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 just some of the reasons why the Egyptian Red Sea has been one of the world’s most popular snorkeling destinations for decades. Take all of that and throw in an outstanding resort and liveaboard with world-class service, all accompanied by a professional Snorkel Guide for the duration of the tour, and you have all the necessary ingredients for the snorkeling adventure of a lifetime.
We don’t want you to miss out on anything that Egypt offers so we’ve not only included a stop in one of the area’s best resorts at Marsa Shagra for its iconic house reef with visits by friendly pods of dolphins and the odd dugong, but we’ve also chartered the Red Sea Aggressor IV for a liveaboard safari, taking us to the southern reefs where the marine life is most abundant.
Here’s a quick video of just some of the possible highlights while snorkeling from Marsa Shagra.
Marine Life Guide
This tour is partnered with The Reef-World Foundation. Find out how we support The Reef-World Foundation via this tour here.
Day 1 - Arrive to Cairo
Upon your arrival in Cairo please make your way to the Cairo hotel where the group will be staying. That evening you’ll have a chance to meet the rest of the group as well as the group leader over a nice dinner together. We will spend the night here and in the morning we’ll check out and catch our flight to Marsa Alam.
*Our intended itinerary is to fly to Marsa Alam and then take the quick transfer to Marsa Shagra. However, flight options are changing quite a bit at the moment so we may have to fly to Hurgada and then take a slightly longer transfer by private bus to Marsa Shagra.
Day 2 - Transfer to Marsa Shagra
Upon your arrival in Marsa Alam you’ll make your way to Marsa Shagra Village via a pre-arranged and private group transfer. That afternoon you’ll have a chance to have a full briefing about how the snorkeling and everything else will be organized for the duration of your time at Marsa Shagra. Time dependant, you may be able to jump in on the house reef for an afternoon snorkeling session.
Day 3 - 7 - Snorkeling from Marsa Shagra
The following morning after breakfast we will have a full snorkel briefing of the sites and how the days are going to run for following days on the water. We will then load up into the resort’s snorkeling boats, which we will have all to ourselves, and head out to one of the many fantastic reefs in the area for our snorkeling sessions.
Each snorkeling day will run slightly different as we aim to explore the many reefs in the area. On two of the days, we will spend them around Marsa Shagra’s massive house reef which extends for hundreds of meters in either direction. On the other days, we will take the resort’s larger speedboats further afield to snorkel on some of the reefs further away. There’s also a solid possibility of being taken to a spot where dolphins or dugongs have been seen as they are frequently in the area. Marsa Shagra is really adept at reacting quickly to changing situations, such as a pod of dolphins being spotted in a nearby bay, so it’s not unusual for the plan to suddenly alter because an exciting creature has decided to make an impromptu appearance in the bay somewhere.
With this reef on the doorsteps of the resort, you’ll have unlimited access to explore every inch of it any time you choose. With a myriad of colorful damselfish and reef dwellers using the hard corals as shelter from larger predatory fish like trevally or jacks cruising up and down the reef walls, there is always something new to find. It’s not uncommon to come across larger creatures, like their resident turtles feasting on soft corals, giant moray eels, and blue-spotted rays digging for crustaceans or hanging out on the sandy patches between the coral bommies. The resort does have tender boats that can drop you further along the house reef and then snorkel back to the resort, or, you can always just walk in from the beach!
On one of the nights, we will also enjoy an organized excursion into the desert to see the night sky without any light pollution.
Day 8- 14 - Snorkeling by Liveaboard
After breakfast at the resort, we will check out and transfer via private air-conditioned vans about forty-five minutes north to Port Ghalib where we will board the Red Sea Aggressor IV, which will be our home for the following seven nights. 
We have chartered this entire vessel so we will have exclusive use of it, and with their professional team of snorkel guides will be escorted to the best snorkeling sites in the southern Red Sea.
Each day we will stop for snorkel sessions at different sites with options for night and sunset snorkels as well. Typically there’ll be at least 3 escorted daily trips with your tour leader and the onboard guides.
For most scheduled snorkel sessions we will be using the liveaboard’s tenders to drop us right on the sites, but there will also be opportunities to snorkel directly from the big boat where circumstances allow.
Freedom to explore is the order of the days onboard, so you can join an escorted group or just have a slow aquatic ramble around the nearby reef should the location allow for that.
Our exact route is dependent on the weather and conditions but will feature sailing to the southernmost reefs of the Red Sea. We’ll depart from Marsa Ghalib Port and snorkel some sites to the south before sailing overnight to our southernmost point in the St. John’s area. We’ll spend time snorkeling the shallow reefs before heading back north to the vast network of reefs found around Fury Shoals.
