5 Top Dive Sites in Hurghada you have to dive in

If you’re planning a diving holiday and wondering where to dive near Hurghada, you’re in the right place. The northern Red Sea is one of the most celebrated diving destinations on the planet, and the waters around Hurghada sit at the heart of it.

Within a short boat ride from shore, you have access to legendary World War II wrecks, pristine coral reefs, dramatic drop-offs, and one of the few places on earth where you can reliably swim with wild dolphins.

Whether you’re a first-time Open Water diver or a seasoned wreck specialist, the dive sites near Hurghada offer something extraordinary at every level.

We’ve been running dive trips from our base in Soma Bay for years, and these are the five sites our guests talk about long after they’ve gone home.

1. SS Thistlegorm — The Most Famous Wreck in the Red Sea

The SS Thistlegorm needs no introduction in the diving world. This British WWII cargo ship was sunk by German Heinkel bombers on the night of 26 October 1941 while anchored in the Strait of Gubal, waiting to offload military supplies destined for the Allied forces in North Africa. She went down fast, and everything she was carrying went with her.

Today the Thistlegorm rests at around 30 metres depth, and what lies inside is extraordinary. Two holds in the stern contain motorcycles, military trucks, jeeps, rifle crates, rubber boots, and locomotive wheels — all sitting exactly as they were stowed over 80 years ago. The forward holds add aircraft parts and armoured vehicles to the picture. On the deck you’ll find two locomotives that were blown off by the explosions, now resting beside the hull at around 15 metres.

Visibility regularly exceeds 20 metres, which means you can take in the full scale of the wreck from a distance before moving in to explore. The marine life that has colonised the structure is equally impressive — enormous schools of glassfish cloud the interior, lionfish hang motionless in the shadows, and large napoleon wrasse patrol the deck like they own the place.

The Thistlegorm is widely regarded as the best wreck dive in the world, and it’s accessible to Open Water certified divers. Even divers who have been dozens of times find something new on every visit.

Depth: 16–30m | Level: Open Water and above | Type: WWII cargo wreck

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2. Abu Nuhas — The Graveyard of Ships

If the Thistlegorm is the most famous single wreck in the Red Sea, Abu Nuhas is the most famous wreck site. It’s for sure one of the top dive sites in Hurghada.

This shallow reef at the northern tip of the Gubal Island group sits directly in one of the busiest historical shipping lanes in the world, and over the past 150 years it has claimed four vessels — all of which are diveable today.

The Giannis D is the most intact of the four, a Greek cargo ship that ran aground in 1983. Her engine room is still largely complete, and the main hull is in good enough condition to penetrate safely with a guide. The Chrisoula K — another Greek freighter, sunk in 1981 — is famous for its cargo of Italian floor tiles, still stacked in the hold. The Carnatic, a 19th-century paddle steamer, is the oldest and most encrusted, covered from bow to stern in soft corals and home to some of the best macro photography in the area. The Kimon M rounds out the quartet, partially broken up but still recognisable.

Diving Abu Nuhas typically means choosing two wrecks per day trip. Each one rewards careful exploration, and between them they cover a huge range of wreck diving experiences — from atmospheric penetration dives to shallow coral-encrusted photography sites.

Depth: 15–27m | Level: Advanced Open Water and above | Type: Multiple wrecks

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3. Dolphin House (Sha’ab El Erg) — Where Dolphins Play

Not every great dive site is about wrecks. Dolphin House — known locally as Sha’ab El Erg — is one of the most joyful dive sites in the Red Sea, and it offers something that very few places in the world can match: reliable, year-round encounters with wild spinner dolphins in their natural habitat.

A resident pod of spinner dolphins has made this horseshoe-shaped reef their resting and social ground. They return here every morning after a night of feeding in open water, and for a few hours each day they are relaxed, playful, and genuinely curious about divers and snorkellers in the water with them. Watching a dolphin spiral through a shaft of morning light at five metres depth is one of those underwater moments that stays with you for life.

The reef itself is worth the trip even without the dolphins. The inner lagoon shelters fields of branching staghorn coral in excellent condition, while the outer reef wall drops to 25 metres and attracts napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, and occasional reef sharks. It’s one of the most photogenic sites near Hurghada, and the shallow depth of the inner reef makes it ideal for snorkellers and beginner divers.

Depth: 5–25m | Level: All levels | Type: Coral reef + dolphin encounters

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4. Salem Express — A Powerful and Moving Dive

The Salem Express is unlike any other dive site near Hurghada — not because of its marine life or its depth, but because of what it is. This Egyptian passenger ferry sank on the night of 16 December 1991 while returning from Jeddah carrying pilgrims who had completed the Hajj. The exact death toll has never been confirmed, but estimates range from 400 to over 1,000 people. It remains one of the worst maritime disasters in Red Sea history.

Diving the Salem Express today is a profound experience. The hull lies on its starboard side at 28 metres, largely intact, and divers swim along the exterior taking in the scale of the vessel and the life that has colonised it. Enormous schools of glassfish billow around the hull, lionfish and scorpionfish rest on every surface, and large groupers have made the shadowed recesses their home. The stern superstructure, now heavily encrusted with corals, has a quiet, cathedral-like quality that is unlike any wreck dive you’ll have done before.

By unspoken agreement among the diving community, the Salem Express is treated as a memorial site. Penetration diving is strongly discouraged, and most operators — including Extra Fun — ask divers to enter the water with a moment of quiet respect. It is a dive that will stay with you.

Depth: 15–28m | Level: Advanced Open Water and above | Type: Passenger ship wreck

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5. Utopia Island — A Coral Paradise Near Safaga

Rounding out our top five is Utopia Island, a pristine reef near Safaga that sits just a short speedboat ride from our base at Soma Bay. While the wrecks tend to grab the headlines, Utopia is a reminder of just how spectacular the Red Sea’s reef diving can be when the coral is healthy and the visibility is good — and at Utopia, both usually are.

The reef structure is varied enough to keep any diver engaged for two full dives. The shallower sections host dense gardens of hard coral — table corals, brain corals, and fields of staghorn — all in excellent condition and busy with hundreds of species of reef fish. Move out to the reef edge and the wall drops away sharply, with overhangs and swim-throughs that attract reef sharks, barracuda, and the occasional turtle. We’ve had guests spot hammerheads on the deeper sections during the right season.

What makes Utopia a favourite for our team is how reliably good it is. The coral health here is among the best we’ve seen in the northern Red Sea, visibility is consistently 20 metres or more, and the current is usually gentle enough for relaxed, unhurried diving. It’s a site that rewards slow, observant diving — take your time on the coral and you’ll find nudibranchs, frogfish, and ghost pipefish hiding in plain sight.

Depth: 5–30m | Level: Open Water and above | Type: Coral reef

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Book Your Dive Trip from Soma Bay

Extra Fun Diving Club is a PADI 5-Star dive centre based in Soma Bay, 45 minutes south of Hurghada. We run daily trips to all five of the sites above, with experienced PADI instructors and divemasters who are familiar with these waters. Whether you’re after the Thistlegorm, a dolphin encounter at Sha’ab El Erg, or a full day exploring Abu Nuhas, we’ll put together the right trip for you.

Contact us to book your dive in one of the top dive sites in Hurghada, or find out more about our daily diving trips from Soma Bay.