Not too long ago, I returned from my very first trip to Egypt. The Red Sea's crystal clear blue water, pods of dolphins, and stunning shallow coral formations that explode like a confetti cannon of orange anthias had been on my bucket list for years, I just hadn't had the opportunity, yet. That all changed though as I assisted Duxy as he ran our last Egypt Snorkeling Safari for the year. As I'm still buzzing from the jaw-dropping experiences in and out of the water, I wanted to share some of my first impressions of the snorkeling tour and country. Egypt is Hot & Dry As Egypt is home to the largest desert in the world, the Sahara, the temperatures there can range from “Oh wow it’s hot out” to “My shoes are melting.” I kid, I kid! It actually looks hotter than it is as the surrounding landscape is nothing but sand dunes and arid mountains. We schedule our tours for the spring and fall months when the daily temperatures average 90°F, which is comfortable with the ever-present breeze from the north. Water temperatures will average in the high seventies to low eighties in the Spring, while they will be more of a steady mid-eighties during our Fall snorkeling safaris in Egypt. Reefs are Shallow! The southern Red Sea is far better than I could have ever expected for snorkeling. In three weeks of liveaboard and resort snorkeling, we never ran out of shallow reefs. From the reefs that fringe the shoreline to the attol-like coral blocks that jut up from the sea floor for hundreds of yards in either direction, there did not appear to be any shortage of stunning shallow coral reefs. Fish are Friendly Who knows why, but the reef fish in Egypt, which are typically
Not too long ago, I returned from my very first trip to Egypt. The Red Sea’s crystal clear blue water, pods of dolphins, and stunning shallow coral formations that explode like a confetti cannon of orange anthias had been on my bucket list for years, I just hadn’t had the opportunity, yet. That all changed
Location Description All of our Egypt Snorkeling Safaris take place on the Red Sea, obviously, which runs northwest to southeast along the northeast edge of Africa. The Red Sea starts about one hundred miles east of Cairo at the mouth of the Suez Canal and finishes way down by Djibouti and Yemen where it empties into the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It's a massive and unique body of water, and given the arid landscape, crystal-clear blue water, thriving coral reefs that start at the water’s surface and extend as far as the eye can see, and a host of unique and beautiful marine life are the last things you'd expect to find. However, with so much life and beauty hiding beneath the Red Sea's surface, it's no wonder that the Egyptian Red Sea has been one of the world’s most popular snorkeling destinations for decades. As Egypt has a whole range of different destinations full of great-looking resorts and liveaboards to choose from up and down its coastline, it can be a little daunting deciding which area to visit and which operator to use. However, given our team's collective experience working in Egypt over the years, we've opted to run all of our snorkeling tours in southern Egypt where the shallow reefs are more robust, the marine life is prolific, and there are fewer people. Marsa Alam International Airport (RMF) is the closest port town to the resorts we use, Marsa Shagra Village and Marsa Nakari, as well as Port Ghalib where we board the liveaboard, the Red Sea Aggressor IV. If the tour starts in Cairo, we will fly to Marsa Alam, which is a one-and-a-half-hour flight. Or, if our tour starts in Marsa Alam, you will fly directly into Marsa Alam. As flight schedules are
Location Description All of our Egypt Snorkeling Safaris take place on the Red Sea, obviously, which runs northwest to southeast along the northeast edge of Africa. The Red Sea starts about one hundred miles east of Cairo at the mouth of the Suez Canal and finishes way down by Djibouti and Yemen where it empties
Coral bleaching is something you've probably heard quite a bit about in the past few years, and, unfortunately, are likely to hear more about in the future. The Caribbean had a major bleaching event back in 2005, then later again in 2010, and then just recently experienced another bleaching event in September 2023. Australia's great barrier reef has suffered six mass bleaching events since 2016, all of which make the headlines as it's the largest coral reef system in the world, and arguably the most famous. Common Questions Aside from corals losing their various colors and turning a bright white, what exactly is coral bleaching, and what causes it? Does a bleached coral mean a dead coral? All the corals on the reef were shades of brown and had white tips, does that mean they are dead or about to be bleached? These are just a few of the questions we regularly get as snorkeling guides. So, to set the record straight here are some cold hard facts, as well as some anecdotal encounters. Coral Anatomy Before we get into coral bleaching, we need to know a bit about the anatomy of the corals. Corals are often equated to terrestrial plants, trees, and flowers. However, one table coral, for example, is not just a single living thing, like a fern or a pine tree. A table coral, or any hard coral for that matter, is actually a colony of a bunch of identical coral polyps all living together in a symbiotic relationship. These coral polyps are all hosted together on the calcium carbonate structure that they have created through their own secretions. Each coral polyp has a set of tentacles that are used to capture food, ward off predators, and clean themselves. The tentacles also host zooxanthellae, a type of
