Description

Hurghada is less developed than Sharm El Sheikh, although it is growing all of the time. It was once a traditional fishing village and the old town is situated slightly north of the large hotels that stretch along the coast. Here you can visit local bazaars selling leather, gold, carpets, clothes and shisha pipes. Be prepared to barter and to be accosted by the locals to spend money in their shops. From the hotels, it is possible to go on two-day trips to Cairo and day trips to Luxor to see the Valley of the Kings and the Temples of Karnak. They also offer jeep safaris and quad biking in the desert. However, for non-divers a holiday to Hurghada will ultimately be spent relaxing by the pool or on the beach.If you're an amateur snorkeler or a professional diver you will love Hurghada on the Red Sea. One of Egypt's top destinations for those looking to simply relax on the beach or enjoy some of the world's clearest waters and spectacular coral reefs.

In Hurghada both beginners as well as experienced divers will find plenty of diving sites from a favourite sandy bottom with shifting white sand dunes to dramatic, steep outer reefs to the legendary wrecks in the Straits of Gubal.

Favourite sites like Abu Galawa, Abu Nugar, Sha’ab El Erg (Dolphin House), Um Gamar and Carless Reef are reached within 25 to 60 minutes boat ride. There are only very few other dive centers which go to the same places at the same time.

There are over 30 different dive sites and, apart from a very few exceptions, they are just as good for snorkelling because the reefs come high towards the surface.

Marine life is abundant and varied, and the hard and soft corals are improving since conservation efforts increased in the early 1990's. You can expect to see hundreds of spectacular fish both along the shore and around the nearby islands. For a dash of color there's: the blue-spotted stingray, lionfish, Hurghada Starand the Spanish Dancer Nudibranch. For those divers looking for bigger thrills you can also see whale sharks, hammerhead sharks and dolphins.

Wreck dives to sites like the legendary Thistlegorm and to the ship ‘graveyard’ Abu Nuhas (with wrecks such as Giannis D., Carnatic, Kimon Ml, Chrisoula K.) are organised as day trips and also as live-aboard multi-day safaris. Nowadays the wrecks have become fantastic artificial reefs offering a home to countless species of fish. The above-mentioned wrecks are all situated in diver-friendly depths of 15-30 metres. In many cases one can safely dive into the wrecks themselves. There are two other wrecks, which can be reached on a normal day trip. One is the minesweeper ship (sunk by Israeli fighter bombers in 1970), the other is the Excalibur (a dive safari boat which sunk in 1995). Both are situated in the Hurghada harbour area.
WDR.