Snorkeling from the beach in Hurghada: where the house reefs really are

Hurghada snorkeling from the beach is a south-coast thing. The reefs in front of Hurghada town have largely been damaged by construction, and El Gouna to the north is lagoons and sand. Drive 30 to 50 minutes south and that changes: Makadi Bay has the best shore snorkeling on this stretch of coast, Soma Bay has jetties that walk you straight out to a drop-off, and Sahl Hasheesh has hotel jetties plus a man-made "Sunken City" in waist-deep water.

What a house reef gives you is freedom: no 07:00 pick-up, no park fee, no crowded beach at Orange Bay, and you can go in for twenty minutes when the water is flat and come out when the wind rises. What it does not give you is the coral and fish density of the offshore reefs, or a guide watching you.

Is Hurghada good for snorkeling from the beach?

It depends entirely on where your hotel is. Hurghada town (Dahar and Sakkala) is not a beach-snorkeling destination: the fringing reef there has been largely damaged by construction. The beach clubs on Giftun Kebir, which people visit by boat, also have little coral off the sand; the reefs there are a boat stop away, which is why most island trips make two snorkel stops before the beach.

The exception in town is a dive centre with its own reef. Colona Divers at Zahabia Beach, about 2 km north of the marina, publishes a house reef that starts at about 1 m and drops past 30 m within two minutes' swim. Its price list (https://www.colona.com/prices) shows a full day of house-reef snorkeling at €15 for ages 13 and over and €10 for children 3–12; dive centres also add a daily reef or permit tax, so ask what applies to a snorkel-only day.

South of the airport is where the shore pays off. In order of quality:

1. Makadi Bay — three house-reef zones used by about 15 seafront hotels, over 100 reef fish species recorded in the shore waters. The Makadi guide has more detail.
2. Soma Bay — a gated peninsula with long jetties to the Ras Abu Soma reefs; superb on a calm day, but this is kitesurf country and the wind often wins.
3. Sahl Hasheesh — most hotels have a jetty to the outer reef, and the bay is sheltered from heavy waves; the Sunken City is the curiosity. More on the Sahl Hasheesh page.

The best house reef in Hurghada: Makadi Bay

The best house reef near Hurghada belongs to a Makadi hotel. The bay has three zones, and they suit different swimmers (spot descriptions: https://www.snorkeling-report.com/spot/snorkeling-fort-arabesque-hurghada/).

Makadi North — Fort Arabesque

A fringing reef of about 1.6 km along the north shore. Fort Arabesque Resort has the best beach access; Sunrise Resort, Grand Waterworld Makadi, Makadi Spa Hotel and Grand Makadi share the same reef. The reef flat is more than 40 m wide and only 0.5–1 m deep, so you cross it through buoy-marked gaps — beach staff enforce these. Beyond the flat, dozens of small reefs have tops at about 0.6 m dropping to 2–6 m, with a maximum of about 7 m. Expect angelfish, butterflyfish, bannerfish and parrotfish, with occasional morays, octopus and rays. A drift from the Makadi jetty (open 10:00–16:00) is possible, but it is for advanced snorkelers.

Makadi South — the Stella Makadi jetty

The house reef of Cleopatra Luxury Resort, Stella Makadi and Labranda Makadi. The best entry is the jetty of about 350 m at Stella Makadi, which puts you on a drop-off of about 500 m, with the reef top at 0.5 m and the slope going past 6 m. Anemonefish, giant clams and giant morays live here. From the Labranda beach you swim 200 m or more before the first coral. The drop-off can be windy.

Makadi West — the calm lagoons

Xanadu Makadi Bay, Tia Heights Makadi Bay, Jaz Makadi Resorts and Iberotel Makadi Beach front the calmest part of the bay. Seagrass at 1–2 m starts 20–50 m out, with blue-spotted ribbontail rays, and coral starts 50–150 m out, never deeper than about 4 m. It is less spectacular than North or South, but it is the one we would choose for a nervous swimmer or a child. Watch for motorboats beyond the reef.

Access to all three zones is listed as free for guests of the bay's resorts; whether non-guests are let in is not published, so ask at the gate rather than assume.

Sahl Hasheesh beach snorkeling: hotel jetties and the Sunken City

Sahl Hasheesh is a resort bay about 30 minutes' drive south of Hurghada Marina. Most hotels have their own jetty to the outer reef, the reefs run north and south of the bay at mostly 14 m or less, and the bay is sheltered from heavy waves. No reliable list says which hotel's jetty is best, so ask your hotel before you book whether it has a jetty to the reef and when it is open.

The Sunken City is the oddity. It is a man-made set of concrete arches, columns and statues in shallow water — an artificial reef, not an ancient site. At low tide you can wade waist-deep to the first columns. It is free, but you reach it through the neighbouring hotel's beach, and that hotel may charge non-guests for day use. Currents are possible around the structures, so keep a fin's length from the concrete and do not go alone.

Out in the bay sits Abu Hashish, a local protectorate: close from here, but about 90 minutes and often too rough by boat from Hurghada.

Soma Bay house reefs: The Breakers and Robinson

Soma Bay is a private peninsula of about 5 km by 2 km with a single controlled gate, so the beaches belong to the resorts and non-guests may be refused or charged. Two house reefs are documented:

• The Breakers — a jetty of 420 m runs out to the Ras Abu Soma drop-off. You walk over the shallows and step off at the edge; no reef-flat crossing at all.
• Robinson Club Soma Bay — a beach entry, with the reef about 180 m out, dropping to about 12 m.