Coral bleaching is something you’ve probably heard quite a bit about in the past few years, and, unfortunately, are likely to hear more about in the future. The Caribbean had a major bleaching event back in 2005, then later again in 2010, and then just recently experienced another bleaching event in September 2023. Australia’s great
If you are not in the loop on sharks and their global well-being, they are not in a great way. Here are some quick facts to get you up to speed. Approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year Since the 1970s, 70% of the oceanic shark and ray population has been wiped out Sharks are killed as a result of overfishing, and bycatch, but mostly it's due to the demand for shark fin soup, a delicacy in China The top five shark fishing countries are: Indonesia Spain India Mexico USA So, as you can see, there is just an overwhelming amount of threats against them, especially when you also consider the fact that their food supply is decreasing and breeding grounds—mangroves and lagoons—are being destroyed. While it's not necessarily too far gone, there is some urgency needed when it comes to shark conservation. There are a lot of conservation groups out there, like Thrive Conservation, Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation, and the Misool Foundation—all of which we make annual donations to via our Every Trip Program, who are actively advocating for sharks on a daily basis and have achieved some landmark victories with projects like as the StaR project. So, aside from contributing funds to shark conservation groups like the ones above, what can you do as a regular citizen passionate about shark conservation? Here are a couple of things you can do. Stop Watching Shark Week (asking politely) Shark Week has become an annual event on the Discovery Channel that apparently originated as a way of helping correct the misconceptions about sharks with shark-based episodes. While that may have been the case, the episode lineup for 2023 involved titles like “Cocaine Shark”, “Mega Sharks of Dangerous Reef”, “Serial Killer: Red Sea Attacks”, and “Monsters of the Bermuda Triangle”.
If you are not in the loop on sharks and their global well-being, they are not in a great way. Here are some quick facts to get you up to speed. Approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year Since the 1970s, 70% of the oceanic shark and ray population has been wiped out Sharks
If you've looked through our website or seen our newsletter you'll notice that we have a pretty extensive inventory of snorkeling safaris available all over the world. Not only that, but the snorkeling safaris range in length from one week to one month. We know, based on inquiries and guest feedback, that many of you are interested in longer trips, or even combining multiple snorkeling trips together to make one long snorkeling adventure. However, we also know there are a good number of you who are more interested in quick snorkeling trips that don't involve a ton of travel logistics or planning. Here are our recommendations for quick snorkeling safaris to world-class destinations that are one week to ten days in length. Shorter Flights (from The States) Mexico Mobula Expedition | 6 Nights This is the shortest snorkel safari that we currently offer, and also one of our most unique. This tour is all about finding fleets of mobula rays as they congregate in the Sea of Cortez during their bi-annual migration. This is a fantastic adrenaline-pumping snorkel safari that is unlike any other snorkel safari out there. Belize by Liveaboard - Belize Aggressor IV | Length – 7 Nights This fantastic liveaboard snorkel safari is one of our easiest trips when it comes to travel time, while still delivering some outstanding snorkeling. Basically, arrive at the airport, board the vessel, and you're off on an extraordinary snorkeling adventure around some of the best reefs in Belize. Belize Photography Workshop – Belize Aggressor IV | Length – 7 Nights This tour runs nearly identical to our Belize by Liveaboard snorkeling safari, same easy logistics, the same great snorkeling, same great liveaboard. The only difference about this tour is that it's aimed at those interested in improving their underwater photo skills
If you’ve looked through our website or seen our newsletter you’ll notice that we have a pretty extensive inventory of snorkeling safaris available all over the world. Not only that, but the snorkeling safaris range in length from one week to one month. We know, based on inquiries and guest feedback, that many of you