St Johns is a vast collection of small reefs offering some of the most remote and rewarding snorkeling in the Red Sea. This incredibly beautiful reef lies a short distance north of the Sudanese border. The reef covers a huge area and many snorkel sessions would be needed to explore the numerous coral heads and islands. Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals with an abundance of schooling fish often seen in the blue. Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of snappers, butterfly fish, and barracudas. Mantas and reef sharks can often be seen in the blue.
Fury Shoals is made up of around 20 reefs offering diverse topography from reef walls to seamounts and plateaus. The shallow reef system makes it great for lots of varied snorkeling with colorful anemones, clownfish, barracudas, moray eels, huge groupers, giant trevallies, and dogtooth tuna attracted to the hard and soft corals and can be spotted here.
On our return to the Abu Dabab area we might have another snorkel or two closer to Port Ghalib to relax and unwind before your final night in port.
Day 15 - Disembark
After breakfast on board the RS Aggressor IV we will disembark and be shuttled to the airport, either in Marsa Alam or Hurghada, and catch our flight to Cairo where the tour will end.
Marsa Shagra Resort
Marsa Shagra occupies one of the most strategic and beautiful seaside locations for snorkelers. It not only offers us unlimited access to their house reef just a few feet from the resort’s beach but it’s also the gateway to Egypt’s southern Red Sea which is known for its abundant marine life and vibrant reefs.
Our group will be staying in their Deluxe Chalets, their finest rooms. These cleverly designed rooms offer private terraces with views of the mountains as well as the sea. Inside you’ll find a large double bed or two singles depending on your chosen sleeping arrangements. The rooms feature everything you would expect in an upscale resort which includes a wardrobe, television, AC, digital safe, and large bathrooms.
Resort Guide
Red Sea Aggressor IV
The Red Sea Aggressor IV is a spacious 142.7 ft. yacht with a 32.8 ft. beam, built and powered for comfort, safety, and stability. She is diesel-powered, cruises at 10-12 knots, and has 220-volt power. Comfortable accommodations include 13 spacious staterooms each independently air-conditioned, a private head and shower, mirrored cabinet, a hair dryer, and fresh towels. Each stateroom has a 32-inch flat-screen TV offering a selection of 400 movies, TV shows, and documentaries. Guests will also be able to plug their computers into the TV screen to edit underwater pictures and video.
The Red Sea Aggressor IV has 3 master staterooms each with a queen bed and 9 Deluxe staterooms each with two twin beds. The yacht has a beautiful spacious salon, large sun deck with shading, 2 hot tubs, chaise lounges and deck chairs, and a bar.
While onboard we will be well looked after by not only the snorkel guides but also the stewards and chefs who will prepare us delicious meals and snacks which will always be waiting for us after each snorkel session. Oh, and the vessel serves free red wine at dinner.
Vessel Guide
Snorkeling Boats
Whilst we will mostly be snorkeling with access from the shore at Marsa Shagra and from the snorkel deck of Red Sea Aggressor IV, there are times when we will use Zodiac Ribs for transfers between snorkeling sites. For more information on this please get in touch.
Marsa Shagra: Large inflatable ribs equipped for traveling longer distances. The boats do have ladders to help board the boat after snorkeling.
Red Sea Aggressor IV: The Red Sea Aggressor IV is equipped with 3 snorkel tenders. Length: (2) 8 ft. x 21 ft and (1) 6 x 16 ft.
On this page you will find our Tour Dates & Pricing (see below contact form), a Booking Form and Details of Payment schedule including deposit and final balance. If you have any further questions please complete the form and we will reply within 24-48hrs.
Make an Enquiry or Book this Tour
2025 Tour Dates
10 – 24 May 2025
27 September – 11 October 2025
Price:
$6,450 USD per person (Deluxe Chalet Marsa Shagra + Deluxe Stateroom Red Sea Aggressor IV)
Red Sea Aggressor IV Supplements:
Master Stateroom: $300 USD per person
Single Supplement: $1,500 USD
How to book your place?
Initial deposit to secure your booking $800 per person
12 Months before departure interim deposit of $600 per person
6 Months before departure interim deposit of $1000 per person
Balance due 3 months before departure
Includes:
- 1 Night Cairo hotel
- 7 nights Liveaboard Red Sea Aggressor IV with full board & unlimited snorkeling (up to 4 sessions per day)
- 6 nights Marsa Shagra Chalet Deluxe with full board & 2 days house reef snorkeling + 3 days boat snorkeling.
- Star Gazing tour from Marsa Shagra
- Transfer from Cairo Airport to Cairo hotel
- Group dinner in Cairo
- Transfers from Marsa Alam/Hurghada Airport-Marsa Shagra-Port Glib-Marsa Alam/Hurghada Airport
- Domestic flights from Cairo-Marsa Alam/Hurgada-Cairo
- Accompanied by a Snorkel Venture tour leader
Excludes:
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Soft drinks & alcoholic drinks
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Snorkel equipment rental
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Travel and health insurance
- Gratuities
