so a closure does not cost you the trip.

Shark attacks are rare. After a fatal attack off Hurghada on 8 June 2023, swimming and snorkeling were banned for two days along the coast from El Gouna to Soma Bay (Egyptian Streets). Obey closures and red flags; they come from the governor or the ministry. The UK's FCDO advice has the current position.

For the other resorts, see Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh and the resorts overview.