The catch is the wind. Soma Bay is a kitesurf and windsurf centre because the prevailing north-westerly blows hard here, and on many afternoons the jetty end is choppy. Snorkel the house reef on no-wind mornings and keep the windy afternoons for the pool. Soma Bay guests also have the shortest run to Utopia island, the sandy island in the Tobia islets just to the south.

El Gouna, Safaga and Hurghada town: take a boat instead

El Gouna has no house-reef offer. The town is built around lagoons and sandy beaches; snorkeling there means a boat from Abu Tig Marina, and the El Gouna guide covers those trips, including the short run to Dolphin House.

Safaga has dive-centre jetties at hotels on the Safaga–Soma Bay road, but its snorkel-friendly reefs, the shallow Gamul and Tobia Soraya, are reached by boat. See Safaga and Soma Bay.

Hurghada town guests are better off on a boat: Orange Bay on Giftun Kebir is about 20 minutes by speedboat. The best snorkeling spots page ranks the offshore reefs.

How to snorkel a house reef without hurting it or yourself

No guide counts heads on a hotel jetty, so the briefing is up to you.

Stonefish, lionfish and urchins

Stonefish and scorpionfish lie camouflaged on the bottom in the shallows; a stonefish sting can be fatal. First aid is to irrigate the wound, immerse it in hot (not scalding) water and get to hospital. Lionfish stings also respond to hot water. Urchin spines need a doctor if they are large. All three are reasons for the same two habits: shoes or booties on, and never stand on the reef.

Sharks

Shark attacks are rare, but the fatal cases near Hurghada have all involved swimmers off resort beaches rather than guided snorkelers on the offshore reefs. In early July 2022 two women — an Austrian aged 68 and a Romanian in her forties — were killed by sharks off Sahl Hasheesh, within about 650 m of each other, and the governor suspended activity in the area for several days (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/second-woman-killed-shark-attack-egypts-red-sea-rcna36532). On 8 June 2023 a tiger shark killed a young Russian man, a resident of Egypt, off a Hurghada beach; the Ministry of Environment and the governor banned swimming, snorkeling and water sports for two days on the coast from El Gouna to Soma Bay (https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=85952).

Treat closures and red flags as absolute, swim inside marked areas, and leave the reef edge if you feel uneasy. White-tip reef sharks are a normal sight on Red Sea reefs. The UK government's advice is on the FCDO safety page: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt/safety-and-security.

Sun and cold

A rash guard and leggings beat any sunscreen on a shallow reef flat; if you use cream, choose a mineral one. The water drops to about 22.5 °C in February and March, so wear a shorty or a 3 mm wetsuit from December to April. The best time page has the month-by-month table.

Hurghada beach snorkeling with kids

A house reef can be a better first snorkel for a child than a boat stop in open water: no seasickness, and a beach to retreat to. The best spots for children are the Makadi West seagrass and lagoons (1–2 m, rays over the sand) and the lagoons right of the Stella Makadi jetty, which are under 1 m deep but have sparse coral. The Sunken City works at low tide for older children with an adult alongside.

Use a classic mask and snorkel, not a full-face mask: a paediatric case series found their dead space can exceed a small child's breathing volume. A buoyancy vest is sensible for any child in deeper water. For toddlers and non-swimmers, a semi-submarine shows more reef than they could see from the beach — the Makadi semi-submarine runs in the bay itself. The family guide covers the rest, including the Grand Aquarium for windy days.

Beach or boat? What you trade

A shore reef suits a calm morning or a day off from excursions. Take a boat if you want the densest fish (Gota Abu Ramada, "the Aquarium"), a guide, or dolphins with a chance.

From Makadi or Sahl Hasheesh, the easiest options start in your bay. The Sahl Hasheesh Elite Beach Dive (our pick above) is a shore intro dive, not a snorkel: three hours, for beginners, from the beach. In Egypt a Discover Scuba programme may run at two divers per instructor only from the shore, so ask how many people each instructor takes. For a proper island day with lunch, the budget Orange Bay yacht is the benchmark — see the Orange Bay guide.

◔ Half day

GetYourGuide3 hFrom Sahl Hasheesh

Sahl Hasheesh Elite Beach Dive & Coral Reef Experience

4.9 (125)

from $38Check dates

◐ Yacht

GetYourGuideFull dayFrom Makadi Bay

Makadi Bay: Diving & Snorkel Boat Trip with Lunch & Transfer

4.5 (47)

from $24Check dates

◔ Semi-submarine

GetYourGuide2 hFrom Makadi Bay

Safaga/Makadi Bay: Panorama Submarine with Snorkeling Tour

4.5 (853)

from $18Check dates

◐ Full day

GetYourGuideFull dayOrange Bay

HRG: Orange Bay Island with Snorkeling, Lunch and Drinks

4.9 (6,122)

from $26Check dates

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

Water sports on the resort beaches

Resort beaches also sell parasailing, banana boats and tubes. Only centres licensed by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities may sell parasailing; a flotation vest is mandatory for every water sport, and minors need written parental consent. The same parasailing flight on three platforms:

Headout is cheapest today, but its listing has no reviews yet, cannot be cancelled and excludes a €10 cash "National Park fees and VAT" charge, which eats most of the saving over GetYourGuide (4.2 from 528 reviews). Boat, pick-up area and inclusions may differ. The water sports guide has the rules on jet skis and sea scooters.

FAQ

Planning the rest of the holiday? The resorts guide compares the boat options and transfer times from each resort.